Despite suffering a flu bug, I ended up in the garage again today as Dave Maton was free to come over again and help finish of the brakes on the Zetec Cortina. We gave the cafe a miss this time and got started in the garage as soon as he arrived. I'd had the brake pipes made up during the week, so these were fitted and we were then able to connect the new handbrake cables. 
We then bled the brakes to get all of the air out of the system, going round twice to be sure. Then we refitted the back wheels and went for a test drive. The brakes felt good and I was happy with our work. 
It was still fairly early and Dave was here for the day, so the next job on the agenda was to turn the Green Cortina around and get it in the garage backwards. My recent attempts at curing the oil leak hadn't worked, so the next stage was to take the engine out. (Again!)

It didn't take long to push the Cortina out and turn it around. (I couldn't drive it because it would have pissed oil all over my new drive)

Once the car was back in the garage, we both got stuck into it and before long, we had the cylinder head off. I then set up the engine crane and after not much longer we had the rest of the engine out and on the floor. This is now the third time this engine has been out since I've had this car, so this time it needs to be done right. It will be going to an engine specialist soon and hopefully, all the problems will be rectified. 

 Today I was lucky in that good friend Dave Maton was free to come over and help with my proposed rear disc brake conversion on my Zetec Cortina. 

We had a quick meet in the local cafe for breakfast before work commenced, but then got stuck into it. The first job was to get the  car up on axle stands, remove the rear wheels and then remove the drums, shoes and backing plates. 

The rear disc brake conversion is a fairly new kit from RetroFord and at present there are no instructions with it, so some educated guesswork was required. 

By mid afternoon we had done all we could do. I now need to get some brake pipes made up and then once they are fitted and the brakes bled, then we can connect the new handbrake cables. 

I was quite pleased with the days progress even though it left the car unusable. Another couple of hours work once the brakes pipes are done will see it back on the road. 

 I hadn't planned to enter this event this year, but good friend Richard Warr wanted to do it. The only snag was that his car is still in the workshop having some major work done, so I agreed to do it with him and use my Triumph. 

The only snag with that was that my Triumph was in storage at Colin Wake's place in North Essex. Luckily, Colin joined us as a third crew member for the event, so he spent a couple of days using the car for work to make sure it was all ok. 

Richard made the journey to my place and stayed over on the Friday night in readiness for the event start at Saturday tea time. We just had a few drinks on the Friday night and a takeaway as we didn't want to feel like crap Saturday morning with so many miles ahead of us. 

Saturday morning saw us make the 50 mile journey to Colin's to collect him and the car and then after a good breakfast in a local cafe, we made the 200 mile journey to the start. 

The start was at 'The Great British Car Journey' museum at Ambergate in Derbyshire. We met up with the other crews and after dining on jacket potato's and plotting part of the route, we set out into the evening. 

The theme for this event was motor sport, so extra points could be gained by visiting race tracks and race car manufacturers, so the first part of our route took us through Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire, before nipping into Leicestershire on our way to the halfway point at Rugby Services. 

After a mandatory 30 minute break, we set out through Leicestershire, (again!) Rutland, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire before heading for the finish in Northamptonshire. We visited some great places including Snetterton Raceway, Silverstone, Rockingham and many others. 

By 8am we were at the finish and awaiting the results. Colin had done really well and had acted as navigator and spent all night plotting and directing. Richard and I took turns to drive. 

The finish was an interesting place as well with plenty to look at while we enjoyed a bacon bap and a much needed coffee. 

The results were announced and Colin's hard work had paid off as we were rewarded with 2nd place. (We weren't that bothered about winning, as the winners have to organise next years event.😉)

We all had a great time, although we were pretty shattered by Sunday morning. Colin still hadn't had enough and wanted to drive home as he hadn't driven on the event. We were back at his by about 11.30am and enjoyed a cup of coffee in the sunshine before making our separate journey's home. 

The car did well and we reckon we covered just over 750 miles in total. The only time we opened the bonnet was to check the oil before heading for home. It seems to be back to its old reliable self. 😁

Having double driven Fly at Debden last September, and us both missing some tests after a steering arm issue, we entered in her again for the March event. This meant it would be my second time driving in her competition, and I was hoping to improve from my previous outing!

The first loop of tests was three tests, two of which were lovely and flowed well and one which just wasn’t quite our cup of tea. Gavin drove first and we were car 10, so when we got to the finish of Test 2 and were told we were the quickest through so far it was pleasing! The reality is, double driving is an advantage (as you see each test twice, once as a driver and once as a navigator) and we expected that “quickest time” to change once second drivers went through (we ended up 19th fastest, as a ten second cone penalty was added, dropping us from 3rd fastest). My first couple of tests went well and the lack of power steering didn’t feel as unfamiliar as last time, with just one small reverse on Test 3 after a boot full of throttle resulted in understeer and I wasn’t quick enough on the handbrake. We sat 7th (Gavin driving) and 39th (me driving) after the first loop.

For the second loop of tests, I drove first (done to try and negate the second driver advantage). The tests were similar, but with some different aspects, and I had the same understeer issue at the same place! Gavin was absolutely on it, and bar finding another car at a merge on Test 5 (they were on their first lap and we were on our second) it went well. Unfortunately we were behind them for a while, including two passage checks (marshals signing our timecard) so we caught them after the merge, sat behind as the nature of the test meant the only way of getting past was if they moved offline, waited for their passage check to be completed (and watched the seconds drift away!), then got our timecard signed… then we caught them again, not able to get past, waited for their passage check, waited for ours…then caught them again, before going different ways at the split. As we were on our second lap we went different ways at the split, but it did rather spoil our flow and time on that test costing around 15 seconds (we counted whilst stationary and awaiting our turn in the PCs – the marshals did it as quick as they could). Gavin went the third quickest time of everyone on Test 6, so maybe the frustration helped! We both moved up one place overall after this loop.

Timecard/loop 3 with three tests, and I was driving first again. This time the tests were reversed and had more changes, including lots of “bus stops,” which is where I found the lack of power steering harder work going lock to lock in first gear. I used Fly’s RWD to steer where possible, but I’m not as used to her as Gavin is given it was my second event driving her and he bought her in 1991. I did manage to set my best overall test time of 28th fastest on Test 9, which was my favourite test/area of the day as I felt the test flowed well as it was more open/second gear corners, particularly in the second half. Gavin set his best overall test time of 2nd fastest on Test 8, just one second slower than the quickest car. By the end of this timecard, Gavin moved up to 5th overall and I was 34th.

On to the final loop and timecard, with two tests and Gavin to drive first. We knew it was tight between him and Adrian White, but Adrian had been clean all day (no penalties) and we had picked up 30 seconds of cone penalties (3 x 10 seconds). We had known about hitting one cone but not two others, so we were a little apprehensive. We went into the last two tests 9 seconds behind Adrian, and didn’t know it at the time, but set the exact same time as him on Test 10 (joint 3rd fastest). The last test was two of the earlier tests joined up, and Gavin was on it the whole way round, and we were 9 seconds fastest than Adrian, which initially put us 4th overall on identical overall times (us ahead as we’d set a faster time on Test 1). Unfortunately, we were given a wrong side of cone/gate penalty which was a 20 second penalty, something we didn’t know we’d done wrong at the time, which meant we finished 5th overall exactly 20 seconds behind Adrian, but comfortably ahead of 6th.

Then it was my turn, and I did ok on the shorter test before heading into the long one. It was all going so well until a few corners from the finish, where I was a bit heavy with my right foot and spun Fly. I tried to get the clutch down whilst spinning quickly but didn’t quite make it and stalled her, so after a quick restart we were off again. It cost me some time, and I picked up a ten second cone penalty (my second penalty of the day). Normally I know when I hit cones, so I can only presume I clipped a base or something somewhere in the test as I had no idea! I finished the day 36th overall.

It was really good to be driving Fly again, and with Gavin driving her too with me navigating, I get to see what she is capable of; my limitations are most certainly my driving, and not Fly. I was getting quicker and more confident in her and getting more and more comfortable using her rear wheel drive to steer, not something I’m used to having a front wheel drive rally car with Muriel. Andy Manston got a great photo of me coming out of a hairpin sideways with a big grin on my face.

We were both pleased with our results of 5th and 36th overall (72 starters), and to finish and complete all the tests after a challenging event in September at the same venue. The only thing that would really make things easier would be if Debden was closer to home. At around 170 miles, we didn’t get home until 21:45 which makes for a long day (especially with work on a Monday!).

Photos by M&H Photography

 I finally managed to order the correct dipstick tube for the 1600 Mk2 Cortina GT engine that's fitted in my Green Cortina. Or so I thought. When the tube arrived I found that it was a very loose fit going into the hole in the timing cover. It needs to be a tight fit so that the oil wont seep out of the gap. 

So, I decided to remove the timing cover so that I can take that, and the dipstick tube to engineering company to see what they can do for me.

So, I've now removed even more parts from this car in order to complete just one job. I said to my mate Dave on the phone 'it's one of those cars where one job turns into three or four more!'. 

I have to admit, I'm getting to the stage now where I'm considering selling it and replacing it with something else. (Maybe a Ford Anglia-Another favourite car from my childhood)  I'm a bit tired of throwing money at it, only for it to cause me a different problem. I honestly think I've spent more time laying underneath it, or with my head under the bonnet, than I have actually driving the bloody thing! 

 I received a phone call the night before from good friend Dave Maton saying that he was coming to Shoeburyness on Sunday morning to collect a fuel tank for his Morris Minor. he knew that I'd got myself into a situation of having an immobile car in front of the garage and a mobile one trapped in the  garage, so would I like a hand to 'shunt cars around?'. What a top bloke! So I gratefully took him up on his offer.

So, Sunday morning, I filled the differential with oil and bled the clutch master cylinder while waiting for Dave to arrive.  

Once Dave arrived we got stuck in and pushed the Green Cortina onto the drive and I reversed the Zetec Cortina out of the garage. Temptation got the better of us both and we couldn't resist taking the Zetec round the block the couples of time to 'get the oil in the diff circulated'. 

After having a bit of fun, we pushed the Green Cortina into the garage where I could resume my latest challenge with it at another time and Dave set out on his journey home. (He had other stuff to do) He certainly done me a favour though, so it was a very worthwhile morning, plus it's always good to see your friends! 

 I had taken my Zetec Cortina differential to Herts & Bed transmissions in Baldock, Hertfordshire the previous Saturday for him to replace the crown wheel and pinion and also fit a limited slip differential. 

The crown wheel and pinion are a new item from Retro Ford and the ratio is 3:31. I've bought this in the hope that it will bring the revs down enough and I can avoid the huge task and cost of fitting a five speed gearbox. Calculations show that it will reduce it by 300 revs, which doesn't sound a lot, but is. (If you drive your car at 2000 revs, then increase it to 2300 revs, you'll see how much more the engine has to work)
I also purchased a Blackline limited slip differential which will also stop the accidental wheel spin that the car gives me in the rain as the LSD will provide more grip. 

I set out early and was at Herts & Beds transmissions  at 6.45am. Luckily, the top man was already there and after paying my bill and having a bit of a chat, I was on my way home. 

A trouble free drive saw me arrive at my friend Gavin's house in Wickford and after a cup of coffee, I left my car at his place and jumped into his Triumph and we went to the Billericay classic car breakfast meet. It was still quite cold, so there wasn't that many cars there really, but a beautiful Cortina Mk1 2 door GT had come down all the way from Bury St Edmunds. All of us Cortina fans at the meet had never seen this car before, but all agreed that it was a very nice car indeed. (See below pic) 

We spent a few hours at the meet, but left when everyone else started leaving. On arrival at my place, I changed into my overalls and went into the garage to refit my differential. It only took an hour or so to get the rear axle back together including refitting the half shafts and bolting the propshaft back on. 

I then refitted the back wheels and all I had left to do was fill the new differential with oil and bleed the clutch master cylinder. (I had removed it and replaced the seals the week before) By now though my long day was catching up with me. I'd got up at 4am and was doing my Saturday shopping in Tesco's Baldock at 6am. so I could be at the transmission place for 7am!  I was starting to feel cold as well, so I called time and went indoors. 

My third day out of four in a rally car, in Wales, on gravel and in sunshine – a perfect day.

A massive thank you to Callum Black for having me on his Malcolm Wilson PET (pre event test) in his Ford Fiesta Rally2. But how did this happen?!

I marshalled on the South Oxon Car Club Targa in November 2023, and Robert Hall and the club had worked hard to put together prizes for a marshals raffle. To my surprise (and delight!), I won a day sitting alongside Callum in his Ford Fiesta Rally2. Work meant I couldn’t make the original date he offered, but this week everything came together and we had an early start to head to the Phil Price Rally School in Wales so Callum could test ahead of the Malcolm Wilson this weekend.

I asked Callum if Gavin could come to watch and he said yes and he’d take him out too which was great and unexpected. When there, Callum’s Dad Steve said “I’ll take you out!” so I also did a run with Steve in his Suzuki Swift S1400. As we drove out, he said “it’s only a 1400” to which my response is “I drive a 1400!” The Swift sounds great and is quick in Steve’s capable hands, too.

Aside from both cars being left hand drive (I’ve only co-driven and navigated in right hand drive before, so I was sat in the wrong place!), it was good to feel comfortable in both cars. I’d taken along my own kit and my Stilo helmet was compatible in both cars which helped.

I’d never experienced launch control, and Callum offered to show me and talked me through how it works. He was testing ahead of the Malcolm Wilson this weekend and getting the car set up so there were many runs and adjustments made. The way the car pitched through acceleration and deceleration, the acceleration she has and the braking really was something else and I’m very fortunate to have had the experience.

It was a really great experience so remember – it is always worth marshalling and trying to give something back, because you never know if there is a prize draw and you might be lucky enough to win!

A YouTube video with highlights of the day is available here.

After just a few hours sleep from getting back from a few days away in Prague it was back to the Banbury Plant Hire depot for another slippery day.

This time the mud seemed deeper and gloppier (if that is a real word)

For the second use of this venue the tests explored more of the venue, giving longer tests which seemed to suit me and the ZR.

Overall it was a fun days sport, though I was nowhere near the winners times this time around. Through consistent times, we ended up 2nd overall and 1st Experts on what was a very muddy and tiring days sport.

Sadly the venue jet wasn’t available, so there is quite some cleaning to do before the cars upcoming MOT. As well as sorting the wipers which failed on the second to last test…..

The last time I was at Bramley for a Targa Rally was back in 2019, and although it was fun I did end up in a ditch after a bit of a ‘moment’.

For this event I linked up back with Lizzie Pope, who has navved me on many events over the years.

A relatively local event, meant not too early a start. Scrutineering was very quick so it was off to get an enjoyable but not healthy breakfast.

The tests at Bramley are short and sharp and very much at the ‘autotest’ end of Targa Rallies, but this doesn’t take away from the challenge though the ZR is a big old car at times…

During the days six tests we soon got into the mix of the tests. Apart from one overshoot (which was soon corrected), we got all the tests correct and setting some good times. Sadly two cones cost us some time, which on an event with realtively less test times meant they were quite costly.

In the end we finished up 8th overall and 2nd in class, which was pleasing after a while away from Bramley and competing with Lizzie. Plus we didn’t end up in a ditch like I did last time I was there!

Sadly those cones did come back to haunt me and without them we would have been 4th overall and 1st in class. But as the saying goes that’s motorsport and we can all say ‘What If’….

After the what if’s it was still a fun days rallying, and lots of laughs were had.

Ten years to the day since I last drove on a stage rally at Bovington, it was time to return. Muriel had her normal spanner check and re-prep since her last event (the Goodwood Stages) and we didn’t find anything unexpected, just a change of front brake discs was needed. With new classes announced by Motorsport UK for 2025, we had entered the up to 1400cc road rally spec class, so added her rear sets, carpets etc back in to comply.

The format for the event was six stages on Saturday (with Car 1 starting at 13:00) and six stages on Sunday, covering 65 miles on tarmac. We headed down on Saturday morning and completed noise, scrutineering and documentation quickly. We set up in service (we were servicing for ourselves) and waited for the drivers’ briefing. The first stage was a short one at just over three miles, with no splits or merges, and went ok. SS2 and 3 had a loop added in and these also went well, just a slight hesitation looking for the split the first time but nothing else to report.

The sun was starting to set and I was glad of my tinted visor and being up to pull it up/down as needed. On SS4, we caught a Talbot Sunbeam – we were quicker through the chicanes but didn’t have the power on the straights. We were on our second lap which always helps a little, and I managed to get past going into the “tank trap chicane.” The driver came and spoke to me on Sunday and was very complimentary about my driving and Muriel’s speed which was very kind and much appreciated.

SS5 looks a little darker on the onboard than I remember it feeling at the time, but we had another good run although we were two seconds slower than SS4; having taken tyre pressures when we returned to service, I should have raised them all a little as they were a little lower (1/2psi) than I would like when coming off the stage. The sun had disappeared even more by this point and it was cold, so something to think about in future. Due to a delay on Saturday, the organisers decided to postpone SS6 from Saturday to Sunday so once Muriel was safely in parc ferme, we headed off to a local chip shop before finding our B&B for the night. The Cheltenham MC marshalling group offered to camp in our service bay over night so we knew the space would still be there in the morning.

Sunday morning soon came round, and we were back at Bovington for 0800 with a 0924 start time. I was wondering about changing my front tyres given it was very cold and icy, but even the tarmac in the shade in service didn’t seem too bad. I decided to leave it until the last minute and by the time I needed to make the decision, I decided to stick with what I had been running. We put a little fuel in Muriel, torqued her wheel nuts, did pressures and it was time to go. SS6 was a handful of seconds slower than the previous evening, I think a combination of a cold car, cold tyres, a lock up as it was slightly slippy in places all contributed.

On to SS7, 8 and 9 – the longest of the event at 6.32 miles. We had a good run of these and took time off between SS7 and SS8 and I felt I was really finding my rhythm. I think SS9 was the best stage I drove all weekend, as I took 17 seconds off my SS8 time. We found a Mini in this stage, I think we made a lot of our time up through braking later in the chicanes as they were initially a long way ahead. It was the “typical” challenge though of running a 1348cc road rally spec car; we’d caught them and were quicker through the chicanes etc, but didn’t have the power on the straights. We followed them for a little while and then were on our final split which was good as we were going a different way to them. I can find it hard following other cars; we knew we were quicker as we’d caught them, so I needed to be careful with my braking not to get caught out and get too close.

SS10 and SS11 were a pair, and we found the Mini again on SS11 as we came through the merge on our second lap as they were on their first. This time, we only followed them through one chicane before taking our final split so that was better. That meant one stage to go! We still hadn’t done anything to Muriel other than tyre pressures, torquing wheel nuts and the fuel splash first thing Sunday morning and we had 3.71 miles left. The final stage had no splits and merges and we got round well and that was it, finished!

We finished 1st in class and 35th overall, with 53 cars finishing and 78 starting. I was really pleased with how Muriel handled all weekend and Gavin and I had some laughs too. Bovington is a great venue to drive, especially when it’s dry, as the key is getting the speed up and trying to keep it there, especially in a lower powered car. I don’t want to leave it ten years until I drive on a stage there again, we’d wondered about doing Bovington or another stage rally later this month but I’m really pleased we decided to head to Bovington. Thank you to Gavin, not just for co-driving, but for helping me prepare Muriel for the weekend too.

Onboards on YouTube: SS3, SS4, SS5, SS9, SS11, SS12.

 After yesterdays disappointment of finding that the Green Cortina was still leaking oil out through the dipstick tube, I went out for breakfast with Gavin and we discussed the issue thoroughly. 

When I had this problem originally, I posted a question on a Facebook page as to what could be causing it. Some of the answers were helpful, some were very negative and some were just downright ridiculous, so I was nowhere near an answer. A few people said it was crankcase compression caused by knackered piston rings, but my engine doesn't smoke, doesn't burn oil, doesn't have an oil haze floating over it and doesn't even smell oily, so I really can't believe that my engine needs a rebuild. 

Once back home, we started investigating a bit more. Gavin was reading through the workshop manual and found that the oil capacity of the engine should be 6 pints, or 3.5 litres. The only way to check that that's what was in the engine was draining it out. So, I made sure that the oil was reading maximum on the dipstick, and the drained all of the oil out. (Including the what was in the oil filter)

To my surprise, all I got out of the engine was 4.5 pints. So that meant that somehow, the dipstick wasn't reading correctly. After even more investigations, we found that the measurement of the dipstick tube from the timing cover to the end of the tube where the dipstick enters should be 5 inches. Mine was only measuring 3 inches. So, from what we can make out, a previous owner had fitted a dipstick tube from a 1300cc engine instead of a 1600cc engine. This will also explain why my dipstick reads maximum oil level when its really 1.5 pints short. 
Luckily, Burton Power Products sell the tubes brand new, so I've now got one on order. Hopefully, you never know, this might, just might cure my problem. 

 Not many people notice, but on my Goodwood Green Cortina, the bonnet is a slightly different colour to the rest of the car. It's something that I'd always noticed and something I'd planned to get resolved one day. So, on a bright and sunny morning I set out to go and see the paint man at East Hanningfield. This would also be the first trip out since (hopefully) curing my oil problem. 

I had a good run over there and the car drove great and sounded great. The paint man then spoiled things somewhat by telling me that the bonnet on the car was pretty much scrap and full of filler and advised me to find a better one. 

To make matters worse, I then looked under the bonnet and found that I hadn't cured my oil problem at all and that the oil was still coming out of the dipstick tube. 😞

So, I drove home somewhat deflated, parked the car up, covered it up so I couldn't see it and went indoors and sulked for the rest of the day. 

It's annoying because I love this car, but I just don't think it likes me very much. That's tough though, because I'm not giving up with it, so it's just going to have to live with me! 

 I had never been to the Canvey Island breakfast meet before and so decided it was time to check it out. I had been warned that it was mainly American cars, so I didn't bother digging the Cortina out and went in my every day car, a Peugeot 308 estate. (A good parts collector!)
I arrived at 10am to find the meet was already packed and I had to park outside on double yellow lines. A quick walk round showed that it was indeed mainly American with a few British cars thrown in. (Including a very rare Vauxhall Victor estate) I've nothing against American cars, but they aren't my thing at all, so after taking a few pics, I set off for home. 

Once home, I put on my work clothes and got to work on the Zetec Cortina. It needs new rear wheel bearings and I also needed to find out what the ratio in the differential is. 
Luckily everything went well and all came apart fairly easily. The half shafts were put to one side in readiness of someone pressing the new bearings on when they get time. I've never done these before, so I'm going to let someone else do them first so I can learn how. 
The differential was then marked up so I could count the teeth on the crown wheel and then also count the teeth on the pinion. Dividing one by the other will then provide the ratio. (As you can see below)

The differential actually looked in good condition, but it will still be sent to a specialist for checking over before going back in the car. I'm also considering buying a new crown wheel and pinion from Retro Ford which will give the differential a ratio of 3:31 instead of the 3:54. Basically, with the 3:54 diff, the car will be doing 3,800 revs per minute at 70mph. The 3:31 will reduce the RPM (revs per minute) down to 3,500 at 70mph. This will make a big difference when cruising on motorways and fast carriageways and hopefully I'll no longer need to carry out the massive, time consuming and expensive job of converting to a 5 speed gearbox. 

 What with the weather being as cold as it has been, (The next person who mentions global warming to me is getting kicked squarely in the nuts!) I've been in hibernation mode and have done absolutely nothing to the cars.However, there was a breakfast meet on this morning at Billericay, so Gavin and I decided to venture along. I took the Zetec Cortina to see if the recent attempts to fix the fuel gauge have been successful. 
I'm glad I did take the Zetec, because I had been considering buying my old Cortina Mk1 estate back and was about 90% certain that I was going to own it again and was ready to pay a deposit on Monday morning. However, once I'd started driving the Zetec I decided that it's such a great car, that I should be spending money on that rather than buying another car that I haven't really got room for. The meet was fairly well attended considering the cold, although the cafe there needs to up its game before the really big crowds arrive in the summer. (£6.45 and a 20 minute wait for two drinks-and they got one of those wrong!)
Around lunch time I made my way home and put the Zetec into the garage ready to do more work on it. The current job list includes finding out what ratio differential it has, replacing the seals in the clutch master cylinder and replacing the nylon bushes on the gear selector. Ideally it needs a five speed gearbox, but I'm going to investigate different differential ratios before I get into that, because it's such a massive job. The transmission tunnel has to be cut, adapted and welded, plus the clutch and propshaft needs to be altered and a new gearbox crossmember needs to be made. I'm not ready to do all that yet, so I'll try other options first.

The Bath Festival was all going well… until the diff said no more

I was navigating for Anthony Newton in his BMW, and it was his first time on the Bath Festival. It had been nearly two years since I last navigated for him, and it was good to compete together again. We were setting some top 15 times and catching the cars starting 30 secs ahead of us, until on Test 5 out of 10 at Castle Combe, we had no drive and that was it, game over. We did all the venues, just not all the tests.

I got covered in mud at one point and Anthony really did seem to enjoy it – Andy Manston was in the right place as always! His facial expressions really are a picture. It was a shame, but we had fun until we retired.

On test photos by M&H Photography (others by me)

A David Whittock 12 Car was always going to be a tough night…! We took Kermit out with me driving and Gavin navigating and were one of only three cars to complete the full route, which was a surprise. There was one board was missing so everyone had at least one fail.

It was one of those events which was about keeping going because you never know how it is going for anyone else…! We had a wrong slot part way through, and made the decision to effectively do most of the section again (it was the safest way to loop round and get onto rally route), because there had been several manned secret checks and code boards. It turned out there weren’t any in the section we missed so it cost us lots of time (and we wouldn’t have picked up any fails given the lack of checks), and in the cold light of day we’re not sure we made the right decision, but we might just have scraped 2nd otherwise.

As well as some Tavern competitors, there were plenty of Tavern members marshalling as well which was good to see. Thanks to all involved for a challenging evening.

It’s that time of year when a long and busy few months culminates in event day.

The day itself sees over 200 volunteers on a cold January day assemble at Brands, but the volunteer hours (alongside family lives, work etc) is huge. Some people did Friday set up only, some didn’t come to Brands but loaded equipment, some were at the end of the phone, some did clear up, some were there on event day – and some did it all!

It is quite simply a huge effort so 80 odd rally cars can entertain several thousand spectators.

Thank you all It’s very humbling to be part of a great team.

On stage photos and drivers’ briefing by M&H Photography (others by me, bridge photo by Andrew Bisping)

Just a few days in to 2025, and it was back in the ZR for a autotest at a new venue for SOCC.

The ZR needed new track rod ends and a drop link after the Preston, but other a good wash that was all that was needed before the autotest.

The only thing I couldn’t fix was the lack of a working heater, which with the snow and cold weather forecast wasn’t ideal. After an ‘interesting’ drive to the venue using my Focus (Toerag had a few little issues that need sorting), it was clear there was snow on the ground but that was slowly melting.

The new venue which is an old quarry, and is now used for waste management and other things like plant hire meant there were lots of ‘natural’ obstacles to drive around but none of them would move! This meant it would be about being precise and with all runs to count, ensuring you went the right way.

During the day the snow melted away leaving a very wet venue, so much so I didn’t change out of my rigger boots to try and keep warm. This though didn’t hold me back and during the morning it was clear that I was building up a lead.

Going into the last test, it was clear it was mine to throw away with a wrong test. This put the pressure on to ensure I went the right way, and with some complex tests this wasn’t easy. Thankfully even though I eased things back a little to ensure we took the win, I was still fastest on the final set of tests by 0.1. Overall I took the win by 60 plus seconds which was pleasing on a cold day.

The organisers then offered an additional longer test, which wouldn’t count toward overall results but there would be £20 cash for the fastest crew on this one test. This was more like a slow targa test, which was great fun to drive (if very muddy to walk before hand!). It was pleasing to also walk away with this win as well.

All in all a fun start to the year