Archived updates from the Wales Rally GB liveblog can be found below! To return to the latest instalment and comments click here.
What a weekend to be rallying then; as Abigail's ... gales lashed the UK the PH-liveried Mitsubishi Evo IX of Tony Jardine and co-driver Gordon Noble were off into the Welsh forests. Wales Rally GB is always a tough event but this year's has been tougher than most, not least for the hardy spectators and heroic volunteers and marshals who run the stages.
"Slightly shaky start for me today," said Tony of Friday's opener. "We've been sliding all over the place trying to find grip. We also had the diff light come on and stay on; I also think it was misfiring, although mysteriously everything was running smoothly enough when we got to stage three, no idea why. So it was a bit of a stop start day and I didn't want to risk damaging the car, especially seeing as it could be ECU related, so I avoided getting too much air on the jumps at Sweet Lamb.
Tony (r) chats with rival Rob Gill from The Sun
"On a lighter note, we've passed Rob Gill from the Sun's Fiesta R5 a couple of times on stage, so if there is a battle of the media teams, PistonHeads are well in the lead at the moment!"
By the end of the day the Evo was in 38th place, Tony reporting back on a solid opening day and full of praise for his valiant co-driver. "Gordon has been incredible, I'm listening to his every word and only been told off a few times for not relaxing or not concentrating. At the end of each loop we were absolutely marginal on fuel, we did 12 miles with the fuel light on so I was lifting and coasting like an F1 driver while Gordon was totally confident we'd be fine.
"There were all sorts of little dramas and huge traffic on the way back to Deeside, I also spilled an entire cup of coffee on my seat, so I had a wet bum in the afternoon and stank of coffee, I had to make a little plastic seat cover to try and dry myself out!"
So to Saturday and the longest day of the event. In an email from a member of the team we were told "conditions are even more atrocious than they have been previously", only adding to the challenge. But battling through appalling conditions Tony and Gordon entered the night stages in 30th place. "It's been such a long day for both of us!" said Gordon. "We had a good smooth start to the day and made quite good time, but as it got wetter and the ruts in the road got bigger it got more and more difficult to get a good rhythm, but we survived which is the main thing. We had a slow puncture this afternoon which was slightly unlucky, but the tyres have been really reliable so far on this rally."
"It's been a very testing day so far," said Tony before the night stages. "One minute the road will be very slick and then on the top of the mountains there is no visibility because of the low cloud and mist. I'm a bit aprehensive about the stages in the dark tonight. I haven't done a stage in the dark since I won my class here with Amy Williams back in 2013 but I'll keep it calm and trust Gordon to keep us on the road."
Wouldn't you know, it's a little wet in Wales. Apparently last night's ceremonial start at Llandudno was "blustery". Still, isn't it said that there's no such thing as poor weather, simply bad clothing?
The first special stages will begin today, so we'll hope to hear from Tony Jardine and Gordon Noble soon. By the time they arrive at the Deeside service park on Sunday they will have covered nearly 1,000 miles through Wales. This week they have completed a two-day recce, covering all the stages twice and only picking up one puncture (!). Conditions were described by Tony as 'slick', which bodes well... But then co-driver Gordon added that "we feel positive" and he's the man directing the car!
Speaking ahead of his 22nd Wales Rally GB at Llandudno, Tony Jardine said: "I am now very eager to get on with it... The weather conditions are playing on my mind as the forecast is far from ideal, but ultimately I'm really looking forward to tomorrow." We'll keep our fingers crossed!
The PH Wales Rally GB convoy will be heading across this afternoon so there will be update from the ground soon. Keep 'em peeled!
October 30 - Ariel Nomad vs Mitsubishi Evo IX
Given it's November on Sunday, that means Wales Rally GB isn't far off. Exciting times, particularly with our
first Sunday Service
there as well. One of the cars we'll be keeping a close eye on is the Mitsubishi Evo IX of Tony Jardine because, well, it's backed by PH!
Because rally stories need jump shots
After a successful shakedown event at the Cambrian rally recently, Tony has embarked on an even more entertaining test for his final bit of prep. The Evo has taken on an
ArielNomad
at the Sweet Lamb rally complex to find out which is fastest. Oh yeah, and make sure everything works.But mainly to see which is fastest.
We won't reveal the times here but it was very close. See the videos below for the unedited onboard and the respective times. What we can tell you now is that - spoiler alert and all that - the Ariel was the fastest. Naturally the guys in the Evo are convinced they could have gone faster but the car needed to be conserved with the rally imminent. Also the anti-lag wasn't working, the Ariel had more practice, Tony was carrying a passenger for two runs... Nothing like racing driver excuses.
Despite coming second, Tony left the day a very happy man: "I wasn't really expecting such an adrenaline fuelled day, but it felt like a qualifying session! We got into a real dogfight, and I had to stop eventually, because if I'd pushed any harder I would have ended up tumbling down the hill."
With two weeks until the rally begins, last minute preparations are in full flow. We'll be sure to keep you updated as it continues!
here
Nomad onboard video here.
October 21 - Cambrian Rally and mucking about with an Ariel
Hopefully you will be up to date with the PH stickered
Mitsubishi Evo
competing at Wales Rally GB this year, driven and co drive by Tony Jardine and Gordon Noble. The shakedown for the car and the two chaps was the Cambrian rally last weekend. Over to Tony...
"We've managed to keep the car well clear of the ditches, but we've still had a few little problems. I lost my glove at the start of stage three, so I had to go without it, it threw Gordon a little bit and he made a call a little bit late! We have also had a couple of confusing slow punctures which seem to be a common problem for everyone. We certainly don't recall hitting anything." Certainly a dramatic start then! On Saturday morning Tony and Gordon were running 29th and fifth in class; they eventually finished fourth in class and 26th overall, a great result for an event intended to be a chance to sort set-up and tyres.
Following that the team have been testing at Sweet Lamb ahead of Wales Rally GB proper, which of course is now less than three weeks away. A dry and dusty day probably wasn't representative of the conditions that await in November but the reports are good. "We kicked up so much dust I think we're all still coughing it up!" said a team member. You'll no doubt be wondering about that Ariel Nomad in the pictures too, right? Full details to follow in Autocar but the basic premise was a test to see what's faster around an off-road circuit - a Group N Evo or the Nomad. A few teaser pics here, video and more with our colleagues on Autocar shortly.
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