2018 UK Targa/Road Rallying Thread

2018 UK Targa/Road Rallying Thread

Author
Discussion

velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Friday 3rd November 2017
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Ranger 6 said:
Gratuitous shot....

Sutton Bank - can't remember which event it was smile

Or Whitehorse bank perhaps, hairpin looks too sharp to be Sutton, Whitehorse is a bit more ‘Rally’.

ShampooEfficient

4,266 posts

210 months

Friday 3rd November 2017
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This is a bit more inspiration for MrsSE and I... Done a few scatters this year, the car is coming off the road for winter to get a suspension rebuild, everything getting replaced, greased, painted, or adjusted in a percussive fashion... Ready for road rallies proper next year.

Remarkably, she drives and I nav...

Ranger 6

7,040 posts

248 months

Friday 3rd November 2017
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I think you're right Mitch. The one off to the right which is very much more 'rally' smile

velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
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So Rally of the Tests again, this will be my fourth attempt!.

I've got everything packed and ready, everything I can get on the maps is on them, I'm told the Car appears to be working OK at the moment. Setting off to the start venue near Chester after work tomorrow.

Route looks good, Not sure where we are going Thursday Night yet, but Tests at a local Kart Track and the Car Park at Demon Tweaks are a clue.

Friday is Oulton Park, then East into Derbyshire, North through West Yorkshire into Lancashire and back into North Yorkshire for a rest Halt at Hawes before the evening section around the Dales and Catterick Ranges for a TC section.

Over night at Redworth Hall then Saturday its west to the Lakes and back via Warcop for another TC section to Redworth again.

Sunday, South via Catterick again and through the Dales to my home Turf near Wetherby and back North via Harewood Hill Climb to Harrogate.

We have about 750 miles, 29 Tests, 21 Regularities and 2 TC sections, that's probably about 250 places to cock something up!.

The TC sections are a flat out thrash around a private venue, in this case Military land, which usually covers about 10 to 15 controls in about three quarters of an hour, in the dark and on Gravel. They tend to be the make or break sections of the event. Concentration is everything here as one slip from the Driver will have you in a ditch, one slip from the Navigator can have you hopelessly and even dangerously lost. With another 40 or 50 cars charging around in a small area at the same time the chances of a 'blue on blue' are actually quite high!

There are a 100 entries ranging from a 1938 Bentley Derby 4 (Car 2), to a Porsche 924 (Car 100). We are grouped into categories and classes based on the age and type of Car, but only Cars built to a design produced prior to 1962 are allowed to compete for overall awards. Those of us in more modern Cars fight for class positions, though unofficially we are still after the prestige of a good overall placing. As always its a who's who of Historic Road Rallying with quality right through the field, so anything in the top thirty would be a good result.

I'm Navigating Car 39 a 1965 Porsche 911 SWB, along with 9 other 911's in Category 5, Class A (Porsche 911 of a type produced between 1964 and 1985).

Lots more info here;

https://heroevents.eu/event-type/rac-rally-of-the-...

RacingPete

8,845 posts

203 months

Tuesday 7th November 2017
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Good luck... see you in Chester tomorrow!

Not sure what we are hoping for but after 3rd overall last year and 2nd the year before I would like to say a 1st place... but this year looks tough with a lot of plotting on route unlike previous years!

velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Wednesday 8th November 2017
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I like plotting on route personally, the trend seems to have been to simplify it over the past few years though, so I’d not expect it to quite as intense as it was for my first go in 2014.

Emphasis these days seems to be on extreme accuracy with the trip and clock.

I guess we will find out soon enough. smile

thepawbroon

1,146 posts

183 months

Thursday 16th November 2017
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Hi,

I've just found this thread - it's brilliant smile

As one of the organisers of the 2017 Mull Targa, I can say velocemitch has it spot on. It might come back in 2018 if the closed-road rally can't run, but no decision for a few weeks yet. Otherwise, it might come back in the future at a different time of year. There are a few local issues which influence the available time slots, plus a bust on organising resources as the Mull Car Club also organise the Argyll Stages and a Rally Time Trial.

The 2017 Mull Targa did go down well, we enjoyed organising it (despite only having 4 months to do it and living in London). For an insight into that, check the next Sutton & Cheam MC club magazine sometime early next year.

As a result, I've started to look for a Targa car - e.g. a sheddy old Clio or Micra. I do have a stage rally car but it was monthballed 3 years ago and its too expensive to get it up to date for one or two events in the year. I'd love to see a Targa in the south east (south of the Thames) if anyone wants to volunteer!

cheers
Duncan

velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Sunday 3rd December 2017
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l354uge said:
Cheers Wingo, we managed to get 15 tyres, 11 of them with micra steels on on ebay for £100, 5 of them are brand new M+S tyres which look ideal if we can use the gravel tyres, two new maxsport hakka 2 tyres also in there, but look abit aggressive and soft for our uses...

Sadly not doing the bonfire targa this weekend, still haven't got any under body protection or navigation equipment! So we're doing an autosolo at Curborough on the Sunday to give the car a shakedown!

Just over a month until The Preston and all we've done is fit seats and harnesses, fixed the brakes and serviced it. Lots to do!
So how did it go lads?. I see two Micra’s on the entry list, one finished ( an acheivement in itself,) the other went missing in action.

l354uge

Original Poster:

2,892 posts

120 months

Sunday 3rd December 2017
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velocemitch said:
So how did it go lads?. I see two Micra’s on the entry list, one finished ( an acheivement in itself,) the other went missing in action.
We finished! (with hundreds of penalties for ignoring the code boards and without doing two sections as we got very stuck towards the end)


Extremely rough in parts and great fun in others, amazing night!
Car was brilliant despite its lack of prep: managed to take us there, smash around suffolk and take us home again, with the only casualties being the exhaust mid section (still missing) and the spotlight steadies.

Well worth the entry fee, now to rebuild her better for the next rally thumbup

K50 DEL

9,227 posts

227 months

Sunday 3rd December 2017
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Anybody else doing the Ilfracombe next weekend..... I know there are still plenty of entries available, both Nat B and Clubmans, so if not..... why not?

velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Sunday 3rd December 2017
quotequote all
l354uge said:
velocemitch said:
So how did it go lads?. I see two Micra’s on the entry list, one finished ( an acheivement in itself,) the other went missing in action.
We finished! (with hundreds of penalties for ignoring the code boards and without doing two sections as we got very stuck towards the end)


Extremely rough in parts and great fun in others, amazing night!
Car was brilliant despite its lack of prep: managed to take us there, smash around suffolk and take us home again, with the only casualties being the exhaust mid section (still missing) and the spotlight steadies.

Well worth the entry fee, now to rebuild her better for the next rally thumbup
Superb, as I said previously the Preston is without doubt the hardest Road Rally in the country in terms of punishment to the Car, so to finish at all is a hell of an achievement. Why not have a trip up to Yorkshire for the Ryemoor Trophy in January, quite a different challenge to the Preston but still a great night out in the Lanes.

l354uge

Original Poster:

2,892 posts

120 months

Monday 11th December 2017
quotequote all
Will have to see, think we are taking a month or two out to take a break and get the car sorted, the weeks leading up the Preston were very full on trying to get the car prepped around work/life. And I haven't touched my mountain bike since buying the micra!

Doing the sums it looks like the little micra owes us £550 in its current state, entry to the Preston was £150 and fuel for the weekend cost us £70. Insurance is £360 for the year and includes unlimited road rally cover, so all in all a very cheap way to spend 8 hours at night feeling like Richard Burns! (minus the talent and speed) Looking forward to some targas where the co-driver is less important though ;-) (hes slowly starting to understand everything)

If we had more money right now i think we would have started with something already prepared like This I'd recommend anyone looking to start road rallying to get something like that, with the cage etc its definitely cheaper in the long run, and the top 3 cars at this years Preston were MG Zr/Rover 25!

velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Monday 11th December 2017
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Yep it always works out cheaper buying a prepped car, though you obviously run the risk of it being badly done. (NB I'm not inferring that one is, it looks fine)
Done a couple of events in MG's, an Enduro spec 1.4 (built by the Rover centre) and a 1.8, quick and tough cars. You can run in to trouble with the lighting arrangement as they look like they have four separate headlights, but I think in fact its one unit hidden by a shield. Certainly confuses the scrutineers.

Regs are out now for the Ryemoor, which this year includes about 12 miles of special tests on gravel before the 'normal' 140 mile Plot and Bash Road Rally. Should be a tough but fun night. For an entry of £85.00 it will give somewhere in the region of 100 miles of competitive driving, oh and a couple of Breakfasts if you make it. Brilliant value Motorsport.

K50 DEL

9,227 posts

227 months

Monday 11th December 2017
quotequote all
Did the (very poorly supported) Ilfracombe on Saturday night... 100+ miles in the ZR for £80

We were having a great laugh, the roads on 180 really have to be experienced to be believed, especially after hours of hard rain, almost no grip and 4 minute sections made for a very busy night.

Sadly, the volume of water seemed to prove too much for the (new) fanbelt and it made a bid for freedom 20 miles from the end of the event... only my 2nd mechanical DNF in over a decade.

I'm out the country for the Bagger, so the next event for us is the Primrose I think.

richardracer

156 posts

234 months

Monday 11th December 2017
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Has anyone got a list of targa events for 2018 please?

We are looking for events to improve our tests performance in historic road rally events which are south of UK preferably.

Thanks

Richardracer

l354uge

Original Poster:

2,892 posts

120 months

Monday 11th December 2017
quotequote all
richardracer said:
Has anyone got a list of targa events for 2018 please?

We are looking for events to improve our tests performance in historic road rally events which are south of UK preferably.

Thanks

Richardracer
Go type of event 'rallying' then 'targa' Hopefully this is filled up soon after the clubs members meetings, but the two Bath MC ones appear to be right up your street

thepawbroon

1,146 posts

183 months

Monday 11th December 2017
quotequote all
richardracer said:
Has anyone got a list of targa events for 2018 please?

We are looking for events to improve our tests performance in historic road rally events which are south of UK preferably.

Thanks

Richardracer
This is good, I know he'll be updating it with 2018 dates soon:

http://www.britishroadrallying.com/targa/

The 2018 list is on the British Rally Forum (you need to be a forum member to see it)

http://britishrally.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&...

There's also a new Facebook Group set up (Targa Rally UK) which is building up a calendar.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/334976716911168/

I'm also intending on doing a few down south (I live in S.London / Surrey) and have put the Hughes Rally in the diary.


l354uge

Original Poster:

2,892 posts

120 months

Saturday 16th December 2017
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Bath MC Festival targa booked thumbup

I won't be driving this one sadly but still should be fun. Hopefully we can squeeze in some 12 cars before then too.

l354uge

Original Poster:

2,892 posts

120 months

Sunday 7th January 2018
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Full Targa rally calendar for 2018

Hows everyone's prep going?

Just bought a cage and looking for 4 point harnesses for the micra (noticed after signing up to the festival targa that we need these!) Just fixed the exhaust (with a section of bed frame hehe) and hoping it passes its mot on Friday!


Underside of the car post-preston, only way to identify that is the driveshafts coming out!

velocemitch

3,795 posts

219 months

Sunday 7th January 2018
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Entries in for the Ryemoor Trophy and the Tour of Cheshire. Entries will be going in shortly for the John Robson and the North Yorkshire Classic. I’m looking for a driver for the Ilkley Jubilee as ‘mine’ is doing the Scottish Malts at that time.
My plan is to do 8 or 9 HRCR championship rounds, try to win the class this year after being runner up twice in a row. We have a ‘new’ Car this year in the shape of a 1962 Porsche 356, I reckon we will be more competitive in class and also gain extra points for being Cat 1 (although the 911 was also Cat 1 by age, they are counted as Cat 2 Cars due to the perform advantage)

Plus perhaps three or four Road or Targa’s also on the cards in the Clio 172with my Brother.

Still forming up the plans in my head for the Colman Tyres Rally in September, hoping to increase the’off road’ mileage to try and create a Yorkshire Preston, but it’s quite a challenge.

I don’t feel as though I’ve had a massively successful year in 2017, some decent results in the Historics, but few the Road Rallies we did in the Clio were generally pretty poor results.

Rally of the Tests was hugely enjoyable but we never really recovered enough after poor start on the Thursday, despite being pretty flawless on my side of the Car on Sunday.