2022 Rallying Thread (WRC, ERC and national rally)
Discussion
ProCo2020 said:
rscott said:
We'll be in touch with the liaison officer again in a week or two - I'm on the parish council and he'd been to a couple of our meetings. I'm really keen for it to happen again but can see there being more local objections if they don't sort out more information about road closures.
Whether that's down to the organisers or Essex Highways, I don't know, but someone screwed up badly. Even on the day, there was nothing to warn people about the road being closed until you actually go to the barriers - normally there will be the vague 'Road Closed Ahead' signs which Highways randomly throw around the place.
I was one of the RLO’s working on the rally and I have to say there were Road Ahead Closed well ahead of the actual road closed, unless the stage exit and entry, followed by Road Closed signs. Whether that's down to the organisers or Essex Highways, I don't know, but someone screwed up badly. Even on the day, there was nothing to warn people about the road being closed until you actually go to the barriers - normally there will be the vague 'Road Closed Ahead' signs which Highways randomly throw around the place.
There are notices out up and Parish Councils, as well as the County Council communicated, plus residents on the route of the special stages and notices to those that life on roads that join the stages.
I have to say all my residents that I spoke to pre-event and during its running throughly enjoyed it. The only issues I saw were non-residents wishing to take a “short cut” on the roads we were allowed to use and unfortunately for 1 day they had to take the long way round. I had one run in with a rude, entitled, gentleman who believed he had the right to drive on a road that was closed. Shame he never hung around to speak to the Police who were ensuring the law was being upheld.
The County Council had put no signage prior to the event whatsoever in Bradfield - the only sign was the one your team put up to indicate that Harwich Road would be closed. Nothing to say that Ship Hill from Bradfield to Manningtree was also closed (I drive that route every day and there was definitely nothing there), even though that was part of the same stage.
There was also no signage on the day when approaching Bradfield to say it was closed - I'm assuming this was yet another Highways oversight as they're surely responsible for those. I had to go out during the day and definitely nothing there.
I watched the cars through the Bradfield stage on their first pass on the Sunday having cycled out. I know the area very well, but was surprised how little info I could find about this years event online, including exactly where the 2022 stages would run (in previous years the local papers had included some maps which showed the overall route, but I couldn’t find the same from 2022) or exactly what roads were closed.
I looked here https://www.essexhighways.org/interactive-maps-and... and the interactive map that’s available from that site did show the stages partially, but it actually showed the section from Bradfield to Lawford as open and the diversion route.
Great to have the rally running though, Clacton was v. busy with spectators on the Sat night and even at 9am there were plenty of people out at Bradfield. Well done CMC!!!
I looked here https://www.essexhighways.org/interactive-maps-and... and the interactive map that’s available from that site did show the stages partially, but it actually showed the section from Bradfield to Lawford as open and the diversion route.
Great to have the rally running though, Clacton was v. busy with spectators on the Sat night and even at 9am there were plenty of people out at Bradfield. Well done CMC!!!
Had such a great weekend marshalling (radio car), 3rd year we've done that for the event - would really like to have a crack at competing on it. All the locals we chatted to, on the seafront and in the countryside seemed to be really interested in the event and enjoying the day out. We were positioned in a farmers yard, he wasn't entirely sure of the timings.....but the various locals wondering about all seemed to know it pretty well. The farmer ended up inviting a few of the villagers into his garden to watch!!
SS5 & SS9 were quite unlucky, with incidents in the same location - SS5, car into field with horses (farmer wanted fence sorting), slightly further on another car had an engine failure & oil leak, then finally there was a car fire. So quite a few competitors had notional times.
SS9 in the same section, had 2 cars off. One rolled, and was blocking the stage in the narrow section, as recovery was needed, the stage was held and then cancelled very quickly, to allow time to be caught up (as timing had slipped a little, so more delays were trying to be avoided). Crews all ok, the driver of one car did take a turn, and ended up in hospital, but is all ok now. Unfortunately was an R5 so the repair bill might not be ideal!!
Seeing an R5 being driven by a BRC front runner is very impressive. We were marshalling at a chicane into fast/medium right, the pace of the top 5/6 vs the rest was amazing. The top Rally 4 cars were also very impressive, Ola Nore Jr carried a huge amount of speed through our section, the Rally4 cars might lack the same presence - plus the Peugeot sounds nutts as well, not really in a good way either, but they can still be peddled well. The top BRC competitors in Rally2 & Rally4 really shone on the event and were brilliant to watch. Polo's, Fiesta's, Fabia's, i20's all different makes of cars running at the sharp end, they are well worth watching and seem to be a good choice for the top class in the BRC at the moment.
The Sat evening stage also seemed to have plenty of attention, we were marshalling at the hairpin, had plenty of spectators turn-up, most were great and seemed to really enjoy the event. Great to see the sport on closed roads and in towns. Better start saving for next years entry now
SS5 & SS9 were quite unlucky, with incidents in the same location - SS5, car into field with horses (farmer wanted fence sorting), slightly further on another car had an engine failure & oil leak, then finally there was a car fire. So quite a few competitors had notional times.
SS9 in the same section, had 2 cars off. One rolled, and was blocking the stage in the narrow section, as recovery was needed, the stage was held and then cancelled very quickly, to allow time to be caught up (as timing had slipped a little, so more delays were trying to be avoided). Crews all ok, the driver of one car did take a turn, and ended up in hospital, but is all ok now. Unfortunately was an R5 so the repair bill might not be ideal!!
Seeing an R5 being driven by a BRC front runner is very impressive. We were marshalling at a chicane into fast/medium right, the pace of the top 5/6 vs the rest was amazing. The top Rally 4 cars were also very impressive, Ola Nore Jr carried a huge amount of speed through our section, the Rally4 cars might lack the same presence - plus the Peugeot sounds nutts as well, not really in a good way either, but they can still be peddled well. The top BRC competitors in Rally2 & Rally4 really shone on the event and were brilliant to watch. Polo's, Fiesta's, Fabia's, i20's all different makes of cars running at the sharp end, they are well worth watching and seem to be a good choice for the top class in the BRC at the moment.
The Sat evening stage also seemed to have plenty of attention, we were marshalling at the hairpin, had plenty of spectators turn-up, most were great and seemed to really enjoy the event. Great to see the sport on closed roads and in towns. Better start saving for next years entry now
A nice wee article about the MINI Rally Challenge - one of the few low-budget one-make series in stage rallying.
https://www.motorsportuk.org/news/the-pocket-rocke...
https://www.motorsportuk.org/news/the-pocket-rocke...
“This book is purely a labour of love, for the sport!”
Newly launched, might be of interest to some who recall the names or the back story to some of Rallying's heritage.
Featuring tales about - Yuk Hodgson, Bob Bean, Eric Jackson, historic rallying, Jack Tordoff, John Millington, Phil Short, Piggy Thompson, Ron Beecroft, The Yorkshire Mafia, Tony Drummond, Tony Fall. ..Oh and last but not least - "Banner"
Newly launched, might be of interest to some who recall the names or the back story to some of Rallying's heritage.
Featuring tales about - Yuk Hodgson, Bob Bean, Eric Jackson, historic rallying, Jack Tordoff, John Millington, Phil Short, Piggy Thompson, Ron Beecroft, The Yorkshire Mafia, Tony Drummond, Tony Fall. ..Oh and last but not least - "Banner"
- Interview by Ryan Champion & Simo with the author - https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-4bmub-11fc9dc
Maxdecel said:
“This book is purely a labour of love, for the sport!”
Newly launched, might be of interest to some who recall the names or the back story to some of Rallying's heritage.
Featuring tales about - Yuk Hodgson, Bob Bean, Eric Jackson, historic rallying, Jack Tordoff, John Millington, Phil Short, Piggy Thompson, Ron Beecroft, The Yorkshire Mafia, Tony Drummond, Tony Fall. ..Oh and last but not least - "Banner"
Already ordered as a fathers day present.Newly launched, might be of interest to some who recall the names or the back story to some of Rallying's heritage.
Featuring tales about - Yuk Hodgson, Bob Bean, Eric Jackson, historic rallying, Jack Tordoff, John Millington, Phil Short, Piggy Thompson, Ron Beecroft, The Yorkshire Mafia, Tony Drummond, Tony Fall. ..Oh and last but not least - "Banner"
- Interview by Ryan Champion & Simo with the author - https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-4bmub-11fc9dc
Drumroll said:
I've already got Yukspeed, Yuk Hodgson's book.
You might like to know that contributed to a healthy sum given to the Air Ambulance from the proceeds. He was at #2 promotion/signing/purchase last night along with a few others featured. The first was last month at Malton MC, ticketed sell out.Anyone else heading to the sunshine of WRC Portugal this weekend?...
I last went 5 years ago with a rally mad mate and this year there are 3 of us.
We've hired an apartment in Porto and decided which stages we're going to watch, culminating in the same amazing spot on Fafe that we used in 2017
Looks like it's going to be seriously hot again as well.
Can't wait.
I last went 5 years ago with a rally mad mate and this year there are 3 of us.
We've hired an apartment in Porto and decided which stages we're going to watch, culminating in the same amazing spot on Fafe that we used in 2017
Looks like it's going to be seriously hot again as well.
Can't wait.
Portugal Rally was a good watch (on the app), & Kalle Rovanpera is quite a potential Champion at 21. Elfyn Evans said its taken him several years to get to the top level, and Rovanpera seems to have managed it in about 3! His lines were so perfect; his drifting skills showed up by taking seconds of everyone else on the cobble stage yesterday. I think Loeb, Ogier, and Neuville would still have finished behind him if they hadnt had issues.
I was a bit skeptical about Kalle earlier in his WRC career, thinking he was fast but getting an easy ride with opportunities from family connections etc. And it may still be true that he didn't have to scrimp and save and fight every step of the way to get a chance at WRC like some drivers.
But he has well and truly shown that he has the talent, attitude and determination to deserve his place and I wouldn't be surprised if we're seeing a multiple world champ in the making.
I thought that this year would be Elfyn's best and probably only chance to be a world champion. With Ogier retiring, I felt that Rovanpera would need another year. But as it transpires, he doesn't. And next year he'll be even better, so I think that Evans has lost his chance to be WDC.
GravelBen said:
I was a bit skeptical about Kalle earlier in his WRC career, thinking he was fast but getting an easy ride with opportunities from family connections etc. And it may still be true that he didn't have to scrimp and save and fight every step of the way to get a chance at WRC like some drivers.
But he has well and truly shown that he has the talent, attitude and determination to deserve his place and I wouldn't be surprised if we're seeing a multiple world champ in the making.
It's nothing personal, but we don't need another era of one driver dominating in the WRC right after the two Sebs.......the sport desperately needs competition.
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