Tour Britannia and my MX5 September 2010
Now Tour Britannia is for classic cars built before 1981 and the rally is a bit more of a concentrated mix of races and special stages [as fast as you can over a closed road], held over three days in North East England and Wales.
I only got in as I met Alec Poole in France as he was looking for entries at the French Tour Auto where I was to navigate for my brother. The long and the short was that Alec was prepared to try a new Targa class for modern cars and so it was that a racing Aston Martin Vantage and my racing MX5 entered the rally [the only two ion the Targa class]
The historic cars were truly magnificent. All much loved, but were owned to be driven intended as opposed to polished and wheeled out of the garage when there was no rain! They were driven well and hard. Amongst them was my brother Mark and Andre.
The first day was taken up with checking cars and papers and then at lunchtime we got away to a special stage at Aintree and then on to the racetrack at Oulton Park.
Day two was an early start and a full day. The first was a special stage in the Welsh hills. It was a very steep learning curve for us as we ground the underside of the car up this rocky track that even a land rover would slow down for. We were horrified!! Some modifications to the car were made by the track and we must make some of our own such as a skid plate underneath!!
Then on to Anglesea and the race track there which is again beside the sea and a very good track.. We were looking out for brother Mark as I was driving and did not want to passed more than once on the race track by him. We never saw him and wondered what had become of him.
The next special stage was much more fun, over 4 miles long, very scenic and very testing, The Great Orme at Llandudno which is a single track going around a great rock promontory. As we started the stage we saw the undamaged Cobra which was clearly out of the rally; so Mark and Andre were safe. Duncan drove brilliantly around the narrow track around the Great Orme and I have to admit I never thought that I would have to swim but it did wonder if we would meet the wall or cliff face!!
From then on we went to stately homes with drives that seemed to be more than a mile long with a stately home in the far distance, military training grounds and no more rocky farm tracks thank goodness. We did two runs on each stage and every time we got a faster time except when I was driving.
The last race was at the Mallory Park. We, in the Targa class, [the Aston Martin & I ] started 30 secs after the Competition class had left and I was immediately on my own,
but the car and I were going well and after 3 laps the 3.4 Jag was on the horizon.
We set off in pursuit and after a further lap we were closing fast.
Now I well remember our Weimeraners would always chase rabbits unsuccessfully for years, until one, Flora I think, actually caught up with the rabbit and was at a complete loss as to what to do next. At the time I laughed!
BUT that was me!! Duncan and Andre were screaming encouragement and just as well that I could not hear as it went to despair as I held on to his tail for 3 laps and then hesitated and declined to try to pass on a sharp hairpin.
Anyway relief came for them when I got the inside line on the long sweeping right hander and got away!!!
I was almost as fast as anyone on the corners and you would have drawn away on the bends, but the straights were a different matter.
It was a memorable rally and enormous fun
We will be racing the MX5 against exactly similar cars at Snetterton and at Croft and are entered into a two driver race at Brands Hatch under the team name of 'Carpe Diem' which you will know from you Latin [Horace and Ovid] means 'Seize the Day'
17th September 2010
