Sorry only just got round to posting an update….
The rally at Anglesey was a bit of a mixed bag. We always intended that it would just be an opportunity to put the Puma through its paces but then when it comes to it your competitive nature always takes over.
First hurdle was getting it through scrutineering. I was a bit nervous at noise test as we suspected that it would be on the limit of acceptable; however we got through so the next stage was the main scrutiny of the car by the MSA official. As we had been through scrutineering on rallies before we knew the drill but as the car had only just been built and had never been through scrutineering I was worried that he would pull us on a technicality and that would be the end of our rally and entrance fee; however it sailed through and he even commented that it was a great car to inspect. Job done!
The next hurdle was understanding the maps that we had been issued. The events we have done before had pace notes, but this event had maps with splits and merges which was a whole new ball game for us.
Johnny the co-driver soon got to grips with the maps and then it was off to the start of the first stage. We got our time card stamped then we were on the start line watching the red segments count down to the start. Adrenaline then started pumping as this was the first time we had used the car in anger – are the brakes safe? is the suspension put together correctly? are the seats bolted in right? are the harnesses fitted securely? Why all these thoughts come into your head at this time is a mystery!
The first stage was a blast and we soon started to gain confidence in the car, everything seemed to be working and it felt right. Before we knew it we were back on the start line for stage two. We started to get in a rhythm and gain confidence in each others roles….. Johnny delivering the notes, and me trusting in him to push the car.
At the end of the second stage it all started to fall apart. Upon inspecting the tyres it was evident that the super soft tyre compound was not the right choice for the harsh circuit tarmac as they looked like they had melted, with the rubber scrubbed off the tyres and rolled up into plasticine sausages and laid across the tread. As we drove, the car rumbled like we were driving on cobbles.
Then we noticed that the metal flange on the inside of the wheel arch had cut into the tread (see earlier posts above) and had made a bit of a mess of the tyre. With no decent spare tyres to switch to (on a tight budget) we took the quick decision to stiffen the suspension to its hardest setting and raise the suspension height to the max. The car looked more like we were on a forest stage than tarmac. Even one of the marshals commented on it.
This upset the handling and knocked our confidence as I was expecting the tyre to burst at anytime whilst cornering hard. However we pressed on and decided that we our aim now was to get through all the stages and finish the rally.
We had a few more dramas on the following four stages including; Johnny the co-driver being violently sick on the time keeper at the end of stage three (sorry mate if you are reading this, it was just too good not to put in!), the intercom packing in intermittently so I couldn’t hear the notes, the clutch starting to slip under load, the shift light going haywire and fuel starvation in some of the tight corners stopping the car dead then springing back into life.
Despite all of the above, we did get to the end finishing third out of four in our class which all in all was a good first outing. As there were only four starters in our class, only two awards were given out, so no silverware on this occasion but it was a great feeling finishing the rally in a car that we built ourselves.
Now the car is back home, I’ve started to address the issues. I’m getting a welder to cut the metal flange in the wheel arch and weld it up to give me more clearance, I’m going to buy slightly stiffer springs (sorry Graeme / Andrew – its got to be done!) so I can get the ride height down, I’ve bought medium compound tyres for the front (when funds permit I’ll buy some for the rears too), I’ve bought a competition clutch which is to be fitted shortly and I’m going to trace the problem with the shift light and intercom. I suspect the last two will be down to poor connections somewhere.
Finally…. Johnny the co-driver will NOT be having bacon butties on the morning of the rally on future events! Water and anti-sickness tablets for him in future :grin: