DON’T PANIC. All the points which have been submitted to Ryan have been sent to myself, and I have updated my own version of the points table, they just haven’t been uploaded onto the website yet.

Why the delays? Simple, I am currently mid-way through my FINAL teaching placement through at Carlisle. So by the time I’ve got home, had some food, and sorted the next days lessons out (as well as marking and assessing previous lessons), I haven’t got the time to update the website as often as I would like.

Thank you for your patience, normal service will be resumed in three weeks time!

~Dan

Early on the Sunday morning we left our Hotel, to be greeted by a beautiful day, suntan lotion and glasses required in March! Straight into scrutineering and then a good walk of the track saw the morning fly in. Those of you who are familiar with single venues will know stages tend to be run in groups of two. These were no different, only a 10 minute service between them would keep us on our toes.

So off we went and completed the 1st and 2nd stages before any times were posted, and what a mixed bag they were. We were 2nd overall, but 13 seconds adrift from Martin Hodgson in a rapid 2L Escort MK2, where did he find that time? I thought we were flying. Quick change around of tyres saw Stephen back in his deckchair to work on his tan, and us back out for the next 2 stages.

Just to set the record straight, we set the fastest times on stages 3 and 4 by 7 seconds so we were now 6 seconds behind Martin and on the charge. As is usual, a long, leisurely lunch/siesta took place while the stages were reversed. The car was re-fuelled, wheels re-shuffled and back out for stages 5 and 6. These had mixed fortunes for both us and Martin, he had a spin and we developed a water leak.

With barely any service time to do more than top up the car with water, we had to push on. At the end of stage 6, what a final 2 stages we would have ahead of us, times were identical, but luckily for us, by the mystical powers vested in a Subaru (Barrs Leak) the water leak had repaired itself, so Stephen decided to leave it well alone at this stage of the rally. Out we went for stage 7 and boy did it feel fast, back in for a quick service, and just as we were about to go out, the hose started to leak again, bugger! Spraying straight onto the turbo, steam did fly, making it appear to be a lot worse than it was. As we left for the final stage, no times had been updated, so it was fingers crossed all the way. This run felt even faster as we gave it our all, knocking 3 seconds off our previous time. So it was now an anxious wait for times to be posted, and yes, we had beaten Martin Hodgson to give both Michael and myself our first rally victory, by a full 6 seconds.

Fresh from this victory, a fortnight later would see Michael and I out at the SMC Stages, Weeton,Blackpoolfor what has become my favourite venue. Out in a Escort MK2 powered by a 2L Vauxhall motor, we were joined by the Richardsons and also the Stampers from our Club. I was hugely looking forward to this as I had some Demons to lay to rest after last years error on a split. Michael and I had our usual walk of the track, at this rate I will need new shoes by Xmas! It was soon time for the first stage, and I was on a mission. Being seeded at car 15 we followed the other 2 club crews out and were very happy with our first stage performance, unfortunately Nick and Heather had to retire with a persistent misfire. Straight back out for stage 2, again, very happy with our performance, which had resulted in us moving up the leader board. Stage 3 seen us again have, what felt like a good run, but we plummeted back down the leader board as a result of a mis-read timecard by the timekeeper. This sorted, we set off to join the queue for stage 4. The car was very reluctant to start, and when it did, it was clear something was wrong. Our day was over when we were lying 5th overall, so there was nothing for it but to stay and support Keith and Jackie Richardson who were flying.

Congratulations to Keith and Jackie Richardson who came in a very fine 2nd and also won (for the second year in succession) the Mixed Crew award.

All being well Michael and i hope to be back out in the Escort again for the Keith Frecker in June, for another go around my favourite venue.

Many thanks to Stephen Dixon for servicing for us.

~ Ann “Awesome” Forster (West Cumbria Motorsport Club).

I for one am astonished that we are unable to get at least 12 entries, as it really is such a cheap day of competitve and fun motorsport!

I’d like to apologise to those who were looking forwards to the event.

Ryan Winthrop is running and organising this event, and if you would like to take part then please contact him via; ryan.winthrop@mypostoffice.co.uk or 07530316037.

As usual, entry for the event is £10 per person.

Autotests

Remembering the correct route around the course and then getting round as quickly as possible is not as easy as it sounds, but when it all comes together it’s great. Love it! – James Thompson, Lamplugh

• Competitors only need a club membership card to enter and the entry fee tends to be £10.
• Young drivers can compete, again subject to certain conditions.
• Autotests take place on either grass or tarmac surfaces.
• Usually run on Sundays and Monday evenings at various West Cumbria locations.

Autotests are similar to autosolos. The object is that the organiser lays out a course of cones, and the competitors have to complete this course in the fastest time possible without incident. Penalties occur if you hit any of the cones setting out the course. Reverse gear is used on occasions.

West Cumbria Motorsport Club

The date which has been chosen is Tuesday 18th September 2012 with a 19:15 start.

The club is currently working on a deal with the owner and we are looking to get the track at £30 per head for a good evening of fun.

If you are interested in coming along on the night, please ‘Contact Dan Hurst‘ so we can get an idea of numbers.

Provisional List:

1. Dan Hurst
2. Ian Aitken
3. Ann Forster
4. Stephen Dixon
5. Bobby Hagan

>>Click Here for Entry Form & Regs

The first round of the West Cumbria Motorsport Club Autosolo Championship is on Sunday 1st April 2012. The event will be held at Kirkbride Airfield, near Wigton, Cumbria. Enter the venue via the White Heather (CA7 5HW).

Scrutineering and signing on will start from around 09:00am, tests start at 10:30am. The latest recommended arrival is 10:15am, and any competitor not signed on by 10:15am may be excluded.

To compete in the Autosolo, please download the regs and send off the entry form by 24th March.

>>Click Here for Entry Form & Regs

What is an Autosolo?

Being able to drive as fast as you like around the course legally is good fun and teaches you a lot about car control. You can enter in normal road cars as well, brilliant! – Dan Hurst, Dearham

• Autosolos can only be done in a road legal car which is taxed, MOT tested and insured. The car also needs to be driven to the event.
• Competitors only need a club membership card to qualify, no competition licences or special equipment is needed.
• Can be entered by individuals as young as 16 subject to certain conditions.
• Autosolos are run on sealed tarmac venues in West Cumbria, entry fees are usually about £15 for the day.

During an autosolo you drive around a course marked out by numbered cones as quickly as you can, without incident. You will only go forwards in autosolos, there is no need to reverse and you will never need to use your handbrake. Each run is timed and the lowest time after all tests are completed is deemed the winner.

>>Click Here for Entry Form & Regs

Marshals will need to meet at the Swan Hotel on Thornthwaite Road at 06:30am.

If you are interested please contact Stephen Bethwaite on 07746 862181 or 01946 695258 before 7pm please – new baby in the house.

This date change is due to a late Wedding Booking at the White Heather, whose car park we use.

The times and venue remain the same. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Having decided my route, taking in some good lanes, I set off to find my first phone box. With the light still glowing from someone else having recently lifted the handset to read the number!  I knew I was in the right place. Then off to the next one. Not knowing the area that well meant I had to check the map at most junctions and “drive it as you see it” in between, which makes it interesting when pressing on! I spent a good 10 minutes looking in the wrong village after a miss plot and managed to find a fully lit old red phone box but with no phone inside. My next mistake was not having an up to date map and getting into a muddle in the lanes around Scilly Bank. A glance at the watch indicated it was time to head back and pick up what I could on the way. It was clear at every box that someone else had recently been there but I did not see any of the other crews on route all night.

Back at the Sheep and Wool with 10 minutes to spare, in one piece and having had a good time, I handed in my answer sheet to Ryan for him to work out the results. It was tight at the top with crews using different strategies to try to get the most points. Three crews were tied for first place so “least miles covered” was used to declare Steven and Ann as winners with Dan and Maurice second and Richard and Andy third.  Everyone said they enjoyed it and Dan had tales to tell. Big thanks went to Russell for the route and Ryan and Mitch for organizing things on the night.

Would I do it again on my own? Yes without question. Don’t get me wrong I’m looking forward to having a navigator in the left seat for next time. But don’t be put off if you can’t find a navigator for a scatter you can still have some fun on your own and that’s what it’s all about.

- Report by Ian Aitken.

The 2012 Arnold Clark Thistle Hotel Snowman Rally, the opening round of the MSA Scottish Rally Championship attracted a great entry with 120 crews set to do battle over 6 stages around the highlands of Aberdeenshire.

The heavy overnight snow forecast didn’t materialise but as crews assembled in Inverness snow was failing on the opening stage making tyre choice and road position the talking point. Stage 1, was 6.5 miles through Meall Mor. The 2011 Scottish and BRC champions David Bogie were the first crew through the stage, car 2 was Euan Thorburn who was using a Ford Focus World Rally Car for the first time, Euan opted to run down the running order in the hope he would benefit from a clean, snow free line. Mike started 2^nd car on the road. “Were looking forward to the event” said Mike at the start “we’ll need to work hard to achieve a podium, but we are ready for a good day”

Mike was 2^nd fastest through stage 1, 13 seconds ahead of Donnie McDonnald, and 15 down on David Bogie. The stage was fast and Mike was little cautious off line in the snow, Stages 2 and 3 was a short 2 mile blast in the forest by  Kessock Bridge, the stage was overgrown and mosey and although no snow it was very slippy., A number of crews were caught out and off the road, Mike and Bogie set identical times on stage 2 with Mike fastest by 2 seconds on stage 3.

As the crews left service, based at the Black Isle show ground, for stage 4 Torr Achility, snow was again the talking point; Mike opted for a gravel tyre.  The final third of the stage was covered in snow and with no option to alter diff settings or switch to snow tyres Mike and Peter slithered through the stage, dropping over 40 seconds to David Bogie and moving to third overall,

The final 2 stages would provide a challenge and with snow again falling the crew opted for snow tyres, Mike set a good time taking 4 seconds out of Bogies lead. “the stage was clear of snow that’s the first time I have driven a stage hoping to find snow round the next corner, we were on the wrong tyre, but we have moved back up to 2^nd overall.” said Mike. Stage 5 was over 12 miles through Glen Urguhart,  The team changed back to gravel tyres however after 4 miles it was clear the right tyres was a snow tyre! Mike struggled with traction and under steer with an overshoot and a few near misses. He was 2^nd fastest and returned to the finish in Inverness a fantastic 2^nd overall.

“That’s a great start to the season and our highest Snowman rally finish, the conditions were very variable, and the snow particularly on stages 4 and 6 gave us a real challenge. We seemed to have the right tyres but had them on for the wrong stages!”

Final Results

1st: David Bogie (Dumfries) / Kevin Rae (Hawick) | Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 9 | 50.03

2nd: Mike Faulkner (Kirtlebridge) / Peter Foy (Bingley) | Mitsubishi Lancer EVO 6 | 51.11

3rd: Peter Taylor (Carlisle) / Andrew Roughhead (Newcastle) | Ford Focus WRC | 52.46

4th: Rory Young (Dumfries) / Allan Cathers (Carlisle) | Mitsubishi Evo 6 | 52.49

5th: John McClory / David Hood | Subaru Impreza | 52.50

Next event Scottish Championship Rally is the Border Counties on 17^th March.