Wow, what a difference fuel injection makes.
Wow, what a difference fuel injection makes.
I'm off to West Cork in the morning, all loaded up and ready to go, passed the MOT on Sat so went for a 5 min drive up the road and back, feels very strong
There's a full entry of 150 cars and we're seeded car 92, and we've got an extra stage this year, 1.5 miles through Clonakilty Town Centre on Sunday evening, that should be interesting
GavinR
good luck gavin cant wait to read the report!
Hexham and District Motorclub
Good luck Gav
Sierra cosworth turbo race car
QMN saloon car championship
RETRO Motorsport
Good to hear your motor is sorted, best of luck in Ireland! I am back to square one with mine - a long and boring story.....
West Cork Rally 19-20th March 2011
It was March and time again for my annual trip to Ireland for the West Cork Rally. As in the previous 2 years, Cath was co-driving with Carrie and Guy servicing. This time they brought Guy’s Road Rally Sierra so we used it for the recce and had various good comments from the marshals and even spotted another crew recceing in an identical Sierra. This year there were 17 stages covering 145 miles with the final one finishing in Clonakilty itself for the first time in 20 years. We finished the recce Friday morning and got DVY ready for scrutineering which was passed with just one comment about my throttle return springs – the scrutineer was not too keen on the tie-wrap holding one spring to the oil filter
This was quickly fixed afterwards with some lockwire and we had a relaxing afternoon before taking DVY to Parc Ferme that night. We went up to Rally HQ and bumped into the Clerk of the Course, Darren McCarthy, who said he hoped we would get further than last year when a ball joint sheared after 5 miles…
Saturday morning was bright and dry so we left the slicks on and headed off to Stage 1. It was all going well until about 5 miles in when the engine suddenly cut out and we coasted to a halt in a gateway
Since the engine was mapped I’d rewired the fuel pumps through relays which were controlled by the ECU and thought this might be the problem so Cath flicked the bypass switch but there was still no life. Cath checked the trip to see how far we’d gone and spotted the ECU light was out – I checked the fuse and it was blown, chucked it behind me, grabbed a higher amp spare from the auxiliary fuse box, stuck it in, pushed the start button and we were up and running again
While we were parked up 2 cars had gone past but the next one wasn’t in sight so I pulled out and we completed the stage without any further problems. We’d probably lost a minute and a half and our time left us were 123rd overall out of the 134 starters. Stage 2 we lined up behind a Skoda Fabia TDi, and overtook him after 6 miles and set 66th quickest time which was a lot better
In service we saw Vincent Fagan, who we’d met in previous years and he congratulated us on getting this far! It was starting to drizzle but the clouds didn’t look that dark so we decided to stay on the slicks, but as we approached Stage 3 it turned to rain and we had a steady 2 stages with a couple of moments and overshoots but made it back to the next service without a major incident and were now up to 103rd
This time we fitted the X22 wets and stage 5 was going a lot better until near the end when the heated windscreen couldn’t cope with the conditions and started to mist up in front of me, so I backed off and we were overtaken by a Suzuki Swift. Stage 6 was shorter we made it nearly all the way through before the screen misted up and we set a lot better time. DVY was idling a bit rough by now and backfiring at times but once we were going it was fine, which was strange
In service I dug out a demisting cloth and Guy attached it to a handy stick so Cath could use it to clear my side of the screen, but it didn’t really work as the cloth was old and damp. We got to Stage 7 and there was a delay due to an accident so I switched off and we sat and waited. After about 10min they decided to cancel the stage but when I went to start up again the battery was nearly flat as the heated screen and fans had flattened it while we were idling. Luckily we were on a slight uphill, so Cath pushed DVY backwards and I bump started in reverse.
Stage 8 was chaos – the Civic in front of us asked if we wanted to go first but I didn’t think we’d catch him so we said no, then caught him after 3 miles! With about a mile to go the windscreen was getting quite bad again but we were catching the next car, a Puma, when we had a huge moment nearly stuffed it into a bank, but got past the Puma and over the finish to find the car behind us had caught us as well! But we were just pleased to finish the day in one piece and hoped Sunday would be better. Back in service, Carrie kept the engine revving to charge the battery while Guy, Cath and myself sorted everything else out we took DVY back to Parc Ferme overnight. Back at the B & B I was exhausted from peering through the windscreen and my arms were aching from holding on so tight
Sunday morning the weather was a lot better, but after the problems on Saturday we were lying 78th overall out of 92 cars left. The first stage was Ring which is the closest one to service so Carrie walked up to it and phoned us with a weather report – the roads were damp in places but dry in others, it was cloudy in one direction but sunny in the other, but good enough for us to put the slicks on and see if we could make up a few places. I also changed the plugs but it didn’t make any difference to the rough idle. We were held on the start line of Ring for 2 minutes while a blockage was cleared before they let us go and we had a good run through setting 39th fastest time. On the next road section, the scrutineers were pulling everyone over for a clothing check, which we’d never had before, and they checked we had fireproof underwear on under our overalls. Cath was a bit concerned about this but the scrutineer was very friendly and sensible about it! The next stage, Inchybridge was going well until I pulled the handbrake for too long round a hairpin and had to do a doughnut to get going the right way, but we still overtook the car in front and caught up with another one at the finish
Back in service we had a slight oil leak where a bolt had come out of the sump but this was quickly fixed by Guy. Back to the Ring stage and we were 15s quicker and overtook 2 cars. Inchybridge was a lot better the second time through, 36s quicker, overtook another 2 cars and we were 33rd quickest
Checked everything in service but nothing needed doing, the slicks were lasting well. The afternoon stages were Ardfield and Hayes Cross which were very enjoyable but I wasn’t happy with DVY – we’d come out of tight corners and the shift light would come on immediately, then we would get some traction and it would go out and then come back on at the right time. I wasn’t sure whether it was the clutch slipping or the LSD playing up but after the second stage I was pretty convinced that the inside wheel was spinning out of corners and a quick check in service showed a very loose LSD. As there was not much we could do about this we just checked the oil and carried on
The second time through Ardfield was good but only 0.4s quicker than the first time and then we got to Hayes Cross only to find it had been cancelled. This left the final Town stage to finish the event, and we had a good go at it, only 1.5 miles long but loads of spectators on the edge of Clonakilty and we were amazed to be 23rd quickest
The final result was 46th Overall out of 69 finishers and 8th in Class, on the Sunday stages alone we were 35th quickest so we headed home early Monday tired but very happy. Thanks to Carrie and Guy for servicing and the loan of the Sierra, and to Cath for an excellent job on the notes as always
Pics and some in car footage to follow
Last edited by GavinR; 29-03-2011 at 23:59.
GavinR
Superb write up Gavin, well done
http://escort.accelerator.org
1968 MK1 Escort 1300GT
1969 'Big Wing' MK1 Escort
1972 MK3 Cortina 1600XL
1984 Sierra XR4i
And other junk I don't like to talk about!
Great result! Keep the reports coming. I have really enjoyed reading all of this thread. Riveting read
Well done, look forward to seeing some pics.
Sierra cosworth turbo race car
QMN saloon car championship
RETRO Motorsport
Great result Gavin
Uploaded the in car last night, didn't get as much as I'd like as the Tape ran out on one stage and then the battery on another!
Thanks to Carrie for the extra footage on the Ring Stage
West Cork 2011 SS3 Sams Cross
West cork 2011 SS4 Shanaway
West Cork 2011 SS6 Ballinascarthy
West Cork 2011 SS10 Ring
West Cork 2011 SS16 Ardfield
GavinR
Excellen videos and write up. I always enjoye these.
Out of interest how does the experience of actually driving compare to when you watch it back on the video.
Tom
To finish first, you must first finish
Brilliant write up Gav
I take my hat off to you mate, I wish I had the guts to take my car to Ireland to do a rally, looks like you were pretty sensible about your speed and approach.
Maybe one day when I've done some pace notes.
Matt
GavinR
Well done on your result Gavin - the engine sonds really crisp. Have you increased your rev limit? Re the rough idle it might be worth checking the inlet manifold for air leaks - a small leak won't affect the performance much when flat out but will have a much greater effect at low flows...As I'm sure you know! All the best, Steve.
Last edited by dottydogmk1; 01-04-2011 at 23:30. Reason: splelgin
awesome well done mate
great write up as always Gavin, well done to you, Carrie and Guy,
It does sound nice now, rev limit is still at 8600 but the shift light comes on later at 8000 to make sure I'm using all the top end
I spoke to Ron about the idle and he suggested the throttle linkage might have moved a fraction making the bodies out of balance which would have more effect at idle
The other night I removed the air filter, and could see a small amount of 'soot' in both trumpets on the front body, so I disconnected the linkage bars and played with the idle screws separately until it sounded better, then did everything up very tight, hopefully it won't move again
I've got the axle off as well now, levered the diff out and found the splines had gone from the friction plates so I've ordered a new set, can't remember when I last had this one apart so it's done well
Sorry to hear you've had another set back with yours, I'll have to catch up with you at Loton some time, not sure when though
Thanks
GavinR
Happy Birthday bud the big 40 too.
Hope you've had a great day and a better evening.
Thanks Trig - I had a very good day
I got the axle back together a few weeks ago and did some other minor jobs including removing the exhaust and welding up a lot of the joints on the downpipe that aren't needed and also a crack in the rear silencer, rigged up a 9v supply for the video camera to make the batteries last longer, fitted a new intercom system (I was having a bit of trouble in Ireland hearing the notes at times) and replaced the 2 rear mudflaps which were a bit ragged
So all set for the Corinium Stages at Down Ampney Airfield tomorrow, the first time I've been there, apparently there's no grip in the dry and it's even worse in the wet - the forecast is showers
GavinR
Corinium Stages - Down Ampney - Saturday 30th April 2011
My first time at this venue near Cirencester but probably one of the last events to run there before it gets turned into a gravel pit
My codriver for the day was Georgina Clark who's been there many times with her father but he was away for this one so she was happy to sit in with me after we did a Road Rally in Feb
Scrutineering was passed without any problems Friday night and we arrived early Sat morning to get organised. We were seeded Car 21 out of 50, the rest of the entry made up of the Junior 1000 Championship
Stage 1 & 2
We started off sensibly on Stage 1 with soft Hankooks on the front and mediums on the back, and spent the first lap working out how much grip there was and how tight the chicanes were. Nearing the split we were caught by an Escort G3 so we let him past and then overtook an Astra on our 2nd lap
Stage 2 was a lot better, no traffic and we were 21s faster over the 5 miles
Stage 3 & 4
Even though it was getting warmer now, I left the same tyres on and we had 2 good stages and at the lunch halt we were 8th overall but only 5s behind 4th with the top 3 having pulled away
Stage 5 & 6
With the stages reversed and a bit longer at over 7 miles I swapped the tyres to medium front and hard back to stop them overheating. There was a bit of a hold up as the organisers had miscalculated the change round time but once we were going we had what felt like a very good stage but only made up one place and lost a bit of time to the car in 4th
Stage 6 was even better, 14s quicker which put us 4th after one of the top 3 retired and we were only a few seconds ahead of the next 3 cars
Stage 7 & 8
On the first lap we caught an M3 Compact going into a hairpin but it took a few seconds before he could find a spot to pull over, and then we passed him again when he broke down in an awkward place near the finish. All this meant our time was not that good and we dropped back to 5th and the Darrian in 6th was now only 2s behind
Stage 8 I was trying as hard as I could, we hit the rev limiter in 6th down the longest straight, and went 9s quicker but it was not enough as the Darrian took another 4s from us
Final result was 6th Overall and 4th in Class
Iit was a very enjoyable day, DVY was running very well, just needing fuel and the usual spanner checks every service. George did a great job on the maps and apart from the odd delay the organisation was excellent. We were very pleased with the result and I was happy to bring DVY back in one piece as I'm out on the Middlewick Stages at Woodbridge next weekend
GavinR
Great result Gavin
I think i am right in saying that Gavin has got First overall today in the Middlewick Stages.
Well done Gavin, excellent result
Well done Gaving
Middlewick Stages - Sunday 8th May 2011
1st Overall - Gavin Rogers / Holly Bailey - Mk2 Escort
GavinR
Congratulations on the win.
Superb Result Gavin and Holly!!!!
Well done indeed mate, come and do Cearwent Midsummer with me on 26th June
Just got to page 36 of this weeks Motoring News only to be confronted with a picture of DVY on one wheel - I read the story and discovered that you won! Well done mate and look forward to a re match sometime. All the best, Steve.
Superb, well done fella
Sierra cosworth turbo race car
QMN saloon car championship
RETRO Motorsport
Flying up on epynt today well done
waiting for the report and in-car Gavin,c'mon ha ha
Thanks for all the comments, looks like I have some catching up to do
First, some in car from Down Ampney
GavinR
Middlewick Stages - Woodbridge - Sunday 8th May 2011
Just a short report...
I’d done this event last year and had a good time so decided to go back this year. Holly Bailey was codriving and we met up the night before for Scrutineering and had a look at the Stage maps, which were 99% identical to last year
We were seeded Car 12 out of 50 starters, and the forecast was for a lovely sunny day
Stage 1 & 2
Having competed at Down Ampney the week before I was on the ball from the start, Holly couldn’t believe how much faster the car was with the fuel injection, and after Stage 1 she had a quick walk round the paddock to see how our time compared with everyone else, only managing to find Richard Upton, last year’s winner in a 2.4 Sierra Cosworth, 8s quicker, everyone else being at least 8s behind
Stage 2 went even better, 16s quicker, still couldn’t catch the Sierra but now comfortably in 2nd, 15s ahead of David Mann’s N14 Impreza who was having a tarmac shakedown before the Jim Clark and 17s ahead of Ross Daniels’ older Impreza
Stage 3 & 4
It was getting warm by now and the 7.5 mile stages were quite twisty but I thought we could get through these 2 stages on the soft / medium set of tyres. Our times were consistent, not making an impression on the Sierra but still gaining a few seconds from the 2 Imprezas. By the end of Stage 4, the front tyres had gone off and the engine was getting a bit too hot, water temp 120 and oil about 130 (!), but there was not much we could do except to let it cool down, did the usual checks and added quite a bit of water
Stage 5 & 6
With the stages reversed and the medium / hard tyres fitted we had a good run through Stage 5 and nearing the finish caught and passed the Sierra who was putting out clouds of smoke, his turbo having succumbed to the heat. Back in the paddock, more water for the radiator and Holly asked if I realised what catching the Sierra meant, I said I didn’t want to think about it, just wanted to concentrate of the next stage!
Stage 6 was good and even though the 2 Imprezas were a second or 2 quicker, we were still around 20s ahead with 2 to go. At this point David Mann decided he had done enough testing and went home, leaving Ross Daniels in 2nd and promoting Royston Carey’s 2litre Clio into 3rd
Stage 7 & 8
Another few litres of water and I topped up the oil, Holly was a bit concerned by how much we were using but there were no leaks, the water seemed to be coming from the radiator cap but the oil was everywhere! Stage 7 was going well but we hit a big pothole on the second lap and when we got back to the paddock discovered 2 bent rims on Holly’s side so quickly changed them – Aron Rayner followed us through the same hole in his Citroen AX and broke his suspension so it could have been worse. Ross Daniels had problems though when the turbo pipe came off near the end and he lost 17s to us, so we were 39s up with one to go. A few people came over and told me to keep it on the island and we’d have the win, I was just praying the engine would hold out for one more!
Stage 8, another 7.5 miles and after 2 miles the car was starting to fill up with smoke, but she was still going like a train and we finished without any problems and set another fastest stage time. Ross Daniels turbo pipe had come off again so he cruised to the finish losing 6min
So with a bit of luck on the way we’d made it, 1st Overall, 1m 28s ahead of Royston’s Clio in 2nd, with Jody Tilburn’s Mk2 Escort another 30s behind in 3rd, not often you get 3 Class C cars at the front!
I could not believe we had won it, Holly was very pleased, the last time I won a rally outright was the Fat Albert in 1999…
GavinR
FANTASTIC MATE WELL DONE
well done Gav fantastic result
So after all the excitement, I left DVY in the shed and concentrated on building the Scimitar, hoping that the oil and water loss was due to the heat and nothing more serious, surely if the head gasket had gone I would have lost power
My next planned event was the "Mini Epynt" on 5th June so a couple of weeks before that I drained the oil and water only to find the oil was milky. With no time to investigate further as I was getting Fly ready for an event on 29th May, I refilled with fresh oil and water and left her. It was the Tuesday before Epynt when I had another look, ran the engine for 10 minutes, drained the oil and again it was milky...
So Wednesday I dug out the compression tester, removed all the plugs, put it in Cylinder no 1, span her over and water shot out of no 2 Cylinder and by midnight I had removed the head and found a tiny mark on the head gasket between no 2 and the water jacket. It seems odd that it would sit there and idle perfectly, but fill up with water when not running
Anyway, a few frantic phone calls Thursday morning, first to HT to see what head gasket I needed (a std sierra cossie one as the block is ringed), then to Interpro in Thornbury to see if they could get me one for the Friday which proved difficult, and finally I found Woodford Garage on eBay who said they had 6 in stock. A quick call to explain the situation and they posted one out Special Delivery
So this left me with Friday afternoon to sort out fitting the head gasket as I'd promised some friends I would service for them on the Severn Valley rally on the Sat before doing my rally on the Sunday. I started at 3:30pm and it was all going well until I went to put the rocker cover on and dropped a bolt which bounced into no 3 cylinder should have put the plugs in sooner
I nearly gave up at that point, but what goes in must come out so I borrowed a magnet on a stick (too big to fit through the plug hole) and then a very strong magnet to magnetise a screwdriver which I then bent to reach the corners of the piston. 45 min later the bolt was out
Hugh came over at 7:30 as he was servicing both days, just in time to see me start her up, started first time and was idling smoothly, no pressure in the rad or the dry sump tank so we were good to go and made it to the B & B near Builth at 10:30pm
GavinR
It is no wonder that you were slow updating the thread. You were too busy fixing cars, servicing and rallying.
Congratualtion on the win, well done, fantastic job.
To finish first, you must first finish
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