Two Days Update...

Tuesday 27th January 2009
Time: 07:45 - 17:00
Distance: 410 miles
Rally Position: 8 from 41
F*ck me that was close

The day started early at the hotel as the official start point was over an hour away at a Roman ruin.





A review of the previous days timings showed that whilst quick, we were well off the pace and had dropped into 8th position. The Datsun 240Z had certainly shown the rest of the pack a clean pair of heels and had recorded a time of 15mins against our 17mins, so the need to drive harder was certainly there.

The first stage on today’s route was a fast off road section being a mixture of chalk, mud and gravel. Luckily for us were driving on Rally Use Only tyres and they are for mud and snow, so we were confident.

At the time of writing who knows our position but it was some serious fun! I glanced at the GPS speed reading and at one point in loose gravel we were in excess of 110kph, the car was just floating across the surface and pulling like a train. We were fully loaded with fuel (24 gallons) and we knew that the previous day this had held the time down, so this time it was push, push, push and it seemed to have worked… results tomorrow.

The second stage was a bit if a shocker. It was deep sand, mud and gravel with huge water pools and cars with low ground clearance were warned against it.

The car immediately in front of us was the rally prep’d Volvo 145S and he took off after the countdown. I watched as within 100 yards of the start he span and then span again. Mental note to self, go easy, it’s harder than it looks!
I moved up to the start point and waited for the countdown… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GO!
This time I had built the revs to 6,000 rpm and we left the start line covering the officials in sand and gravel and reached the Volvo’s spin point…. to say it was slippery was an under statement and I span the wheel first one way, then the other to keep Colin straight and floored the accelerator… he pulled straight and through the deep sand. We continued at full chat alongside a railway line and on two occasion the back started to swing wildly… more power kept the car straight but caused some anxious moments in the car! We crossed a railway line and then turned sharply left. As we did so I saw that the route split into two parts travelling in the same direction, in effect a high road and a low road. I chose high and as we did so we saw the Volvo up to its doorsills in mud on the low road…. That ditch was to claim 4 mores cars before the stage was over!

As we neared the end marker we had to cross a water splash that was about 25 feet long but with no idea of the depth. I checked the speed and it was 100kph, no time to brake so foot down and in… As we entered the water I saw a pedestrian crouched at the far end by the exit taking photos…. We hit the water hard and some squirted up into the cockpit through floor-pan holes, the screen was mudded out and I went for the wipers. Although I could not see what I did know was that the car was turning at high-speed towards the photographer…. I literally waited for the bump as we were surely going to hit him…. Apparently he must have jumped for his life because some how we missed him! My wife, who is a lady don’t you know said “F*uck me that was close”……. I laughed, but thought closer than you know!





After a lunch break stage three was cancelled due to flooding! Welcome to the desert I thought?

The afternoon was now free of competition to we have pushed further South towards Libya and tomorrow we cross the border. The mountain roads en route have been deserted and I travelled at speed for 40 minutes before seeing another person. My Lotus Elise would have a blast here!



The internet in Tunisia has been very hit and miss, so my rally following chums this might be the last posting until 3rd February when we enter Egypt, but who knows.

Car: Coolant leaked stopped, gearbox still leaking but manageable, engine oil leaking but again manageable. The tappets are as noisy as hell and driving me mad, but at the moment don’t fix what isn’t broke! Still pulling like a train!

Come on Colin…………


PS. Bulletin just published.... we're 2nd in class and 3rd overall...!?!?

Monday 26th January 2009
Time: 09:09 - 16:00
Distance: 240 miles
Rally Position: Starting point position No. 19 from 41

This what it’s all about!

Looking around the car park on Sunday afternoon revealed both expensive and well prepared vehicles, not necessarily both together.

The first well prepared car I made a mental note of was an Morris 1800 Land Crab, arch-rival to the Lotus Cortina having competed head-to-head in the 1968 London-Sydney Daily Telegraph race. The car looked the part and had been signed by Paddy Hopkirk having been one of the original recon vehicles.



The Nissan 240Z also caught my eye as did a fully prepared Volvo 145S.Throw in a selection of Jaguar MKII’s and an E-type we were in for some fast roads…





The drivers briefing took place on Sunday night and it was a relief to be in a conference room that was not pitching and rolling. We were allocated start number 19 and given warnings re local wildlife, accidents, fuel etc.

After the briefing Ces and I went for a drink in the hotel bar and relaxed into the convivial atmosphere. Within minutes one of the biggest cats I’ve ever seen arrived from nowhere and plonked itself squarely onto Ces’ lap. Having just had the briefing about rabies here was a dilemma…. You see in the local culture, cats are a sign of good fortune and are cherished. This one was not so cherished and soon learn that what was good as a local culture was not so good for my wife….. A long story but that cat wasn’t so lucky!

After a night roughing it in our hotel, we had breakfast and made our way to the car park and starting line.




It would be fair to say I was very nervous but accepted we were as prepared as we could be.

At the designated time Ces came sprinting back to the car and we tore away from the start line, making I felt a really rather good impression of a proper rally car. Unfortunately as I rounded the first corner the policeman didn’t think so and ordered us onto the back of a queue of other rally cars… We were held for 30 minutes and then escorted as a group away from the hotel and out into the countryside…. I started to think that they thought we were Gumball types and that we were to be shepherded the entire route. How wrong can you be…. Once at the city limits we were waved through and away the stream went onto the first timed stage.

The first timed stage started by the remains of a Roman aquaduct and ran for around 40kms. We were despatched at 1 minute intervals, however in our case the marshall made us wait for 2 minutes. Just as well because Colin-the-Cortina was set-up exactly for this stage. A real mix of gravel and mud with tarmac stretches in between. At the time of writing I do not know our time or position, but we caught and passed numerous other cars….. It was fantastic and I thought this is what it’s all about!!

The Twin-Cam was the right engine for the job and the type-9 gearbox that had given us the ability to cruise at motorway speeds to the event, was geared to give us all the grunt we needed in the first four road gears and all delivered between 4,500 to 7,000 rpm.

Once at the check point we were able to make some basic checks and it was just as well. The engine was covered in green coolant and it was leaking fast. We had a ten minute window to find the leak and make a fix. I am pleased to say that the sweep mechanic on the event is also the man who built the car for this rally and within seconds he diagnosed the temperature sensor weeping. He knew this he said because he’d changed the dodgy looking original one for a new one!

We missed our start slot by 5 minutes but the distance to the next check was on main roads and so great that we easily made our arrival time for the next special stage.

The second stage was not so well suited to us, as it was all tarmac with very long straights and some minor gravel or loose sections. I anticipate a Jaguar for the honours here….

Having arrived at our hotel I checked the coolant situation, and the leak had stopped. Downside was that we now had no temperature read-out but hey, what a result. Oil had also been leaking from the rocker-cover and this was tightened down and we’ll monitor the leak to see if it is also finding another route out. I was aware that our gearbox was leaking oil so took the opportunity to jack-up the car and test… Just as well, the box took ½ litre! Again this is now on the watch list….





In summary, going well but along way to go yet….