The Galloway Hills Rally.. 2nd Dec.

[Zico]

http://www.gallowayhillsrally.co.uk/

My 1st ever event (Paul Hope / Alan Maxwell), My brother Stevie has generously lent me his Grp4 mk2 Escort, my aim is to have fun, forget about times and get to the finish.

Anyone else on here competing?

[auldescort]

Aye me , with a 6R4 right up my arse !

[Zico]

Aye me , with a 6R4 right up my arse !

Ah.. George, not a nice position having that breathing down your neck.. You could always tell him to take the 2nd minute? .. 1 less thing to worry about if he's really quick.
Hows the car... changed the diff for something a bit shorter?

Im near the very back of the field, car number 90 and Im a bag of nerves already.. hope it all go's well for you, good luck!

[farquar wrc]

I'll be out spectating as always,looking at the weather i'm going to get drowned and blown away again,good luck guys and enjoy yourself Paul

[farquar wrc]

Really enjoyed the rally,young Bogie wins again in another new car to him,Dougan looked on it all day,but the drive of the day was John Crawford,total comitment and the car sownded awesome,but from what i hear,Zico's day didn't go to plan and ended in a big shunt

[Zico]

Really enjoyed the rally,young Bogie wins again in another new car to him,Dougan looked on it all day,but the drive of the day was John Crawford,total comitment and the car sownded awesome,but from what i hear,Zico's day didn't go to plan and ended in a big shunt

Yep, had been driving on the side of caution most of the day and despite having a few moments everything had been going reasonably well for a 1st event, had been having a great time. Until...

I rolled it 2-3 times (I think) on Stage 5 at the same corner which Im led to believe claimed 20 other victims... PLUS the course car which also rolled!!!.... basically a 3rd of the remaining cars still running at that stage in the rally hit that rock and game over. The notes said rock on outside which was correct but didnt say "No cut" OR "rock on inside" which is what I hit also following the line of the other 20 victims. No-one... Organisers pre-start nor drivers or spectators before the corner warned us despite the Stage being closed for half an hour while they cleared the wreckage of the 1st ten cars.

We are both fine. The car needs re-shelled but it was due to be re-shelled in the spring anyhow so not as major a blow as it could have been.

Ultimately its my responsibility to keep it shiny side up but am I being unreasonable in expecting accurate pace notes?

[noel157]

Moot point I know but did the notes say "cut"? It's easy with hindsight but I always thought stay on the road unless instructed otherwise and with "rock on outside" that would generally indicate to take some care through the corner rather than simply use the inside verge of the corner. Better luck next time.

[Zico]

Moot point I know but did the notes say "cut"? It's easy with hindsight but I always thought stay on the road unless instructed otherwise and with "rock on outside" that would generally indicate to take some care through the corner rather than simply use the inside verge of the corner. Better luck next time.


Fair point.. All the other carnage corner victims said exact same thing tho.. some were even talking of sueing the guy who wrote the notes!
It said neither "cut", "dont cut" nor "rock on inside" which was unusual.
The fact that the rock on the inside was closer to the road than the noted one on the outside was very poor. and makes it a sore one to take.
The fact that even the course car rolled plus the 20 competitors also points to dodgy notes Imo.. Anyway.. no point in getting upset about it, you just examine what went wrong and where and try and learn from it.

Life goes on. The highs and lows of rallying I guess..

[Levy 9]

Sorry but not all the facts are quite correct here! Not wanting to split hairs but 10 cars either went off or spun, 7 of which retired not 20. I was spectating at the said location and witnessed it all i also have the recce DVD and the note was:

"DANGER left 1/C NO CUT into Right 4"

IMO the note is correct the word "Danger" kind of gives you a clue that a tricky spot is coming ahead!? The rock you hit was embedded into the bank and wasn't visible until it was hit by the first 2 cars that went off, it wasn't on the line it was embedded into the bank on the other side of a ditch. I've no idea if any verbal warnings were given about the location but you shouldn't expect spectators to slow you down unless there's a car already off which there wasn't. The majority of the crews didn't have any problems going round it at all and i guess would be pissed off with being slowed down only to see no reason to be slowed, i would be.

Its unfortunate you rolled your car but IMO you came in to fast and on the wrong line, accidents happen i know because i rolled on the first stage of the cambrian this year!!

I hope i don't come across as having a go here because that's certianly not my intention, i'm just trying to put across my point of view.

Regards

[Zico]

Sorry but not all the facts are quite correct here! Not wanting to split hairs but 10 cars either went off or spun, 7 of which retired not 20. I was spectating at the said location and witnessed it all i also have the recce DVD and the note was:

"DANGER left 1/C NO CUT into Right 4"

IMO the note is correct the word "Danger" kind of gives you a clue that a tricky spot is coming ahead!? The rock you hit was embedded into the bank and wasn't visible until it was hit by the first 2 cars that went off, it wasn't on the line it was embedded into the bank on the other side of a ditch. I've no idea if any verbal warnings were given about the location but you shouldn't expect spectators to slow you down unless there's a car already off which there wasn't. The majority of the crews didn't have any problems going round it at all and i guess would be pissed off with being slowed down only to see no reason to be slowed, i would be.

Its unfortunate you rolled your car but IMO you came in to fast and on the wrong line, accidents happen i know because i rolled on the first stage of the cambrian this year!!

I hope i don't come across as having a go here because that's certianly not my intention, i'm just trying to put across my point of view.

Regards


No, I dont feel you are having a go, I just want to learn from this.. thats interesting info... I was informed that 19- 20 cars were severly damaged or came to grief on that rock by another spectator. Did you see all the cars go through?
I have a suspicion that the recce dvd and actual pacenotes must differ, I'll need to get the notes from my Co-driver and compare them with what you say.. as I certainly was NOT told "No cut"... The notes DID say that of the next left and right after that tho..

[Levy 9]

No, I dont feel you are having a go, I just want to learn from this.. thats interesting info... I was informed that 19- 20 cars were severly damaged or came to grief on that rock by another spectator. Did you see all the cars go through?
I have a suspicion that the recce dvd and actual pacenotes must differ, I'll need to get the notes from my Co-driver and compare them with what you say.. as I certainly was NOT told "No cut"... The notes DID say that of the next left and right after that tho..

Yeah i was on it from start to finish, there was only about 6 of us there at first and after the gap the hoards turned up. Sounds like its been chinese whispers a bit. The "NO CUT" was for the 1L/C but with the pace some cars were going they went light over the crest and headed for bank on the right where the rock was! I personally think the conditions played a big factor with the road being very slippy and once the cars had gone light over the crest there was no grip to get them back! The last 2 times this stretch of road has run that way there was no incidents there and the conditions were just damp not soaked....

[Zico]

Yeah i was on it from start to finish, there was only about 6 of us there at first and after the gap the hoards turned up. Sounds like its been chinese whispers a bit. The "NO CUT" was for the 1L/C but with the pace some cars were going they went light over the crest and headed for bank on the right where the rock was! I personally think the conditions played a big factor with the road being very slippy and once the cars had gone light over the crest there was no grip to get them back! The last 2 times this stretch of road has run that way there was no incidents there and the conditions were just damp not soaked....

You are probably correct, I see what you mean... When I came over the crest I saw it as the line everyone else was taking.. and that the "danger" was for the noted rock on the outside and as there wasnt a "No Cut" or "Rock inside" in the notes for this corner I followed them... probably compounded by the fact that the bushes and trees had been ripped up making the corner appear wider than it was previously when the notes were 1st published.
You make decisions based on the notes and what you see... then you are on it only to find that the scenary has been re-arranged... by then its too late.

[noel157]

I presume when the notes were made the outside rock was visable, hence the warning and the inside rock was buried in the grass and only exposed when an earlier car "found" it by cutting the corner. I suppose you can't expect the note makers to get out and trample about the grass on the inside of every corner? As I said, if no instruction to cut, don't cut. Having said all that I can understand and appreciate your side of things and once you get into a rhythm and follow the lines of earlier cars it's easy to be caught out by the unexpected. As you say it was a learning experience and I hope you get the chance to get out again.

[J4MIE]

Sorry to hear about your excursion Zico...

http://www.ecossepix.co.uk/Brit-Rally-Forum/Hills07-R1.jpg
http://www.ecossepix.co.uk/Brit-Rally-Forum/Hills07-R2.jpg
http://www.ecossepix.co.uk/Brit-Rally-Forum/Hills07-R3.jpg
http://www.ecossepix.co.uk/Brit-Rally-Forum/Hills07-R4.jpg
http://www.ecossepix.co.uk/Brit-Rally-Forum/Hills07-R5.jpg

[J4MIE]

http://www.ecossepix.co.uk/Brit-Rally-Forum/Hills07-R6.jpg
http://www.ecossepix.co.uk/Brit-Rally-Forum/Hills07-R7.jpg
http://www.ecossepix.co.uk/Brit-Rally-Forum/Hills07-R8.jpg
http://www.ecossepix.co.uk/Brit-Rally-Forum/Hills07-R9.jpg

Colin Smith managed to get these.

[Zico]

Ouch... didnt realise Id gone so far up the bank at that point.. car must have launched after hitting that rock.
Thanks for the link.

[Zico]

Think I'd better go back to dancing, heres me in action... http://www.jibjab.com/starring_you/receipt/3861196

;)

[sal]

Bad luck fella but looking at the carnage you were in good company!

[Eamon Doherty]

Hello - I was running in the yellow mk2 behind you on stages 4 & 5. The off on stage 5 looked like a big one! You and Co-D ok?

[Zico]

Yep, we are both fine thanks.. just a little whiplash and slight bruising, I had a small piece of metal embedded in my hand but managed to dig it out yesterday. :)