Slip sliding away, slip sliding away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you’re slip sliding away.
– Paul Simon
KRU Rally team were really looking forward to this one. Our ‘home’ forests, a perfect Autumnal day and a potent little rally car straining at the leash. What’s not to like.
We would be sharing our servicing space on this event – Peter Gwynne Motorsport had invited KRU rally to join their vast service set up and when we found out there would be confectionary supplied we had no alternative but accept their kind offer.
So we found ourselves alongside other Suzuki Swift crews under the PGM banner on a cold night setting up in the Dalby Forest service area. This followed an interminably long and drawn out delay in queuing to get through scrutineering (come on Trackrod MC, you can do better than have competitors wait almost 2 hours to get through scrutineering).
Pitches reserved it was on to our accommodation in the pleasant seaside town of Scarborough where our advance ’Hotel Inspector’ Oli had already secured all the room keys and, having inspected them meticulously, chose the best one for himself then gleefully pointed out the shortcomings of everyone else’s.
Team briefing centred on our desire to match the other 2 identical Suzuki Swifts in the event and for us to learn from been alongside Peter Gwynne’s team.
Saturday morning dawned clear and cold, perfect rally weather and we were soon anchored at Adderstone arena in the middle of the forest preparing KRU and fitting our loaned radio sets (big thanks to Simon from FBPMC West Yorks/Swift radio for the loan).
Stage 1 was only 90 seconds from the service area. Alas when Jonathan and Gary arrived there was the now almost inevitable delay; it’s the third rally in a row when we have been held up at stage 1 start which doesn’t help our preparation and concentration.
30 minutes of sitting and trying to maintain our focus later we were off. The stage was damp and slippy under the trees and Jonathan drove with caution but we set a good benchmark for ourselves. We were soon into the longest test, 13 miles through stage 3 Langdale.
This was drier, quicker and suited the crew well and they averaged 50 mph though the tree lined stage, immediately elevating us from 102 to 83rd overall. Our clutch had begun to prove difficult to engage as we waited at the stage start and we struggled to get going as the car seemed unwilling to accelerate away. This was reported to the team as we approached service and they soon began to examine the problem but with only a short 30-minute check available they couldn’t start to strip or scrutinise the problem in depth. Having examined as far as they could with the time allowed, Dave and team were confident it would last the event.
More good news was that Pete had ‘borrowed’ some tea bags too, so all was well.
We were delighted to be leading the ‘Swift challenge’ by a few seconds too.
Onto the famous Dalby stage through the woodyard and quarry and we were in good spirits. However here we started to encounter some difficulties. The quickly drying surface meant we were sliding around on our part-worn forest tyres as the surface became very smooth, worse still the stage was badly rutted in places and about half way through we began to encounter some huge potholes.
Jonathan soon complained of bad handling of the Swift and as we approached the finish feared we had a puncture. Sure enough our front offside tyre was flat. Gary calculated that it was quicker to limp back into the scheduled service so we nursed the car back.
The team soon dismantled the front offside looking for damage. They were not completely happy with the suspension, it was leaking more fluid that it should, though not in a terminal way. With only another 30 minutes’ service we just had time to tighten things up, fit the new wheel and tyre and we were off again to stages 5 and 6, Cropton and Gale Rigg.
Jonathan set off in Cropton cautiously but soon we were back on the limit as he was relieved that the car was handling OK, giving him confidence to attack the stage again.
Another quick run through and we were lying 68th and 6th in class.
With the shortest stage left; 6 miles of Gale Rigg, we pushed through, happy again with the handling of the compact Suzuki as we slid through the hairpin bends and floored it along the 700m straights, feet away from the trees at over 100mph.
With delight we moved ahead of the car above us in our class on this stage, it was due reward as we were feeling quick and driving well. We were also the only surviving Suzuki Swift; another small success for us. We finished 67th out of 107 starters, 5th in class, an excellent result.
A 45-minute drive back to the finish line at Scampton Hall followed. There we were met by our jubilant service team and interviewed by Motors TV presenter Paul Woodford.
It had been another solid performance by the team, Jonathan had driven well within himself and the car proved reliable and strong despite encountering the occasional yawning and damaging potholes again. Another good finish, the team performance improves on each event and Jonathan and Gary’s pace in the new car increases with each event.
It was good day out in t’forest for KRU Rally Team.
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Memorable quotes:
Jamie applying the race numbers pre-event:
Jonathan: “Are they on straight”?
Jamie stands back and surveys his work: “Well they were on straight but then I realised that my head was at an angle so now they’re not”.
Jonathan approaching stage start in an agitated state: “GARY !! where’s my HANS device gone, have you seen it”?
Gary: “Yes, you are wearing it”.
Approaching service 2, Gary warning the team about their puncture over radio:
Gary: “We’ve got a punctured tyre to change”
Service: “Where is it”?
Gary: “It’s on the wheel”.
Pete: “I’ve got bad news and good news; bad news is I forgot to bring the tea and sugar (again), the good news is there’s some over there” (points to adjacent service crew’s supplies).
Dave from under the front wheel arch: “I think the suspension strut is leaking, just bounce up and down on the car a bit.”
Jonathan enthusiastically bouncing on the front of the car.
Dave: “That will do”
Jonathan: “Is the strut broken”?
Dave: “Dunno I couldn’t tell cos it was all moving”
Oli (Team motivational coach) having watched the crew through the first stage start and corner: “Well you were going quite well there ….but you weren’t the quickest”.
Next event: Grizedale Stages Rally – 26 November 2016