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Stage 1

I am a slob when it comes to checking tyre pressures.  I did them at the refuel on the way but didn’t do them again before the stage.  They were clearly too high and the car was skatey so it went round a couple of kms in.  But it got better.  Some massive opposite lock moments on downhill sections under brakes.

Check this out.  Oh Damn

Now for the extent of the damage. The Damage

This is proof that the Automotive Gadgets sump guard fabricated by Anthony Edwards does the business.  I thought we’d do some much more significant damage.

Thanks to an a certain little critter who got into the car in the staging area the POV was moved to take a full length movie of the roof.

Basically a confidence sapping beginning to the rally.

Stages 2 & 3:  tyre pressures fixed and all was good.

Stage 4: The heavens opened up and it was raining frogs.  Picked 3rd a couple of times and had some moments which could have degenerated into something major given the conditions.  Bloused up and kept it in second most of the time .  Unbelievably didn’t hit anything or go off despite all the rain, fog  and the darkness. Finished !!

Highlights

Getting to meet the Victorian Excel Mafia and Justin/Rod and Tweety.  Justin has the most fully sikest car.  There should be a prize just for the gearshift.  The hectometer went off the scale, maate.

It was nothing short of shit hot for all 13 cars to finish undamaged and for the pointy end to be so close.  Impressive stuff and I think it showed people what a one make series can achieve.

Kornel has to be congratulated.  His result was truly impressive given that he has driven that car only once (with problems).  I’ve been for a drive with him and he reminds me of the Fro Meister. With a good suspension watch out!

Excel Training Day Oran Park Dirt Circuit- 21 March 2009

Shab v Haggers  

Here is comparative in-car of Shab and I – my car,  same direction.  Timing point is where post on left hand side of gate goes out of sight.  Both my runs are 58 secs.  Shad does one run of 57 sec and another of 58 sec.  Earlier Paul Bailey drove the car and he was about 4 seconds slower than me.  

Note difference in wheel technique especially on entry into gate.  

The camera does not lie.  

Shab  

Haggers  

The last run of the day is always fraught with danger.  The front tyres had no tread and, as I later found out, the passenger lower front control arm mounting bolts were finger loose causing a little more than a tad of movement under heavy braking. I brake late and the car goes around and Bek and I miss the fence post by a poofteenth.

The post incident  

In-car for Bran

Bruce Garland uncut - the Dakar!!

On 2 March 2009 Bruce Garland spoke at the North Shore Sporting Car Club meeting about his first attempt at the 2009 Dakar run in South America.  He came 11th outright in an Isuzu diesel ute.  The second car in the team was piloted by Swedish driver Pelle Wallentheim.  Bruce’s long time partner in grime, Harry Suzuki was also present on the night.  Unfortunately Pelle’s co-driver Olle Ohlsson was not available.

I videoed this with a combination of cameras and had to splice 2 gig of quicktime movie format together and then save in wmv format (about 107 meg).

Click here to enjoy:  Bruce Garland Rampant

Natcap 25 October 2008  

I went to make a withdrawal ATM and found I was out of funds.  

Stage 3:   Took wrong turn out of service (right rather than left – ahem...only acting under orders).  After mature reflection went the right way but late. The rot must have set in though.  Long straight with TVHL which I nearly overshot  then it went into TVHL through gate which I got through and  then 200 m RGR.  Well by this stage I’m in 3rd and brake late (Neville Nobody corner I thought) and it was powdery and so it all ended with amateur hour understeer into the bank on the outside.  Brain fade by the looks of the in-car.  Bent lower control arm so that wheel was against firewall.  Hope against hope that just taking the guard off would give enough clearance but no.  Of course we didn’t have the right spanner to get the nuts off because they were non-standard (Bastards Inc – thank you) Ran 16 km on deflated tyre.  All over.

I was happy with this little skando flick through a gate.  I may have stumbled into accuracy for once:

Gate entry 6 meg (.mov)

Gate entry 0.5 meg (.wmv)

Those roads do not forgive the slightest error.  May they burn in hell.  

Here is the pathetic in-car.  Shame file stuff.  

Shame file

Here is SS1

Here is part of  SS2 (we forgot to turn the camera on)  

Mr Moon gets our attention

The conditions at the Bay this year were diabolical.  I lent Crazy Dave Roberts my POV to run in his Excel and the pictures tell the story. Grip varied dramatically and oen just had to drive to survive a lot of the time.

Crazy Dave SS4

Crazy Dave SS5

Crazy Dave SS6

Crazy Dave SS7

Crazy Dave SS8

Ric Cary has a new engine in his Evo and he approached so fast I couldn’t get the camera fired up in time to get the full approach (he as 00 or something).  Suffice it to say he arrived at this tricky bit of road  at Warp Factor 100 got to the crest and has to wash off a huge amount of speed then work out where to go. The road goes right but there is a bunted off section which caused the indecision.  The others followed his line.  Oh yes, there is a 400 m drop if you get it really wrong.  Enjoy the little grab of the Scary Canary getting back on the gas after arriving at Warp Factor 100.

Ric Cary

The Drop (seriously - this is  400m drop)

Jeff David was clearly the fastest on approach out of the rest and  he showed great composure.  The other guy in the scene is a former karter who ran against Winterbottom et al when they were in karts .

Jeff David

Check out the Fazz in action.  Just amazing.

The Fazz

Excel practice day - Oran Park Figure 8 circuit - 2 August 2008

Thanks to David White (an Excel Series Founding Father) and Mick Ryan from Rallyschool.com we had the figure 8 circuit to ourselves.  Unfortunately Bastards Incorporated (Electrical Division) did some overtime on The Beast's alternator which restricted the fun somewhat.  The first run with too much pressure in the tyres (about 30 psi) was amusing:

Beavis and Butthead.WMV (78 meg)

Listen for the giggle from Brendon at 2m 26 s and listen to the badinage at the end.  I think just about every rallying vice was encountered in that little stint on the track.  The engine seemed to die towards the end because the battery was running down (I went back from 3rd to 2nd)

Excel practice day - Oran Park 4WD circuit - 25 April 2008

This was a brilliant idea and great fun.  Thanks so much to Mick Ryan at Sideways Action for making the track available and thanks to Whitey (and anyone else) who was involved in the organisation.

It was really good to go with Glenn.  Two fundamental observations:

1.  he was fast through the slop STRAIGHT AWAY (ie first run)  but it took me a few goes to even get close.  Translate that to first stage etc  While everyone else is being a BED WETTING NANCY BOY he has nailed it!  Great confidence and the car just does his bidding. 

2.  His braking is much harder and shorter than what I had been doing and when I replicated it, it was all good. It works.  With the DMS  these cars turn in very well and are quite controllable.

From the outside, when Glenn was going into the gate (flatstick in 2nd - he'd basically threshold  brake really hard and then on the gas - I saw the minor lockup and release)

Haggers makes a PREDICTION:

After sitting next to Fro, once he rids himself of his rear wheel drive habits he WILL BE FAST.  

He's got a good, flowing aggressive style like Glenn and once he stops thinking it's a 180B watch out!  

Here is some footage.  There were times when I couldn't see and that explains why we had to stop and clean the windscreen

Haggers with Fro(passenger)

Haggers with Mick(passenger)

2008 Sportsclassic Rally - Oberon  12 April 2008

Cullens 2

SS 4 - with deflating and then shredded tyre

Some Mirage Cyborg action

Molly Taylor flat out in South Australia

Brenton Kaitler in the car Molly now drives:

Melbourne 1

Melbourne 2

Excel testing day at Oran Park 29 July 2007

Thanks to some late night work by Anthony Edwards of Automotive Gadgets we were able to test the Excel at Oran Park on 29 July. We had no idea what the engine was like (it has 125,000 km on it) but more importantly, I had no idea about driving FWD. Molly Taylor gave me expert pointers on what to do and what not to do and once I had go the rear wheel drive habit out of more thinking it was clear just how fast these little cars are. They are so easy to drive – the Drummond suspension gives huge stability in comparison to what I have been used to (a Gemini with Bilsteins). Here is some in-car with me driving. I had to go slow down the fence line because it was horribly rutted and I didn’t want to damage anything at this early stage of the car’s life! In-car with Haggers in the Excel

(Warning:  this is in Quicktime format and is about 44 Meg)

Molly’s driving skills have developed at an exponential rate since starting out in a Gemini about 2 years ago. In that short space of time she has driven a Gemini, a beast of a Celica and a Mirage Cyborg plus the odd outing in a V8 (there may well be more but that’s what I can remember seeing her drive). She has also done 8 days of snow/ice driving in Norway at the Haugland Rally School. Check out how she handles Sideways Action EVO 8. 

In-car with Molly in the EVO8 

Gate entry in the EVO 8 – Molly driving 

Rally of Lithgow 12 May 2007

The big news of the rally was that Glenn Farrant and Anna Ritson beat Ed Ordynski and Iain Stewart. Unfortunately I don’t have footage of Ed at the same corner (SS4 spectator point) because the battery in the DVD player ran out (Bastards Inc battery division)  but here is Glenn: Glenn SS 4 

The following Quicktime movies are from the service park. Glenn has an air lock in the fuel line and the team sorts it out pronto. Check out the professional action: Glenn’s team (26 meg)

I caught the tail end of the action with Ed’s team: Ed's service team (12 meg)

Some pictures from the start:

The way it started and finished

Ed likes the look of Glenn's car

Wayne Elven and Dave Inall get their heart rates up at the spectator point on SS4. I got a little excited too. V8s do that to me. Wayne had the car set up for what he thought was a left hander only to find out it is a right hander.  He could have done his signature doughut, but he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to carry on. Enjoy the action. Right , left – who cares?  

Ian Wilson delights yet again with his baroque tank slapping exits: Stiffler 

Haggers’ Hall of Fame:Because we didn’t get to see the whole field at SS4 we can’t say whether other cars had a better entry/ exit from this corner, but of what we saw Russell Dixon and Julie Boorman in the Honda Civic really nailed it. That car is quick and Russell wasn’t mucking about.The video is in Quicktime format: Russell rampant (7 meg)

Oberon Rally 14 April 2007  

The Beast of Bondi manned a road closure in the early part of SS 2 / SS 6 and got to see how the field dealt with a tricky hairpin right on a narrow downhill run. Unfortunately The Beast left his good camera with the long life battery at home so he had to make do with a video camera with a short battery life. 

There was some brilliant stuff on the second run through with some sensational work by the Pinckhams in the V8 Commodore, Shab/Megan Bentley in the VR4, Nick Hough/Rob Edwards in the “Dukes of Hazzard” Gemini, Ben and Matt Cullen in the Toyota Sprinter. 

There was shameful stuff and that is relegated to the Shame File.

The Beast gives Tackle Tightening Award to Nick Hough and Rob Edwards in the Dukes of Hazzard Gemini. Nick had driven this car (which is a FAT Gemini) on only 2 previous occasions and he had pulled out some great results. Fifth outright in Oberon this year is a fantastic result given where he started (Car 17) and who he was up against. Rob Edwards told me that he experienced the “Wall of Death” on a couple of occasions but The Pirate managed to bring the car home unscathed. On his second run through my section he flicked the car in and nailed the outermost sign post on exit. I just wished I had had some battery to capture his handiwork for posterity. Having been trained by Rob (”Ari”) Inall I would have expected nothing less. Now savour The Pirate’s first run through SS 2. The Pirate in action 

Because this is a Dukes of Hazzard car you need to get another perspective on things and there is none better than Ned to give you the right perspective: Ned’s perspective  

People were generally much cleaner the second time and the Pinckhams showed just what you can do with a BIG car on a narrow bit of road. Classy stuff and I only wish I could have caught the second run on video. The Pinckhams in action

Compare with Brett Wright in Car 00 on his first outing in his new car: Brett Wright 

Shab was on fire on his second run and he had the VR4 so sideways I thought he might have been Chinese. Shab’s first run 

Ben and Matt Cullen in the Sprinter displayed some great car control, especially on the second run: Ben and Matt Cullen 

Ian Wilson once again pushes the Celica to the limits of adhesion: Ian Wilson 

Young Timothy Wilkins did well in his Gemini.  His second run was sensational. Pity the battery had given up the ghost:  Timothy Wilkins 

Natcap Rally – 2006 

It was a hot day in Canberra on 25 November 2006 and most of the field failed to finish.  I suspect a few people may have got a tad excited.

Here are some clips of interest from SS5/8:

Here is Tony Maxwell getting excited: Go Boges! 

Some competitors do get more excited than others.  Enjoy Ian Wilson's exploratory efforts in this shot: Ian Wilson explores the width of the road

Watch how Glenn Farrant gently punts the Excel through the same corner on SS8.  This style got him 8th outright and first 2WD.  Go the Excel!

Here is Steve Forsberg in a much more powerful and developed FWD car: Steve Forsberg

Here is some good RWD action:  Carl Stewart

Here is a Mazda RX2:  Quinn

Natcap Rally - 2005

I confess getting excited by Rob ("Ari") Inall's effort in his V8 Commodore on a very narrow bit of road that had big gutters on entry and exit.  A classy  bit of work

Enjoy this short bit of action:  Ari goes in deep

Bateman’s Bay Rally 16 September 2006 

I was doing a road closure on SS1 at a tricky sweeping left hander that had a double apex. Bateman’s Bay roads can be notoriously slippery if you even get a few centimetres off the swept path. I saw lots of opposite lock from the quick 4WD drivers and the fast rear wheel drivers. 

After due consideration I have invested the following people into Haggers’ Hall of Fame for Special Stage 1: 

Claude Murray and Lizzy Ferme - Datsun 1600 : scarily fast as usual. Put many 4wd turbo drivers to shame. God only knows what he would do in a modern machine. Here is the action: Claude and Lizzy 

Molly Taylor and Mick Ryan – Celica: Molly hammered into this corner and it looked from where I was standing that she realised that the corner tightened and she pulled on some more lock at the last moment. Not fazed by this she kept going. The video says it all. An Australian Michelle Mouton in the making without any doubt. Here is the video: Molly and Mick 

Dave Roberts and Nikolas Tumbri– Excel: Dave actually got the back out ! Glenn Farrant and Jason Williams was faster on the stage by 12 seconds than the other two teams, so I’ve included shots of Glenn and Mick Gillett and Marek Dzidowski for comparison. 

Dave Roberts and Nikolas Tumbri 

Glenn Farrant and Jason Williams 

Mick Gillett and Marek Dzidowski