THE CHEVIOT STAGES RALLY 2005
Well, this has to be the fastest and most tricky rally we have done in the new Cooper. The whole event was as the organisers and 'old hands' were saying it would be. A roller coaster of a rally with special stages of 10 and 16 miles in length very wet, wery slippery, very very fast, HUGE yumps, deep dips, mad mad twisty downhill sections, zero visibility fog on the higher sections of the stages and darkness for the last stage........unbelievable stuff!
We got the car down to Otterburn for scrutineering and documentation on the Saturday afternoon. It was already lashing with rain but the crazy keen service crew were undeterred. We met Simon and Nealee from ESSENTIALMINI.CO.UK and got stuck into the weekends motorsport.
First up was a leaking tyre valve on one of the tyres and before you knew it the car was up on its stands and the dodgy tyre was whisked away to the tyre barge for repair. Meanwhile the car sailed through scrutineering with only mild bafflement from the scruitineer who couldnt find the cars throttle cable......... there isnt one and now he knows! Great bunch of guys, very cheerfull in the draughty shed.
Back from scrutineering the crew, had the car back on the stands to set the suspension. We needed it raised at the rear and lowwered at the front so it was even for the event. With the rally being a tarmac rally the cars suspension needed to be low and stiff. The pace notes showed loads of cattle grids so we kept a wee bit of height on the car until we saw what the grids were like.
By this time, the service crew were suitably wet and muddy........and we hadnt started rallying yet. We repaired to the B&B and pub ready for the competition to begin in the morning.
Rally day was free from rain and we had the service area set up by 7.30am and the car ready to go and already the car was attracting its now customery attention from other teams and spectators. Me and Al would like to think its us.....but deep down, we know its the car thats the pull!
The car was on slicks but the stages were quite damp, some sections of the stages were also green with moss! Must try to source some intermediate and wet tyres someday!
The first stage was delayed apparently after a Metro 6R4 clobbered a sheep and then we were away. Stage 1 was a baptism of fire. Slippery was the understatement of the day. The wheels were spinning on accelleration, the car was understeering on the bends and a touch of the brakes locked the wheels, but wow it was a fast stage!
A few cars had already bitten the mud as we came through the stage so we had to get the measure of the conditions quickly!
Stages 2 and 3 followed straight after and we were back into Service, now with our eyes as big as saucers! The speed of this rally was amazing. On the straights we were flat in top gear but then suddenly a crest would appear and depending on the pace notes we could take them flat but equally as often, immediately over the crest the road would plunge madly downhill, narrowing to barely the width of the car and twist and turn all over the place. If you had the opportunity you really had to hook the inside wheels off the tarmac to keep the car on! It works if you can do it.......but there were a few cars embedded into the moorland 30 odd yards off the outsides of bends!
The Service crew performed the usual checks on the car and all was fine. The suspension height turned out to be ok but we lowered the tyre presures as they were increasing by as much as 8psi when hot. The brakes were also working fine with a small adjustment to the bias. They were smoking at the end of every stage which seemed to amuse or frighten the spectators!
Back out for Stage 4 and a few dry lines were appearing on parts of the stage that had previously been used so the grip improved...but not much! We also had to dodge a meandering cow! On Stage 5 we had the biggest 'moment' we have had so far with the Cooper.
As the speed is so high, we found that Al needed to deliver the notes much much quicker than usual, howe
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it flys up the hill 
