Author: Spadeadam Motor Club

New Years Eve Autotest 2015

/ Spadeadam Motor Club

New years eve can only mean one thing, Pirelli Autotest. This year saw an almost full entry, 19 drivers in a very varied selection of cars from MG Midget & Escort Mk1 to a BMW 5 series.

With 10 tests planned and a cracking entry, our marshals Michael Lindsay & Ian Robinson would be kept busy and only time for a quick brew while tests were changed round and walked.

First tests was the out going years route the 15. Jack Palmer from West Cumbria was soon showing the regulars that the Ka would be the car to beat with a 53sec. Barry Lindsay & John Ross were as close as you can get though on 54sec Then Andrew Graham on 55. Wrong tests for Joe Herring, James McWhir, James Boothroyd and John Barber.

Chris Hunter

Test 2 was a re-run. Jack was again quickest with 51sec ahead of Barry on 52sec then Kenton Pattison on 53 despite fighting back from hitting two cones on the previous test. Andrew Graham next on 54sec ahead of the Stephen Dixon now with a LSD in the Corsa.

Continue reading →

New Year’s Eve Autotest 2015

/ Spadeadam Motor Club

New years eve can only mean one thing, Pirelli Autotest. This year saw an almost full entry, 19 drivers in a very varied selection of cars from MG Midget & Escort Mk1 to a BMW 5 series.

With 10 tests planned and a cracking entry, our marshals Michael Lindsay & Ian Robinson would be kept busy and only time for a quick brew while tests were changed round and walked. First tests was the out going years route the 15.

Jack Palmer from West Cumbria was soon showing the regulars that the Ka would be the car to beat with a 53sec. Barry Lindsay & John Ross were as close as you can get though on 54sec Then Andrew Graham on 55. Wrong tests for Joe Herring, James McWhir, James Boothroyd and John Barber. Continue reading →

Rally Results this month (November 2015)

/ Spadeadam Motor Club

Rally Wales – Carl & Rob Tuer took there rebuild MG Zr, but Retired on day 2

Galloway Hills – Rory Young & Allan Cathers finished 10th OA (3rd in class) in the Evo.

Grizedale Stages – Peter Taylor was back in the Focus after a few months away from rallying, and finished 4th Overall, (4th in class), Stuart Egglestone & Brian Hodgson finished 13th OA (1st in class) in the Astra. Barry Lindsay & Caroline Lodge finished 17th Overall (1st in class), Darren Martin & Martin Steele were 26th Overall (17th in class) & James Coxon navigated Mark Shaw to 34th Overall (3rd in class)

Grizedale Stages 2015

/ Spadeadam Motor Club

By Barry Lindsay,

Grizedale was the final round of the SG Petch ANECCC Championship. Three drivers were separated by 5 points, Steve Bannister, Barry Lindsay & Matt Smith. While in the co-drivers Caroline Lodge was 3rd behind Louise Rae & Giles Dykes.

In order to improve the Spadeadam pair knew when they entered that it had to be a class win…but then when the entry list went online they knew it was going to be difficult. Top 1600 on the entry list at 25 but the 206 had struggled against Alex Curran / Heather Grisedale in the rapid Corsa this year and they were Scottish 1600 champions down at Grizedale for a fun day!

The event was based in Skelweth Fold for the first time which made the Pre event more compact. The stage format was just the same, 2 Dunnerdale, 2 Grizedale, Service repeat 2 Grizedale, Finish. The previous wet weather had relented for the event and caught some out with a snap of frost, but this prevented the stages cutting up.

Barry & Caroline were on the pace straight away showing they were up for a fight, after the two short stages had a 3 second lead. A quick management service then a road section round Caroline’s old area.

Spadeadam members were also in their own battles after stage 2, Peter Taylor & Andrew Roughead were 2nd Overall 5 seconds behind in the Focus after a few months concentrating on a new side to the family business. Stuart Egglestone & Brian Hodgson were also getting back into it after crashing as Course car back in July but held a 2 second class lead. Darren Martin & Martin Steele were thinking they had chosen the wrong tyres. Mark Shaw & James Coxon were also finding the conditions tricky in the Sunbeam. Continue reading →

Sliding on Ice

/ Spadeadam Motor Club

By John Ross,

On the 23rd November a team of 8 Spadeadam members gathered to learn how to handle themselves on ice. The only thing was there were no studded tyres, revving engines or the smell of Castrol-R.

Earlier this year on “The Run To The Sea” organised by Helen, several silly beach games took place by a group of members way old enough to know far better. After playing beach football a rather daft game of throwing nicely shaped rocks into a ring shaped target developed. This was dubbed by Mike Lindsey as “Beach Curling”. This struck a chord with my wife Christine who over the last couple of weeks has spent more time at Lockerbie Ice rink than she has at home. Would any of those present be in an evening’s curling, proper curling on ice, rather than the mud and sand of the Solway at Southerness. The general consensus was yes.

Several weeks later Christine said, I have a session booked at the ice rink for SMC, so with the aid of social media our little group was brought together. Eric & Linda, Nigel & Helen, Caroline & Jonathan and Christine & myself met up at Lockerbie Ice Rink to learn how to slide on ice, sweep and deliver 8 stones into the house (the rings of the target marked out at each end of the sheet of ice. Continue reading →

British Historic Rally Championship 2015

/ Spadeadam Motor Club

By Phil Jobson,

Having just missed out on a class win on the RAC Championship in 2014, though Arwel Jenkins won the Navigator Class, we decided to have a crack at the BHRC that for 2015 was being run by RAC Motor Club.

Historic rallying divides cars by year of manufacture. Pre-1968 being Category 1; post 1974 Category 3, but Snowy being a Mk1 Escort, we’re in Category 2. Each Category is further divided by engine size and number of cams etc. So in our Category we have C2 for 1968-1974 up to 1600cc; C31601-2000cc (Pinto etc) & C5 for 2000cc twin cams (eg. BDAs).

Following an eventful RAC Rally in 2014 where we finished 22nd despite running in the top twenty until a last stage puncture, Snowy was refettled in time for the first round. The beginning of February, South Wales was still in the grip of winter. Though the Llandeilo start venue was free from ice, the first stage higher up was treacherous. Nevertheless we pushed on as best we could and managed a Class C3 win and 35th overall. A solid start.

The gearbox received attention before the next round Mid Wales Stages. What a pleasure seeing the friendly face of Andy Graham at the foot of Pikes Peak. For those not so familiar, that stage starts uphill through wide open hairpins on perfect gravel surface. Escort country!! This time Arwel made sure I kept pedal to metal, preparation of the Notes was paying off. Although we were still suffering from gearbox maladies, we managed a 2nd in Class and 39th overall.

The gearbox stuck in 3rd for 3 miles on SS3 of the Pirelli, and we had a HUGE moment on SS4 (see You Tube), flat over crest, 50 into square right….. Apart from the laundry bill, this cost us only 55 seconds, and we secured 2nd in C3 and 32nd overall. We were leading C3 in the Championship. Continue reading →

Things Ain’t What They Were

/ Spadeadam Motor Club

By David Love,

Thought this 1974 advert might stir the memories of our more mature members and surprise our younger ones. Look closely at the car (Morris Marina) and you’ll also see it didn’t have door mirrors either. We didn’t worry about what was behind us in those days! Come to think of it I don’t even pay a lot of attention now!

rear

Joy Ride

/ Spadeadam Motor Club

By David Love

You know how it is when you’re in the pub, conversation soon turns to the topic of cars and so it was for me the other week. I was leaning on the bar talking to Stephen the landlord when I asked him how his new car was going, “Great! It’s comfortable, fast and economical. I did 300 miles down country and it only cost me £40 to fill up. My last car would have cost double that!’ With that he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a key fob. “Here give it a hurl and see what you think”. I grabbed the fob before he had time to come to his senses and change his mind. I know what you’re thinking ‘Who would let someone drinking in their pub loose in their new car?’ I wasn’t drinking in there, I was working, hard to believe I know! Okay, I also know what else you’re thinking now “Who would let David loose in their new car?’ “It’s keyless start so just press the start button and you’re good to go” said Stephen. With that Ben, who was working with me, and I shot out the door and into the car park.

There was our prey, the sun glinting off the immaculate silver body, ‘I hope it’s still immaculate when I get back’ was my first thought. My second thought was ‘Where the hell is the door handle?’

©D Love

Where are the door handles??

Ben, the mind reader, said ‘The handle’s hidden under the back edge of the door’. He was correct, a quick pull on the handle and the door rose majestically, ‘Cool’. Next problem, how to get in? The seat was the same height as the very wide sill, I tried left leg first but that made my eyes water so it was, sit on the sill, push back, drop into the seat then pull my legs in. Not very elegant but at least I was in. I would like to see a leggy super model get in. Boy, would I like to see that! I pressed the Start button and a blue rev counter and speedometer appeared on the LCD screen behind the steering wheel, ‘Cool’. Just then my phone rang, it was Stephen, “ Have you got it started?” ‘I think so but I can’t hear anything!’ “Is the Start button glowing blue?” ‘Yes’ “Then it’s started, when you get on a decent bit of road push the gear lever to the left, that’s Sports mode and the engine and the electric motor work together” ‘Cool’ Continue reading →

Congratulations Phil Jobson!

/ Spadeadam Motor Club

We’re delighted to report that an SMC Member has won The Clubmans Challenge of the British Historic Rally Championship along with Class C3 and finished 9th overall Driver in the BHRC 2015.

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Phil on the Trackrod, 2015

“It’s been a superb season, despite an awful Trackrod Rally final round where we picked up two punctures, having to stop and change the second one, and suffering with a steering rack held in by Jubilee Clips for half of the mileage.

“The BDA is being readied to fit over the next couple of months ready for another assault on the BHRC (& possibly the BHRC Tarmac too) in 2016. “

SG Petch Hamsterley Rally 2015

/ Spadeadam Motor Club

By Barry Lindsay

The ninth round of the SG Petch ANECCC championship was the Hamsterley Rally, moved from its April date after it lost its RAC Championship slot the event moved to September to try and get the stages in harder condition, too stop them cutting up.

The event was a great layout with Service, Scrutineering, rally HQ all just outside Barnard Castle. A 20min road section to stages 1 & 2 which was 15.6 mile with only a breather in between then back to Barnard Castle for a 2.9mile mixed surface Raby Castle Stage. After a service these were repeated and back to the finish by 3pm.

Three Spadeadam crews entered, but Rob Graham & Helen Gibbon withdrew leading up to the event due to farmer Rob having to get harvest in! (Saturday morning was pretty wet so probably could have gone rallying!)

This left John McIlwraith bringing out his Mk2 Escort and bringing in to navigate Ian Jones. They were seeded at 29 and would prove that was too far back as the day went on. Myself with Caroline Lodge ran at 15 in the 206.

We soon discovered possibly the only organizer error of the event along a few others an arrow for later in the event was baffling crews. Caroline soon had us in the right direction (we hoped as now we had 5 other cars following us) Continue reading →