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Rally
Reports 2001 Season - Bomb-Along Stages
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'Yellow Peril'
Webmaster in The
Hot Seat
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The
Bomb-Along Stages!
Close on the heels of
Mark II Motorsport's excellent second place at Oakington
on the SM Roofing Stages, the team returned to the
venue to compete in Middlesex County Motor Clubs
Bomb-Along Stages.
Changes and Graphics
Mark Welch (Team Director/Driver)
was sniffing for a win as his previous two outings
to this event had netted him two 2nd places. Mark
usually has a list of improvements that he likes
to make to the Bluecol / Get Zet Go/Springwood Aviation
sponsored Cosworth (nicknamed "Yellow Peril"), however,
for this particular event there was a major change
(not necessarily an improvement) in the form of
the co-driver. Mark Sims (team photographer/webmaster)
had been promised a co-drive and it was on the Bomb-Along
that he was shoehorned into the seat next to Welch. |
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The only other cosmetic
improvement was from FUSE,
who had kindly done more graphics for the car,
in the shape of the Car
Enthusiast (an online car/motorsport magazine)
who are following the team's progress through
the season.
Slippery Stages & A Good Field
The event offered
8 stages at the old airbase. Very challenging
high-speed sections combined with shorter technical
challenges around the old mess buildings which
were covered in slippery crab apples from the
trees would make driving 'interesting'. Tom Lambert
in his very quick Darrian T9 was the firm favourite
with Mark II Motorsport seeded at the number 2
spot. A brace of Escort Cosworths, two very quick
Fiesta Cosworths, a Grp N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6
and a beautifully prepared Puma Cosworth would
keep the Mark II boys very honest. Saturday saw
the team get the car through scrutineering with
no problems.
Noise & Preparations
At this venue there
has been issues with noise, thus restrictions
were tight but 'Yellow Peril' with her exhaust
'packed' flew through with no problems. The team
set out the van in the service area, bagged a
'pitch' and retired to the hotel for the evening
meal, 'a coke' and maps to discuss tactics for
the next days event. At this point Simsie 'was
fairly cool' in his own words. That was to change!
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Sims Panicks!
Sunday saw a bright
and sunny, if somewhat windy start, which meant
that Lambert in the Darrian would be setting a
blistering pace. With the car prepared, time cards
and maps at the ready the two Marks sat in the
first time control ready to book in. It was then
that Sims suddenly realised what he had let himself
in for. 'I was so nervous and bloody scared' remarked
the 'not so cool' navigator. 'I wasn't even sure
if I could keep my breakfast down let alone call
the corners. All I knew I had to do was to call
the splits for Mark correctly'.
Fastest Stage
Times & Coments
SS1 was an 8.04 mile
stage that incorporated a demanding, twisting
section through the hanger and barrack area, which
was laced with deep kerbs and slippery breaking
areas (those crab apples) to catch the teams out,
coupled with a high speed dash along the bottom
end of the airfield. "Yellow Peril" shot off the
line in a cloud of dust into what Sims can only
describe as 'the fastest 8 miles of my life'.
The boys came into the finish smiling and it wasn't
until Barry Guess got the stage times from the
organisers (Sims was all fingers and thumbs and
thoroughly shaken at that point to calculate stage
times) that it became apparent that the Mark II
Team had turned the rally on its head by setting
the fastest stage time by a full 13 seconds over
Lambert. Asked to comment on each others performance
Welch said 'Mark was brilliant, he called every
bend, was flowing and was even calling out extra
cautions on objects to avoid'. Sims on Welch 'An
awesome driver and a fantastic ride, I can't say
anything else at the moment!'
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On
A Roll
Sims collected his thoughts
and for the next 3 stages the boys set fastest times
and opened up a 28 second lead on Tom Lambert in
2nd place. By this time Mark had got used to Sims's
calls and pace note system (which was slightly unorthodox
'away you go' meant get the hammer down as quick
as you can'!) and Sims was no longer scared, getting
used to time controls, arrival times, assessing
the map, marking cautions and generally getting
into the role of what a navigator should do. The
service crew of Bruce and Martin kept 'Yellow Peril'
in tip top shape, Barry Guess supplied advice to
Sims on his duties (which was very welcome) and
Andrea and Sarah (Welch's and Sims's respective
wives) offered support and welcome cups of coffee.
Spirits were high but the whole team were just nervous
of the car breaking down as the next 4 stages in
the afternoon commenced.
Afternoon Antics
The next two stages
5 and 6 saw Welch and Sims really get into the groove
as they were 10 seconds faster that Lambert on SS5
and a further 5 on SS6. The boys were all smiles
as they came into service. Bruce summed up the mood
of team 'everything is going to plan but I hope
the car keeps going.' SS7 went without a hitch,
again fastest time by 11 seconds was recorded by
Welch and Sims, which was astonishing as Welch commented
that 'I turned it down a bit even though Webmaster
(Sims's team nickname) was urging me on to go faster
and was really flowing with the notes'
Nerves
The final stage was
taken carefully and the whole team held its breath
at the finish to see the two Marks record 2nd fastest
stage time and win the event by 56 seconds, with
Tom Lambert in second place. It was a jubilant team
who applauded 'Yellow Peril' as she was parked in
service for the last time. Welch was ecstatic and
Sims did get a 'bit emotional'. He just could not
believe that on his first ever event they had won.
Trophies & Emotion
The team collected their
trophies, and Barry Guess summed up 'The boys and
whole team did good!' So, Mark II makes it a 5th
place, a 2nd place and a 1st place in three rallies,
with some extra bits and tweaks for the Bluecol/Get
Zet Go/Springwood Aviation sponsored Cosworth, the
team should hopefully consolidate its form. The
next event is planned to be The Lightning Stages
at Binbrook (the second Safety Devices round of
the year due to Foot & Mouth restrictions). Can
the team keep their current form? Watch this space.
Stages Times
For a complete
list of stages and analysis click
here. Information supplier by Middlesex
County Motor Club
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Many Thanks
Mark II Motorsport
would like to thank their sponsors: -Bluecol Brands,
Get
Zet Go, Springwood Aviation, RallyGallery,
The
Car Enthusiast, Courtney
Motorsport Images and FUSE.
Special thanks to Lawrence from FUSE
for cutting more graphics for the car and to Colin
Courtney from Courtney
Motorsport Images for taking Mark Sims's place
by performing the team photographer duties. Last
but not least a huge thank you to Barry Guess,
Bruce Taylor and Martin Bradley for preparing
and servicing the car, team administration and
for providing advice and direction to the novice
Mark.
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Photo
Gallery
Many thanks to Colin
Courtney from Courtney
Motorsport Images for supplying the photos.
For more images of the Mark II Motorsport team in
action click
here.
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