RAC RALLY OF THE TESTS 9TH-12TH NOVEMBER 2017, 6 EMO MINI

[SMOKE GREY]

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We are off to Chester this coming Wednesday for this years event. I am very lucky to have the use of Paddy Hopkirks 6 EMO, the Pirelli Marathon winning car that is maintained by my long term backers Mini Sport. Honoured to have Paddy happy for me to use his car again. The event starts next Thursday afternoon with a short evening leg. Friday morning we restart from Carden Park and head acrcoss Cheshire with tests at Oulton Park among others before heading north and ending the day near Darlington.

Saturday we run through Cumbria returning late Saturday night to Darlington, before starting Sunday morning with tests at Tockwith, Lightwater Valley before some hillclimbing at Harewood Hill before finishing at the Majestic hotel in Harrogate. Over 100 cars and crews of several nationalities. Another ex works Mini , DJB92B is also on the event. If you can get out to watch ,c come and give us a wave. For full entry lists and 32 spectator points go to the Hero rally website.

[rich@minispares.com]

Majestic hotel in Harrogate..

many years ago I once found Vegard in the gardens of the Majestic hotel very very drunk....


he was hiding in some bushes for some reason....

[LMM76C]

Hope to get to Rednal Thursday but it sometimes seems not worth going anywhere for this event because relatives, friends etc. are prevented from fraternising with competitors so often.
Mind you, a close look at a DJB92B might be worth it.....

[spoon.450]

Great photo Steve.....good luck for this week.

[SMOKE GREY]

MINI Sport driver Steve Entwistle is targeting a top five finish and a class win when he contests this week’s 2017 RAC Rally of the Tests in Paddy Hopkirk’s famous Mini, 6 EMO.
Entwistle, who lives in Rishton, near Blackburn, won his class in the same event last year after finishing 14th overall.
A recreation of the old-style RAC Rallies from the 1950’s, the format of driving tests and navigational exercises in historic cars attracts competitors from all over Europe and Scandinavia.
He won’t be able to win the rally outright, as the regulations only permit drivers of pre-1962 cars to be eligible, but the 2015 HRCR Clubmans champion is hoping to be among the frontrunners ‘on the road’ .
And he’s aiming to make the most of his local knowledge on the four-day event, which starts in Chester and finishes in Harrogate.
“One of the sections goes within ten miles of my home, so I’d like to think I’ll know some of the roads we will be using,” he said.
“I’ve been competing on northern road rallies for almost 30 years, I need to make the most of any advantage that may give me.”
Entwistle also has one of Britain’s top navigators, Ali Proctor, in the left-hand seat.
The Newcastle-based mapman is on top form this year, winning the Flying Scotsman and the Throckmorton Challenge with Paul Crosby.
Entwistle and Proctor enjoyed a successful ‘shakedown’ outing with 6 EMO on the Vale of Clywd Classic in September, finishing fifth overall, winning the M1 Masters class, and collecting the prestigious Pierce rosebowl, awarded each year to the highest placed Mini.
Despite a ten-month lay-off from rallying – he was busy rebuilding his ex-Roy Mapple Orangebox Mini – Entwistle was happy with his performance on the event, which included two outright fastest times.
But he’s under no illusions about the task ahead.
“The Rally of the Tests statistics are a bit of an eye-opener for anyone who thinks it’s a gentle jaunt in the country for old cars.
“The organisers, the Historic Endurance Rally Organisation (HERO) have put on a stunning event, which will test cars and crews to the limit. It’s acknowledged as the toughest classic rally in Europe, and over three-and-a-half days there are 30 special tests and 20 regularities over a total distance of 750 miles.
“We are in the car for a minimum of 12 hours each day covering at least 250 miles and there’s no let-up - apart from the 45-minute lunch halt."
Entwistle also acknowledged the part that rally legend Paddy Hopkirk and Mini Sport of Padiham have played in him competing on the event.
“It’s incredibly generous of Paddy to loan me 6 EMO. He won the 1990 Pirelli Marathon in it, and the car is almost as famous as he is. It’s looked after by Mini Sport of Padiham, and it’s thanks to Chris Harper and the team that I’ll be out there hoping to maintain the winning tradition.”
One hundred cars and crews will set off from Carden Park near Chester on Thursday afternoon for a series of special tests and regularities – all in the dark.
Friday’s leg from Chester to Darlington takes the Derbyshire Dales and the Pennines before the overnight halt at Redworth Hall.
Day three sees survivors exploring new territory in northern Cumbria before a return to Darlington.
The final leg takes in the Vale of York ahead of an afternoon finish at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate.
For more information on the RAC Rally of the Tests and spectators information visit www.heroevents.eu.

[coopertim]

Fantastic stuff Steve!! All the very best for this week. Will try to get to see the event this year!

Tim

[docka]

Looks great, might come watch the Penrith section

[davidscothorn]

Good Luck to all of the the Mini entries.
But also to our other BMC Forum friends, e.g.
61 Bronwyn Burrell (GBR) Suzanne Barker (GBR) Austin Maxi 1969 1750 3A
Prepared by ProjectShop, Bicester, Oxon

[LMM76C]

Looks as if Smoke Grey is in second place by only 3 seconds after the second leg.

[cookie1071]

6 EMO just been through our control at Langley Beck - not hanging about through the ford!

[GraemeC]

I think they set off this morning leading the rally. Impressive given some of yesterday’s tests were much more suited to bigger cars.

[GraemeC]

...but then a faulty trip in Catterick May have knocked them back a bit

[cookie1071]

Lost out by 7 seconds doh but still a great drive
https://www.facebook.com/herorally/post ... 4823968787

[billycooper]

Well done Steve, awesome result !

[cookie1071]

Amusing moment at the finish, courtesy of DJB 92B, which looks like it needs a bit of a wash

https://www.facebook.com/herorally/vide ... 343977035/

[SMOKE GREY]

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That was a tough event! But probably the best event I've done in over 25 years of rallying, the standard of everything is second to none with everything from the route and paperwork to the standard of marshalling. Lying third after the Thursday night section, dropped to 5th by the end of Friday with a few overshoots on junctions on the Catterick Camp gravel roads in the dark .Saturday went really well apart from a poor test at Oulton,we finished the day leading by 14 seconds after a string of fastest times and a brilliant mega run over the Warcop ranges with a string of controls all 1 minute apart , flat knacker!

Sunday saw us lose the lead in the first two hours when the trip froze while back on Warcop, with 9 junctions in less than half a mile we lost 28 seconds. We then lost the speedo followed by a weeping clutch slave cylinder meaning pumping the clutch for gears and topping up the cylinder. At the finish we ended up in 2nd place, just 7 seconds behind the Crosby/Pullan 911. Won our class by 11.31 minutes,ahead of the next Cooper S. A fantastic performance from Ali Proctor my map man and all round top man, we had a good laugh at times. Very grateful to Mini Sport and Paddy Hopkirk for the very generous loan of 6 EMO.

[SMOKE GREY]

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[Pete]

Great pics and well done Steve!

[Catmint]

Brilliant job well done Steve and Ali

[ace01]

Well done Steve and Ali, an excellent result.