ORANGEBOX 2015 SEASON
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 2:46 pm
Well its a good while since I have been on here properly regarding the Orangebox and my rallying. Last year I did the 2014 HRCR Clubmans championship and competed on every round with some good results and some indifferent ones which saw us win the pre 67 class of the c/ship, finish best Mini and fourth overall beaten by two Escorts and a 911. I had help from work with the loan of a Transit van, Jon Wood lent me his trailer and Mini Sport's Daniel Harper built an engine to use with a spec devised between us, and we had a 100% finishing record over the eleven rallies.
After a chat at the end of last year with Chris Harper we decided that with some extra support from Mini Sport we would have another go at the championship in 2015 as well as the ANWCC c/ship as this included the northern HRCR rounds and the HRCR's new Premier c/ship which covered road rallies, Targa events and Historic events all over the country. The car was checked over at Mini Sport with final prep done by myself, Mini Sport now also providing a trailer ( actually belonging to Paddy Hopkirk, but used with his permission).
First round was the Tour of Cheshire with the club filling all 80 places within 48 hours of entries opening. On the maps I had the winning navigator of the 2014 championship, Andy Pullan only a young lad but a lot of talent. We had a decent day , running on new Kinpin supplied M&S ultagrip pattern gravel tyres, same as the ones used of historic forest events. End result was 5th overall and a class win. Next round was the North Yorks Historic with Bob Hargreaves on the maps. We were running okay, lying around 6th overall when we hit a concrete culvert in a test in Duncombe park which im told put us about four feet in the air, bent the sumpguard and front subframe, all the fan blades which of course were catching the radiator, broke the engine mount and hurt Bobs neck! I managed to get us running again (no service crew allowed) luckily it didn't hole the radiator , I straightened the fan blades and wedged the engine mount with a piece of wood. We incurred road penalties and finished 23rd overall to maintain our 100% finishing record.
With the car fully repaired the next round and another navigator, Ali Proctor, cracking lad, a really good event for us and 2nd overall and a class win. Four weeks later and down near Chepstow for the Leaukemia rally, one of my favourites, with another mapman (!) the experienced Matt Fowle who arrived late and only sat in the car for the first time ten minutes before the start, A really good day for us and another 2nd overall and a class win for our efforts! A short break for a few weeks and the East Anglian rally with you guessed it, another mapman, Andy Ballantyne! The tests were all based at a live MOD sight, with over 40 miles of flat out stuff, my 4.1:1 f/d proving a bit of a hindrance with lots of 7k in top stuff. I was very happy with our test times, we beat all the Escorts, finished the day second fastest overall, Andy does the BTRDA stuff with Julian Wikles, so is very good at 'calling' stuff which helped , the result another class win and 4th overall.
July saw ne back with Matt Fowle in Ross on Wye for the Ross Traders rally, another cracking day, with brilliant smooth forest roads in the Forest of Dean, saw another class win, 3rd overall and an award for best front wheel drive. The next month me and Matt were up in Yorkshire for the St Wilfreds rally, very good event, but very rough in places, the Orangebox starting to look very tired, but we enjoyed a great event together with 3rd overall . The last round of the HRCR Clubmans c/ship was the Vale of Clywd this time with four times Rally of The Tests inning navigator Mark Appleton. A good day that started a bit shakey , but got much better to finish 5th overall and 2nd in class, this result clinched the drivers championship for me by one point from Howard Warren in his Orange (!) 911.
After all these events I led the ANWCC c/ship with just one pre plot night road rally left to do, as this was a local event to me we went out, with Bob Hargreaves on the maps and had a good night, very, very, fast with 18th overall and first historic, to clinch the ANWCC c/ship. Last rally for 2015 and last one for the Orangebox for a while was Niall Cook's brilliant Northumberland Borders rally, Iain Tullie, top man asked if I fancied doing it together so we put our entry in. Tests in the afternoon so me make more errors than in the rest of the year but we eventually gelled with Iain urgeing me on we finished the last fast grassey lane test with FTD by 16 seconds. The end of the afternoon saw us second overall just two seconds behind Graeme Cornthwaite and Ali Proctor out for their third win.
Our night section was spoilte by fading lights, a 360 degree spin, and an under bonnet fire all within 300 yards! I managed to get the car going again, but our loss of several minutes cost us a chance of a win though we still finished 2nd overall, which hopefully assures me of 2nd overall driver in the HRCR Premier c/ship, the leading driver using three different cars depending on the event. I have been very lucky this year with some superb navigators, the support from Mini Sport, their Historic Rally spec engine has done two seasons with nothing more than oil changes, and bloody hell I have driven the nuts off it. Also a lot of support from family and friends, and , which might surprise, most of my closest competitors, our success has been well received.
Time for rebuild for Orangebox now, its knackered! BUT I should be out next year on selected events, including on of the BIGGEST in an interesting Mini, watch this space...
After a chat at the end of last year with Chris Harper we decided that with some extra support from Mini Sport we would have another go at the championship in 2015 as well as the ANWCC c/ship as this included the northern HRCR rounds and the HRCR's new Premier c/ship which covered road rallies, Targa events and Historic events all over the country. The car was checked over at Mini Sport with final prep done by myself, Mini Sport now also providing a trailer ( actually belonging to Paddy Hopkirk, but used with his permission).
First round was the Tour of Cheshire with the club filling all 80 places within 48 hours of entries opening. On the maps I had the winning navigator of the 2014 championship, Andy Pullan only a young lad but a lot of talent. We had a decent day , running on new Kinpin supplied M&S ultagrip pattern gravel tyres, same as the ones used of historic forest events. End result was 5th overall and a class win. Next round was the North Yorks Historic with Bob Hargreaves on the maps. We were running okay, lying around 6th overall when we hit a concrete culvert in a test in Duncombe park which im told put us about four feet in the air, bent the sumpguard and front subframe, all the fan blades which of course were catching the radiator, broke the engine mount and hurt Bobs neck! I managed to get us running again (no service crew allowed) luckily it didn't hole the radiator , I straightened the fan blades and wedged the engine mount with a piece of wood. We incurred road penalties and finished 23rd overall to maintain our 100% finishing record.
With the car fully repaired the next round and another navigator, Ali Proctor, cracking lad, a really good event for us and 2nd overall and a class win. Four weeks later and down near Chepstow for the Leaukemia rally, one of my favourites, with another mapman (!) the experienced Matt Fowle who arrived late and only sat in the car for the first time ten minutes before the start, A really good day for us and another 2nd overall and a class win for our efforts! A short break for a few weeks and the East Anglian rally with you guessed it, another mapman, Andy Ballantyne! The tests were all based at a live MOD sight, with over 40 miles of flat out stuff, my 4.1:1 f/d proving a bit of a hindrance with lots of 7k in top stuff. I was very happy with our test times, we beat all the Escorts, finished the day second fastest overall, Andy does the BTRDA stuff with Julian Wikles, so is very good at 'calling' stuff which helped , the result another class win and 4th overall.
July saw ne back with Matt Fowle in Ross on Wye for the Ross Traders rally, another cracking day, with brilliant smooth forest roads in the Forest of Dean, saw another class win, 3rd overall and an award for best front wheel drive. The next month me and Matt were up in Yorkshire for the St Wilfreds rally, very good event, but very rough in places, the Orangebox starting to look very tired, but we enjoyed a great event together with 3rd overall . The last round of the HRCR Clubmans c/ship was the Vale of Clywd this time with four times Rally of The Tests inning navigator Mark Appleton. A good day that started a bit shakey , but got much better to finish 5th overall and 2nd in class, this result clinched the drivers championship for me by one point from Howard Warren in his Orange (!) 911.
After all these events I led the ANWCC c/ship with just one pre plot night road rally left to do, as this was a local event to me we went out, with Bob Hargreaves on the maps and had a good night, very, very, fast with 18th overall and first historic, to clinch the ANWCC c/ship. Last rally for 2015 and last one for the Orangebox for a while was Niall Cook's brilliant Northumberland Borders rally, Iain Tullie, top man asked if I fancied doing it together so we put our entry in. Tests in the afternoon so me make more errors than in the rest of the year but we eventually gelled with Iain urgeing me on we finished the last fast grassey lane test with FTD by 16 seconds. The end of the afternoon saw us second overall just two seconds behind Graeme Cornthwaite and Ali Proctor out for their third win.
Our night section was spoilte by fading lights, a 360 degree spin, and an under bonnet fire all within 300 yards! I managed to get the car going again, but our loss of several minutes cost us a chance of a win though we still finished 2nd overall, which hopefully assures me of 2nd overall driver in the HRCR Premier c/ship, the leading driver using three different cars depending on the event. I have been very lucky this year with some superb navigators, the support from Mini Sport, their Historic Rally spec engine has done two seasons with nothing more than oil changes, and bloody hell I have driven the nuts off it. Also a lot of support from family and friends, and , which might surprise, most of my closest competitors, our success has been well received.
Time for rebuild for Orangebox now, its knackered! BUT I should be out next year on selected events, including on of the BIGGEST in an interesting Mini, watch this space...
, "including one of the BIGGEST in a interesting mini" sounds intriguing!!! 
