Pirelli Rally

Tom Bowen of the MG Rally Scholarship reports from the Kielder Forest

After our antics on the Welsh rally, we were looking forward to a much more measured approach on the Pirelli. Last year I came off on the first stage of this rally so I needed to treat the roads with the respect they deserved. After the roll in Wales we were unsure whether the car would have to be re-shelled or not, and with MG going into receivership we were a little worried as to whether we would obtain a shell should we need one. Peter Gladstone of King’s Norton Garage and M3 Motorsport went over it with a fine tooth comb and came to the conclusion that the shell and chassis were straight but every panel had to be replaced. We were all very relieved that we had insured the car for the rally as the repairs were just covered. The next hurdle was to hope that the car would be finished in time, but our man Peter assured us all was well and it would be. And luckily it was.

New panels and new livery in Gulf Blue

My co-driver Peter Davidson my dad, big Ed our student engineer and I travelled up to Carlise on the Friday night before the rally. We just managed to make it on time, having to do some cross country driving to avoid a major prang on the M6. We arrived there at 5am and Peter Gladstone and the car were nowhere to be seen. We were a bit worried but we received a phone call saying they were held up in a jam on the M6. He arrived just in time to put all the numbers etc on the car for scrutineering. We were really pleased with the car’s new colour scheme. Gulf Blue! It really looked the part and we were sure it looked very different. The car went through scutineering with no worries whatsoever. After our last experience that was such a relief. All the sound testing, scrutineering and signing on were done in the service park so it was so much more relaxed and less frantic than the previous time, not withstanding our delays. This was the atmosphere for most of the rally. The Pirelli has most of its stages in the Kielder Forest. It has a deserved reputation for being a car eater, with its lipped cambered roads and huge tree lined ditches, hence the name ‘Killer Kielder’. As you know I found this out for myself last season, so you can understand my anxiety.

I went into the first stage with the mind set of going fairly gently, just to get my confidence back and settle down with the feel of the car. The stage went really well. I was also pleased to have caught up with the competitor in front of me; so I knew I was on pace. There was a huge sense of relief when we got to the time control and we were nicely fired up for the second stage. To our disappointment the second stage was cancelled due to a serious accident. So we had to cruise through which was a shame, because it was an exciting stage to drive, even at lowish speeds. Because of the crash there was a massive delay and queue of rally cars waiting to do the next stage. So we were hanging around for about an hour and a half and with the long road sections I was getting a bit tired. But finally it was our turn to get ready for the stage. Count down and we were off back again into action. This stage was the longest of the rally and I was concerned as to whether I would get held up again or not. I caught up the car in front about half way through the stage, and it held me up for about 10-15 seconds. Then with them out of the way I could get cracking on the remainder of the stage. Again to my irritation I caught up yet another competitor and they took a while to get out of the way, and again I lost 10-15 seconds. Even so I finished the stage thinking I did a fairly good time. Usually if you pass cars in a stage you can start in front of them at the beginning of the next. But Peter my co-driver explained that with international timing, you get a starting time rather than a finishing time. So consequently from the start time we were given, we were in the same order for the next stage. This was annoying but I thought since the next stage was about four miles shorter it wouldn’t matter as much. I went in attacking, trying to make up for that lost time. Yet again I caught the same first car and he held me up for about 10 seconds. I kept on pushing and very nearly pushed too hard. There are some rather scary long straights on this event. I thought about backing off slightly but I needed to get that time back. On this particular straight I was getting up to 100mph. I thought ‘wow’ this is quick and coming over a slight crest the car went over some bumps started going out of control. I managed to hold on to it but sure scared myself, and Peter came out with one of his helpful hints ‘Steady, steady. It is worth mentioning that the MG ZR is a very stable car and if I had been in something else I probably would have ended up in the ditch. Shortly I caught the second car again. This time they didn’t get out of the way. Peter was on the horn (co-drivers have a horn button) I had the lights on and was about two inches from the back of their car. This carried on for about two or three miles and I was fuming! I crossed the finish line screaming, hooting the horn and revving the hell out of the car. Peter got out of the car and asked why on earth they didn’t get out of the way and the answer was ‘Sorry we didn’t see you’. So we had probably lost about two minutes and ultimately a couple of places as a result.

The next stage was a rather fun special stage with jumps and a water splash. It was only about 1.5 miles long so little to gain but everything to lose. We did a respectable time and went into service. The car was fine and nothing needed tending to.

We had three more stages left after service and we wanted to consolidate our position and finish the event. About two miles from the finish of the first stage after service we had lost 2nd 4th and reverse gears. The sump guard had pushed up against the gear linkage and we had to plod through the remaining stages. Despite our problem we were still catching and passing our two cars.

Peter and I were so pleased and relieved to reach the finish. We came third out of the MGs and 8th out of Stars of the Future. Despite the irritations we have managed to put a positive spin on things. We finished, had some good times behind the wheel, and scored some valuable points for the championships!

At the next rally we are hoping to be seeded ahead of the two cars that held us up so badly. The next rally is the Scottish and that has the reputation as the toughest on the calendar. I look forward to updating you after the Scottish.

Tom Bowen

Tom and Peter out on the special stages