www.bigbrothermotorsport

C & A Slaters Stages @ Anglesey Circuit – Feb 24th 2008

Phil Kendall / Alwyn Haycock – Car 8 Another crazy week of preparations began by remembering we had ‘failed’ noise quite considerably (by 12db) at the last two events we had entered the Corsa in, and so a new system and manifold was ordered to fly through Noise check this time. This isn’t that easy to sort out with the Redtop engine in the front. ‘A couple of welds maybe needed’ Phil says after ordering. It arrived in 15 different pieces, and no instructions! This was Wednesday night, and of course the old system had been ripped off the car in true Bigbrothermotorsport fashion, so was even more out of commision! Big thanks to Martin for welding it up, and Cliff at Flat Out for bending a couple of pipes for us otherwise we wouldn’t have made it! In the end 95db and we were ready to go.

After replacing the Spark plugs, tightening a very loose Carb up, and paying Phil’s License fine, we had a feeling we were going to have a good day. Stage 1 & 2 – Spent these two stages getting use to the new suspension set up and different tyres on the Corsa. Good times put in with no real moments to report.

Stage 3 & 4 – By Stage 3 we were getting in to the swing of things, four wheel slides through the oily left hander after the new pit straight. Very late braking into the tight chicane in Stage 4 ended up with us doing a 180 degree spin onto the grass, which earnt us a big applause from the marshals. We lost quite a bit of time here trying to get back on the track without damaging the grass to much and without pulling out in front of car 3!

Stage 5 & 6 – During these two stages, we had a couple of dodgy moments as the rear brakes seem to have a mind of their own under hard braking, which resulted in another spin! But we managed to overtake a couple of cars that made up for it!

Stage 7 & 8 – Slight coolant leek sent engine temp a little high but nothing to worry about!
Stage 9 & 10 – These were quite small stages, but with a chance of a trophy on offer, it was go for broke again, and now the track was dry, we were just hoping our driveshafts would hold up. Luckily they did and we sum how managed to miss the pit wall with two corners to go (On my side of course)!! We finished with just the two big black tyre marks down either side of the car and no real damage for once! At the end 6th Overall, 3rd in Class and first Front Wheel Drive Car. Thanks again to the ever present www.Bigbrothermotorsport.co.uk team for spannering on the day, Brian at Marineland Garage for the use of his 2 Poster Ramp, Martin and Cliff again for their time in the week.
Next out at Anglesey April 13th.

Pug 205 / BMW Rwd 2wd Challenge @ Sweet Lamb Complex – Nov 25th 2007
Phil Kendall / Alwyn Haycock - Car 46

With the Corsa having been out at Ty Croes for the Glyn Memorial, we had our usual week before the rally to sort everything out for this event. This included making a Sump Guard, fitting Fuel lines inside and trying to bring the engine noise down to around the 100db mark. This was quite calmly achieved and I even had time to start learning ‘proper’ Pacenotes for the first time by Thursday night.

After setting up the night before, we went to Noise, and typically we went in at 110db, just slightly over the limit… So with a bit of drilling/wiring/meshing/patching/Clipping we went back and got the magic 100db. Scrutineering was okay and so we were ready for the off – maybe I should have said Start, not OFF! By now I was as ready as I’d ever be on the notes, and Phil was still wary of the big drops, as the last time he’d been to Sweet Lamb was 5yrs ago during his heyday!

Stage one didn’t last to long before our modified exhaust (for noise) suffocated the engine, and wouldn’t allow it to rev over 2ooorpm, so we pulled over and demodified it with a Sign batten & snips, and off we went with any hope of a decent finish gone. Stage 2,3 and 4 went fairly smoothly and took us to the main 1hr Service. Stage 5 and the engine just didn’t want to rev higher than 6ooorpm for some reason, and so back into service for a quick clean /dry of the electric’s.

Now Phil had decided to up the pace a little more, as he was starting to become more confident with the Corsa. So after a fairly quickly 3 Left, we headed down towards a 5 Right, but instead maybe going a bit quick we slip off the road, flew over a big hole and buried the front of the car into a pile of mud/stones & river. After spending maybe 6 minutes trying to get out of the ditch, we got going again, and with the big jump in front of the spectators and BBM Service team coming up, we were on the ‘beans’. Over it in 3rd gear FLAT and of course we landed on the Sumpguard heavily and we came to a stop.

Before we could get out of the car the Service team were over and the bonnet was up and the problem was found, the rotor arm had broken. That was it in terms of a finish, but we were quickly pushed backwards up a hill, and over the other side we rolled down to service once again for a new rotor and fuel before going to the start of Stage 7 for the trophy rally. As soon as we started we saw it was revving to 7ooorpm and we were finally ‘onit’. “Don’t Cut’s” were now being ignored by Phil, and the front Struts & Sumpguard were taking a real beating. ¾ of the way through the stage we came across an ANOTHER 205 on its side, so we stopped as they were still in the car.

After helping the guys out we continued back to service one last time. Stage 8 was a repeat of Stage 6, and by now it was dark, so it was real fun driving with no Lamp Pod. On the Gas from the start, I called a 6 Left too early and we span in the stage – Sorry Phil! But he soon squared things up by almost sliding off the bridge into a big stream backwards, after a going way to quick into very tight Left. But we survived a cracking rally at a top venue, and can’t wait till the next one at Sweet Lamb.

We’d like to thank Bigbrothermotorsport for all their help on the day, especially Gaz Hughes and the ever-present Peds for his graft and time over the last couple of months preparing both the Corsa and Nova. Roll on next year….

The Glyn Memorial Stage Rally @ Anglesey Race Circuit – Nov 17/18th 2007
Alwyn Haycock / Phil Kendall – Car 77

Well the days coming up to the rally were getting less and less far too quickly!!! The Logbook hadn't been completed and with the Corsa of mine needing preparing and Gaz Hughes to be finished there weren't enough hours in the day!! The Corsa took the Novas space on the rolling road because the Nova's engine lost compression which was down to a broken valve spring!! It was replaced and miles were now being put on to try and run it in. It took 8 miles to empty the first tank of fuel, 16 miles for the second and then we managed to get 60 out of the third tank!! This running in exercise was getting expensive! (Not like Gaz Hughes's 3 mile drive from rebuild and then up to 6800RPM on rolling road!!) Criminal!! Ha Ha!! To cut a long story short the Nova got rolling roaded Friday morning and then to log book by 6pm!! A few jobs 2 be done over night and then we got an MSA Log Book!!

First Stage and a 5p clip broke on the throttle pedal so we coasted round on tick over good job it was at 1500RPM!! Second stage fuel pump started to pack in so it was changed!! Then Just to make things worse a rear bearing collapsed on stage 3!! Why couldn't these have gone on the 250 miles the car did 3 days earlier!! GGRRR!!

We fixed the car over night and started having fun on Day 2! Alwyn was settling into driving it quicker and quicker and I was helping on the handbrake where needed!!! Thankfully it had dried a bit so we weren't getting drenched like on Sat!! by Stage 11 we were flying, and so stage 12 was going to be a fast one, but unfortunately we finally retired, when the engine started to knock, and with the not wanting to drop oil on the new track that was our weekend over.

Massive thanks to all the bigbrothermotorsport team for their help on the weekend and the weeks leading up to it, and of course to www.dihimages.co.uk for his photos as usual
Roll on the next Ty Croes... with hopefully better weather!

Sweet lamb for us next Nov 25th - Roles reversed, Alwyn navigating & me driving.

DPS Stages @ Trawsfynydd Ranges Aug 11th 2007
Phil Kendall / Alwyn Haycock – Car 12

The latest vehicle to come out of the 'Bigbrother Motorsport' garage finished the DPS Stage Rally at the Trawsfynydd Ranges in 14th place Overall on Saturday. The team were planning on using their robust and proven Astra GTE for the event, but after a shrewd deal two weeks before the event, a 2.0 Corsa Road car was aquired. After spending 11 nights and most days over the last two weeks transforming the car, and solving all kinds of Transmission problems, the BBM Redtop Corsa was Scrutineered just 3 minutes before the 1st car set off!

The first 3 stages were driven cautiously, with the idea of getting back to the service area in one piece for a spanner check and then we'd start pushing the car after that. From Stage 4 onwards Phil drove the car quicker and quicker, and started to set times close to his rivals, even though we fell off the road and went over a few mounds in the air (Navigators side of course!). Stage 5 ended with us spinning over the finishing line sideways, and somehow ending up stopping 90 degrees to the road with claps and cheers from organisers and spectators! Phil will tell you he was in full control, but from where I was sitting I wasn’t sure!

By stage 7, the car was starting to feel the abuse, as the alternator belt flew off, aswell as engine and gearbox leaks starting to appear. This meant oil seaping onto both front tyres, which made braking fun coming into the 'Triangle' at high speed. Getting back to service after stage 9, we swapped the battery as we had run out of alternator belts, and it was fingers crossed that the battery would last 3 stages till the end.

Stage 10 went smoothly, until we realised at the end of the stage the alternator had completely fallen off its mounts!, after wedging it in a certain position, and covering up the live connections we carried on, still hoping the battery would last, bump starting the car was already the norm by now!

Stage 11 and 12 were the last two of the day, no problems to report. Tiredness had started to kick in by now, and so after the photoshoot at service, it was off home in the vans.

Phil and Alwyn would like to thank all at 'www.bigbrothermotorsport.co.uk' for all their hard work in preparing and servicing the Corsa, aswell as 'www.dihimages.co.uk', and 'The Yacht Inn - Pensarn' for their support over the weekend.

Thanks again to all the North Wales Car Club, The Marshalls and Rob Hopewell, for all their hard work in organising the event. Oh and Ronnie Roberts for his patience over the last week!!