Rally - Funeral Arrangements

A private family funeral for Phil Walker will take place at Warriston Crematorium on the afternoon of Friday the 13th of November at 4pm. Sadly it has to be private given the current Covid19  restrictions which are in place.

However, a webcast has been arranged for those who may wish to 'be there' from afar. For details of this Webcast, please contact William Purves funeral directors 0131 552 5007.

Road - Toyota GR Yaris

Toyota has got its mojo back, and it's good to see. 25 years after its World Rally Team got a severe rap on the knuckles, the arrival of Tommi Makinen has provided a blast of fresh Scandinavian air. At the present time the Toyota Gazoo Team and Elfyn Evans are on the cusp of history. Could a Welshman be added to the WRC Champions roll call which already lists a Scotsman and an Englishman?

Whatever, Toyota Gazoo's success on stage and track is now being transferred to its road cars with Toyota doing a bit of 'reverse engineering'. The company is turning a motorsports car into a production vehicle.

The company has introduced the GR Yaris which has been developed directly from it's World Rally Car featuring a specially developed platform, a new 1.6-litre, three-cylinder turbo engine producing 257bhp and 360Nm of torque, and it's 'GR Four' adjustable all-wheel drive system. Weighing just 1,280kg, it can dispatch the 0 to 62mph dash in 5.5 seconds. That kind of puts the heat into 'hot-hatch', eh?

On one of his recent enforced 'day's off' Elfyn Evans debuted the car at Goodwood SpeedWeek. “It’s great, it’s a whole load of fun and really does feel like a rally car in miniature,” said Elfyn.“I’ve driven some hot hatches in my time, but not a ‘homologation special’ like this and I can tell you I am very, very impressed. It’s a kind of a raw driving experience, but the great thing is it’s a car you can use day-to-day, then play with the settings to make it like a genuine rally car.”

“There’s loads you can do to set the car up for yourself,” he added, “that’s one of the things that really surprised and impressed me. Toyota has really tried to bring in elements from the rally car and it’s worked. And on top of that, the power is very, very impressive from such a small engine.”

Commenting on the Goodwood experience, he said: “A twistier stage would have let us find out more about what the car can do, but from the drive I had it is fantastic. There was one section of the rally stage where you had to come in and drift the car in a 360-degree donut. The first time, I didn’t know what to expect. I yanked on the handbrake and it drifted perfectly – I was so happy I could still be there doing it now.”

The GR Yaris is available to order now at £29,995 for the standard car, £32,175 with the Convenience Pack and £33,495 with the 'Circuit Pack'. 

 

Rally - Mull Special

The November edition of Mull's answer to 'Scottish Field', 'People's Friend', the 'Sunday Times Magazine' and the 'Broons Annual'  is out now and as the cover states, this is a 'Rally Special' edition in recognition of the sad fact there was no 'big' rally in Mull this year. 14 pages of the 40 page issue have been devoted to the history and recollections of many of those involved including Neil Molyneux, Andy Jardine, John Clayton, Duncan Brown, Ross Williams, 'Callum' and of course, my big pal Jaggy.

And it's only £1 for acres of reading. If you fancy a copy, there might still be some left and can be posted out for 3 quid.

Details on the website at:

www.roundandaboutmull.co.uk

 

 

Rally - Addendum

There was one story I wanted to include in Phil Walker's Obituary at the weekend, but before publishing serious stories I like to get them verified, despite what some folk think. Anyway, somebody's phone was switched off at the weekend, but he phoned first thing this morning!

It concerned Malcolm Wilson at M-Sport.

"I was having trouble at the time when I was trying to buy Dovenby," recalled Malcolm, "Chesterton was handling the sale on behalf of the local Health Board and the chap from Chesterton was making life very difficult. I just seemed to be getting nowhere fast. In a fit of exasperation one day when I was in the workshop, I asked 'does anyone here know anyone who works for Chesterton?', more out of frustration than hope, when John Steel said, 'Actually, Phil Walker works for Chesterton'."

"I had known Phil as a rally driver and customer so I phoned him and explained the trouble I was having with the Chesterton office in Cumbria. Phil asked a few questions about the property and asked what I was willing, or hoping ,to pay, then said. 'Leave it with me'."

"Within days he had sorted the whole thing out and 23 years ago we signed the deal on moving into Dovenby. Thanks to Phil."

Phil Walker, 1946 - 2020

Phil Walker, 1946 - 2020

'Uncle Phil' Walker, the Godfather of Scottish rallying, passed away on Friday morning the 6th of November in a hospice in Edinburgh after a brave fight with leukaemia.

It was in 2002 at the Tyneside Stages that he was proclaimed 'the Godfather' when he announced that this was his 35th year of rallying having started in 1967.

The remark was made when he admitted he had never, ever visited Otterburn before, either to compete or to spectate: "This is fun," he said, "what a place for rallying". After 35 years the enjoyment had never diminished and the grin was still there, as wide as ever.

Rallying was never about winning trophies and titles for Phil, it was all about the fun and the break from the pressure and serious responsibilities of his day job as a Chartered Surveyor, first at Chestertons and latterly at King Sturge.

His natural charm and easy-going manner masked a determination to get the job done  and he applied that same approach to his rallying. Of course he was competitive, and on his day was a match for anyone.

He actually started rallying in 1967, first with a Mini but progressed through a wide variety of machinery including a Cortina GT, Saab 94, Talbot Sunbeam, Toyota Corolla, RWD Fiesta, Escort Mk2, Mazda 323 and Subaru Impreza amongst others.

Phil's rallying career was peppered with new adventures. He competed on a huge variety of tarmac and forest stage events in all four home nations plus Ireland - and Mull - and from  Finland to Iceland.

In fact Iceland was a particular favourite.  Out of 11 attempts at Rally Reykjavik, the score was five retirals and six finishes. He finished both attempts at Finland's 1000 Lakes Rally, but his 1982 performance showed his determined streak. He and Neil Ewing were lying 17th overall when the carburettors on his Lotus Sunbeam developed a fault, but they persevered to finish 37th o/a. Not bad, eh? But they had no Notes and had not taken part in the recce!

If his repeated trips to Iceland marked a feat of stubborn endurance, Mull was the scene of his most embarrassing accident. It was on the 1990 event and he and Dave Wilford retired the Ford Escort on the seventh stage at Fishnish Bay. The tail had stepped out and the car slid sideways coming to a halt on the verge. No problem, dead easy, just select first gear and drive on. What he didn't see under the headlamp  beams  was the deep culvert. The wheels immediately dropped into the culvert and the car fell over on its side. "It was my slowest accident ever," recalled Phil, "we were only doing 1 or maybe 2 miles per hour!" No real damage but stuck fast.

As for his exploits in the Scottish Rally Championship, he was never able to contest a full championship season. Had he done so, who knows what might have been achieved?

The nearest he came to that was in 1989 when he finished 5th overall in the national series and was 6th in 1994. In between times, work prevented full scale attacks and that often worked against him when he competed on occasional events as the 'seeding committees' were not always kind to him!

He never complained, he was there for the fun, and if he got a good result he didn't crow about it afterwards. Like the 1990 Scotphone where he finished 4th overall behind Jimmy Girvan, Murray Grierson and Donald Milne and topped that with 3rd on the Jim Clark Memorial. His first rally win was also scored that year on the Baldoon Stages after it evolved from a single venue event to a forest stage rally.

Even when he wasn't competing he was still contributing to the sport as a Central Scotland Motor Sport Club committee member and club President and negotiated the sponsorship of the Chesterton Hackle Rally in the years 1988 - 1991.

I'm sure we'll all miss the polite and articulate banter, the pithy comments and insights, and his generous friendship, but none more so than his daughters Wendy and Lisa and grandchildren Katie, Charlie and Alex. Our sincere commiserations to them, his family and huge circle of friends.

Full Obituary here:

http://www.jaggybunnet.co.uk/2020/11/07-nov-phil-walker-1946-2020/

On the run

It would appear that regular dispatches in these pages from my big pal Jaggy might be in short supply in future. Apparently the big lad and his lady wife are on the run - from the Covidiastapo. Yesterday they were seen heading south by another motorist out of Tier 3 into a Tier 2 area and the jungle drums alerted QueenNicola's concrete bunker in Edinburgh.

Despite avoiding motorways and highways to reduce the risk of being stopped at Checkpoints, the Bunnet was spotted meandering along a 'B' road. Notoriety is a mixed blessing, eh?

Thankfully, the destination was reached without further interruption, a small chapel at a crematorium in a very rural setting. It's so very sad how this Covid carry-on has affected life and those who celebrate it.

The chapel had been re-arranged to comply with current regulations. Only six pews with a maximum of three persons per pew with doors and windows wide open to the elements. Just 18 folk gathered to celebrate the full life of a much loved and valued family member.

Friends and family from across three continents denied the chance to say their own goodbyes. Home town friends and neighbours given no chance to offer their thanks for lifelong friendships and personal contributions to rural town life, including the local museum and conservation trusts, the Scout group and the annual town Gala, plus many, many more. A void which will be hard to fill in years to come.

No hugs, no handshakes, just muted commiserations offered from behind masked faces. The small group of family and friends gathered in the chapel to the voices of Mario Lanza and John Hanson, superstar singers of yesteryear. There was no communal hymn singing or prayers, just a beautiful and touching tribute from a family friend and Church of Scotland 'Reader'.

All too soon the service was over and the small congregation dispersed to the cheerful melodic tones of Guy Mitchell "Singing the Blues". That may give some idea of the character of the lady we will now miss. Go on, look it up on the Internet or Youtube - you'll be whistling and singing that damn tune for days afterwards, and no doubt she'll be up there having a laugh at our expense. Thanks Bunty.

Rally - The Virtual Marshal

Rallying is going to look pretty different when it finally gets the green light. It's not just the lack of venues that worry some clubs but the lack of manpower, in organising teams and on the stage.

With that in mind some of the brighter elements within motorsport are coming up with alternatives to Marshals - the Virtual Marshal!

Nope, it's not quite R2D2 or C-3PO standing by the roadside with digital clocks receiving timecards and handing out times. It's even cleverer than that. At the recent M-Sport 'Return to Rally' event, new electronic stage timing was being trialled with direct links from stage clocks to Results HQ which wasn't even in the same county!

Of course Marshals were in attendance, and apart from a few hiccups the system worked well.

Taking that a 'stage' further is the 'Virtual Marshal' system. This marshal-less scheme was used with great success in late September on the 'Highland 1000 Rally', a 1000 mile tour of Scotland organised by Bespoke Rallies for historic and classic cars.

Using an App on a smartphone, the location of the car is identified by GPS and actual time of day recorded. Co-drivers can take a note of this for their own time cards and roadbooks or just leave the whole thing to the organisers.

Although Bespoke have their own system, third party Apps are now appearing in the App Stores including one called 'Virtual Marshal'. There is a growing number of these rally orientated tools which can be downloaded.

However, they can't replace the friendly frozen or drookit welcome from the lone anoraked figure standing in the middle of nowhere with a hearty greeting or a curmudgeonly acknowledgement depending on his or her experience with argumentative co-drivers or abuse from puzzled locals.

The recent annual 'Mudmaster' event at the end of October organised by the British Army Motoring Association was a case in point. This two day (and some night work!) event comprised a series of navigational and driving tests spread over three separate 1:50,000 scale OS map areas.

All the pre-event signing-on, scrutineeering, checks and instructions were carried out on-line and even included some classes on basic navigation training for the newcomers. On the event itself, there was no shortage of Marshals who were needed to observe the Driving Tests and penalty markers.

Run under a Motorsport UK permit, the BAMA team operated within the Covid19 restriction rules at the time because this event was also classified as a training exercise for the military, so there was no need for crews to be family members. However, there was a 'civilian class' for those crews who were related. Nice one folks!

The sport is evolving and organisers are adapting. That means crews will need to learn new skills, but I for one will be sorry to see the Marshal go. Which raises another thought. If certain authorities think we can manage without Marshals completely, then who will oversee the Spectators to ensure their safety and the safety of crews?

But here's the thing. One can't help wondering if this is all just a ploy by our sporting governors to ensure that no Marshal dares drop his trousers ever again to 'moon' at a competitor. It would never happen - again. Would it?

[ Full article here: http://www.jaggybunnet.co.uk/2020/11/02-nov-the-virtual-marshal/ ]