Rally - HERO Sweeper crews

Bringing up the rear of this year's LeJog are two hardtop pickups. These vehicles are a common sight on most HERO organised events and just another example of the forward thinking of the man who founded HERO (Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation) in 1996, John Brown. Sadly, he passed away just four weeks ago but left behind an organisation which now manages a variety of supremely well organised endurance events right across the globe.

He was the right man with the right idea at the right time and organised the first Land's End to John O'Groats Classic Reliability Trial in 1993. His background was in rally co-driving and rally organisation and he co-drove for such luminaries as Erik Carlsson and Colin Malkin but perhaps best known for his partnership with Russell Brookes. As far as rally organisation is concerned he was credited with the invention of Targa Timing for rallies and was involved in the first closed road rally on the Isle of Man.

 

It was that sort of mind that he brought to HERO, now regarded as one of the best (if not THE best) classic endurance rally clubs in the world and the attention to detail is evident in the paperwork and the running of each event.

 

That includes the sweeper teams, two teams of two mechanics in a pickup loaded up with fuses, bulbs, jubilee clips, bits of hose, piping, lengths of wire, switches, pumps, tape and tie-wraps, jacks, pumps and tyre levers, and goodness knows how many other bits and pieces all in the attempt to keep everyone who started each rally in it till the end. Classic rally cars can carry only so many spares so the pickups provide a vital emergency support service and a welcome sight to a rally crew stranded in the dark, in the cold, on a deserted road in the middle of nowhere. 

 

 

Rally - Running repairs

 Note the manually operated single windscreen wiper!

 

Rally - LeJoG 2022

The HERO organised Land's End to John O'Groats Rally which started from the southern tip of England on Saturday morning reached Scotland this morning. After an overnight halt at Gretna last night, the 52 crews headed further north deeper into bandit territory stopping at Kames for a couple of tests on the Sprint track on the way to Balmaha and then on to Fort Willie - and treated to a much needed cuppa and tray bake (no pies!) in the Kames Clubhouse. Especially Bill and Emily in the topless 1925 Bentley.

There were only eight pre 1960 cars entered in this year's event but now that it has been opened up to cars up to 1990 vintage the event has introduced some new (and younger) faces to classic car competition.

It wasn't so much an exciting spectacle for the hardy souls who braved the insidiously damp wintry weather at Kames but certainly entertaining and enjoyable. Not just the evocative sights of the cars but the noise.

The surprisingly large crowd matched the elderly stars (the cars not so much the crews) in age, mostly auld gits well wrapped up against the cauld breeze sweeping in from the moors, but fortunately it was dry.

It was also good to catch up with the likes of Tony Jardine (just back from the Silver Fern), Jimmy McInnes (minus digestives), Steve Davies (all the way from Mull), Ian Gemmell, Russell Fair, Chris Paton and many, many others which is perhaps the biggest attraction to folks of a certain age at this type of event.

 

Rally - Silver Fern, New Zealand

Ford/Shanks

Meanwhile ... in a land far, far away, on the other side of the globe, where Orcs eat rocks and Elves live under ferns, there did take place a battle of mechanical and ferociously mobile monsters.

Nothing to do with Hobbits, but all to do with Kiwis, it was of course the resumption (Covid delayed) of the annual Silver Fern Rally in New Zealand, a land of long and superb gravel roads ideal for special stage rallying. In fact it has the reputation of being the best historic special stage endurance rally in the world!

This year's event had attracted quite a few folks from 'home' with the English and Scottish pairing of James Ford and Neil Shanks winning the Silver Fern Historic Rally in the Evans Motorsport prepped Ford Escort Mk2. Neil usually partners John  Wink in the Hyundai but is also CofC for the McDonald & Munro Speyside Stages Rally.

MacKay/Hendry

In third place was Inverness refugee Allie MacKay (he's lived in NZ for 20 years!) with Michael Hendry, more usually seen alongside Mark McCulloch in the Scottish forests.

In tenth place was Tony Jardine with Warwick Martin and I had to mention English based posh Tony because whenever he comes north of the border he always claims Scottish blood as he was raised in Edinburgh but there were also quite a few other 'home' crews from Wales and England in the mix.

The standard Entry Fee starts from NZ 9,500 dollars (£4900) plus the medical and H&S levy raises it to 12,650 dollars (£6,535) and it is 800 dollars (£413) for the Notes. On top of that you've got to get the car there and probably a service van with spares.

Jardine/Martin

In NZ, folk drive on the left and mostly speak English although the local Police are very watchful and can impound vehicles caught travelling at 'excessive speed'.

The big attraction of course is the event itself with 46 stages totalling some 931 kms (578 mls) in an 1889 km (1170 ml) road route lasting seven days. And the stages are pretty spectacular - one for the bucket list?

Silver Fern Historic Rally

 

1, James Ford/Neil Shanks (Ford Escort) 9hrs 00mins 23.9secs

2, Jeff Judd/Stephane Prevot (Ford Escort), +3m 19.5s

3, Ally MacKay/Michael Hendry (Ford Escort) +20m 40.8s

4, Allan Dippie/Paul Coghill (Porsche 911) +25m 18.0s

5, Simon Tysoe/Rocky Hudson (Ford Escort) +26m 28.5s

6, Keith Callinan/Ross Moody (Ford Escort) +50m 12.8s

7, Frank Tundo/Donna Elder (Ford Escort)  +1 h 00m 03.1s

8, Phil Squires/Alun Cook (Ford Escort RS1800) +1h 02m 53.0s

9, Steve Cox/Laurie Brenssell (Toyota Starlet)  +1h 17m 03.7s

10, Tony Jardine/Warwick Martin (Toyota Corolla) +1h 26m 27.1s

(( Thanks to 'Potshots Photography' and 'Silver Fern Rally' for the pics - Ford in the Mk2, MacKay in the Mk1 and Jardine in the Toyota ))

Rally - WRC R2/5 beater?

Taking inspiration from the first overall victory by Porsche in the 1984 Paris-Dakar Rally, Porsche is building a limited run of 2,500 rather special Porsche 911 Dakar cars - and there is an optional Rallye Design Package!

The Porsche 911 Dakar will sit 50mm higher than a 911 Carrera S and can be raised by a further 30 mm using its lift system and sits on specially developed Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tyres, 245/45 R 19 at the front and 295/40 R 20 at the rear.

The 3 litre biturbo six-cylinder engine produces some 473 bhp with a maximum torque of 570 Nm. Performance is said to deliver a nought to 62 mph time of 3.5 seconds with a top speed, limited due to the all-terrain tyres, of 149 mph.

The engine comes with an eight-speed PDK (dual clutch auto 'box) and Porsche all-wheel drive. Standard equipment also includes rear-axle steering. There are two new driving modes selectable via the rotary switch on the steering wheel - Rallye mode is ideal for loose, uneven surfaces and features rear-focused all-wheel drive, while Off-road mode is for high-clearance driving. Both of the new driving modes also feature Rallye Launch Control, which can handle loose surfaces and wheel slippage of 20 per cent.

There is a newly developed, lightweight fixed rear spoiler made of CFRP while the CFRP front lid is taken from the 911 GT3. Off-road details include aluminium towing lugs at the front and back, widened wheel wells and sills, and stainless steel plates on the front, rear, and sills. The side air intakes on the redesigned front are also protected against flying rocks with stainless steel grilles.

The roof has a 12 volt power outlet for the headlights on the optional roof rack. A roof tent is also available!

There are no rear seats, just two front full bucket seats while lightweight glass and a lightweight battery reduce its mass yet further. The car weighs in at 1,605 kgs – only 10 kgs heavier than a 911 Carrera 4 GTS with PDK.

The optional Rallye Sport Package includes a roll-over bar, six-point seat belts and fire extinguisher. The Rallye Design Package features a two-tone paint finish in White and Gentian Blue Metallic with decorative red and gold stripes and a ‘Roughroads’ logo on the doors. White rims and a red taillight strip round off the distinctive appearance.

Porsche has also stated: "It will deliver strong performance with a compelling boxer sound!" Yee-Haaa to that!!

All this can be yours for a mere £173,000 incl. VAT. Prospective customers can also order an exclusive Porsche Design Chronograph to match the vehicle - but there's no price for that as yet.

Now. Here's the thing. Does a run of 2500 cars constitute a 'Production Car' for Hill Rallies and could Santa Claus get one down the chimney?