This weekend is the annual Wales Rally GB, also known in the past as the RAC Rally, Network Q Rally and probably the most famous association of all the Lombard RAC Rally for those who are as old and as long in the tooth as I!
Today the event visited Epynt and a return to Radnor not used on the event for 10 years.
The event clearly is as muddy and cold as every other year... part of the charm. While Rally HQ continues to be Cardiff, but not City Hall in Cathay's Park.
Sadly the event does not event merit a mention on the BBC News Sport website pages who clearly have their motorsport attention on the F1 finale this weekend. Rightly so, but hey Beeb there is other motorsport and the RAC used to be the biggest spectator event in the UK.
So in honor of my friends from Green Belt Motor Club here is a rewind to a posting 8 years ago on London Chimes....
Rewind to 2002 London Chimes Posting:
In recent years the event has been based in Cardiff, South Wales and has been run in the forest to the west of the City over 3 days. A far cry from when this event over 5 days visited England, Scotland and Wales and included Sunday stages designed for the fans who watched the Rally heroes yump their way through the grounds of Statley Homes and super-special stages at established race tracks. - Ah! They were the days! It has been my privilage over the years to have led marshalling teams on a variety of motorsport events, the most important being the Network Q RAC Rally and titled in the past, (The Lombard RAC, in the distant past). Rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Event sponsors have come and gone. Next year the Network Q are to be replaced by the nation of Wales as the main sponsor. Allowing a rally enthusiast to reminice: My first encounter with this WRC event was marshalling at West Midlands Safari Park at Bewdley in 1983, as the sealed roads of the park were being used as one of the Sunday special stages. The park as it is now, closed for the winter season had moved many of its residents to enclosures not being used for the Rally. As the stage was one of the first to be run, and that the marshals needed to be in place along the stage (hours) before Car 1, I drove a car full of fellow GBMC members up to Bewdley the previous evening. We had been given permission to park in the grounds of the Safari Park to sleep in cars and the radio caravan over night. After I had dropped off my passengers to sleep in the caravan, I found an enclosure that I discovered was right next to where the lions had been moved to, and was kept wake by the continued pacing and growling not more than 50 feet away.
In the late 80's when I freelanced for Competiton Car Magazine, together with friends Nick and Andy, we drove the route moving from stage to stage as best we could. This is the only time I have ever visited Scotland, the moors of Yorkshire and deepest Sweet Lamb in Wales. There was an instance in Wales when one of the top teams service barges drove far to close to our car smashing the drivers door mirror. Asa we progressed north, I have memories of driving around the Lake District trying to find an open Ford dealership to purchase a new mirror as the car we were using had been hired and it was cheaper to make the repair than suffer the penalty when we took the car back.
The following year I drove friends Ed and Trevor all the way up the snow covered M1 to some country house in Yorkshire. Even though this stage was being televised, there is still nothing quiet like watching it at the stage. We arrived in time for car 1, and the local spectators throwing snowballs at TV crews who took advantage of blocking the view of some spectators that had been standing in the snow patiently at a great viewing spot for some hours. Almost an international incident.
Of all the Sunday stages I have the fondest memories of two in particular. Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. A beautiful setting for a classic event and Donington Park, the venue for final marshalling appearances on a World Rally Championship event.
As a seasoned marshal on the RAC my last three visits as a marshal at Donington Park in the East Midlands were the most fun, and the coldest I have ever been. The first of the three visits we were assigned a stretch through trees in the infield area. Plenty of slippy-sideways action close-up.
Friends James and Tim came prepared with a great primus cooking set up that enabled us to make bacon sandwiches, hot dogs and boiling hot tea in the hours we waited until the first car.
The other two visits we improved our catering, and were assigned a stretch of the main circuit taking up position in the marshals post at the bottom of the Craner Curves. With no spectators to contol at this point, we were afforded a great view of most of the stage and could concentrate on cooking up those bacon sandwiches! The stage started on the old circuit, long since abandoned in favor of the current layout. The cars ran behind our post first, on the loose muddy track down to the old hairpin, then onto the racing circuit track, in the opposite direction to normal racing, past our post and up the Craner Curves to the entrance to the infield. The primus stoves were set up in the marshals post that had recently been upgraded to a cage with a solid metal framework that provided us with a shelf for our mustard, English and French, Ketchup, etc. My final trip to Donington proved to be the longest of all my marshalling days on the RAC Rally. The stage was run twice, early morning and late in the afternoon. With the a classic rally made up by old historic rally cars of the 50's and 60's running through the stage in the middle of the day. With beautiful blue skies all day, for November it was cold. While thankfully we were at the bottom of the hill and out of the wind. As the sun set, car 1 started the stage for the final time as the thermometer hit 32F, freezing, before windchill factors. It just got colder, and colder. To combat the cold, I was wearing my race suit, and nomex under my race suit with a pair of hiking boot over 3 pairs of socks. Add one gortex jacket and a Scandanavian ski hat I was as warm as I could possibly be. Given that our food supply was extensive, the marshalling team from GBMC were well looked after with food and hot drinks supplied from our "catering cage".
As a veteran of RAC's I think that "we finally got it right" at the Craner Curves with the catering and and excellent viewing spot. As the last cars past us it started to snow, the temperature was well below freezing and the mustard pots had frozen to the marshals cage.
Great times, to especially to Nick, Trevor, James and Tim I thank you from the bottom of my heart for some of the BEST days I have ever had on the RAC Rally.
My hats off to all the volunteer marshals who make the biggest sporting spectator event in the UK safe for all. It may seem a wonderful job, but it is long hours. When I undertook this task the marshals have to be in position before the public are allowed to access the spectator areas. This could be over four hours before the course cars would be seen on the stage.
In 2002 the entry list seems smaller than other years where I recall 200 odd cars. Starting at minute intervals followed by a thirty minute delay after the due time of the last car. Then another delay as the course closing car passes through the stage, offering a thank you on the PA and a cheery wave for standing still for up to 7 hours. Our day at Donington was over 12 hours, so you see why it was necessary to make the best of it.
Today the event visited Epynt and a return to Radnor not used on the event for 10 years.
The event clearly is as muddy and cold as every other year... part of the charm. While Rally HQ continues to be Cardiff, but not City Hall in Cathay's Park.
Sadly the event does not event merit a mention on the BBC News Sport website pages who clearly have their motorsport attention on the F1 finale this weekend. Rightly so, but hey Beeb there is other motorsport and the RAC used to be the biggest spectator event in the UK.
So in honor of my friends from Green Belt Motor Club here is a rewind to a posting 8 years ago on London Chimes....
Rewind to 2002 London Chimes Posting:
In recent years the event has been based in Cardiff, South Wales and has been run in the forest to the west of the City over 3 days. A far cry from when this event over 5 days visited England, Scotland and Wales and included Sunday stages designed for the fans who watched the Rally heroes yump their way through the grounds of Statley Homes and super-special stages at established race tracks. - Ah! They were the days! It has been my privilage over the years to have led marshalling teams on a variety of motorsport events, the most important being the Network Q RAC Rally and titled in the past, (The Lombard RAC, in the distant past). Rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Event sponsors have come and gone. Next year the Network Q are to be replaced by the nation of Wales as the main sponsor. Allowing a rally enthusiast to reminice: My first encounter with this WRC event was marshalling at West Midlands Safari Park at Bewdley in 1983, as the sealed roads of the park were being used as one of the Sunday special stages. The park as it is now, closed for the winter season had moved many of its residents to enclosures not being used for the Rally. As the stage was one of the first to be run, and that the marshals needed to be in place along the stage (hours) before Car 1, I drove a car full of fellow GBMC members up to Bewdley the previous evening. We had been given permission to park in the grounds of the Safari Park to sleep in cars and the radio caravan over night. After I had dropped off my passengers to sleep in the caravan, I found an enclosure that I discovered was right next to where the lions had been moved to, and was kept wake by the continued pacing and growling not more than 50 feet away.
In the late 80's when I freelanced for Competiton Car Magazine, together with friends Nick and Andy, we drove the route moving from stage to stage as best we could. This is the only time I have ever visited Scotland, the moors of Yorkshire and deepest Sweet Lamb in Wales. There was an instance in Wales when one of the top teams service barges drove far to close to our car smashing the drivers door mirror. Asa we progressed north, I have memories of driving around the Lake District trying to find an open Ford dealership to purchase a new mirror as the car we were using had been hired and it was cheaper to make the repair than suffer the penalty when we took the car back.
The following year I drove friends Ed and Trevor all the way up the snow covered M1 to some country house in Yorkshire. Even though this stage was being televised, there is still nothing quiet like watching it at the stage. We arrived in time for car 1, and the local spectators throwing snowballs at TV crews who took advantage of blocking the view of some spectators that had been standing in the snow patiently at a great viewing spot for some hours. Almost an international incident.
Of all the Sunday stages I have the fondest memories of two in particular. Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. A beautiful setting for a classic event and Donington Park, the venue for final marshalling appearances on a World Rally Championship event.
As a seasoned marshal on the RAC my last three visits as a marshal at Donington Park in the East Midlands were the most fun, and the coldest I have ever been. The first of the three visits we were assigned a stretch through trees in the infield area. Plenty of slippy-sideways action close-up.
Friends James and Tim came prepared with a great primus cooking set up that enabled us to make bacon sandwiches, hot dogs and boiling hot tea in the hours we waited until the first car.
The other two visits we improved our catering, and were assigned a stretch of the main circuit taking up position in the marshals post at the bottom of the Craner Curves. With no spectators to contol at this point, we were afforded a great view of most of the stage and could concentrate on cooking up those bacon sandwiches! The stage started on the old circuit, long since abandoned in favor of the current layout. The cars ran behind our post first, on the loose muddy track down to the old hairpin, then onto the racing circuit track, in the opposite direction to normal racing, past our post and up the Craner Curves to the entrance to the infield. The primus stoves were set up in the marshals post that had recently been upgraded to a cage with a solid metal framework that provided us with a shelf for our mustard, English and French, Ketchup, etc. My final trip to Donington proved to be the longest of all my marshalling days on the RAC Rally. The stage was run twice, early morning and late in the afternoon. With the a classic rally made up by old historic rally cars of the 50's and 60's running through the stage in the middle of the day. With beautiful blue skies all day, for November it was cold. While thankfully we were at the bottom of the hill and out of the wind. As the sun set, car 1 started the stage for the final time as the thermometer hit 32F, freezing, before windchill factors. It just got colder, and colder. To combat the cold, I was wearing my race suit, and nomex under my race suit with a pair of hiking boot over 3 pairs of socks. Add one gortex jacket and a Scandanavian ski hat I was as warm as I could possibly be. Given that our food supply was extensive, the marshalling team from GBMC were well looked after with food and hot drinks supplied from our "catering cage".
As a veteran of RAC's I think that "we finally got it right" at the Craner Curves with the catering and and excellent viewing spot. As the last cars past us it started to snow, the temperature was well below freezing and the mustard pots had frozen to the marshals cage.
Great times, to especially to Nick, Trevor, James and Tim I thank you from the bottom of my heart for some of the BEST days I have ever had on the RAC Rally.
My hats off to all the volunteer marshals who make the biggest sporting spectator event in the UK safe for all. It may seem a wonderful job, but it is long hours. When I undertook this task the marshals have to be in position before the public are allowed to access the spectator areas. This could be over four hours before the course cars would be seen on the stage.
In 2002 the entry list seems smaller than other years where I recall 200 odd cars. Starting at minute intervals followed by a thirty minute delay after the due time of the last car. Then another delay as the course closing car passes through the stage, offering a thank you on the PA and a cheery wave for standing still for up to 7 hours. Our day at Donington was over 12 hours, so you see why it was necessary to make the best of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment