[Kevan]

Rally reports - 4th August - TT Grandstand
 
4 Standard Class cars including a pair of Ninco Jaguar XK120’s.  Both cars tripping up a couple of times.
 
13 ProStock Class cars with all five classes represented, 2WD being most popular and a trio of 80’s.
 
   

With a couple of class regulars not at the club tonight there were only 3 Open Class cars with a pair of 2WD entries being the most popular.
 
   

Chris’s poor Opel Manta (Prostock 80’s) suffering severe rear axle tramp (or is that porpoising) it was no surprise that it was his poorest performing car tonight.  It’s currently in the workshop getting the chassis sorted and should be at the other end of the comparison chart next time out.  The Honda Civic on the other hand was flying round TT Grandstand in both directions, 3rd spot in Prostock 2WD is a great result.. A class win for the Toyota Supra in Open 2WD, these always seem to go well if you tone the power down.  The Jag also suffering similar understeer problems to Kev’s, went looking for shortcuts…without luck.
 
Kev’s Opel and Volvo have been regular entries recently, both going well again, especially the Opel Manta in Prostack 80’s.  The big Volvo shouldn’t go that well…but it does and is easy to drive too with a class win in Prostock 2WD.  The Jag XK120 understeering off the road a couple of times in the carpark hairpin managed top spot in Standard Ninco Classic Class.  The Lancia 037 is a great little car for Standard Ninco 80’s, this one still uses the original tyres (and a ‘bit’ of lead)
 
   

I’m not sure which is Gavin’s favourite car, I suspect a flip of a coin between his AC Cobra and the Abarth Fiat 500, both going well, the Cobra does suit the Open Small Classic Class.  The Abarth 500 was comfortably his best car tonight albeit a little off the pace of the other Prostock 2WD entries that is currently the most competitive class to be in. It was good to see a Metro 6R4 with the Mantas in Prostock 80’s that was the second most popular class tonight.
 
Geoff rolled up with a surprise entry, the Ford GT40 not the easiest car to find Rally proof…it went well, especially in the clockwise run and was his best car tonight.  Two VW Polos, one noisy (Standard Other 2WD Class) the other nice and smooth (Prostock 2WD Class). The Powerslot Polo was a popular Rally car in the past, not often seen now, along with the Ninco Porsche 934.  The Mitsubishi…”no it’s a Subaru” is a new addition to Geoff’s Rally collection and goes great! It gave Mike’s Subaru…”no it’s a Mitsubishi” a good run for it’s money in Prostock 4WD.
 
   

Mike B - those NSR Porsche GT3’s go well, probably the easiest way to get a competitive Rally car, with a load of liveries available too, not surprisingly was Mike’s best car tonight was the closest competition Kev’s Volvo had.  The big surprise was Mike’s Ferrari 430 in Prostock 2WD, a rare car to find if you want one but didn’t it go well. A class win with the Mitsubishi in Prostock 4WD, he had to work for it though as Geoff’s Scooby flew round on the second run…and then the Mini, what a belter that little car is, a great way to Rally in Prostock Small Classic and more than competitive to much faster cars in the overall comparison chart.
 
   

   

   

   

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Next week is Saloon & Sports
The week after is Italian Car Team Race

[Kevan]

Rally reports - 8th September - TT Grandstand & Little Druidale
 
Sadly we learned of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II earlier in the evening, although the news was full of her state of health I don’t think we were fully expecting her to leave us so soon.  As I write this report the BBC has been reminding us all day of her truly remarkable life, she was the most respected person on the planet and it’s only now we realise just how intertwined she was in our nation's hearts. Charles spoke this evening and said some nice things about his mother, she was more than Queen Elizabeth II, she was simply known as The Queen and we’ll never see another like her again.
 
A great turnout tonight and the new Rally stage waiting for eager drivers to get practice laps in, cleaning the slippery surface for later in the evening.  
 
   

With eight club members and two Rally stages we split into two groups of four, chosen at random.
TT Grandstand first group was Brian, Geoff, Kev & Mike B
Little Druidale first group was Gav, Chris, Andy & Paul
 
We saw a few new cars on the Rally stages tonight, a couple of R32 Nissan Skylines, a Dakar Porsche 959 and a 1939 Alfa Romeo 6C
 
It quickly became obvious that TT Grandstand is a sprint compared to Little Druidale, the great thing about that was you could be equally competitive with fast or slow cars as the two stages cancelled each other out.
 
   

Paul was back in Rally action for the first time since November 2020, his favourite Porsche 356 joined by a SlotIt Nissan R32 Skyline, the Nissan managing his best time on the new Druidale stage.  On TT Grandstand his best car was the Subaru Impreza which always goes well and was his best car overall tonight.
 
Kev drove the other R32 that was to be his best car on both stages.  The other newcomer was the rather large Alfa Romeo 6C, how on earth it got round those hay bales and up the hill surprised everyone including the driver.  The Standard class Lancia 037 has gone great all year and did so tonight, as did the little Sunbeam Tiger, perfect for tight bends.
 
   

Geoff usually brings an XK120 Jag just in case and tonight decided to give it a run, it went really well on Druidale and looked great climbing the hill to the hairpin.  The VW Polo and Peugeot 208 have been regulars for Geoff this year, the Peugeot going particularly well on Druidale setting one of the faster times of all the cars. It turns out the tiger liveried Revo Toyota Supra could be worth £200, that didn’t stop him driving it like he stole it.
 
Mike B chose not to Rally his Mini tonight but after the event was over he tried it on Little Druidale and it was flying round, I suspect it won’t stay in his pitbox next time.  The Fiat Punto has been one of the best Standard class cars of all for months, it didn’t disappoint tonight. Recently the MB Slot Ferrari F430 has been proven as a capable Rally car and flew round Little Druidale but seemed to suffer a little on TT Grandstand. Another struggler on that stage was the MSC Subaru…not so the NSR Porsche 997, easy peasy does it on both tracks tonight.
 
Andy has been a huge advocate of Open class Rallying for a few years, they all go well and are also seen in other drivers pitbox as favourite purchases.  During practice the little Mini was loving the tight twisty challenge of Little Druidale, it’s always gone well on TT Grandstand but goes even better on the new stage.  The Mitsubishi Evo WRC was easily his best car tonight on TT Grandstand but the Pantera and Mini were right on it’s tail pipe on the new Rally stage.
 
As I didn’t see any of Gavins cars during practice I can’t say why the AC Cobra was so good on TT Grandstand but struggled so much on Little Druidale.  The NSR Abarth 500 has been a good buy for Gavin, easily his best car on the new stage and not far behind his Cobra on the sprint stage.  Whilst the Metro 6R4 suffered on the new stage his Porsche 997 was his best runner on it.
 
   

Chris decided to enter a Dakar Porsche 959, I saw it do a few practice laps on TT Grandstand, it struggled without something to climb over…I think it’ll be replaced by his Opel Manta on a KRB3D chassis next time out. The Avant Subaru was his best car on on both stages by miles, the closest any of his other cars got was the really nice BMW M3 that was only a couple of seconds behind on Little Druidale.
 
Brian seems to have settled on two or three favourites recently, the Peugeot 208 easily out-performing the other three cars overall but the Peugeot 206, 208 and Pantera all getting round Little Druidale within one second.  Strangely the Abarth 131 always went well on TT Grandstand but not tonight, it turns out he didn’t have his normal Rally controller.  I’d guess his Renault Megane would fly round the new Rally stage.
 
   
   
   

Comparison chart

   

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Next week we see the open wheelers back on BallaYorkley, GP, Pre-wing, Classic F1 and F1…should be fun.

[Kevan]

This Thursday is Slot Rally, Little Druidale has a new layout, the modular design means various stage designs are possible...meanwhile the crowds have flocked to TT Grandstand stage

[Kevan]

Rally reports - 13th October - TT Grandstand & Little Druidale
 
   

Another great turnout for tonight’s Slot Rally, with eight club members and two Rally stages we split into two groups of four, chosen at random.
TT Grandstand first group was Kev, Brian, Mike H & Geoff
Little Druidale first group was Andy, Gav, Mike B & Paul
 
   

Two big changes for tonight, Little Druidale was a different route to last time which caught a few out during practice…and TT Grandstand had a big crowd with service crew and people hiding in bushes to watch the action, the burger stall was busy and the merch shop had sold out…this also made for a completely different driving experience.
 
A few old favourites returned, one or two newcomers, cars from over 80 years of Rally history make these events more than just a blast round with the latest circuit racer.

The last car to run was Geoff's Peugeot, Brian had thrown the gauntlet down so it was sh*t or bust for Geoff...as we waited with baited breath and the throttle was nailed it was sadly BUST for the little 208 as the pinion went weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...a DNF the result. 'I was going to put a brass pinion on'
 
   

   

   

Comparison Chart

   


With work done this weekend Little Druidale will have a new permanent home in the corner of the club room which means we will have three tracks available all at once on open days. 
 
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Next week we see the Club Revoslots back in action.

[Kevan]

Rally reports - 17th November - TT Grandstand & Little Druidale

   
 
The best turnout for Slot Rally this year with 9 entrants and 36 cars and both Rally stages in new positions in the club room.
 
The two groups were chosen at random:
Group 1 was Brian, Geoff, Kev, Andy & Ed
Group 2 was Mike H, Mike B, Paul & Gav
 
Group 1 chose to start on TT Grandstand.
 
A few teething problems with Little Druidale as it hadn’t been tested after the move and rebuild, temporary fixes were done for tonight.  No problems with TT Grandstand.
 
There was a lot of banter in the room tonight (all good natured of course) and the first time Ed had seen the Rally stages or Slot Rally in action.
 
More new and previously unseen cars tonight:
 
Gav’s lovely Avant Ferrari 308GTB, looking at the stage times went best on TT Grandstand.
Kev’s 3D Mercedes 500SLC went really well and ended up his best car overall.
Ed’s Fly Lancia 037 was pulled out of a box “I’ve got this, the magnet is removed”...a quick tyre check said it should go well and without even being driven before went surprisingly well. 
Paul’s Racer Porsche 935 put a smile on his face as it obviously went well, his best car tonight.
Mike H turned up with a rather nice looking Avant Alpine A310, the stage times tell us it went best on Little Druidale.
 
 
One or two other cars have been worked on since the last Rally night, Geoff’s Peugeot 208 back to being his best car after a gear fix last time out.
Brian’s re-motored Renault Megane with an 18k Pioneer motor looks like a car you could drive all night.
Andy’s Mustang looks like it belongs on a Rally stage and a fantastic car in action.
Mike B has long been a proponent of NSR’s Porsche 997, it’s been a favourite of his for a couple of years now.
 
Class winners - Geoff, Kev, Ed, Mike H, Mike B, Brian & Andy
 
   
   
   
   

Plus a comparison chart

     

 
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Next week we’re racing Saloons & Sports…the week after is Classic Le Manx (no Group B’s please)

[Kevan]

Open practice plus some testing on the three lane track...

[Kevan]

Rally reports - 22nd December - TT Grandstand & Little Druidale - Christmas Rally Stages
 
Standard Class Rally was changed at last weeks AGM, gone are the 16 standard manufacturers classes, now we have five standard classes including a new Small Classic Class in line with ProStock and Open Classes.
…also the new race starting time is 7.30 which came in handy with the teething problems encountered.
 
A great turnout for Slot Rally for the time of year with 8  entrants and 32 cars.
 
The two groups were chosen at random:
Group 1 was Brian L, Geoff, Chris &, Andy
Group 2 was Ed, Mike B, Kev & Brian H
 
Group 2 chose to start on Little Druidale and the lap counter was set to 10 (with hindsight it should have been 7 laps).
 
Group 1 started a grandstand stage on Ballayorkley, two drivers, 8 laps (Red & Yellow), swap lanes and do the second run…but the program didn’t show the overall timing so that was abandoned…
 
With more goodies brought in to enjoy plus plenty of banter in the room and despite the early start it was a long night.
 
Brian H returned again for the second time in a few weeks, his driving style is well known…drive it like you stole it…probably appropriate with some of his cars tonight (he does like his 4WD).
 
Standard classes saw a new mix in two classes, the popular ‘Classic Class’ with two Ninco Jags against an SCX Abarth, whilst in ‘Modern 2WD’ we had Fly vs Scaley vs SCX…much more interesting.
 

• Andy’s best car was his Renault Megane (after ‘not being allowed’ to run a 1967 Mustang in ‘Modern 2WD’) and had three other cars to contend with in Open Modern 2WD.  Another favourite was his Mitsubishi Evo in Open 4WD.
  
• Kev’s proxy car Jag XK120 on a 3D chassis went really well (after 100+ tyre polishing laps on Ballayorkley).  The Nissan Skyline had plenty of competition in ProStock 2WD whilst the RS1800 with headlights blazing was the sole Standard Small Classic.
  
• Brian L’s re-motored Renault Megane has seemingly been greatly improved by making it ‘slower’ when in fact it’s ‘quicker’ because he can push it harder.  It was also great to see the Abarth 131 back on the road in Standard Classic separating the two Ninco Jags. Meanwhile the Peugeot 208 was only a second off top spot in ProStock 4WD.
  
• Geoff rallied an interesting car, a Scaley Aston Martin DBR9, it was only his third best car but finished 2nd in class.  SCX made a version also, a big car that can get stuck on TT Grandstands tight corner hay bales.  Of course it goes without saying his XK120 also made an appearance.
  
• Mike B favoured ProStock 2WD tonight, the Ferrari 430 was a good choice, it’s a great runner with everything a good Rally car needs…including too much horsepower.  His NSR Porsche is nearly always seen on Rally night, a previous class winner in ProStock 2WD is tough to catch.
  
• Ed’s Merc 190 looks easily his most comfortable car on the Rally stages and was his best performing car tonight.  Lead under the chassis is a hindrance on Little Druidale’s climb, the RS Cosworth see-sawing at the top of the hill…but it’s a lovely smooth runner.
  
• Chris had a class win in Open Small Classic with his Alpine A110S whilst his Revo Toyota Supra was his quickest car overall.  The Honda Civic was only three seconds off a podium spot a fraction behind Brian’s Renault and Geoff’s Peugeot 208 for the closest group in all classes.
  
• Brian H, another Revo Toyota Supra, also his best overall car, stayed within two seconds of Chris on Little Druidale.  With two of three entries in ProStock 4WD and another in Standard Modern 4WD it’s safe to say he likes his 4x4’s.
  

 
Class winners - Kev, Ed, Mike B, Brian H, Chris & Andy

   
   
   

Plus the comparison chart so you can see the overall picture....

   
 
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Next week we’re racing Grand Prix & Prewing plus Classic F1 and F1…if enough people want to turn up…Christmas jumpers please.
 
Have a great Christmas everyone, don’t eat too much and bring those new cars in next year.