ZR Works

The other thing keeping busy during the last few months is a number of jobs being done to (hopefully) make the MGZR safer, more competitive and reliable.

This took up quite a bit of time and energy, and was only completed due to the great work done by Jamie Turner and The Rover Centre of St. Albans.

The following jobs have now been completed :-

• New clutch
• Quaife ATB LSD fitted
• Uprated gearbox mount
• Seam welded sub-frames
• Replaced driveshafts
• Heat shielding and heat wrap added to exhaust where it runs near to the fuel tank
• Front stut towers plated
• Rover centre spec, rally springs fitted
• Uprated wiper washer system
• Washer bottle relocated to inside the car (smaller bottle & better centre of gravity)
• Safety Devices Rear roll cage and OMP door bars fitted
• Drivers seat replaced with a Corbeau racing seat, using OMP seat mounts
• More weight removed; bonnet bracing removed, and other sound proofing materials
• Rear beam swop, to one with drum rear brakes (for a working handbrake)
• Rear strut tops welded & plated
• Bonnet pins fitted
• New front wishbones, and polybushes

Solo’ing

With the MGZR back on the road (see other post), it was time to get back in the driving seat. After nearly four months away from the driving seat, it was time to get back into driving mode.

Time for a double header weekend. It started off with the Brakefast Autosolo at Bovingdon airfield. This was an ideal way to get back into things, as it is a local event and due to venue planning constraints a morning only event. The ZR now has a working handbrake (see other post), which makes this sort of event easier and of course more enjoyable. There was a capacity entry for the event, and it was pleasing to see a real mix of cars, and competitors with many newcomers to the sport. Cars such as a Merc 190E Cosworth, a AE86 and a Auris Hybrid (driven by three family members) all making for an interesting event. The venue allows for two tests to run at once, one which is quite open and flowing, the other one is smaller and tighter and almost like a continuous circle.

The morning soon went by, and although I was a little too sideways at times getting used to having a working handbrake the pace was there. By the end of the event I finished 2nd overall and 2nd in class. This is the second time in a row I have had this result at this venue, I really must try and go one better next time!

 

The next day it was an early start and off to Debden for more of the same, but a whole day event. Sadly videos and photo’s are not allowed as it is a live MOD venue (home of EOD). The tests at Debden are a bit tighter and require a bit more precision, which isn’t always my strong point. The other difference with these events compared to other Autosolos is that all runs count, so hitting cones or going the wrong way is costly as I was to prove….. The morning went well enough, though I was feeling rather tired by now. After lunch is when it went wrong, I managed to hit a cone on one test and get a wrong route on the test where I have done almost the same thing before last year. This cost me quite a lot of time. By the end of the day I finished 9th overall and 3rd in class, that wrong route costing me about 3 places overall and 2nd in class.

Staging

For 2018 we agreed that Suze would drive on stage rallies, and I would navigate. This would allow us to still chase the AEMC/ASEMC & ACSMC regional championships, but in different seats.

The first event was Brands Hatch, which was very typically wet and cold. The day went well for us, however as the day wore on it got wet enough to try the wets we had been carrying for years. These were a bit of an unknown as they were bought second hand from a racer who was worried he had locked up on them once…. They were made by Dunlop and worked well after it turned all very wet. The car ran well, and it was a good reintroduction for Suze driving on stage rallies after a couple years away from that seat. The event was reasonably uneventful, we did catch and pass a number of cars, many of which had more power. Though we did lose some time, stuck behind a number of R2 cars which couldn’t negotiate the hairpins without doing a three-point turn. In the end we finished up 53rd overall & 5th in class

A few weeks later it was off to another race circuit, this time it was a return to competing at the Goodwood stages, after a few years helping officiate at the event. The day started off nice and dry, however this soon changed and the Dunlop wets were soon needed as the weather turned once again very wet and cold. The event ran smoothly and although we felt the day went well the pace was a down a little from Brands. Class A was particularly full on this event, with many of our competitors carrying a lot more power than our road rally spec spec car, and the flowing nature of Goodwood meaning power is a real advantage. After a long days rallying, which again included some night stages, which are always good fun, by the end of the stage we finished 43rd overall & 9th in class.

The next stage rally is now just a few days away, with a return to Down Ampney a venue we have both enjoyed in the past.

A busy start to 2018

Well 2018 has been a busy start, so much so I haven’t had time to keep my blog up to date.

This is mostly been connected to a busy work schedule, including some travel overseas. Plus a fair bit of time has been taken up recently as I was chief marshal for the first ever closed road rally in England.

This year I will be navving on stage rallies for Suze as it is her chance now to drive.

We are also planning to do the AMSC Targa Rallies.

There will be a number of catch up posts, from events already done this year. I have already updated the sub-pages attached to the blog.