Finishing this event was always going to be a tall order but
the Snowman Rally ended in a slushy thaw rather than the triumphant flurry of
successes the team enjoyed at the end of 2014.
As the Spookworks story continues to follow all the twists and turns of
a winter Olympic bobsled run, the team were particularly disappointed with the
whiteout that caused them retire only a few km into Stage 3.
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| For once scrutineering was the easy bit.... |
It all started so promisingly. The car and team in good shape and eager to get stuck into the 2015
season.
Comfortably through noise check and scrutineering, Spookworks even had
time to visit the local Kwikfit for final set up tweak before heading over for
the ceremonial start in the centre of Inverness to start off stage 1. A bright sunny morning, the terrific
conditions provided a slightly misleading illusion that the event warmed to us
and that lady luck might be on our side.
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| A wheel alignment makes a huge difference. Thanks KwikFit |
Stage 1 was the 6.69 mile run through “Meall Mor” 12 miles south
of Inverness. As the road stretched from
the city centre to the start of Stage 1 we found ourselves almost 1500ft above
sea level and the lush green scenery was replaced by sheets of ice and inches
of snow. The stage proved to quite a
challenge for most with cars littered all throughout the forest stage - mainly
those who had been caught out by the unpredictable ice patches. Off the start line we had no idea what the
car would do or how it would behave. No
rear Limited Slip Diff and our best guess at a suspension set up - it was
always going to be a gamble.
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| The queue to get into stage. Couldn't really come back later.... |
The stage was quite amazing. Huge drops, hairpins, jumps and
incredibly fast sections it would have been a dream stage; that is - had it
also not been covered in ice and snow.
One dramatic moment that stands out over all others is when; after a
small crest and jump we landed on a fast downhill section which would have been
better suited to a toboggan than a rally car and all four wheels lost traction pitching
the car at a 45 degree to the road ahead. Looking out the side window at the
trees ahead we must have slid 50 metres before any traction took place and when
my eyes opened we were back in the centre of the road. We did manage to make it to the end; our time
8 minutes 17 seconds was somewhat misleading as on several occasions we were
flagged to walking pace as either a stricken Evo or Peugeot blocked the road or
was parked in a precarious position on the outside of a corner.
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| A rare moment of action - captured by Eddie Kelly Motorsport Photography |
We then drove back into Inverness, across the Kessock Bridge
and off towards Mount Eagle to start Stage 2 – “Millbuie”. This test was another 6.78 miles of forestry
but thankfully only 830ft above sea level so the ice and snow were not an
issue. What was an issue was the blowing
exhaust note coming from near the back of the engine. The Spookworks Impreza has a quick release
exhaust which can take a few knocks and become partially dislodged so the
decision was made to carry on and fix it in service. About 500m from the start the noise became
intense and sounded like we had no exhaust attached at all. Stopping a few metres short of the stage entry
we discovered that a blanking plug in the exhaust manifold had departed company
and that hot exhaust was escaping from the manifold. With our due time beckoning we decided to
stick with our original plan and look at it in service. As a precaution we switched anti lag off to
reduce the heat of the exhaust gas but as so much gas was escaping we were unsure
if any was going to reach the turbo anyway.
Down on boost but loud on noise we entered the time control and pressed
on as best we could in Stage 2.
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| You would struggle to build a Snowman out of this lot - captured by Eddie Kelly Motorsport Photography |
Great fun and thankfully non eventful, perhaps due to the
absence of any turbo assistance, we made it through the stage. That was until entering the time control when
great plumes of white smoke appeared from the engine bay. We hastily pulled over, killed the engine and
abandoned ship. Stopped at the exit of Stage 2 we carefully lifted the bonnet
and noted that the hole where the exhaust gases was escaping was then starting
to burn a hole through our suspension hydraulic pipes. The heat was burning
away the rubber coating on the pipes and hence the thick white smoke. A number of heroic roadside repairs were
attempted without success, largely due to the slimmed down on-board repair kit
which failed to contain any heat resistant material. Finally a large stone was located and wedged
in between the exhaust manifold and chassis leg. It would be enough to absorb or deflect the
hot exhaust gas to enable us to get to service in Dingwall. Only a mere 12 miles away!
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| The large white rock thing is actually a rock. Useful in diverting hit exhaust gases away from key components |
We managed to limp the entire 12 miles to service – the
longest 12 miles ever. Especially not going over 2000 rpm. Our professional and creative service crew
were on standby and as soon as we pulled in the damage was assessed. The survival stone was removed – now black on
one side. A welder was lined up and a suitable replacement blanking plate was
fashioned (an old wheel nut) and tack welded into place. And smeared with some 5 year old exhaust
paste. A top up of fuel and, as good as
new, it was out of service and on route to stage 3.
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| Heroic and inspired work but sadly it would not last long. |
Stage 3 called Strath Rory was the longest and best of the
rally. At 13.68 miles it was as long as
Stages 1 and 2 combined. Spirits were
lifted after the inspirational work done in service (Thanks Neal) and a finish
looked like it may just be a possibility.
Starting on a long downhill gravel road before entering a forest it was
a relatively straightforward start. What
the view from the start line did not show was the savage potholes which
littered the opening few miles. Able to
swallow a man whole, at 90+ mph they were enough to remove your back
teeth. Sadly they also proved more than
a match for our hasty repairs in service and within a km of bouncing across
these holes the welded wheel nut was flung clear, hot exhaust gas (with anti
lag) then cooked and melted the remaining hydraulic hose and set fire to the
hydraulic fluid within. Smoke billowed
out over the bonnet and a small BBQ erupted in the front wheel arch. Quickly extinguished with a hand held fire
extinguisher the rally was now well and truly over. The ‘OK’ board was mounted
in the rear window and the rest of the rally would now be about
spectating.
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| Down and out - not how we wanted to end our Snowman Rally. Good positioning of 'OK' board though. |
To give you some idea of the
roughness, at the point of retirement there were another 3 cars, two Evos and
an Mk2 Escort. All had rally ending
suspension damage. We were amongst
friends.
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| Retirement? We almost had to keep going as we couldn't find a place to park..... |
It was sad to see the Spookworks Impreza being towed back to
HQ but our cruel fate had been decided by Mistress Rally and Spookworks would
start 2015 with a DNF. Only the 4th
ever DNF in over 8 years of regular rallying. The 2015 RAF Championship would
now start to look like a significant uphill struggle. Next event will depend on the damage
sustained. More updates in due course as the damage is assessed.
