Well since I'm here first, you'll get to hear the real story
and I don't think Claude will get to a 'puter in the next week so here goes. In close to chronological order:
Stayed at a mate of Johno's and found ourselves in pretty deep :ohmy: Could tell you a bit more but what goes on at Mort's stays at Mort's... certainly made our Alpine memorable!
Walking around at the start and if you saw a few more flares (on trousers) and chesty Bonds you could be mistaken for thinking you were in a Datsun commercial. Generally it could have been a good deal more nerve wracking were we not hella proud to be a part of this bunch of loons in old dungers! Classic moment was when Swill helped a windscreen wiper part company with Portman's static display (with permission of course).
On first look the roads were just amazing - all smooth and flowing, to me (coz navs know it all) they seemed easy to read and as proven at the end of the day weren't hard on tyres. As it stands the fronts we used are still good for at least another rally and I don't think we've every had a set of rears last longer than 100km but I drive a Gemini don't quote me on that. We were witness to some mad-arts lines (Semmens owned up to them but it could have been any of those lunatics) and quickly got used to the sparse roadbook. From a nav's perspective, I really liked the sparsity of the book. Not that he listens much anyway, but I kind thought the mad b@stard really had to concentrate when I spoke. 'Cause
I wasn't concentrating much... I didn't have much to do
First at the end of Division 1 and we were really gettin' the groove on... All the officials were awesome and it didn't take long to get to chatting with controllies noting that they have lollies in Mexico :thumbsup: Only getting a small idea of our times compared to others until the nav network came good at first service. It was cool hanging out with new people (and old
) for a couple of days and without the likes of Sam Robison, Tim Batten, Matty J and others my rally would have been less fanf*^kingtastic.
The flies, the FLIES!
The crew's first (of multiple) brain fade moment landed us in the scrub on a left hander in SS5... sitting there not moving far in any direction and we needed an outside observer (me) to navigate around the stumps/trees on three sides but eventually got back on the road, recovered mojo and got to the end losing more than a minute.Not happy Jan.
SS6 we misread a grade off cleverly disgused by some fresh rally tread marks
directly ahead as the road instead of going right. Clenched and regained position on the road. I think this may have been the stage (Murrungowar?) that had a tricky road line coming over a crest you could see the next crest and a decision to straight line it would have put you in a hollow maybe four foot deep but at least you would have had some shrubbery cushioning your fall. I think we both exhaled when he backed off and simultaneously saw the right left right that we would not have managed at the pace we were going before the first crest.
Speaking of which - that has got to be the fastest rally I've ever done. We hit top speed a couple of times (as acceleration sloooooows down over 160) and Claude said we spent more time in fourth and fifth than second and third. I'm fairly certain that on the last two stages Sunday we averaged over triple digits.
Long service: was weird to think we were there for three hours, but it didn't really drag on as there was plenty going on around the place. The food was excellent (I'm so spewing I didn't get some jelly slice) and the antic hilarious! Very clear in my mind was when Anna and I made a general nuisance of ourselves upon hearing the news that Howard looked to lose Bennelong
Then the Tar. With semi slicks on the front and shagged roadies on the back we kinda knew how the car reacted under power but didn't know how long that would last. As it happens the brakes started to fade I'm guessing one third of the way through (that's about half the time Claude told me they lasted
) and the tyres went just before the halfway mark- that sound of every little bit of gravel being chucked at the underbody is unmistakable. Then we started going downhill :gasp: a bit too scary fast for me... Awesome stage times from Stewy and the Porche - knowing that Stewy would have been suffering similarly hot brakes that's a bloody brilliant result regardless of semi slicks
Then we start getting further into the night and the order of things gets hazy, it gets past my bedtime, Claude's sleep deprivation starts catching up and Johno and Timmy had spent way too much time in the vicinity of the Nutty Professor didn't help the next brain fade of overshooting a TL on a transport putting us in control late and flustered compounded by inexperienced controllie, wondering where Kari was and watching as Snooks drove off into the dust free yonder.
The flat we got for cutting a left hander on the 20km stage felt like the beginning of the end (as we had lost rear brakes by this stage), made even worse knowing that Carl and Matty would get our dust for more than half a stage... we were so flighty about them being behind us we both got spooked by the moon in the corner of our eyes and when they didn't come into control while we were still there we knew it wasn't going to be pretty
Dropped to 9th.
[censored] spa [censored] cops [censored] Mort's.
Some Commodore-loving locals (who'd have thought) sourced us a replacement caliper for Sunday but the rear brakes, she no work. I suppose it's testament to the talent of a driver who can pull those kinds of results with one metaphorical hand tied behind his back... my hat goes off (but just remember it's all about the nav). Those first three stages were brilliantly scheduled... that was a great start to the day. The rest of the day... well we were out for some big skids and to keep on everyone's tail (wouldn't want them going soft
) managing mostly fastest/top three times I think... yet to have brain function enough to entertain ideas of results analysis.
The final transport and we nearly immediately comment to each other that we're totally shagged and pull everything we've got just to get to the pub and then back to Mort's to... well I can't tell you or I'd have to kill you.
Pub=nice Food=good Ale=better Company=excellent!!!
Overall:
*great service arrangement. Johno and Timmy said they had the most fun servicing than at any other rally, and credit the Organisers with providing them with the best set of instructions they've ever seen. Well, they didn't quite articulate it that way but you know what I mean
*What a fabulous event, all in all we all got heaps out of it and hopefully gave some back somewhere if only some happy road closures waving 'cause they're happy with the show
Johno and Timmy are service legends... we rely on them so much to kick our arses if we're not in line and remind us of the reason we're there - we couldn't have done it without them... Munyard of course was milling around as was too many others to list... just everyone!
I think this post is long enough and the adrenaline withdrawal is wearing off so now would be a good time to finish... congratulations to all the finishers, hell... congratulations to anyone who started, watched, read or thought!!! What a bloody brilliant weekend! :party:
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