Augustus Gossip ….
News roundup from the Fort Augustus Gravel Sprint ….
Andy Horne didn’t start the Gravel Sprint because the Metro, sorry, DAM, wasn’t ready! “We’ve fitted a new petrol tank to it,” said Andy, “and the job wasn’t finished. Previously the two tanks were either side of the engine behind the seats, but we’ve put a new tank in the front behind the bulkhead. The job was nearly finished and it just had to be wired properly, but that’s Graham’s job. I don’t do wiring, but he went down with the dreaded lurgy yesterday and wasn’t able to come around, but it will be ready for the Jim Clark.”
Quintin Milne mentioned his grand plan for the Clark. “I’m going to do the National in the Escort before deciding what to use on the Reivers,” he said, “but that depends on three things. It has to be dry, and if the car is OK after the National, and I feel I’m driving it well, then I’ll stick with the Escort, but if any one of those things isn’t right then I’ll do the Reivers in the Lancer. I think the Escort has the potential to do well on the tarmac. It’s got a 5 speed sequential mated up to a 2.5 litre Reid engine which will rev to 8750. I’d love to give David (Bogie) a run for his money.” And you know what? The car is geared for 140 mph! Just give him plenty of room that’s all.
Like the Ronaldson family, the Wood clan were out at Fort Augustus, Steven sharing his Fiesta RWD with Dad, Billy, but faither didn’t get a single run – cos Steven cowped it on his first run of the day. Damage wasn’t too bad and the car was still running but the Scroots took a look. It appears that the cage at the top of the windscreen in one corner and had taken a dunt, so they advised against any more runs. The duo have been looking around for a decent MkII shell to transfer over the running gear, so this might speed up the process. But Billy’s not so daft, prior to the weekend he did manage to establish: “Whoever bends it, mends it!” he answered. No doubt he’ll pitch in though.
Billy Wood inspects the damage …
…. Billy Wood’s toolkit – a hammer, a lump of wood and a pinch bar!
It was good to see Davie Wilson out in the MkII again, and he’s lost none of his verve, or his nerve! “I haven’t done anything to the car since the Snowman, I just wheeled it out the garage and fired it up. I’ve got no plans to do anything this year. I got a bit downhearted last year when I looked underneath the car at the end of the season. It was destroyed. That was down to running further down the running order than when I was in the Lancer. Anyway, to cheer myself up I bought a new road car.” When asked what it was, he said, rather sheepishly: “I bought a Nissan Skyline – the engine failed three weeks after I got it!”
Another weel kent face appearing in the woods was Jimmy Allan who hasn’t been out in the Lancer since the Speyside last year: “I actually had the car up for sale but when somebody came to buy it, I took him out for a wee run in it. I enjoyed myself so much, I didn’t sell it.”
Kevin Ronaldson’s reason for doing the Gravel Sprint was to give the Subaru a bit of a test: “It broke third gear on the Granite City, so I fixed it and brought it here. We had a wee leak but it just needed a new washer on the sump plug.”
Talbot Sunbeam driver, Neil Morrison was trying out his new gearbox: “I’ve got a six speed sequential instead of the 5 speed manual. I managed to use them all on the first stage just to see if they were all in there!” He was like a wean with a new box of Lego, especially with his digital gear indicator.
Another driver heading home before close of play was Hamish Grant who was giving the ex-Pete Garrow MkII a shakedown ahead of his son Scott doing the Jim Clark National with the car, but the 5 speed dog ‘box broke after three runs. He fancies putting a 6 spd seq in it, but perhaps not in time for the JC.
“I was last out on the Speyside two years ago,” said Talbot Sunbeam driver Kenny Wood, “the car was on 40s then but is now on throttle bodies so this was just a chance to get the car out and try it. I took time out to concentrate n a new business, but I might do the Skye Gravel Sprint next then the Speyside and the McRae.”
On his first rally with the Fiesta XR2i, John O’Kane didn’t get very far. He was out on last month’s Granite City and a wire came off the petrol pump half way through the first stage. By the time they found the problem they were OTL. At least he got six runs in today.
Oddly enough, in similar problems was Paddy Munro. Over the past two years he has been rebuilding the MkII and entered the Granite City. He got 4 miles into the first stage and then the clutch failed. So he was pretty pleased with six troublefree runs here.
Keir Beaton was having only his second run out in the Honda Civic. “It’s my second time on gravel with the car,” he said, “I’ve rebuilt the suspension and am playing around with the setup, but it will need to be completely re-bushed for the RSAC Scottish. I’d like to have done the Jim Clark National but the 750 quid entry is beyond me.”
When the turbo failed on his ‘good’ Subaru two days before the Gravel Sprint, Malcolm Davis thought he was destined for a weekend of TV, till a friend said; “What about the blue car?” Apparently, Malcolm still had his old non-turbo 110 hp Twin Cam Impreza last used on the 2011 Speyside lying under a cover at the back of the yard. “It hadn’t turned a wheel since then, but it passed its MOT and here I am.” Some folk just have too many cars (or too much rubbish!) lying about, eh? He’s the guy with the ‘R447 ING’ number plate – think about it.
Gary Blackmore has replaced his Peugeot 205 XS 1400 with a 1600 205 and had his first run out in the car.
There’s a wee bit of sad news to report. At the Gravel Sprint I learned that Grahame Dodd had passed away rather suddenly just ten days before. A member of 63CC, he rallied a white Subaru Impreza latterly and an Escort before that, so most of you will remember him – he was never without a fag and his zippo. But it wasn’t cancer, it was a sudden and massive heart attack, and he was only 60. What a shame.
And finally ….
Brian Watson claims to be eating sparingly and healthily these days, but when Quintin Milne rocked up to the burger van to partake of a breakfast roll, he asked if Brian had been here, to which the lady replied: “Oh aye, he’s a regular!”
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