Driver: Peter Boddy
Co-Driver: Eddie Beilby
Car No.164 Skoda Favorit Class N1 (Production cars up to 1300cc)
SPONSORS: Rainworth Motors for Skoda, Allfab, Roadrunner Rally and Performance Parts, Eagle Star Insurance, Enviroplas, Sutton Rally Spares and Services, Nottingham Radio Communication services, Rallyepix, Nottingham Mencap.
Day 1: Sunday Stages 1-7
Prior to Scrutineering we arrived with Van 1 with Piglet, Big Steve and Don at our self catering Farmhouse. Those famous chefs, the Roux brothers (Otherwise known as my father- John and "Scottish" Brian) were already in residence and cooking anything that didn't move. We then made the short trip into Chester for Scrutineering, which comprised of having all of our numbers, compulsory adverts and scrutineering seals applied. After sorting everything at Scrutineering, signing-on and visiting Rally HQ we returned to the ranch to be fed and watered.
Now - at this point we realised that my father and Brian must be on a mission for another team. I think the idea was to weigh us down with as much dinner as possible, thereby decreasing the power to weight ratio. Eddie had to stand in the corner after giving away several jacket potatoes when he thought the chefs weren't looking. Wayne "Skoda mechanic" Pilmore and Mark "Painter & Decorator" Allen arrived around this time in Van 2.
On the Sunday, we had a start time of around Midday. Prior to the off, everybody who was anybody were telling us to take it steady and to make it to the overnight halt in Leeds. This was the general idea as I was hoping to have a steady run and make the finish in four days time back in Chester. (You will note that I didn't say "trouble free" as even one of lifes eternal optimists, such as myself, realises that this term is very rarely associated with the RAC Rally.)
The start at Chester Racecourse was fairly downbeat with most of the spectators having gone; A) on to the stages; B) Home; C) the Pub or D) None of the above.
One nice steady road section later and we were getting nearer to home with the first stage at Tatton Park near Knutsford. This was the only Sunday stage that we hadn't recce'd so we'd see just how good these supplied pace notes were. I could honestly say that the notes weren't too bad. A little unusual at first due to them being based on a completely opposite numbering system to the one we used in Czech. That meant number 1 was now a 90 degree corner rather than a virtual straight. There were still a lot of spectators about, although I'm sure that most had already gone to A, B, C or D!
Have you heard about the rough car breaking roads of "Killer Kielder?" Yes?; well, there are a couple of narrow tracks near the end of this stage which would have borne comparison, as we buckled a front wheel here. This was just due to the ruts, as I didn't hit anything - Honest!. So as the tyre stayed up, we carried onto the edge of the stage with a truly impressive banging noise emanating from the nearside front corner. I remember thinking "This is not a good start." Just as we pull up to change the wheel after the stage, we see fellow Skoda competitor, car 165, Peter Goodwin- doing the same. Wonder if we hit the same rut?. Now for people who've only only been to Single Venues, or anyone else for that matter, You'd be quite impressed at the size of the congregation that can be drawn by two blokes swearing & struggling to change a wheel on a Skoda. So with that out of the way, I then remembered thinking that we were getting our trouble out of the way early on.
Not a chance!.
As we waited to pull out of Tatton Park onto the main road I realised that the brake pedal was not as it should be and that I had to pump it to get a firm pedal. RAC Rally - first stage - Not Good!
While speaking to Wayne and Mark on the radio we learned that there were judges of fact everywhere and had to find a place off rally route that was nice and discrete. We then swapped the damaged spare wheel for a straight one.
Stage 2, Chatsworth, was seriously good fun. I marshalled this stage back in '88 & I really enjoyed the two watersplashes and two jumps. Luckily, just as we finished the stage I noticed that the brakes were now very soft & well on their way out. There was service at Chesterfield before the next stage. By the time we had reached the service area the brakes had gone completely. It was now obvious that we had a major brake fluid leak. We couldn't find where the fluid was leaking from, but Steve bled the system and the pedal was restored.
Onto Stage 3, Clumber Park and we're definitely getting nearer home now. As this was our local stage and due to the fact that we knew all the Carlton Marshals were on duty here, Eddie and I decided that we'd be prepared to do lots of waving and horn testing. This plan was going well as we acknowledged all the groups of Speccies and Marshalls who were waving at us. That is until we saw a solitary figure wearing a big cheesy grin and giving us a silly wave, standing on a flat piece of grass very close to the edge of the road. I thought "I know that's Andy Jones, 'cos the ties on his tabard won't reach all the way around him" and secondly it registered that such a marvellous opportunity on a World Championship rally would never present itself again.
That is to scare the S**t out of AJ.
So, with planting both offside wheels onto the grass verge, aiming my corner of the car with the intention of getting pretty close to him. As we got nearer, I realised that the big guy was standing in front of the edge of a raised roadway which would not have been a good idea to hit. I turned away at the last second. We continued through the stage veering (or was that leering) towards anyone who who looked that they might vaguely know us, enjoying the tranquil surroundings of Clumber Park.
At the finish, I was getting ready for a big telling off from Eddie (the small serious one). I thought , "Here we are on a World Championship Rally, and here I am driving like a complete idiot." As I began some sort of false, un-heartfelt apology, Eddie interrupts with, "Don't worry, You don't know when you'll get another chance!."
So good on yer, Eddie, after all this time, my subversive influence is beginning to take effect.
As we trundled towards Donington Park for Stages 4 & 5 the elation at seeing and nearly running over all of our mates in Clumber wore off when I realised that the brakes were starting to go off again. A few swift mobile phone calls later booked a brake master cylinder change at the Donington service. The only problem was that we had to do the 2 Stages first. Oops.
We arrived at Donington Park a little late due to heavy traffic around the circuit. Piglet had to drag a long line of barriers out of the way so that we could jump a queue of some 20 cars to get to the start control. I'll spare you the gory details of driving round Donington park in darkness, but we did meet more Carlton Marshals at the start. Eddie was, by now, getting well fed up with me shaking a collecting tin at anyone within range and we had to drive quick and spectacular, yet still in control, as the directors of Rainworth Motors were in a hospitality suite somewhere around the circuit.
Somehow, the brakes survived until we made service and the boys set to changing the master cylinder and bleeding the system through again, getting us out again within the 20 minutes allowed.
The master cylinder change had not solved our problems and by the time we reached the end of Stage 6, Rother Valley Park I was having to rely on the handbrake to get us out of a couple of sticky moments. As Mark & Wayne had already exhausted their own EEC brake fluid lake, there was no option but to try and make it through the last stage of the day with what brakes we'd got and hope that the problem could be permanently rectified at the major service in Leeds.
By the time we had reached the Temple Newton stage (SS7) the brakes had gone again, luckily the stage was only 2½ mile long. Needless to say, the gearbox and handbrake took some stick as I relied on them to slow us down now and then. We were pleased to limp out of the stage losing only around 30 seconds to the other Favorits and made it to the big 45 minute service in Leeds.
Here, Big Steve found that neatly hidden under the spare wheel was the spare wheel well. No surprise there - except that should spare tyres be stored in brake fluid? No, I don't think so. Lo!, the leak had been found, and there was much rejoicing and cutting and flaring of brake pipes and 20 minutes later the solid pipe that runs through the floor to the aeroquip hose supplying the rear axle had been fixed. At last! Anchors!. After tyres, fuel and everything else was sorted, we headed for the overnight parc ferme in Leeds.
We picked up some results and retired to a B&B for the night, We were pleased to find we were lying 7th out of 14 in our class, and this was despite our dodgy brakes. There were also a hell of a lot of cars still behind us. Eddie and I wisely retired to bed around Midnight, safe in the knowledge that we would arise a little easier at 5.00am than those that we had left in the bar.