|
"At least he’s smiling" A tale of a ZR rally experience.
On Saturday 2nd February the Dukeries rally
club held an early season trackday at Blyton Park, a disused RAF airfield
near Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. I was lucky enough to have been invited
along by Steve and Marie Dobson who were going to be there with their new
toys, a 1600cc Rover 200 (MG ZR replica) and an 1800cc MGBGT, both recently
acquired tarmac spec rally cars. Steve plans to use his ZR on single venue
rallies and Marie intends to compete in hillclimbs and sprints in her GT.
Today though Steve had offered me a ride in his ZR on the concrete airfield
roads making up the days "special stage", obviously I’d leapt at this
chance, owning a ZR myself and besides, any opportunity to go fast and get
the adrenaline pumping is too good to miss in my view.
On arriving at the airfield I gingerly crept along the
crumbling surface through the park, past the rally school towards the cars
parked in the distance, as we neared the makeshift service area I could make
out the familiar nose of a ZR poking out from beneath an awning. From a
distance the car looked like a stickered up road car, not surface skimming
like a circuit racer or jacked up like a forest spec mk2 escort. However
once closer it became obvious that the car was built for a purpose, 17inch
wheels chosen because smaller ones would not cover the enormous front
brakes, the carbonfibre roof scoop feeding two vents into the cabin. The
cabin itself reinforced that this was no road car, stripped as it was of all
comforts, painted black and fitted with a complex and tough looking roll
cage. In place of the standard ZR rear wing there was the same item fitted
to the MG Sport and Racing Super 1600 cars that ran in the junior WRC.
After a few hellos and a brief chat I was taken to sign
on as a passenger, with the paperwork completed I donned my borrowed helmet
and climbed into the car. I was helped to adjust and fasten the five point
harness which securely held me in the seat, itself gripping my hips, torso
and unexpectedly, my shoulders. As the door shut I felt an aura of safety,
created by the seat, harnesses that stout roll cage and my helmet. I felt
calm in this environment, the dashboard was familiar from my own car, heater
controls, gearstick and handbrake all seeming perfectly normal. Suddenly a
sharp "beep" rang out, making me jump. Steve points out the horn button
mounted on the navigator’s foot rest, and assures me that everyone finds
that when they first get in, I think it’s the car warning me not to be so
relaxed from now on.
The next tell-tale that this isn’t like my road car is
when the engine is started, the starter churning over for a long time before
a misfire pops out of the exhaust, then on the next turn of the key the
engine fires into life. The idle is steady but the engine sounds harsh,
chuntering its displeasure that the throttle is not wide open. We set off,
moving towards the entrance to the track, straight cut gearbox wining. Steve
recounts how he clipped a tyre earlier in the day and went onto two wheels.
If this was a ploy to make me more nervous it worked.
I notice that the car’s suspension seems rock hard as we
pass over the ripples in the road surface, I wonder how this will feel at
speed and fear that I’m about to lose my fillings at best and will need a
chiropractor at worst. I’m about to find out though because the marshal has
waved us out onto the track after a Peugeot 205GTi has passed. I feel Steve
press the throttle, or rather I hear the engine roar and feel the push in
the back as we accelerate onto the track and towards the first corner, a 90
degree left hander.
As we approach I see the tyre just to the inside of the
apex and the large concrete kerb marking the apex, I brace my self for the
shock as we bounce over it but it doesn’t arrive, the suspension soaking it
up as if it isn’t there. We are now on the fastest part of the track and the
throttle pedal is pushed right to the floor, we take third gear and keep
piling on the speed, the engine does not seem to notice the gearchange as we
accelerate at an unabated rate. I can see that the next corner is a
right/left chicane marked by tyres and we are approaching it fast, just as I
am expecting us to slow Steve takes fourth gear, seemingly proving that
although I can see the chicane he can’t. Perhaps this is why pace notes are
used? What seems like far too late the brakes go on and we slow, a bit,
change down and jink through the chicane without any fuss, proving that
Steve did know it was there after all. We were now heading towards a hairpin
right, changing back down to second gear before turning in, this corner
tightens in the second part and we exit more than 180 degrees round from
where we entered, jinking left before heading parallel to the main straight
towards another chicane, braking hard and flicking left/right this time.
Just after this Steve lifts and turns through a 90degree right hander,
getting the power on early for the following straight. Another 90 degree
right takes us past the entrance to the track and completes the lap. Another
two laps pass, each slightly faster than the one that preceded it before we
are waved in by the marshal. Steve explains that the club’s van goes out
frequently to check the track and put all the tyres marking the circuit back
where they belong. We trundle back towards the awning and park up, as soon
as we have stopped Steve changes his mind and decides we should queue up and
go out in the next session.
As we wait I tell Steve how surprised I was about the
ride of the car over bumps and broken surfaces being very good, contrary to
my initial impression. Steve explains that the wheels remaining in contact
with the road at all times help the car to grip so strongly. He also
explains that the reason that this car is so good over bumps is the high
quality Ohlins dampers fitted front and rear, and that the previous owner of
the car had recently paid £1500 to have these dampers rebuilt. He also added
that he dreads to think what the replacement cost would be…
Our second session starts off fast, the tyres and brakes
are still warm from the earlier laps, but when we turn right to start our
second lap the push in the back is more insistent, and the cornering forces
stronger as we take the first left hander without reducing speed at all, I
brace myself once more for the shock as we drive over the concrete kerb but
again it never comes, only a small correction at the steering wheel needed
to counter it’s effect as we pass over it. We are really accelerating now,
Steve takes third gear then fourth at 6000rpm on the straight before braking
even later into the first chicane, a quick right left through and we are
accelerating again in third towards the hairpin. Slowing and taking second
gear before turning in with increased alacrity reveals that when the
semi-slick Pirelli competition tyres are up to temperature the whole balance
of the car is different, the understeer of previous laps at this point turns
to oversteer as the throttle is re-applied and the front wheels drag us
around the second half of the corner. The increased grip allows us to reach
even higher speed towards the second chicane, Steve hits the brakes harder
this time, as they too are up to working temperature, and I can feel myself
being thrown forwards in my seat and the harnesses pulling back at my
shoulders. I can also feel the rear of the car slide to the right, far from
being a problem this is encouraged on a rally as it has helped us to turn
into the first part of the left/right chicane. On exiting we now approach
the next 90 degree right which is taken smoothly and very quickly, no
sliding for this one, and accelerating hard from the apex down the following
short straight. More hard braking and another 90 degree right at the end of
the lap, the rear slides again and allows Steve to exit the corner tighter
than the previous one to give a faster entry into the first left hander with
its concrete kerb. Another fast lap follows before we catch up with the
205GTi from earlier, though it doesn’t matter as the session is now over,
the club’s Transit seeing more action.
As we trundle back towards the parking area I express my
amazement at the brakes and Steve confesses that he is only just getting
used to how late and hard he can brake in this car. We park up and Steve
stops the engine, I twist the buckle to release the harness and open the
door. I pause briefly and look at the roll cage cross bracing next to my
seat, "feet first" Steve helpfully suggests. I clamber out and walk around
the front of the car, removing my helmet as I go. I stop and run my hands
through my hair, still in awe of what I have just experienced. "At least
he’s smiling" somebody remarks.
Many thanks to Steve and Marie Dobson for giving me this
opportunity, and good luck to both of you with the events you enter this
year.
Review by
Tom Norcliffe
|
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)