My co-driver John Bond and myself contested against all the odds on the Swansea Bay Rally this weekend - a forest event based in South Wales. Following the dramatic early finish at the McRae stages three weeks ago, where the car suffered irreparable damage, we achieved the near impossible and succeeded in our most challenging feat yet - building a rally car from the bare shell in the space of just two and a half weeks!! With the additional help of a couple of friends, we sacrificed all our spare time working past midnight for two weeks then well into the early hours for the last three nights leading up-to this event. Our determination was rewarded when we managed to complete the car with only hours to spare meaning we could participate in the 4th Round of the championship.
We were not in for an easy ride though and further tests of our determination were ahead of us. Having got through scrutineering, the car suffered a fuel leak on the way to sign on. One of the hoses split at the connection to the fuel pump and we once again burned the midnight oil having to repair it before the next morning’s event.
Having woken up on the positive side of bed, we felt that our bad luck during the hectic build-up to the event was finally behind us. We were confident that we would be able to chalk up some good times on the result board. The car was responding well, flowing nicely through the 1st stage and John was taking well to his first time at using pace notes. Then, ten miles into the stage the unthinkable happened – another fuel pipe burst in a different location to the first. With the imminent loss of fuel pressure to the engine the car came to a grinding halt. We frantically fixed the leak mid stage but by now we had lost a lot of fuel not to mention time. Moving on to try and complete the stage, we quickly lost power again on the apex of a tight bend of an uphill stretch of the track – the fuel gauge on zero. We were distraught at our early retirement – once again denied the chance to complete the stages…
It’s times like these, when you have poured all your efforts towards achieving your dreams that the sport of rallying really takes it toll.  After all the battles we have faced it would be easy to get depressed and give up but we are keeping positive that we will succeed and are now working through a snagging list to ensure that the car is on top form to last the distance for round five of the challenge, when we look forward to competing in Wales once again – this time at Sweet Lamb Stages in the Hafran Forest, Mid Wales. I am also looking forward to taking part in the filming of a television programme called “Inside Rallying” at the Bill Gwynne Rally School on Friday 15th August, whilst picking up some helpful tuition from the professionals. The programme will be broadcast on Granada’s Men & Motors channel broadcast on Satellite and Digital TV in the autumn.

Stefan Davis
 

<= From this to this in 2½ weeks =>