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Ford Escort MK 11 1400cc

Driver Malcolm Hague

Co Driver’s Dave Read

Car 201

We consider this to be our Home event and I just love the stages in Claocaenog and Penmachno. So to be the first competitive car on the rally was an honour, to win the 1400’s would be fantastic! We have had 3 second places in the past so it was all to play for.

Stage 1 Clocaenog East

We were 1st away and I was really looking forward to waking the marshals up, this wasn’t my favourite stage in cloggy but a great place to start. We left the start line not really knowing what the surface was like, with snow all over the place, we decided to take it steady, our problems started early as the screen on Dave’s side misted up, he couldn’t see to read the road! I was ok on right handers but was struggling to see through the corners on lefts. Then about half way through the stage the ignition light came on! I thought we were going to have a recurrence of the Roger Albert again so switched the screen off and anything else that would drain the Battery. We got to the end of the stage safely and sure enough the fan belt (Which was newly fitted for the event!) had gone.

Management Service

The top alternator bracket was broken. Ian and Bob fitted a new fan belt at management service but we only had 3 minutes to fix it, and to try and get us through to main service after clog main. As a result we dropped 3 minutes of road time. But we had a new belt on so fingers crossed we could get through to main service.

Stage 2 Clocaenog Main

We rushed into the control fighting with the belts and trying to get our helmets on and pushed to the front to get back to our position of first on the road and made it due to the stage not being quite ready thus giving us time to compose ourselves for what is my most favourite stage of the day! Every time I go through clog main I get to a place where I think I know and then it goes a different way and leaves me thinking I am going mad, so I decided from the start to listen to Dave, we still had the issue of the screen steaming up but would have to put up with it, we had a great run through and even thought the fan belt had come off with about 4 miles to go I really enjoyed myself, we had no drama’s or off’s, the car was crisp and handling well so we got to the end and now had a 30 second lead in the 1400’s

Service 1

We had 30 minutes in service, plenty of time to fix the Alternator bracket! Well actually we had to look at a heavy landing we had on the N/S rear then fit new rear tyres, fix the heated front screen, make a new alternator bracket, put fuel in, check all levels, plus front suspension amongst other things. So with all that done we set off for Penmachno!

Stage 3 Penmachno North.

This stage was run by Warrington Motor Club so I needed to put on a good show for all my Friends! We were fastest 1400 by 7 seconds and apart from cocking up the quarry (Duh!) we had a pretty good run through, I loved every minute of it! The screen was still misting, Oh and the belt came off again ? I was starting to get used to it, the alternator was now sat on an angle and therefore the belt had no chance of staying on once we hit 9000 revs but as long as we put a new one one at the end of every stage we should be able to get to the finish! I hoped!

Stages 4 Penmachno South.

We started this stage now in the Zone I felt as though I was driving as well as I could and relaxed knowing that we had a 37 second lead, hit something very hard on landing, it was on the left rear and the car felt a little unstable after that but it was confirmed at the start of stage 5 when Jamie Burton informed us that the car was crabbing badly. But we were still 15 seconds quicker than Jamie on that stage the lead now up to 52 seconds

Service 2

We had another go at the alternator bracket and looked at the rear suspension put fuel in had a bacon butty and off to Cloggy again.

Stage 5 Clocaenog East 2

This was the same stage as in the morning and I thought with no snow that we didn’t have to take it easy but it didn’t quite work out that way and we had a poor run, not that we did anything wrong, we were just slow. And Jamie took a couple of seconds back off us, in saying that he must have driven well on that stage so we could not afford complacency!

Stage 6 Clocaenog Main 2

The last stage and we were ready, the belt had stayed on and the screen was now working fine so we had no excuses! We had a small moment on this stage at the place where Jamie went off this morning and the pictures show us with a wheel in the air but the in car footage shows no drama’s inside the car!! That really was the most scary it got! And with another 7 seconds off Jamie we won the event (1400’s ) by 57 seconds and it felt Fantastic! I have veen trying to win that for some years and had finally done it!

Thanks to

Dave

Ian

Bob

Cox'y

Silverstone Tyres

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