Smee returns to the drivers seat at Kuitpo

The 2010 SARC / Clubman Kuitpo rally was run on the weekend 28th November. This had been postponed since September due to too much rain. Obviously someone thought the forest needed more and it rained just before the event

This was my first serious run since I hit a tree in NatCap in 2006. Yes it has been that long. As I had not been in the seat for a proper rally in a while, I thought it prudent I just do the lower spec event of 100k to get my so called groove back. Also being in SA, all of their events are pace noted. My only other pace noted event had been Rally of Canberra in 06 also. Not a good thing I thought. I was also running with a rather novice co-driver. Damo was keen, but had not been in an event at real speed. (not that I would give him that experience)

As they do things differently here in SA, and as I was only doing the clubman section, they thought it fitting I start at the back of the field. Yes, at any other event I would have been seeded where they thought you should be, and any car behind me would have been moved up at the end of the Clubman section. But no, not here

We did our pace notes on the Saturday. Note, a V8 ute with a shed load of power, tradesman tyres and slippery wet tracks do not instil confidence. There were a number of corners called slippy, extreme slippy and just damn right dangerous. The forests were a mixture of Kowen, old Greenhills (with trees) and Lowden

Sunday arrived and I was a nervous as hell. Driving out there did not help either. On setting up service it was found the exhaust on the ute had melted the rear bumper and almost set fire to everything. The time waiting for the start was spent removing the bumper, so it would not get any worse on the drive home

SS1 (Christmas Hill) start approached and we drove through the service park. If service represented the roads in stage, then I could see us sliding off road and doing one of the slowest times. Maybe even being beaten by the Excel. We rocked up to the start and 0B was between us and the main field. Start control were frantically trying to stop them from entering the stage when we rocked up, as they thought they had forgotten us. We reassured them this was not so. A 4 minute gap was given to us

5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Go, and we were away. L4 down over crest into a R6 uphill. This stage we had noted as slippy. Extreme in some cases. We tip Toed our way through. We braked early to make sure we would not slide wide, and were at the mercy of the slop in some places. There was a R3 over dam in this stage. I noted it as a Double Caution, as I could see it chopping up. And yes it was a mess when we got there. The rear of the car slipped off the side of the road and I could see us ending our event here. We managed to claw our way out at low speed and then head on up the hill. A slide on a right hander where we went way wide and I thought to myself. Yeah good start Smee. You will be lucky to beat the Excel. Well I’ll be. We were 4th outright. No dam problems and no spin would have seen us claw back the 8 seconds we lost and come close to 1st. Not bad for the underpowered Familia. The other problem we caused, was we almost caught the 0B. They caught a glimpse of us in their mirror on a straight and asked for 6 minutes gap on the next stage…..

SS2. (Bells Gully) Again a slippery one. Similar conditions to SS1, but a nice flowing section on some WA gravel and we were having fun. Just need to get my groove back. Some wide wide slides and then the event that I thought would put us out. I slowed for a sloppy R3, grabbed a bit of hand brake to slide the rear out, but nope, none of that. The car made a B line for tree B1 and bang. Ouch. I awaited the steam. None, good. Hit reverse, Start car, reverse, find first and move off. I am not going to like the look of it when I get to service. I also thought the clutch was playing up. Just did not want to release on some occasions. 6th outright on this stage.

SS3. (Knott Hill) this was like Kowen. Some rough long straights and then into some junior pines. One very long straight, but looked like it would be a good stage

I hit 5th gear in this stage. First time ever. Only problem with this, is that the wheel base on the Familia is very short and narrow. The car does not like to stay in the wheel tracks and bounces around a bit. At about 180-200k it is not a nice feeling. I did not fell confident in this stage. I think I beat Damo to a few corners so was trying to inform him where we were along with getting his notes back on track. The intercom seemed to be getting softer also. I was having to ask for instructions more and more. We were 7th. Not bad for not having driven for a few years. Not many people around to see us. Most people had left before we got there. But thanks to those who did stay
SS4. A super cautious start, with a big Double cautioned jump about 500 metres into the stage. After that it was much like main range. Wide open flowing roads with some L3, R3 into L3 corners. 2 sets of corners were pretty much the same. The high speed nature of the stage had the Mazda struggling for a little bit of speed. The stage was fun to drive with the final right 5 seeing us miss the timing marker by millimetres as we cut the corner.

One thing I have started to notice, is the number of cuts people are using. It may be prudent in future events to ensure these cuts cannot be made as it is creating a wider road in a lot of parts, and this could not bode well with the forestry people. To be classified a finisher, you have to complete 100% of the course and some of those cuts were massive.

SS5. A quick blat through a small plantation. We noted a L3 in here do not overshoot as a double caution stay middle. If you had gone wide, you would have hit a huge water bar. Stay in too close and the same would have happened. An interesting stage. A bit like the back area of Kowen and a bit like Sparrows. We skirted the edge of the forest before we dived into it proper. It was a rocky entry and a little cut up on arrival. I slowed and positioned the car, but it bounced and came to a stop facing the entry. The car would not start. I waited twice for the pump to prime the fuel system before it burst back into life. We lost a good 15 – 20 seconds here. There was a fairly long right downhill into uphill that had two massive rocks embedded into the road. I had noticed them in recce, but thought not much of them. In the heat of the event we hit them with enough force that I thought I had given myself a flat. It felt like a sickening blow, but at the end of stage we slid sideways across the line to finish and pulled to the stop to find no problem. The tyres were running well. I had lashed out before the event and bought some brand new Pirelli KM4’s. First time ever I had bought them new. They were excellent. I say you should at least try and afford a set if you can. The grip and wear they offer is just amazing. A++++ will buy again.

Oh, and I have some brand new 205’s for sale. Just a bit wide for the car, but the 195’s are excellent.

SS6. It was a repeat of SS1. This time through, it had dried out a bit, but the rain started to come down as soon as we entered the stage. The R3 over dam I had noted to be changed to extreme slippy. And it was. Even going through in first the car had a mind of its own. The clutch was starting to play up. At one stage, it would not release, so double clutched a few times to try to free it up. Not sure what is going on with it. Finishing the stage, I think we were 25 seconds faster than the first run through. So, it had dried out a bit and the run was better.

SS7, was a repeat of SS2. This time I would try not to hit the tree. The WA section seemed to be even more slippery. Not sure if it was because we were going faster or what. We approached our favourite B1 tree, and took it a little more cautiously. If Phil had been there first time through, I am sure we would have given him a brown pants moment. I think he was in one of my wheel tracks from the previous encounter.

There was a R3 with a huge puddle in the middle of it. It was worse the second time through, and threw the car to the outside of the corner and a big strainer post. A bit of hand brake, and the car came back to us. On a long straight in here prior to some forestry work, the clutch again started to act up. Just could not get drive to all 4 wheels. I slowed for this section as I felt it a bit slippery. Did not want to end up with a few pine tree off cuts in the back seat.

We approached the final corners of the rally, and the clutch had just about had it. We hit the dip before the left hander and popped out to a spectator spot. I tried to get as much drive as I could out of the car, but no, it wanted nothing of it. As we crossed the finish line, it came back to us. A lot of good it did us. It was good in a way, as it was the end of the clubman section. We were 36 seconds faster on this stage from our previous run, even with our troubles. Probably lost 10 seconds with all the dramas and slips.

We rolled the few hundred metres down the hill to the finish venue and slotted the car into Parc Ferme. It was here were we saw our times for the event. Not a bad attempt after being out of the seat for quite a while.

With a bit more seat time, I might get to be a little more consistent. We will wait and see. Overall, other than hitting the tree, a clutch issue, and now having to cut into the sump guard as a captive nut has decided to become un-captive it was a good event.

Thanks to Damo for his note calling. I do not think he was quite prepared for the speed of the car and the pace we can run at. We worked well together, and we provided good feedback to one another on how we were going and what was going on. Yes he fell off the notes a couple of times, but we have put in place measures so it hopefully won’t occur to often. Just need to add more cumulative distances to our notes. Not that doing 19 kilometres on a 12 kilometre stage is going to help when you get that much wheel spin.

Thanks to the service crew and Fiona for being there. Nice to have a controlling calm over the event. And the feed at the end of the event was great. A nice big schnitzel with a heap of gravy. Excellent.

See you all in the new year and the first round of the SARC.

Smee