I was just leaving for the USA on Saturday when I got a phone call to say "if we provide the flights will you come rally next Sunday!" A bit short notice but after some explaining to the family it seems I'm off back to CR on Friday. The Mini is not exactly ready but I'll sort that on Saturday as the rally, well not quite a rally but more a rally X with dividers is on Sunday! LOL Anyways I have a championship to win so I'll take what I can get. The 5:1 super short final drive should help. Pretty much all the info is on these 2 sites which when viewed on Chrome get translated to English. Super Especial Centro de Eventos Pedregal - Puro Motor www.mundomotorizado.com
After the first round of the championship we wanted to continue the winning streak! Rally 2 was when I was in the US so just as I was leaving CR I got a phone call to say if the air tickets were provided would I compete on the rally? After some rapid emails and phone calls and I was on my way back to CR the following Friday. Rally 2 was going to be a 2 mile super special for the fans as finding private roads to rally is not easy in CR. I got in mid-day on Friday so I was able to work on the car doing a final check and changing the oil. Saturday was a walk around recce but I took my bicycle to get a feel for the route. The bicycle was very good to find bumps etc you can’t find walking. The route was not as we all thought, a mixture of grass, mud, loose tarmac and a cross over bridge. We did the notes then I went home to ready the Mini with the rally tyres and some screws to hold the rear bumper trim on. Sunday we got there around 6am and set up the service area with help from G-Oil . The following hours were a little confusing regarding timing as we were not sure what the hell was happening. The all of a sudden we got the word to go out and practice! I had not got the HANS/Helmet on so in a rush I put the helmet on and we did a quick practice lap which revealed some nasty bumps that bent the front bumper. ouch Heat 1: we were out with a new Toyota GT86 which would be interesting. The start was on grass so a steady off the line was the order of the day, once the Mini was rolling I selected 2nd and took the tight right bend into a short straight to the water splash which by now was a mud bath! Exiting the mud bath I went for 2nd gear which I could not select, after a few attempts I opted for 3rd as I went over the bridge. The rest of the stage I did in 3rd and 4th until 2nd decided to come back. It was a nice feeling to have creamed the N3 GT86 . Now we were in first place N2. We got 15minute service then were out again for heat 2 with the GT86. This time I was off the line like a scolded cat! The Mini felt great with the short ratio gearbox, the GT86 was history as we blasted down the tarmac section taking the bends in a nice sideways fashion. Yes I was having a blast finding the gears by shifting slower! We came around again to the mud bath I selected second then there was an almighty bang! The front wheels locked up and I lost drive to the wheels. I dipped the clutch and coasted out the mud bath. The Mini rolled to a stop then I found 1st and limped along with the nastiest noises coming out the box. I knew in my heart this was game over as I could smell the gearbox oil. Luckily I could reach the service area as the crowds cheered and clapped as we drove by. Back at service some other teams mechanic’s tried to help but I knew the box was toast. Taking a look underneath revealed a big hole in the casing which is not good. Now I was in manager mode! I saw a flatbed truck in the car park area so I got my co-diver to call the number on the door. $100 and 45minutes later the Mini was back home. Yes we could have stayed to watch the rally and meet the fans but seeing I was leaving the next day I need the strip the box, make a parts list and order everything as the parts come from England courtesy of Gripper and Mini gearboxes UK. It took about 4 hours to drop the box and strip it down. The damage was not the box but the LSD crown wheel had sheered the teeth! Why? I have no idea all looked good in the box , no bolts loose or stuff like that. The failure was a total mystery and big disappointment as we were winning and were going to win. I can’t believe the previous rally we did 12 tough stages with no issues, and then here we are on a 2 mile stage with a blown box! I do see the positive side to this, if we had missed this rally we would have broken on the next rally which is 4 hours away! Also that would mean 2 events with no points. Things happen for a reason. Monday I return back to the US and franticly called Gripper and Mini Gearboxes UK to have the parts here before I leave on Sunday for CR. The next rally is the end of August so I will have time to rebuild the box. A big thanks to family, friends ,Mo Joe’s, EBC Brakes, G-Oil, Muflas Sicar and huge thanks to Gripper and Mini Gearboxes for the quick turnaround of the parts. We will return to flight for the Championship!
Wow that's some ugly dental work in the gearbox. Hope you get it up & running so you can continue the charge for the championship. Press on regardless.
WOW those gears do look like a hockey players teeth. Best of luck getting everything ready to go for the next race.
All the stuff came in today! I leave on Sunday so I have 3 weeks to get the box ready. I figure by the following weekend the box will be back in. Unless I find something else broken.
WTF! How flattering, I might have to take the Mini for a full inspection due to a competitor heard I had a turbo fitted! I'm laughing my socks off. Winning has its downsides
Last lap & last stage is the one through tech inspection. I really dislike folks who protest those who beat them fair & square. :incazzato: You should have a good laugh at inspection looking for that turbo.