Since the Challenge, the race car has resided at Carwise, where Rick has been rebuilding the damaged right wing. After a lot of welding and reinforcement, the battery is now supported from the chassis rail on a resilient mount, so that the cantilever load on the inner wing is removed. This should prevent any recurrence of bodywork failure in this area. The mudflaps have been replaced with lighter, more flexible material which should be less susceptible to damage, and an improved mounting for the Maxtrax has been installed. Finally, the spare wheel mounts have been modified to allow easier access for the wider 285 section tyres.
We had expected to compete in the final round of the local UAE 4x4 rally series in Ras Al Khaimah in November, but the event was postponed at the last minute. A subsequent meeting at ATC (apex motorsport body and FIA delegate) with EMSF (local rally organiser) revealed that EMSF was in financial difficulties. Mohd Bin Sulayem now has the unenviable task in the present economic climate of asking the Dubai government for extra cash to fund the organisation. A more cost-effective format for rallies was proposed by John Spiller, which met with general approval, and the drivers lobbied for a calendar of 6 local events instead of the current 3. Adding to this the UAEDC and the Saudi Hail Baja, we would potentially have one event per month through the winter season, providing far greater exposure for the sponsors on whom the sport largely depends. The future of saloon car rallies, however, is in the balance – poor attendance has made them unviable, and none of the saloon car drivers attended the meeting. So far nothing further has been announced and the entire local rally scene remains in limbo.
The 3rd edition of the Hail Baja has now been announced, and will run from 26th-29th January 2009. Last year the event became part of the FIA International Cross Country Baja Championship, but we were informed that no women would be allowed to compete – in contravention of stated FIA policy. Since we weren’t ready anyway, the issue was moot, but this year we have decided to enter and see what happens. Good news was provided indirectly by Derek Ledger, the FIA regional representative for the Middle East, who advised that a female co-driver would be accepted as long as they didn’t drive on the public roads. So hopefully, we’ll be competing in this event, which comprises a short prologue and two legs of 200 and 265km – rather like a mini-UAEDC. Many potential competitors will be otherwise engaged on the Dakar, and other local entrants have decided they can’t spare the time and/or the cash to do it. Our friends Team Saluki (Mark Powell) and Spirit of the Desert (Fadi Melki) are planning to compete, and we’ll maybe share transport costs.
Hail is a provincial centre some 700km north of Riyadh, and almost 1800km from Dubai. Mainly agricultural, the Baja is clearly a major event there and last year’s were given a very warm welcome, with huge crowds turning out to support the rally. A female co-driver will definitely be a first, in this deeply conservative heartland of a traditional Islamic kingdom.
So who was Gertrude Bell? She was a Victorian lady, brought up to a life of privilege as the daughter of a steel magnate. Intelligent and rebellious, she spent much of her life exploring the then Ottoman Empire, the Levant and the Arabian peninsula, and became deeply involved in the complex politics of the region, along with her contemporary, T.E. Lawrence. She was almost certainly the first western woman to visit the location of our next rally – Hail.
These are the voyages of the starship 'Newtrix'. Its multi-year mission: to compete in any rally within striking distance of Dubai, and to acquire shiny trophies. To boldly go wherever this quest may take us, as long as we can be home in time for tea.
