UAE Rally Championship R2

After a few dramas in the build-up to this event, I’m happy to report that The Beast acquitted itself well in the second round of the Emirates Motorsport Club’s UAE Rally Championship.

Since the rebuild, we’ve been promising to get the Beast back to Mebar for Rashad to work his magic on the suspension.  Having shed some 250kg, mainly from the back end, the settings were now far too hard.  Rashad changed to softer springs and tweaked the dampers to give a much better ride.  However, in the process the front diff started to disintegrate – the end result of the front axle tube being bent long ago.  So on Thursday night, they worked till gone midnight to cannibalise parts from an existing axle they had, to get the Beast back on its feet.  That is customer service!

Friday morning we were out with the latest conscript to Newtrix Racing, Tom Bell, to recce the gravel stages out near Shawka, where two stages were run either side of the Kalba Road.

Saturday morning, the three of us headed out to Sharjah Corniche for the ceremonial start, from which Tom took the trailer to the service park at Shawka.  At the invitation of Sk Abdullah Al Qassimi, Mohd Ben Sulayem took to the wheel of his 20-year old Ford Escort with Ronan Morgan as co-driver.  Neither had competed for over 13 years, but despite a few problems with the car, they came in a close 2^nd to Abdullah, and actually beat him on 4 of the 6 stages!

So while they were battling it out at the top of the field with two Omani Subarus, the T1 4x4s occupied the next five places, from 5^th to 9^th.  Our time for the first (fast) stage came down progressively from 8:09 to 8:00 over the three repeats, and on the 2^nd (more technical) stage from 9:43 to 9:27, before making two errors on the final stage to end up at 9:38.

In T1, we were beaten into 3^rd place by both Ibrahim Al Mohana and Ali Al Ketbi.  However, we were happy to be ahead of Ali Al Shawi (4^th) and Nooh Buhumaid (5^th), both of whom beat us in the previous round.  Overall this leaves us still 3^rd in the T1 championship after two rounds.  

There is a persistent backfire on the over-run which we need to investigate, and the axle needs to be replaced to avoid further problems.  I’d also like to upgrade the intake system to incorporate a superior restrictor design which I now have, so we’ll see if Mebar can fit this in before the DC – which is now only 26 days away!

Once again, many thanks to Tim Ansell for some excellent pix of the event, and to Tom for all his help - and a short video of us in action!

 

Emirates Desert Championship R5

Another evening in the garage, and we now have a pair of very funky adjustable rubber buffers, attached to the turret brace, which stop the bonnet flapping around.   And the Heath-Robinson blower bracket has been replaced with a proper aluminium plate.
So Friday morning we're up at Lusaili - the scene of our previous debacle in R3 - for another round of the EDC.  The steering seems to have a lot of backlash, and the fluid level is a bit low so I top that up.  But as I'm waiting on the grid, I realize that the backlash isn't in the hydraulics - it's because the 6 countersunk bolts that hold the steering wheel onto the column are all loose!  Aaaargh, one minute to start time, no chance to get the tools out, so I use my allen-headed index finger to tighten them as much as I can and hope that's enough.  (One more thing to add to the pre-flight check list!)
And we're off, second car out, 30 seconds behind Emil in his Y62 Patrol - which I catch and pass within the first three minutes.  It pays to be cautious on the first lap and I take no chances - although bizarrely enough this turns out to be my fastest lap.
Soon after starting lap 2 I pass Mark's Predator, a sorry sight parked beside the track and lacking its full quota of wheels.  The following lap I pass Emil, not far away from Mark, and also one wheel short of a full set.  What are they doing?
Eventually I manage to pass a vehicle that's actually moving, which is always more fun.  It's Graeme Rose in his Polaris, and I do the business on the approach to the pit straight for maximum effect.  Of course, by now the fastest Polaris guys are lapping me, and Vadym Prytuliak in his very quick Pathfinder finally gets past me as well.
Two hours in medium sized dunes has taken a disproportionate toll on the autos - 15 started, only 8 finished.  The top three places go to the National-class Polaris buggies as usual, Vadym is 4th, and I'm 5th - and 2nd in T1 class.  But since Vadym holds a Ukrainian rally licence his points don't count towards the Championship, so I'm still leading T1 with one race to go.
The best news is that I have no issues with the gear-change.  Last time out we were doing three 17-20km stages with road liaisons between, and by the third stage it was getting cranky.  Today I've done six 17km laps on the trot, two hours of continual 2nd/3rd gear work, and no problems. So maybe the DOT5.1 fluid has worked its magic.  The engine was pulling really well, water temp settled at 100c and oil at 120c, which is OK.  There's no water-wetter in the rad yet, and that will pull down the temp another 10 degrees or so.
Next job is to get the suspension re-tuned to take account of the lighter back-end.  It's a bit too bouncy at present, and maybe needs lighter springs.  Then I need to decide how we're going to incorporate my new improved 36mm restrictor into the intake system.
We have two more events before the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge - EMC R2 in two weeks time, and EDC R6 the week after.  The DC is only 40 days away!

Working on it

Spent most of the weekend working on the Beast.  There were various bijou jobettes that needed sorting.

(1) The Peltor intercom seemed only to work with a 9v battery, and not with the 12v battery eliminator PCB.  It seems to need a spacer to ensure good PCB contact with the terminals, and a piece of slit rubber tube on the opposite end of the PCB worked wonders.  Result!

(2) Then on to the Monit tripmeters - power was there, but no signal.  Further investigation showed that both tripmeters had been wired up differently - but both of them were all kinds of wrong!  After disconnecting the speed sensors I could see the correct wiring colour code and supply voltage, and after re-wiring the Monits they now both work perfectly.  Result #2!  Not rocket surgery, but seemingly beyond the wit of my garage's electrician :-(

(3) While the dashboard panel was off, I took the opportunity to shift the ERTF GPS bracket 15mm to the left, so that the side terminals wouldn't interfere with the Monit once the GPS is installed for the DC.

(4) We'd installed a big 4" blower to provide some airflow in the cab, especially when the Beast is stationary.  But it was blowing in the wrong direction, so I bodged up a couple of brackets to re-position it, aiming upwards at 45 degrees from under the dashboard.  Then I made a plastic flow-divider from an ice-cream tub lid (very Blue Peter!) to aim the air at our faces.  It's a bit Heath-Robinson at the moment, but it works, and I'll do a more professional job once I've bought some parts.

(5) Is the gearbox crankiness due to the clutch fluid overheating?  Well, the slave cylinder is very close to the exhaust, and probably only DOT4 fluid was used in the system.  So maybe, although if the fluid was boiling I'd expect to lose pressure in the clutch, which didn't happen.  But the fluid was filthy, with lots of blackish particles (definitely not sand, more like carbon).  So I've bled all the old fluid out and replaced it with high-temperature DOT5.1, so let's see if that helps at all.

(6) Then Sheila wanted her footrest moved back an inch, and her wish is my command!

(7) I now have a Cunning Plan to install a couple of rubber buffers onto the top of the turret brace, to minimize the flapping-around of the fiberglass bonnet.

All in all quite a satisfying weekend.  Next weekend we have the 5th round of the EMSF Desert Championship to look forward to, so watch this space.

Long Catch-up Post

EMSF Desert Championship R3 and R4

Well, I had intended to write about my participation in R3 but it was far too depressing.  Basically, I did a couple of laps and then blew the engine – again.

So after drowning my sorrows I had the engine pulled out and gave it back to Fadi to perform the post mortem.  And the coroner’s verdict was that – although overall it was running rich – it was running very lean on the two rear cylinders (probably part-blocked injectors), causing them to run sufficiently hot that a con rod snapped, which then took out the block.  So we needed a very expensive engine rebuild and a new block.

Dusty Start to R4

So while all this was going on we didn’t have a vehicle in which to compete in R4, so that was a shame.  But I took some photos anyway.

301 gets Big Air

By now, another event was looming large on the horizon – the first event of the Emirates Motor Club 2015 rally season.  This is billed as a ‘24-hour race’, which is a bit of a stretch – what it actually means is that there are stages extending over two days, with night stages on Friday evening (30^th) followed by further stages on the Saturday (31^st)

Emirates Motorsport Club R1 – ‘Desert Challenge’ – The Prequel

On Thursday (22^nd) Fadi completed the engine rebuild.

On Saturday (24^th) a recovery truck took the Beast, while I collected an engine and a pallet load of engine anciliaries and in the Mitsubishi pickup, and we all met up at Saluki workshop where Leric nailed it all back together.  Unfortunately he then discovered that where the dipstick should be mounted, the engine block had a core plug….

On Monday (26^th) I trailered it back to Fadi’s workshop for them to drop the sump, pull the plug, fit the dipstick, and run the engine to check the mixture – which is excessively rich.  So we’ll need to get it dyno’d before scrutineering on Thursday…

Tuesday (27^th) was a bit of a headless-chicken day. Drive the Beast round the corner from Al Numairy to Saluki (strictly illegal, but what to do?) so they can (a) fit the roof bar and lights which we’re going to need, (b) sort out the trip-meters which aren’t working, and (c) sort out the oil pressure gauge which is also not working.  Turns out that the gauge needs a new adaptor for the hydraulic feed, but this is apparently such an unusual size that Gates Hydraulics can’t supply one till tomorrow.  Then we have to find a dyno, how hard can that be?  The usual one is operated by Sam at 1000 Dunes, which I discover he’s just quit from.  Bugger.  Second choice is a recommendation from Rashad for a guy at D.I.P. , but he’s fully booked till Sunday.  Bugger.  Finally I drive round to Sub-Zero in Al Quoz, where I meet a very helpful South African called Dino, who says ‘yeah, just bring it over after 3pm, today, tomorrow, whenever…and we’ll do it’.  Do I need an appointment? ‘Nah, just bring it over’.  Result!  Now all we need is our 2015 rally licenses, which necessitates a lengthy trip across town to Stuart at the ATC, who has them ready for me.  Another result!

Wednesday (28^th) The adaptor is delivered, fitted – but the oil pressure gauge still doesn’t work.  Bugger.  Saluki can’t find the fault with the trip-meters.  Bugger.  Roof bar and lights are fitted, so it’s back on the trailer to Sub-Zero.  But they can’t do it till the evening.  At 8pm they call to say the engine has overheated while warming up, so there’s no dyno run possible.  Bugger again.

Thursday (29^th) Back to Sub-Zero, and the ever-helpful Dino.  No hot water is coming out of the pump.   After removing the thermostat (no change) and taking off the pump and checking it (OK), Dino finds that the bleed line – which bleeds trapped air from the top of the engine back to the radiator) is completely blocked.  So we have a huge airlock inside the block.  After drilling out the blockage, suddenly we have water flowing.  Now we can put it on the dyno, and Dino pronounces himself satisfied that the engine is running safely, without any changes to the ECU.  We have a quick attempt to check the balky starter motor, before putting it back on the trailer.  It’s off to Sharjah for scrutineering, which it passes with flying colours.  Then it won’t start – starter has jammed (again). Oh, the embarrassment.  It takes a bump-start to get it back on the trailer.

Friday morning is mainly occupied with taking off the starter, dismantling it, cleaning it out, re-assembling it and re-installing it.  Whilst not 100%, we now have a far higher probability of starting.  The best news is that I now have a service crew, i.e. Jason Lyness!  Just after 2.00pm we’re on the road to the Traditional Café in Sharjah for the ceremonial start.

Emirates Motorsport Club R1 – ‘Desert Challenge’ – The Event

Let’s just gloss over the inordinate amount of hanging about and pratting around which accompanies this event, and cut to the chase.  By 8.00pm it’s dark.  The trailer is parked outside the Motor Museum, and we’re at Junction 8 opposite the cement factory, nervously awaiting our turn.  Sheila has the GPS which is a poor substitute for a trip-meter, but better than nothing.  Jason has the other Patrol and will shadow us from stage to stage.  And we’re off!

May the Lightforce be with you!
 

This is our first ever competitive night stage and the twin Lightforce spots on the roof throw a cone of visibility some 30m in front of us, but beyond that the landscape is cloaked in stygian darkness.  As 8^th car out, at least we have some decent tracks to follow through the dunes, and Sheila is doing a sterling job on the roadbook.  At one point we are overtaken by two other race cars – surely we’re not going so slowly that anyone can make up 3 minutes on us in a 20km stage?  It turns out that they started ahead of us, and had problems – Ali Al Shawi has had a puncture.  We get safely to the end of the stage, not as quick as the competitors who’ve had a chance to practice, but OK.  On the liaison to SS2 we see Mark Powell’s Predator at the side of the road – an electrical meltdown forces him out of contention after completing the first stage.  Two more stages are interrupted only by a navigational error towards the end of SS3, which costs us a few seconds.  Then we’re back to the Museum to drop off the car, and the three of us head back to Dubai to recover.  Three stages down, six to go.

The next day, the 16 starters are down to 10.  There are no results available, but we can’t be lower than 10^th which is something.  The daylight stages are much easier and although we are nowhere near the fastest, our times are improving with each stage – on the final two stages we are 4^th fastest.

At the end there are only seven classified finishers.  We are 5^th overall, and 3^rd in T1 class.  Considering we’ve had no practice and no trip-meter, that’s not too shabby.  The car has held together without any major dramas, except for the gear-change getting progressively more reluctant as time goes on.  This needs more investigation.

Anyway - massive thanks to Jason, who did a sterling job as 'trailer-bitch', service-crew and  also did the photography.  Top job, mate.

Oh, and there’s more.  Here’s a list of the upcoming events in the region:

13/02            EMSF R5

27-28/02       EMC R2 Sharjah Rally

06/03            EMSF R6

17-22/03       Hail Baja

26/03-02/04 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge

10-11/04       EMC R3 RAK Rally

19-24/04       Qatar Sealine Baja

02-03/10        EMC R4 Night Rally

20-22/11        EMC R5 Dubai International Rally (revised date)

29/11             Yas Marina F1

11-12/12        EMC R6 Fujairah Rally

EMSF = Emirates Motorsport Federation 'Emirates Desert Championship'

EMC = Emirates Motorsport Club 'UAE Rally Championship'

EMSF Desert Championship R2 24/10/2014

The second round in the Emirates Desert Championship.   2 hours in the desert up near Lihbab, some nice sand there and it’s much cooler than the last time.  And I have my favourite co-driver beside me.  So what could possibly go wrong?

Plenty, as it turns out.  The first lap is interrupted by our colliding with the white  Nissan which started 30 seconds ahead of us. Mr Cherednikov had managed to stall it on the blind side of a dune, and 30 seconds isn’t really enough time to get out and warn people.  He finally gets it going again but we get ahead of him.  We’re now the leading car and make an error navigating a passage control, which Sheila quickly spots, and we’re back on track.  On the second lap we make a rather superb overtake (in all modesty) on a buggy as we go through the one decent flat stretch of the lap, where I’m up to 140kph.   But just after that, Sheila tells me she’s about to be sick - so I stop.  She decides not to be sick, but clearly isn’t in a fit state to continue, so I carefully drive to the pits and hand her over to the medics.  John Spiller kindly agrees that I can continue solo, so off I go again.  I’ve lost about half an hour, but at least I can get a finish and score some points.

I rejoin the start-finish straight just ahead of Mansoor Parol, and quickly leave him behind, and complete three quick laps, overtaking a couple of buggies in the process.  But on the final lap, I miss a gear change going up a dune and crest out on the top.  Bugger!  Still, no problem, I have 4 sand tracks in the back.  Or rather, I started with 4 sand tracks.  But at some point it apears they’ve made a bid for freedom,  so it’s out with the shovel.  Dig, dig, dig.  Sweat, cuss, bugger.  It’s not coming out.  I’d better phone rally control.  Ooops – apparently that's something else I don't have - it's with Sheila.  Bugger.  Oh well, the sweep team will be along in a minute, I’m on rally route, I have plenty of water so I make myself comfortable in the shade of my stricken steed.  I’m 3.2km from the bivvy, and the rule is ‘stay with your car’.  And anyway I don’t fancy the walk.

Some time later that day, some bloke passes by in a Wrangler who kindly gives me a pull off the dune.  Hurrah!  What a nice bloke.  Now what to do?  Head down rally route to the finish?  No, it’s a long way and I’ve DNF’d anyway, so no point.  Head back contra-rally-route?  That’s a bit dodgy, I’ll probably run slap bang into the sweep team – assuming there is one.  Sod it, I’ll just navigate straight line back to the bivvy.  

I’m 1.8km short of it when I get the bloody thing stuck again!  What a plonker!

Now, to heck with the rules.  I’ll walk.  I have water, I have a GPS and the exercise is good for me.  (Well, so it may be, but it’s not so good for my brand new race boots, which disintegrate half way there.  The soles have come off and are flapping around and  I’m not impressed.) Just as I approach the bivvy, a nice lady in another Wrangler (I’ve decided I like Wranglers) picks me up and takes me the last 250m.

Everyone’s been out looking for me, they have actually found my car (but not the footprints of me leaving it!) and panic is starting to set in as I arrive.  Someone has very kindly picked up and returned my errant sand ladders, Sheila is fit and well, the only damage is to my pride and my points tally. (Oh, and my reputation - I am rightly bollocked for not having a phone with me and causing consternation in rally control.)

But the damage is less than I’d expected.  Mr Cherednikov has apparently not scored any T1 points either.  So I haven’t lost my lead in the T1 class, and although a few more points in the overall championship would have been nice, I’m not in the running to beat the buggy boys to a trophy.

As always, some nice pix of the event courtesy of Tim Ansell - more on www.slrpm.com

EMSF Desert Championship Round 1 - 03/10/2014

I was planning on driving solo when my old mate Ali Mirza – formerly co-driver for Mansour Al Helei – rang up and asked if I wanted a co-driver.  So that was settled, and I met up at scrutineering which the Beast passed with flying colours (hurrah!).

When I reached the start there wasn’t really anywhere to park, so I pulled the trailer onto the sand.  I should have known better - that really was the triumph of hope over experience, and of course I was stuck and so was the trailer.  Wonderful.  And it was hot.  Bloody hot.

 

 

At drivers' briefing there is a respectful minute's silence in memory of  Cameron Waugh, the tragic victim of this year's Desert Challenge. Then we’re off, second car, 30 seconds behind Mark Powell, following a different course from the 90-odd bikes.  It’s supposed to be marked with triangles, we’re following Mark but there aren’t any triangles…..quick look round….found the route….Marks’s turned round…and now we’re heading on the right direction, and right on Mark’s tail.  Result!

 

Did I mention it was hot?  It was hot.  I made a half-hearted attempt to pass Mark but – well, it was hot.  Then we pass Emil’s Patrol, stuck behind a dune, so that’s at least someone who’s having a worse day than me.  After a couple of laps of the 14km circuit, ( by which time the thermometer has gone from ‘hot’ to ‘sweltering’)  I make a mistake and land heavily, after which the car doesn't seem to be steering properly.  Better stop at service and see if the front axle has fallen off or something.

 

 

Fought my way through a pitlane crowded with people, kids, cars, chairs.  Stopped,  got out, but found nothing obviously untoward.  Got back in and discovered the transfer box had jumped out of 4WD – bugger!  Just wasted 5 minutes, and if my brain hadn’t been completely fried I might have thought of that.

 

So now I’m waaaay behind, no sign of Mark, I’m even behind Mansoor Parol’s ancient yellow Pajero which started behind me - but I’ve lost the will to try and get past because it’s so damned hot.  Will this nightmare never end?  Let’s just try and finish, eh?

Which eventually we do.  I celebrate by sitting slumped limply in some shade, emptying bottles of cold water over my head and down my throat, thinking ‘how the hell do I get the trailer out of the sand?’  Ali tells me we’ve won, silly sod, of course we can’t have won anything (except perhaps the wooden spoon.)

But it turns out that Mark retired just after me when his lady co-driver almost passed out from the heat (did I mention the heat?), Emil got stuck three times, and the Pajero was also a lap of two behind me as well.  So actually all that came in ahead of me were a couple of buggies and Mansour Al Helei (T2).  Which makes Newtrix Racing first in T1!  25 points and a trophy, thank you very much!

Would have been nice to have some pix of the podium, but The Phantom Blogger, who was supposed to be there photographing it, was otherwise engaged at the time, up to his armpits in sand trying to extricate his Disco.  (Then he had to help me retrieve the trailer, it really wasn't his lucky day...)

Anyway, we get to do it all over again on 24^th October, when hopefully the weather will have cooled down a tad (I did mention the heat, didn’t I?) and Sheila will return to the co-driver's seat. 

(Photo credits: Darren Rycroft, Tim Ansell, and someone else)

The Beast 2.0

Finally got The Beast out of the clutches of Saluki Motorsport last Thursday, and took it out for a modest shakedown on Saturday. Nothing adventurous or high-revving, just making sure everything works and nothing falls off. So far so good. There are few bits and pieces still to do, including retaining straps for the mudflaps which I actually sorted out in the afternoon. But now it’s back at Saluki for the remaining odds and ends to be tidied up.

But on the way, I decided to visit Al Quoz Weighbridge and see just how much flab has been excised from The Beast. This sounds such a simple task, what could possibly go wrong? In from the front, with the Beast on the trailer, over the weighbridge, pay the money and carry on out the back. Except that having gone over the weighbridge, the exit was blocked by several large trucks. Reverse back over the weighbridge? Well, it’s narrow, very long, and has a 2’ sheer drop either side - and I got halfway back along it before I bottled out. The only alternative was the world’s most difficult 3-point-turn, avoiding aforementioned trucks and various piles of structural steel in the yard. And then I had to do it all over again after dropping off the race car…..aaaargh.

Well, the weigh-in is complete. The Beast has clearly been on a low-calorie, starch-reduced, fat-free diet with a touch of Atkins on the side and a gastric band. The angle-grinder has been wielded with the skill of a surgeon’s scalpel, and ladies and gentlemen, the operation has been a success!

Those paying attention will recall that the Beast previously tipped the scales at a portly 2580kg. I was thinking that maybe we’d lose 250kg…which is exactly what we have done! The weight is now 2330kg, with a similar fuel load. So I’m afraid all your guesses were hopelessly optimistic, and the only way we’ll get near the minimum allowable 2050kg would be to get rid of the chassis, which isn’t really an option. The nearest guess came from my favourite spanner-basher, Richard Bailey.

I’m about to leave the country for ten days, to go and watch Europe whup the USA’s collective butt in the Ryder Cup - assuming I can get into Scotland by then without a visa. Yes, ‘I’m gonna be the man who walked a thousand miles’ to fall down at the 18th hole at Gleneagles. It’s a shame that world-famous marksman and part-time Newtrix technical director, Mr Rick Carless, can’t come, as I believe the haggis-hunting season is just about to open.

And on my return, there is the first race of EMSF Desert Championship on 3rd October! I have chosen to be car number 333 for no particular reason, and at some point you will be able to find out the location on www.emsf.ae. Please, please come along and support the event, it’s a great morning out amongst some of the friendliest (and sweatiest) Petrolheads in the country. And if you want to volunteer to marshal, get in touch with Stuart at EMSF on their Facebook page.

Did I hear you say ‘pictures’? OK, you’ve waited long enough.

WARNING: CAR PORN AHEAD.