The good ole days....................you should have been there

[KL]

So went along to the Sutton Park Speccie Stage in 1981 and was totally blown away by the experience.

Arikkala...

Who collected a post on the inside of a hairpin left moments later and made the front nearside a bit untidy.

[graham John]

All the crowd cheered when the 6R4 came through as most were brummies and obviously the Longbridge connection etc

what did they cheer Dave

"out brothers out"

of course in the good ole days we were familiar with strikes, red Ken, and of course Arthur Scargill, remember being out on the "lombard" and driving back from the 2.00 am Brechfa stage in the 1980's and coming through the village of Aberfan past the Merthyr Vale colliery, rounding a corner sideways on some of Harry Gee's finest purchased at the Port Talbot service halt earlier that day and being confronted by over 1,000 coppers with riot gear who were there to protect the Strike breakers in the colliery, didnt so much as get a talking to, mind you, little did i appreciate the battle that was about to commence.

And Speed camera's!! never saw one untill the 1990's, all it was in those days were coppers in laybye's, the odd Vascar, and then you could usually talk your way out of it (especially if you had an RS and Plod was a fan - remember most Panda cars in those days were Escorts)


and the rallying was shown on the BEEB


cheeRS

[KL]

We had it easy in the 70s and 80s, even before "office hours" from 86 onwards.
Yes that is 87 stages shown on this 68 RAC map (the final ones being Mallory Park, Silverstone(10 laps of the full GP circuit) and the Culham nuclear laboratory(including through an old aircraft hangar).


[URL=http://g.imageshack.us/g.php?h=510&i=rac68yx4.jpg][IMG]http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/5194/rac68yx4.bc2f060f6b.jpg[/IMG

[KL]

driving back from the 2.00 am Brechfa stage in the 1980's and coming through the village of Aberfan past the Merthyr Vale colliery, rounding a corner sideways on some of Harry Gee's finest purchased at the Port Talbot service halt earlier that day and being confronted by over 1,000 coppers with riot gear who were there to protect the Strike breakers in the colliery, didnt so much as get a talking to, mind you, little did i appreciate the battle that was about to commence.

84? I punctured in one of the Brechfa stages (called Lady Megan that year I think) and drove out from the stage finish until I saw a gateway with bright lights. Pulled in to sort out spare wheels etc and realised it was a miners' picket point. They were a friendly bunch and seemed to have no grudge against the rally (something which had given the organisers cause for concern prior to the event).
What puzzles me is I didn't think there were mines in that exact area.

[graham John]

quite correct, no "deep" mines in west wales, however there were some "drift" mines there and the Miners were all out to stop anything to do with coal being delivered, even picketing fuel depots / transport companies that may be involved moving coal.

lady Megan, yes, thats what we always call it, trawscoed is the other, nearest village between the two is Brechfa.


cheeRS

[graham John]

remember when this was a common site, most weekends

(picture by Keando)







cheeRS

[stu37025]

remember when this was a common site, most weekends

(picture by Keando)







cheeRS

That is such an awsome pic!!

[RS2000EXPRESS]

That is such an awsome pic!!

It makes you ask, how many are about now?

[grum]

aye, a superb pic

[RS2000CUSTOM]

remember when this was a common site, most weekends

(picture by Keando)



cheeRS

That is such an awsome pic!!

It makes you ask, how many are about now?

aye, a superb pic

And not a set of dodgy "display blocks" in sight - no wheels off being cleaned etc etc etc

Does look like The Lakes Tour 2008 though

[Mexicomark]

Cumbria this year was good....



But where was this & when...????

[graham John]

pembrey 1990 ?


cheeRS

[KL]

Goodwood, when sprints and single venue rallies were on there nearly every weekend, before the monied posers in period costume made a mockery of it with "by invitation only" so-called historic formulae that bear little resemblance to the regulations that actually applied in period.

[Rallyman72]

Echo a lot of the comments above. Started with Escorts in 72 and rallied a Mk1 until 79. Reshelled it into a heavy duty shell in 76 after an off on a stage event that wrote off the original shell.

Remember Waldegard in the Stratos round the quarry at Cranmore - no engine cover on the car. Sounded awesome even compared to the sound of a BDA.

Mid Wales in Radnor with the BDA's audible almost from start to finish of the stage - cars seeming to go impossibly fast at night - the brake discs on Saabs glowing red hot - the smell of mud baked on the exhaust - the marshals whistles. Those were the best, Group B was a spectacle and it has never been the same since they were banned. Not been out on a WRC event since it became a welsh 12 car. Might consider a European viewing some time in the future though.

Competing almost every other weekend through the winter on road rallies and beating Mex's, BDA's and so on with my 1300. RS2 was never rated in my club as a rally car although one member ran a Modena Green big wing P reg one that he rolled comprehensively on his first stage event. Couple of members running full works replica cars on road events and one ex works Escort but I cannot remember the registration just got an inkling ot was one of the FEV series. Another member ran an Anglia with 1760 crossflow and moved on to a Dutton and then an Escort Mk2 RS2.

Always good craik at club nights as we recounted our adventures of the previous weekend or planned our next outing. Only problem was it kept us poor.

[plentysideways]

My earliest rallying memories are of going to see the RAC at Malvern Wells showground, HRH Prince Michael of Kent was entered in a Marina, cant remember the year but it would have been early to mid seventies. Dad used to take me to Sutton Park in later years, also by the water splash.
The Welsh was always my favourite event having a fantastic entry in those days (as did all the home internationals), normally went to Halfway to watch and vividly remember the access roads being lined nose to tail with mainly Escorts. Works Escorts, TR7, Chevettes, Sunbeams, Saabs etc. Fantastic.
Then joined my local motor club as a junior member and discovered road rallies. Even more fun as I got to go out with my new found mates in their RSs, Mexicos, 1600 sports etc and stay out all Saturday night without parental supervision! (a big deal when you're 14!). They quickly found out I could read a map and I even got to sit in the front rather than wedging myself around a roll cage. Thankfully nobody ever rolled a car with me in the back of it! Thank God I wasnt born 20 years later or I would be excited by a Saxo with a boom box velcroed in the boot
The good old days indeed