12/07/2026
Really enjoyed being back out in the car yesterday at the Nicky Grist Stages, as always a well run event. Fair play to all who helped it run in the heat 👏🏼
Since I used the recent Sweet lamb time trail as a test for this rally I felt pretty confident going into this one, but the car had other ideas! We ended up dropping time through the morning loop due a faulty wheel speed sensor on the rear, which in basic terms meant our diffs weren’t doing what they should, and on many occasions the car felt undriveable! We also had no anti lag which didn’t exactly help matters!
With those issues sorted in service we had a really good run through the afternoon stages, but ultimately it was a spin on stage 5 that cost us the most, and meant we lost out to a top 10 overall finish. But all things considered, I was happy with my performance in the relentless heat, and it’s nice to know we are nearly back up to full speed after our off on the Severn valley stages a few months ago.
I have to say hats off to Jez Macwhirter for doing an amazing job at repairing the car to his usual high standard, even if we are still waiting on a few body panels!! 😁 and of course to all the boys in service for keeping us going with the heat!
Despite the issues we finished 2nd in class and 13th overall. Unfortunately we don’t have any championships to play for now, but we still plan to be at the remaining few events, and next up for us will be the Britpart Woodpecker Stages in a few weeks time.
Fordpad Ltd | SAR Metals Ltd
📸 Ben Lawrence Photography | Christopher James 📸
