𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘𝗦 (𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙂𝙍𝙀𝙀𝙉𝙎) 🚀

I’m the rally driver who finished last, but is about to write a really long post as if he achieved something really special. 🙄

Getting back in a rally car at Cadwell Park was always going to be more about the adventure and the story, than it was about the result. I just didn’t bank on such a dramatic first chapter. 

I have spent 15 years commentating on and presenting programmes about rallying, but I’d forgotten just how visceral the emotions are when you hit rock bottom. 

I really did think it was game over when we crashed on our first competitive stage. I felt so stupid, so sorry that I’d put the team and Julia to so much effort only to put the car in the scenery after half a mile. 💥 

I got a wheel on the wet leaves on the outside of the road, so when I put the power down, the inside wheel gripped, the supercharger kicked in, the diff did its thing and I simply wasn’t ready to hang on. I love a tight diff on a front wheel drive rally car, but this time it got me. 

(𝘈𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘢, 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘎𝘦𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳-𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.)

I got a text from the team to say it wasn’t over until 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗬 said it was over, and despite a broken shaft, lower arm and some considerable damage to the gearbox casing, Team Spark Rally Car Hire was about to put on a stunning demonstration of how they do business. 

The car was re-scrutineered, ready for the very next stage. We were back in the game. 

Not only were Julia and I not expecting this, nor were our fellow competitors. The reception we received when we slotted back into the queue for the stage start – horns and fist pumps from every car – was a moment I’ll remember forever.

Our biggest fist pump was for Cameron and Will Barclay in car 58, who had raided their parts box for a spare lower arm. 

After effectively retiring from the rally, taking a maximum and coming back out in super rally, any hopes of a result were out of the window (𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩!). So we went out with no pressure to enjoy the car and the stages.

We’d get another look at how professional and efficient the team is, when I pulled the hydraulic handbrake too hard into the hairpin and broke the master cylinder. The rest of that stage was with no brakes, as the fluid was on the floor of the car, not in the pipes. 

But we limped through the stage and once again got the car repaired and back out. By now the rain was coming down hard and it was starting to get dark.

I’ve never actually driven a night stage before, and I can now say with conviction that the atmosphere inside the car is even more electric than that which I wax lyrical about on live rally coverage, stood stage-side.

On the last two stages, we went for it – we got the car at all sorts of angles and, finally feeling confident and hooked up I began to push the limits, using the diff which earlier got me into trouble, to get me out of trouble numerous times.

We skidded and giggled our way round those final miles, wishing there were a few more stages, and knowing that even a spectacular firework display would not come close to being a good enough metaphor for our day.

I am so in awe of how this team performed, on and off the stages, and I can honestly say a Mini Rally Challenge car on wet, slippery tarmac is about the most fun you can have without a Special Stage mic in your hand. 

Above all else, I really hope I’ve done a good job of showing you how much fun these rally cars are, how easy and rewarding a professionally delivered rally hire package can be, and why you should be speaking to George Clarke to drive my Green Tiger on a round of the Mini Rally Challenge in 2025.

For now, I’ll stick to the day job – I’m safer telling the story rather than BEING the story. But this is a chapter I will remember with an overwhelming sense of achievement and pride, and I want to thank Julia Perry for bringing her infectious personality and professional work ethic to the co-driver’s seat.

I’ll be at The Motorist on Wednesday with the rally car, showing off the battle scars. And we’ll be giving one of YOU the chance to join our kid’s competition winner, Katie at Rally Rides where you’ll get to drive this car on a rally stage in the coming weeks. Watch this space!

𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲, 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗲, 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁. ❤️

#RoadToCadwell #MiniRallyChallenge #RallyCar #CadwellPark #Rallying #RallyFans #Rally #RallyTV 

📸 Mason Woodford / Paul Marshall