Noise test was the first task on the Sunday morning.
Press Releases are provided to local and Internet-based newspapers, magazines and radio stations, both before and after an event. Below are press releases from the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Also included at the bottom are the last two press releases for our final outings with the Nova, the 2003 Tour of Cornwall and 2003 CARnival Stages, Abingdon.
Chris Dillow and Duncan Langford had a fantastic TSH Stages at RAF Portreath last weekend. After electrical problems had put Chris and regular navigator, Adrian Tregunna, out of the Tour of Cornwall, the wiring loom and sensors in the car's engine bay had undergone some significant work. Sadly, the day before the event, the car was still not starting and running correctly and Chris and Adrian opted to tow the car to Bromsgrove to a Metro 6R4 specialist for repair.
On arrival at the airbase on Sunday morning, the weather was changeable to put it mildly, and the first stage was driven on dry weather, moulded slicks - in pouring rain that started after the lads left the service area! Despite the tyre choice, the lads were delighted to be leading the rally by 14 seconds after Special Stage One. Onto wet weather tyres for Special Stage 2 and a further 10 seconds was added to the advantage, with Chris and Duncan starting to take control of the leaderboard.
Special Stage 3 saw nearest rivals, Steve and Yvonne Furzeland of Plymouth, suffer a puncture and drop back down the top ten. This left Chris and Duncan with an advantage of over a minute after 3 out of the 8 Special Stages and this was stretched to almost two minutes by the end of SS4 and the lunch break. The afternoon saw the weather remain dry so the car was converted to a full dry setup and the lads tried to maintain a good pace without stressing the car or putting it into the scenery.
The final result was first overall by a margin of 1 minute and 45 seconds. This is an absolutely fantastic result and sees Chris take his first overall win after just over a season of getting very close to winning since purchasing their awesome 2.5 litre, Dales MG Rover 6R4. Preparations are now underway for the next event, Carnival Stages, to be held at Dalton Barracks, Abingdon on 12th June. This event will see Adrian back in the hot seat alongside Chris and the lads will be keen to maintain the winning ways.
Chris Dillow and Adrian Tregunna endured mixed fortunes on last weekend's Tour of Cornwall Rally in their Dales Group MG Metro 6R4.
The event attracted a fantastic entry of 100 teams and with many top tarmac specialists from across the UK and even from Ireland, getting a good result was always going to be tough. The first stage of Saturday morning was at RAF Portreath and the lads were well fired-up straight out of the blocks and were 4th overall after two stages.
It was at this point that the first of the problems appeared when Chris started to get problems with his wrists. He found that two 10 miles stages in quick succession were too much for his hands to maintain their grip on the steering wheel and he resorted to driving by holding the spokes of the steering wheel instead of the rim! This made cornering at 120mph rather interesting! A loose propshaft was also discovered at the first service stop and the crew had just 20 minutes to perform miracles and do all the routine tasks and make the necessary repairs.
A series of runs through Predannack and Portreath airfields resulted in a string of times well inside the top ten results and the lads were beating most of the top placed crews on one or more stages. The special stages through Carclew were the first time the lads had used pace notes and as the notes provide an accurate description of the stage it enables the driver to attack the stages more aggressively, more confident what is around each corner. The result of two stages on pace notes was a pair of stage times that were just 3 seconds off the rally leader at that time.
Confident on the effectiveness of the notes, the lads went into the Penhale stages. With blind crests, undulating bends and some large drops, Penhale is not for the faint hearted so Chris and Adrian used the notes to attack the stage, set two cracking times and they were the talk of the marshals on one particular chicane that evening! A blind crest before the chicane had resulted in most crews opting to brake or even down a change gear on the approach but Chris opted to take the crest on full throttle and got a round of applause for leaving the chicane intact!
Saturday evening ended with the lads lying in 8th overall and 4th in class. With less than 30 seconds gap to the two cars in front, the original aim of 6th overall was possible. The early runs though Penhale and Hendra stages went well but the car started to misfire occasionally and the whole team were glad to get the car into service and try to identify the problem. The last two stages of the weekend were back in RAF Portreath and on stage 19, the car lost all power and stopped due to an electric fault somewhere on the engine management system. Chris and Adrian tried desperately to get the car's 2.5litre, V6 engine to fire and initially managed to get it running again but half way through the remainder of the stage it stopped, and retirement was the only option.
The rally has been a mixture of highs and lows. The team have set some cracking times and proved they can set times that are comparable with all the top drivers. With improved consistency the lads have shown they have the pace and commitment to win events outright and the retirement robbed the team of a good top-ten result and top Cornish crew by a margin of many minutes.
The car is now sat in the garage and work is about to start on repairing the injection system fault and to prepare the car for the TSH Stages, to be held at RAF Portreath late in May. After the cracking stage times set at the start of the rally, Chris is eager to push hard and try to win this local event.
Chris and Adrian Tregunna had a fabulous run in the City of Truro Rally last weekend. The rally, held at RAF Portreath on Saturday 27th November, comprised eight special stages and a total of almost 70 miles.
The stages were a combination of tight and twisty sections on mud covered lanes and then wide expanses of runway, where the lads and their Dales MG Metro 6R4 would reach speeds of over 130mph. For the first time in many years, the rally finished with two special stages held under the cover of darkness and many competitors had to dig out their lamp-pods from the backs of garages and dust them off!
After an amazing first year in their new car, the lads were confident of a successful end to the season and were delighted to end the first pair of stages in first place and 10 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals, Steve and Yvonne Furzeland of Plymouth. Their car, a Subaru Imprezza WRC, is awesomely quick and Steve is the previous owner of the lads Metro 6R4, so staying ahead was always going to be tough.
Over the next two special stages, Steve set an amazing pace and pulled slightly ahead of Chris and Adrian. Such was the speed of the two cars that after just 40 miles, both cars were almost two minutes ahead of the third placed car.
A fine run after the lunch break saw Chris and Adrian take a few seconds back from the Subaru crew but on Stage 6, it was Steve who had the edge once more. The last two stages were the night stages and Chris and Adrian started the stages with high hopes of closing the gap to the Subaru after several years of night rallying when they first started competing together.
Sadly, it was not to be. Pulling away from the start-line of stage 7, the car lurched sideways and seemed incapable of going in a straight line. When the brakes then failed, it was all Chris could do to complete the two stages without dropping too much time to the third placed crew. It wasn’t until the lads returned to the service area that the extent of the damage became clear. One of the rear hubs had broken and the brake disk and caliper were all that were keeping the rear wheel on the car! Given that earlier in the day some corners were being taken at over 120mph, it was a lucky end to an extremely competitive day.
Chris and Adrian ended the day 2nd overall and 1st in class. The lads also won the award for the highest placed Truro and District Motor Club team. This is an amazing end to a very successful first year with the Dales MG Metro 6R4 and preparations are now underway to prepare the car and secure sponsorship for the 2005 season.
Chris Dillow and Adrian Tregunna set a scorching pace in the Azimghur Stages Rally recently. The rally, held within the confines of the Azimghur Barracks, Colerne, in Wiltshire, comprised eight special stages and a total of almost 60 miles.
The Azimghur Stages Rally is run by Bath Motor Club and is a very fast event, set on the runways and perimeter tracks of the airfield. A mixture of slow-speed hairpin corners and wide-open, fast corners makes for an interesting rally, where the handling of the car is pushed to the limit and a number of corners are taken flat-out in top gear, very exciting given the power of the lads’ Dales MG Metro 6R4.
The first three special stages went relatively well and the lads were 3rd overall despite a small spin on the first stage. There was drama on the 4th stage though. As Chris and Adrian came flying around a hairpin corner, they were confronted with a Mark 2 Ford Escort with the boot area engulfed in flames. The lads stopped the Metro, leapt out and used their own handheld fire extinguishers to help the Escort crew put out the fire. In the process, Chris managed to get rather too close to a blast of igniting petrol vapour and he was very grateful for the 3 layer fireproof suit, which prevented serious injury.
The afternoon was far less dramatic, with only a slight spattering of rain tried to upset the proceedings. The lads were able to push hard throughout the afternoon, to set some very competitive times and to end the day an impressive 3rd overall.
With the summer holidays upon us, it is not yet clear what the next team outing will be. Preparation work continues on the car and it gives the team a chance to make some additional enhancements to their website.
Chris Dillow and Adrian Tregunna had a storming run in the Carnival Stages Rally this weekend. The rally, held within the confines of Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, comprised eight special stages and a total of 88 miles. The stages were a combination of tight and twisty loops around a complex of buildings with high kerbs and then the course went onto the expanses of runways with wide sweeping sections allowing the Metro to reach speeds in excess of 125mph!
After an impressive 9th overall on the Tour of Cornwall in their Dales MG Metro 6R4, and having previously won their class several times at Abingdon, the lads were keen to have a competitive run and to get a result inside the top five. The entry comprised of at least three quarters of a million pounds worth of WRC machinery and a number of very quick two wheel drive machines.
The first special stage was going well until Chris was caught out by a dusty corner and the resultant spin and stalled engine cost around 15 seconds. Despite this minor moment, the lads were delighted to be 3rd overall after the first stage and to be just 11 seconds behind the first placed crew.
The next two stages went well and Chris and Adrian were delighted to move up to 2nd place overall, a place they would retain for the rest of the day. Chris has really got to grips with the characteristics of the Metro and was really enjoying the power and handling of the new car. A combination of the very warm day and the long stages really took a lot out of the crew but the end result was definitely worth the effort. The next event will be in a couple of weeks time at RAF Portreath on Sunday 27th June. In the meantime, the team are busy preparing the car and implementing what was learned from last weekend.
Chris Dillow (Connor Downs) and Adrian Tregunna (Penzance) had a fabulous weekend in last weekend’s Mount Edgcumbe Hospice Tour of Cornwall Rally. This prestigious national rally is a round of the GPR National Tarmac Rally Championship, the Rallysport Challenge and the ASWMC Plymouth Agencies Stage Rally Championship and was held over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th April.
The first event in their awesome new Dales Rover MG Metro 6R4, Chris and Adrian started well with a tidy run through the first special stage at Camborne, Pool, Redruth College. The next two stages at Portreath allowed Chris to get used to driving the car and to start to explore the handling and engine characteristics.
Just as things started to look good, the lads had to complete two special stages at Predannack Airfield on the Lizard. The car was fine on the road section from service to the airfield but as soon as the Metro left the start line, it was obvious that there was a terrible vibration at high speed. The vibration was so severe, it made both Chris and Adrian see double - not the best thing when trying to drive or read maps at over 100mph!
The lads had to complete two stages before a service stop and they feared the worst. Luckily, the fault was traced to a loose prop-shaft connection and this was soon securely refastened.
The remaining special stages on Saturday went well and this valuable mileage in the new car allowed the lads to get more experience of the Metro and to set a number of stage times inside the top ten. Deteriorating weather on Saturday afternoon added to the excitement, with runs through Penhale Camp and Hendra Tourist Park being particularly slippery.
Noise test was the first task on the Sunday morning.
The Metro 6R4 enters first service on the Sunday morning.
Sunday morning started dry for the first time in some years and the lads set some great times in Hendra Tourist Park and Portreath. The end result was an amazing 9th overall and 2nd in their class – being beaten in class only by John Price, 10 times British Tarmac Rally Champion! This is a fantastic result, especially given that this is the first event with the new car and with loads more pace still to come, the future looks extremely promising.
After a fabulous weekend, Chris and Adrian are now busy preparing for the "CARnival Stages", to be held at Dalton Barracks, Abingdon early June.
We recently submitted an article to the motor clubs for possible inclusion in their newsletters. If you would like to have a read, click here.
Chris Dillow (Connor Downs) and Adrian Tregunna (Penzance) had a dominant run in the Carnival Stages Rally recently. The rally, held within the confines of Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, comprised eight special stages and a total of 88 miles. The stages were a combination of tight and twisty loops around a complex of buildings and wide sweeping sections where the course went onto the expanses of runways. With several long straights, where the engines would run at maximum revs for long periods, this was a real test of car preparation and the team’s Camborne Radiators Vauxhall Nova GTE performed faultlessly all day.
The weather overnight had been extremely wet and the crews preparing for the first special stage faced a track that although wet, was drying rapidly. Chris and Adrian opted for an intermediate tyre and immediately took a commanding 12 second lead after just one stage. The remainder of the morning was dry and the team continued to build a commanding lead, going into the lunch break with around 1.5 minute’s advantage over the team behind.
After lunch the weather was atrocious and heavy rainfall turned large areas of the airfield into a muddy swimming pool. Chris and Adrian started Special Stage 5 in bright sunshine on slick tyres and halfway through the stage, they were hit by a torrential downpour, which brought visibility down to a few yards and covered the tarmac surface in 6" of standing water.
The lads exit the building complex and blast onto one of the large runways,
after a particularly heavy shower left the track waterlogged and slippery.
The weather improved slightly later in the day and a drying surface allowed Chris and Adrian to use the maximum power of their engine to full effect. They stretched their lead to end the day 11th Overall and to win their class by a massive 3.5 minutes – a brilliant result against a field of 110 cars.
It is fantastic to continue a winning streak that has seen the team finish in the top two in every event in the past three and a half years and has seen a string of 14 wins out of the last 16 finishes.
Chris Dillow (Connor Downs) and Adrian Tregunna (Penzance) had a very eventful weekend in last weekend’s Hendra Tour of Cornwall Rally. This prestigious national rally is a round of the National Tarmac Championship and was held over the weekend of the 12th and 13th April.
Chris and Adrian started well with clear runs through the first two Special Stages at Portreath, before returning to Camborne, Pool, Redruth College for a service stop. The next stage was at Predannick Airfield on the Lizard, and when the lads hit a pothole in their Camborne Radiators Vauxhall Nova, the car leapt sideways but seemed fine.
The lads rallying through Predannack Airfield in their Nova GTE - it was a few hundred meters
after this picture, that the car hit a pothole and sustained damage that was to end the rally for the lads.
It was back at the next service stop, this time at Flambards, that the signs of damage became apparent. The impact had caused a bad gearbox oil leak and had fractured the breather system on top of the engine. Duly repaired, the lads were back on the road and heading towards Special Stages 5 and 6 – two runs through a stage at Carclew.
The Special Stage comprises a short twisty section of lane and then a climb to a blind crest and a very steep downhill section, known affectionately as "Dead Man’s Drop". As the car cleared the crest at almost 100mph, a driveshaft snapped and dramatically upset the balance of the car on landing. With the car almost sideways and with no drive on one front wheel, there were a few very tense moments as Chris wrestled with the car and tried to stop it barrel-rolling the 100yards to the bottom of the hill. Fortunately, with many years of experience and a large amount of luck, Chris and Adrian were able to keep the Nova on its wheels and to drive the car to the end of the Special Stage. Despite all the problems and the very near miss, the stage time was still only 2 seconds slower than the previous one!
Before the driveshaft could be replaced, Chris and Adrian would have to drive to Truro for two stages through the grounds of Pencalenick School and then back to service at Flambards. This was too far for a car with one driveshaft and the lads were forced into retirement despite an excellent position of 17th Overall, 1st in Class and third front wheel drive car, behind two ex-works cars.
With the car repaired, the team entered the Tour of Cornwall Trophy Rally on Sunday the 13th April. This extra rally is organised for any competitors who fail to finish the Saturday stages and who are able to repair their car for an event on the Sunday. With only one award for the overall winner and just six short Special Stages, it was all to play for. Chris and Adrian shrugged off any worries of the wet conditions to attack the rally and blasted to an excellent result of 1st Overall by a margin of 1 min 18 seconds.