(Re)living the dream

Like all of you, I love rallying. I had long dreamed of experiencing the thrill of competing, so doing my first event back in 2019 was a huge item ticked off my bucket list. However, I have lived in Saudi Arabia for the past couple of years so that (along with other priorities) has meant that I haven’t had the chance to compete again since that very first outing.

While Saudi Arabia is home to some of the biggest motorsport events on the calendar, with Dakar, Formula 1 and Formula E all taking place here, it is not a hotbed of stage rallying action. In fact, there isn’t any at all. That meant, unless I waited until the WRC comes to town, doing another rally would involve travelling to another country.

My first event was in my own Ford Escort RS2000, a car I had bought from a good friend and spent several years rebuilding and improving. That was both a blessing and a curse in reality. Building a car almost from scratch was a great experience and taught me a host of new skills.

However, taking that car to an event completely untested was far from ideal, and a laundry list of teething troubles meant we only completed about half of the stage mileage. Even then, we were nursing a pretty serious brake problem that left us miles off the pace. I left feeling like I had a whole lot of unfinished business.

How exactly to finish said business was not a question easily answered. Owning and preparing my own car is not practical right now. I had been toying with the idea of hiring something, but it had never really moved beyond the realms of my wish list. That was until my lovely wife, Maha, who could clearly see how much I was missing the sport, decided to take action.

With my 40^th birthday approaching, she said that we should just take the plunge she’d make it an early birthday gift. This seems like an appropriate point to take a moment to thank her from the very bottom of my heart for making this whole thing happen. Without her, the story you’re about to read simply wouldn’t have taken place, and I feel extremely lucky to have someone so supportive by my side.

With the decision made, it was time to find a car and choose a rally. I had initially thought about something R2-flavored, as I have a reasonable amount of trackday experience in front-wheel-drive cars, and such a car would be a nice step up while remaining approachable.

Brynmor Pierce pointed me in the direction of former Welsh forestry champion Dylan Davies, who apparently had an R2 Fiesta that might fit the bill. Dylan had actually sold the Fiesta, but did have an expansive hire fleet, which included a Škoda Fabia R5, two Mk2 Escorts, and a pair of Subaru Impreza R4 cars.

The Fabia was quickly eliminated on cost grounds, while the Escorts weren’t really what I was looking for, but I was intrigued by the idea of an Impreza. The 1990s is peak rallying as far as I am concerned, so the chance to drive one of the boxer-powered machines was too good to pass up, especially as the cost was lower than expected, and cheaper than some had been quoting for an R2 car.

Both of the Imprezas in the Davies stable were late Group N/R4-type machines; one with a six-speed H-pattern gearbox, and the other with a sequential transmission.

I went for the lower-spec example, as I thought the road-going STI gearbox would be easier to adapt to. It also ran on pump fuel, which would save a little more cash for what was already going to be an expensive weekend once we’d added flights and accommodation.

Selecting the rally was much easier. My first one had been at Snetterton circuit in the east of England, and it made perfect sense to return. There was unfinished business at the Norfolk track, and I’ve done quite a few trackdays there, so there was some helpful familiarity.

If you’re not familiar with it, the idea of rallying at a race track may seem counterintuitive, but I am a big fan of the concept. Single-venue rallies are the lifeblood of British rallying, but finding suitable locations is becoming more difficult, so race circuits are a brilliant solution.

They are a great entry point, not just for competitors, but also for marshals and spectators. The circuit amenities include decent food outlets and bathroom facilities, while compact routes utilizing the race circuit and infield areas mean there are loads of places to watch the action. It’s the perfect introduction to the sport, without the need to hike into the depths of the forests.

I thought that hiring the car would take away a lot of the stress but, as the rally drew closer, there were still plenty of reasons for increased blood pressure as I looked on from outside the UK. Would the car be OK? Would I be able to drive it? Would my license show up on time? Would the rented helmets arrive?

The lead-up certainly wasn’t as stressful as it had been back in 2019 (a broken wheel stud and an incurable brake-fluid leak two days before the rally were the issues back then), but hiring a car from thousands of miles away brought its own anxious moments.

Actually, things went to plan – mostly at least. We touched down in the UK on the Thursday before the rally and I was greeted by probably the biggest surprise of the weekend. The Impreza I had originally booked had an electrical fault, so Dylan was going to put me in the “big” car. Remember all that stuff about H-pattern gearboxes and familiarity? Never mind; we were going all-in.

We had agreed to meet the car and service crew at the circuit on Friday evening to get scrutineering and signing-on out of the way, which we just squeezed in before the circuit’s noise curfew kicked in and, after a quick seat fitting, we headed back to our B&B for some rest.

I slept surprisingly well, but I think that was more a result of being exhausted after the overnight flight from Jeddah than any semblance of composure about what was going to happen the following day. By the time we arrived back at Snetterton on Saturday morning, the butterflies in my stomach were flapping their little hearts out – it was all getting very real, and I did not feel ready for it.

There was plenty of time for the nerves to grow yet further. With the driver briefing done, it was time for the first of six stages. Climbing over the rollcage and into the seat of the Impreza was a big reality check. I’d forgotten how restrictive it feels once you’re strapped in tight and the HANS device is limiting your movement.

Not to mention the fact that I’d never set eyes on the car before the previous night, and now I was supposed to drive this 300bhp monster at competitive speeds without hitting any of the cones, tires or barriers that littered the venue. Never mind the time penalties for such errors, there was the very real prospect of incurring a sizeable repair bill.

Following a quick rundown from Dylan about the essential switches and buttons, and a decision to ignore the flat-shift and anti-lag to begin with, I gingerly navigated the Subaru out of service, across the paddock and to the first time control. I managed it with only a single stall, a pleasant surprise as competition clutches are not forgiving of the inexperienced. Still, a stall in the service area was about the most minor thing that could go wrong.

At this point, I should give huge credit to Daniel Gallant, my co-driver. Dan and I have known each other since before we started school. He was alongside me for the first rally and, honestly, I wouldn’t want anyone else in the silly seat. He has done a few more rallies since our first outing and he was faultless again this time. He knows his way around a time card, which helped put me at ease, and there really is nothing better than doing a rally with your best mate alongside you.

Sentimentality aside, it was time. We got to the start line and I engaged first gear. Or at least I thought I did. I clearly hadn’t been aggressive enough with the gear lever so, while the indicator said we were in first, we were actually still in neutral. When Dan shouted “Go!” and I dropped the clutch, nothing happened.

Still, I guess it was better than the jump start we got on our 2019 attempt. I hurriedly snatched first and tried again. The Subaru launched off the line and straight into a 90-right that took us onto the circuit before the long left-hander of Agostini.

First impressions? This car was fast. I knew it would be, but the way it spun all four wheels off the line was a reminder that this was not going to be an easy ride. I have driven plenty of fast cars and done my fair share of trackdays, but it was now obvious that I had a lot of learning to do and not a lot of time to do it.

The second reminder of that came at the fifth corner, which was at the merge point between cars on their first and second laps. It had rained a lot in the preceding days, so the Snetterton Tarmac was unbelievably greasy and, on cold Pirellis, my lack of experience bit us firmly in the backside. I turned the car in and it just kept on going until we were sliding across the wet grass and towards the barriers.

As we pirouetted towards the Armco going onto the Bentley Straight, I thought our rally might end up as an embarrassingly short affair followed by an expensive repair bill. But through luck as much as skill, I managed to avoid the barrier, the nose of the Impreza stopping just a couple of feet from it.

It should then have been as simple as reversing back and carrying on, but the cable on the sequential lever that allows you to select neutral and reverse chose that very moment to snap, meaning we were stuck with only forward gears. We hadn’t realized the problem, so kept trying to find reverse, before the marshals arrived and said we’d need to get out of the car as it was in a dangerous position.

We switched off the engine but, because of cars passing, they (quite rightly) kept us in the car to avoid the risk of getting run over. I was heartbroken. For the rally to have ended like that would have been a disaster, and I may have given the steering wheel a small love tap to release some of that anger.

Thankfully, Dan was more composed and, as the seconds kept ticking by, he helped calm me down. Thankfully there was eventually a gap in the traffic, allowing the marshals to safely push us back, to get going again. We pressed on to the end of the stage, taking it easy after the early error, but we had lost around three minutes.

The time loss didn’t matter though, and any frustration soon melted away. This event was purely about having fun, and we had made it through the first stage, which was more than we achieved in our first rally. A clutch problem had been the problem on that occasion, so it appears that me and rally transmissions don’t mix well.

Still, we’d survived and made it back to service. Sadly, Dylan’s team couldn’t replace the cable in the time available, as the end was lodged in the gearbox, but that just meant I needed to avoid a repeat of my earlier error. Provided we kept going forwards, we’d be fine.

That seemed like a big ask, as the first two stages had felt pretty awful. I’d spent a lot of time practising on EA Sports WRC, but what I had experienced in those first 15 miles was nothing like how an Impreza R4 had felt in the game. My digital experience was not helping me at all in real life, so obviously my in-game settings were some way off those of the real car.

I doubted I’d ever get to grips with the Impreza – my unfamiliarity, coupled with the treacherous conditions, felt like a recipe for disaster, as the slightest breath on the throttle out of even the slowest of corners was sending us sideways.

We had another spin on the second stage, albeit without getting stuck this time. But then Dylan’s experience came into its own. We had a quick debrief and the man from north Wales suggested that we alter the centre differential settings to put more power to the front of the car. It might not have been the fastest setting for Tarmac, but it would make the car a bit easier to drive, giving me more confidence to push.

Oh my goodness, what a difference. The improving conditions no doubt helped, but the car felt transformed. It was still a bit hairy on the loose sections, but it felt so much more planted on the Tarmac. There was a bit more mid-corner understeer, but I was comfortable managing that, and I finally started to feel the confidence to push and begin to explore a proper rally car’s capabilities. Boy, was it capable of a lot. We were still a long way off the pace, but at least we were no longer in danger of spinning at every turn.

We completed SS3 without any spins, but it wasn’t totally problem-free. Just after exiting the pit straight on to one of the loose-surface sections, a huge hole had appeared at the edge of the old runway. It was all but unavoidable on the narrow route, and the sharp edge of the concrete tore through the sidewall of the front-left tire and bent both front wheels (sorry Dylan!).

Luckily the tire made it to the end of the stage before breathing its last, so we didn’t lose time, but it required a bit of unwanted practice with the jack and impact gun on the road section. It was well-timed in reality as, with conditions improving, we switched to dry rubber on the front axle for the next stage.

From there, the rally was largely plain-sailing. Yes, we had a little spin on SS4, but that was a result of genuinely trying to up the pace, so I have no complaints. The fact the spectators gave us a big cheer only resulted in further laughter inside the car.

The final three stages were absolutely fantastic – an experience that will stick long in the memory. Dan and I both know Snetterton pretty well so, as he felt that I was getting more comfortable, he was encouraging me to push and we started to throw the car around a bit more, especially in the tight, technical infield sections.

In the morning, I had been scared of how the car might react but, by the afternoon, I was better able to predict its behavior, and really started to enjoy feeling it moving around underneath us. I still wasn’t comfortable enough to really go for it in the fastest parts of the stages, but it was mega, and I just wanted to keep going.

We got through SS6, easily our best of the day, and it hit me that this fantastic experience was coming to an end. What a feeling though. My first rally was incredible, even though it had been a bit of a disaster. But this was on a whole new level. We had completed every mile of it, and had a car that allowed us to push on, learn and enjoy ourselves, without worrying about mechanical gremlins.

We ended the day sixth in class and 39th overall. The Impreza was capable of so much more than that (this is a rally-winning car after all), but I couldn’t be happier with what we achieved. We finished 13 places higher than our original seeding and, had it not been for the time lost on the opening test, that sixth place could well have been fifth.

I went into the rally saying this was not about the result, and that I just wanted to enjoy myself and improve, which is exactly what we achieved. There were some very capable and experienced drivers at the sharp end of our class and, while we started around 1m30s off the pace, we’d got that down to less than a minute by the end of the day.

That said, the competitive part of me is dying to get back in the car, because I genuinely believe that, with some more seat time, we could be pretty close to the class podium.

What an incredible experience. To have the opportunity to drive a proper, international-spec rally car is something I could once have only dreamed of. Should you ever get the opportunity, I would urge you to grab it with both hands. Rallying is not a cheap sport, but the costs were not as bad as I expected.

Being in a properly prepared car, capable of soaking up the abuse of a rally, is on a different level to driving something you have nailed together in your garage at home. They may be getting on a bit now, but a well-prepared Impreza is still a brilliant, brilliant car, and this is a day that will stay with me for years to come.

I want to finish by saying a huge thank you to my wife, Maha, for making it possible, to Dan for his skills and encouragement in the co-driver’s seat, to Dylan Davies for providing the car, to everyone that came and said hello throughout the day, and to all my friends that were there to make the experience even more special.

The organizers of the rally (and of the whole MGJ Engineering Circuit Rally Championship) also deserve huge credit for their efforts. It’s a great championship, and is organized and marshaled entirely by volunteers. Without their tireless efforts, people like me wouldn’t get to enjoy competing as we do. This really is the best sport in the world.

Now I just need to make sure that I don’t wait five years until the next one.