I know it was 3 months ago that we actually went on the Rally but I'm bored and I can't sleep.

 

First of all we did actually go. After Craig and Rob dropped out at the last minute I managed to persuade Snip to join the team and the ever reliable Nelson remained true to his word. The Taurus just turned out to be too difficult to find parts for so I sent it off to the scrap yard. A pity really coz it would have been fun. Instead we managed to source a T-reg Citroen Xantia which had covered 180,000 miles. The clutch was a bit iffy to say the least but other than that the car was fine and, once you got used to it, handled like a beast! A big wallowing fat bastard beast!

 

The rally was far better than last year's effort. Everyday took us on a little adventure with plenty of things to see. The Turbo Diesel engine in the Xantia was really economical, its used less fuel going up and down mountains than it did holding a steady 90-100 down the Motorways. The only trouble we had was, as we decided later on, a dodgy temparature gauge. After many stops and head scratching wondering why the gauge said we were going to boil but the engine didn't seem to be all that hot we decided to ignore it and carry on screaming round the tight twisty curves of the mountain roads. The Stelvio Pass was awesome, i'll try and put a video of it on the page.

 

I'd recommend this Rally to anyone, if you didn't go travelling before you got tied down by other financial commitments like a mortgage for example. This is a brilliant experience of travelling round Europe to see thing you wouldn't normally see. Such as "The Running Of The Cows", where we had to stop in a little village to let a procession of cows, decorated in flowers and great big cowbells, pass through along with enthusiatic locals.

 

Anyway, I'm bored now. If anyone wants to know anymore just ask :-)  

The preparation for Scally Rally 2007 begins. I've registered the team, Rob Jenkins, newcomer Craig Brassington (an official sponsor and quality local scrap dealer offering competitive rates and car removal contact me for details ), Neil Gould and Me. We're car 15 and called "The Moorons" on account of us all being from Sterndale Moor, apart from Gouldy.

 

The best news is the car, delivered this morning

 

Make: Ford

Model: Taurus

Body Type: Station Wagon

Weight: Tank

Engine: 3000cc

 

But best of all its got a bench seat, so its 3 up front. I'm going to have to be putting it on the road for a bit for novelty value. Anyway, thats all for now. I'll keep everything updated if I can remember.....

 

 

 

Ok, 18 days to go until the big day. Had a few teething problems with the Merc, blocked fuel filters and now a snapped half shaft. At least we've found all this out now and not somewhere in the Alps. Rob's panicking a bit and talking about not going because he's just got himself a big mortgage, pah! But he'll soon come round. Still need to book the ferry though, better get onto that soon.

Scally Rally 2006. Calais - Geneva - Monaco - Barcelona - Madrid

 

1500 miles in an E-reg Mercedes 190 2.5 Diesel..... and back again!