Mercury Motorsport Stages at Crail

[strcnova]

Just thought i would let you know that i have just come back from the event with some rather good news.

Having rebuilt the car after Mull, this was its first event after it, and for this year and also with a new co driver too. Many thanks to Ben McCosh for keeping me on the right route over the two days.

How about this.................We won the 1600cc Class by over 1min 30 sec and finished an incredible 17th overall !!!!

Full report and some incar will come soon as i can.

Here is one photo to keep you all going.
http://photos-611.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-snc1/v272/125/80/529115611/n529115611_3313639_9544.jpg

[MC]

Awesome result, looking forward to hearing more.

MC

[Dan]

fantastic news and well done. Its always good after having abit or work to do, to just jump straight back into it and come out on top :thumb:

[chris gsi]

top result well done:thumb: look forward to the incar vids

[strcnova]

Will try and get the vids as soon as i can. It was bloody hard work!! The competition was hard. At one point after 7 stages and 40 miles 3 of us were seperated bu just 7 sec!!! My engine builder in an XR2 was in front of me by 2sec and Pug 205 gti behind me by 5 sec!

How hard the event was, that 71 cars started and only 32 finished!!! everything from ball joint, to rolls, to ceased engines to holed radiator's put cars out.

[strcnova]

Here are some more photo's. Sorry no in car as it did not seam to like the conditions. report to follow shortly too.

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll208/speeders_photos/DSC_4133.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll208/speeders_photos/DSC_3731.jpg

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll208/speeders_photos/DSC_3858.jpg

[Jonezy]

Gotta' nice rally car there mate :thumb: some good pics an all. Whens your next rally?

[craig green]

Good result. Nice to hear Novas are still a force to be reckoned with....

[tom_beverley]

Brilliant work, well done :thumb:

Can't wait for the report, shame about the incar footage.

[strcnova]

Here is the report for the event.

Driver Mark Runciman
CoDriver Ben McCosh
Car Vauxhall Nova Gte
Car 45
Event Mercury Motorsport Stages. Crail Fife.
Date Sat 14th Sun 15th

The lead up for this event was just bloody awfull. Having crashed the car on Mull in Oct and damaged the crossmember and chassis legs is was going to take a bit to sort but Haggis managed to pull it al together at the last min. So the Sun before the event i set off to Preston to collect it. The usal in rallying circles the car was still being worked on when i arrived and would still need some work when i got it up the road. So mon, tues and wed night spent getting the car ready with thurs night loading up and heading up the road to Crail.

Fri was spent helping setting the stages up with the set up crew and then Ben and i spent late afternoon and evening putting the car through scruitineering and setting up the service area for us and for my mate Brido and Haggis in ther Ford Fiesta XR2.

Sat morning. Day was to be dry then getting wet later in the day.

Stage 1
Dry stege but very very quick with tight chicane's. This was where the flag drops and the bull**** stops. I had to get used to the car asap as i had not driven the car in anger since Oct, so it was a very quick learning process. John Boyd in a Saxo and Greame Rintol in his XR2i setting the early pace with me in 3rd.
Stage 2
Repeat of 1. Upped the pace knocking 11sec's of my time. Brido now getting going 2sec quicker than me and Rintol a further sec better. Boyd out with a broken drive shaft.
Stage 3
Still dry and fast flowing stages. Really getting into things now so much so that i post fastest time in the class, closely followed by Brido. Graeme Rintol sets a quicker time but this is due to him pulling in early due to gear linkage breaking. He decides to pull out due to no replacement. Come in on the act now is Ross Hunter in a Pug 205.
Stage 4
Repaet of 3. Brido now pulls fastest in class by 9 secs so closes within 2 sec of me with Hunter 6 behind Brido.
Stage 5
Things now getting getting a bit close but whether now closing in. Really trying now and over cooked it coming into one corner and skelped a super single tyre right in the middle of the bumper, quick reverse and carried on dropped a few secs on that one. Now Brido now takes the lead by 1 sec.
Stage 6
Now raining heavly and we are out on slick tyres with min cuts!!! oh ****!! Tyres got hot which is good but under braking with the oil from the ground coming up its bloody scary! So much so when coming up to a 90right we just go straight on and slid a good 30yrds past the corner. Drop time of about 5sec. Brido and Ross have similar grip problems so take time off me.
Stage 7
Oh **** now driving in the middle of a thunder storm!!!!!! Tyres changed for wets and pushing as hard as I can, getting more grips so braking is a lot better. Set fast class time again Brido and Ross still chasing. Brido 2 sec in front of me and Ross 5 behind, then there is a gap of over 1min and half to 4th in class and we are lying 18th 19th and 20th!!! overall.
Stage 8
Rain stopped but ground is a greesy as ****! and i find out how greesy when i spin 3 corners into the stage and drop about 15 sec now the red reg to a bull is out and i the foot is down. Knowing how close things are i can do with out loosing time. I know Brido is going well so is Ross, soi know i have dropped a place...... or so thought. I come to the through the flying finish mad at loosing time only to see Brido and Haggis sitting a the stop line in front of me!! they started behind on the stage. Haggis made a costly error while chasing another car and brought Brido in a lap early! So stage max and 4 mins dropped!! Ross was struggling for grip too.
End of leg
Over night postions were
Mark Runciman Ben McCosh Vauxhall Nova 18th overall
Ross Hunter Martin Woodcock Pug 205 GTI 19th overall
6 sec seprate us after 45miles and 8 stages

Sun Dry with late showers

Stage 9
Stages again are ultra quick. Ben is doing really well on what is only his 2nd event calling the corners spot on and calling the splits right too as a lot of more experianced guys are making mistakes. Back on to the stages with pressure of keep the pace up and not making mistakes. Off we set and the first chicace i manage to clip the tyres hard and bend the wing. Half way round we see Ross stopped. Get to finish and find the wing was so close to cutting the tyre! Ross stopped fixing a faulty fuel pump and drops over 2 mins. We are now 18th overall and now over 1 min and half over the next in class.
Stage 10
Now in really strange situation of not really having any one to chase or be chased by. Only got myself to push. Car in 19th is only 15sec behind so do not want to lose place. Go through one chicane to close and lose drivers side wing mirror thankfull did not lose the window either as the mirror hits it. Also see Brido and Haggis parked up. Not good as his engine has blown up. Guess who built my engine?? Gulp
Stage 11
Starting to push to hard and over cookng things but not loosing time but not gaining either. Miss a gear change coming out a chicane and buzz the engine too.
Stage 12
Ben is trying to keep me level headed through the stage and i am calming down a bit but things are really tight. Still 15 sec between me and 19th.
Stage 13
Spend half the stage chasing a Saab 900 turbo which is quick in a straight line but i am so much quicker through the tight stuff and better under braking. He would not let me through. Loose aboout 10 sec and now rageing.
Stage 14
Get the jump on the Saab going into a split so he nows chases me for all of 2 corners before i leave him through the tight stuff. Couple of sec quicker than the 206 in 19th so gap is building again.
Stage 15
Two stages to go and now getting very nervous. Stages are still quick but the day is staying dry. Again another couple sec pulled out on the 206. Still over min and half on next in class and Ross now back upto 3rd in class.
Stage 16 (last stage)
Fingers arms and legs now crossed for the last 6 miles of stage. Good clean run through and caught a Mk2 escort. The finish line i was so glad to see. Ben was pretty pleased too because he thought i was right on the limit of losing it as i was still pushing the car right to the end. Pulling into the service area Brido Haggis and the service boys were giving me a round of applause.
Really pleased for Brido too as its his engine in my car so its his first win for his engine.
Result was 17th overall and my first outright class win

Car now in bits again but this time being made ready for Ingilston on the 27th July. Will keep in touch on how things go for that event

Thanks go to Brido for the Engine, Haggis for getting the car ready if a little late and to Ben for doing a great job on only his second event.

[ade]

Superb result - I remember you showing me pics of the car after the Mull "incident". Amazing work to get it back on the road!

Well done!

Think I may take a trip to Ingliston on 27th July.

Do you need to buy tickets or is it a turn up event?

[strcnova]

its closed to spectators due to safety reason but if you were to arrive with me and act as service crew you can get in but access to take photo's is very limited.

Pm if you want to know more.