TeamWoodSpeed

5th in class for the team at Manby

Paul Woodford drove the team’s Ford Ka rally car to a deserved 5^th in class and 35^th overall in the Harold Palin Memorial Stage Rally on Saturday 3^rd October.

The event also saw the rally debut of the team’s usual service mechanic Tom Hutchings, who was standing in for Paul’s usual co-driver Mike Woodford. Tom climbed in to the hot seat with his usual quiet confidence, and enjoyed his first rally alongside the East Yorkshire based driver.

The result was hard fought, and the team took a great deal of optimism from 5^th in class. Again, entering a car which is significantly down on power compared to the competition meant it was important for Paul to settle into a rhythm early on.

Paul said: “I really feel like I got to grips with the car today. The stages were very fast, with some tight chicanes which suited our car. Although you’re not directly competing with the other cars on the stages, when we did come across other competitors at merges we found it useful to judge our pace by them.

We did have a problem with the oil getting too hot, and losing some pressure. We’ll fit an oil cooler for the next rally, and review the oil we’ve been using to see if there’s something better. Apart from that, the car didn’t miss a beat all day and it’s the hardest we’ve ever pushed it!

I’d like to say a big thank you to the organisers, our team who were as confidence-inspiring as always, and to Tom for co-driving. It was good to see a new face in service too, with James joining us to help out with the car.”

The award winning Harold Palin Memorial Rally is a favourite among competitors, attracting a capacity entry with machinery ranging from WRC and maxi kit cars to historic and clubman cars. As usual, Eastwood and District Motor Club put on a very well organised event, with minimal delays and a fantastic selection of stages which featured a mixture of surfaces, including tarmac, concrete and gravel.

Manby, too is a very popular venue, and for the first time most people could remember, the rain stayed away. Even the infamous watersplash was dry. This meant tyre choice was very important, so with rain threatening and the stages cold the team opted for the Pirelli intermediates.

This rally looks likely to be the last we’ll see of the Ford Ka this year on the stages. Budget allowing, the team are considering contesting the ANCC Tarmac Rally Championship for 2010. Over the coming months, it’ll be all hands on deck to source sponsorship and review options for next year – watch this space.

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