August/September 2008
Coventry Automotive Mini Mid Season Update
Since the last update Trevor and Ian have had quite a successful season with the new Mini, and are in a very competitive position in the Heart of England Championship both in class and overall.
The D’Isis Stages Rally, held entirely at the MIRA Proving Grounds, was a learning curve for Trevor and the car. As Trevor has spent much of his rallying career in the forests on the loose, the neat and tidy approach that tarmac requires needs more practising. The car responds well to tarmac, and we’re sure it can be developed into a very competitive vehicle with some more work and some new parts. We finished 34th overall, and 7th in class, which was reasonable reward for our efforts. Our friend Basil Wales, ex of Special Tuning, was honoured to be able to carry out the presentations at the end of the day, but sadly we didn’t make the prizes.
The Rally of the Midlands proved to be a disappointment as we were in a position to gain a good finish over our rivals when we broke a driveshaft at the ultra fast MIRA Proving Ground stage. With local knowledge at this tricky venue we were making up good time and were heartbroken when the shaft broke without warning on a tight hairpin. It had been a testing event up to that point, including a very slippery part of the Bramcote stage which was like trying to drive on ice which had formed on glass.
The Azimghur Stages at Colerne Airfield in Wiltshire was an event Ian was particularly looking forward to as he had competed at several sprints there many years ago. It is mainly very good smooth tarmac, with some wide-open spaces that allow the car to be driven very fast. Trevor by now was really beginning to get the hang of the Mini on tarmac and the stage times were showing this. We were eventually pushed into 8th in class by one of our rivals in the Heart of England Championship by only 2 seconds, which was galling to say the least. Even taking out all the weight we could think of on the last stage didn’t make up enough to overcome the six-second deficit we had at the start of the stage. We were left with the ‘if onlys’ at the end of the day, but 40th overall was a decent result.
August saw us at Twyford Woods for the Centenary Stages. This is an ex-airfield that is now owned by the Forestry Commision and they have used the infield areas to grow trees, but left the airfield surfaces as access roads. They are now in quite bad condition and we ran forest tyres and soft suspension all day. The Mini suffered through the deep potholes and we punched both front suspension top mounts through the rubber. We managed a good finish, but lost most of the front ride height and caused the front tyres to rub on the bodywork! 26th overall and 7th in class was the hard-won reward for the days action.
We have one event in the Heart of England championship remaining, at Caerwent near Chepstow. If we finish the event in a reasonable position we could win our class, and be in for a ‘podium’ in the overall standings. This would be a fine result for the first season in the Mini, and just rewards for the hard work put in by Trevor and Ian and the service crew of Steve and Kostas, not forgetting the support given by Dave.
Details of the Patriot Stages Rally at Caerwent can be found on:
www.forresterscarclub.co.uk
There is one event that we have entered for a bit of fun and also as a bit of a memorial to one of Britain’s lost talents. The Richard Burns Memorial Rally to be held at RAF Marham near Kings Lynn on September 13/14th should be quite interesting, as the Subaru World Rally Team has entered a car for Markko Martin, and there will be other surprises we are promised. Details can be found on:
www.richardburnsmemorialrally.co.uk
Trevor and Ian
Coventry Automotive
(Photos courtesy and copyright of Steve)
25-27 July 2008
Silverstone Classic Event
The Coventry Automotive Marina made it's first public outing at the recent Silverstone Classic event, on the Ex-Works and Special Tuning stand ably organised and run by Basil Wales.
The stand included many of the ex-works race and rally cars including Austin Healeys, Minis and Triumph Dolomites.
The event was a celebration of the classic forms of racing and rallying, with over 700 cars and 900 drivers entered for the on track events, and no doubt as many wandering around the infield car club displays and book, picture and memorabilia stands. The weather was fine and there were over 50,000 spectators.
The plan is to get the car ready for it's first event sometime later this year, and to get the Marina back in the forests again where I'm sure it will bring a smile to many a spectator's eye. And hopefully a grimace to some of the other competitors...
9th March 2008
AGBO Stages, Weston Park
The AGBO Stages held at Weston Park, just off the A5 is a tarmac event using the roads around the estate, though you may have had trouble working that out from some of the lines Trevor was using, as he used more grass than almost anyone else it seemed. Must be that forest experience coming out!
This was the first real event that Trevor and I had competed in for almost 18 months, as Rockingham Stages in December was a bit of a wash out for us, quite literally. Trevor could really start to learn how the new Mini handled and how to get the best out of it, as the day was dry, bright and sunny. His style with the classic Mini, going down the gears to get around the corners, wasn’t working for this new car on the first stages and we were working hard to keep in touch with the others in the class. Changing the style a bit, using the lower gears less and letting the engine pull out of the corners seemed to be working better. The brakes were also far more effective in the new Mini and Trevor could drive right up to the corner before standing on the middle pedal to slow the car down.
By the third or fourth stage we were getting the hang of it and the car was flowing more and the times were better. The last stages saw the car really start to fly, and may be a little too much on a couple of occasions as the new Mini seems to work better with a smoother driving style. Trevor was a little ragged on some corners and one in particular caught out the photographers who didn’t expect the cars to get quite as close as we did!
The car performed well, and the only real work that the service crew (Steve and Kostas) had to do was change from the intermediate tyres that we started the day on to the moulded slick tyres for the latter stages.
Trevor’s efforts to straighten out the chicanes by nudging the hay bales with the car were not having much effect, but at least the car survived. The last two stages saw the watersplash being used, it is a particular feature of Weston Park and is a great spot to spectate from.
The end result was 34th overall, 7th in class. Not bad considering that there were 19 finishers in our class. Now if only we had cut 2-3 seconds from our stage times, we would have been in the top 30 and up to 5th in class…
The next event is the Horiba D’Isis Stages on Saturday 12th April at the MIRA Proving Ground. For insurance reasons it is a non-spectator event..
The photos are from EDP Photographic - www.edpphoto.com
Ian Harrop
Trevor Godwin
6th
December 2004
A Troubled Ending
This year, 2004, is the last year that the classic British Mini is eligible
for competition on the international scene, in its multi point fuel injected
form. Knowing this, we at Coventry Automotive planned to give the old
car a fitting send off with an entry on the last round of the World Rally
Championship (WRC), which was Rally Australia. This involved getting the
car, all its spares and equipment, plus ourselves halfway across the world.
Initially
there were several teams interested in taking Minis to compete in Australia,
but as the event got nearer and nearer the commitment waned, leaving just
myself and driver Trevor Godwin to make the long journey, together with
Garry to help us with the servicing. Shipping was arranged, and at the
end of September we packed the car into a container and sent it on its
way. Five weeks later we met up with it in Perth, none the worse for its
journey.
In the meantime we had been in contact with Cono Onofaro, owner of Minicraft, a Perth based company specialising in Minis. Cono turned out to be just the sort of guy we needed, as he had so many contacts and a ‘just do it’ attitude which fitted in perfectly with our own outlook. Being a low budget outfit with no sponsorship other than my own bank account, we could not have competed on the rally without the support of Cono and his wife Ruth. The local service support was arranged through Minicraft, and suddenly we were a team of nine ‘on a mission’.
As Trevor and I went out to look over the stages to be used for the rally in a car borrowed from the local Toyota agents, Cono, Garry and the guys set about the final preparation of the car for the event. Some long hours were spent getting the Mini ready for scrutineering, but when ‘beer o’clock’ arrived, it was there looking great. The only problem we had with getting the car through the final checks was that it was underweight, which meant we had to bolt 25kg of lead to the floor of the car to ensure it met the FIA standards.
The rally started on the Thursday night, with a ceremonial presentation of the cars and crews and a first run over the spectator stage. The spectator stage was set out in a stadium in downtown Perth, more usually used for horse trotting races. The Superspecial stage format is similar to that used on every other WRC round, namely a course which allows two cars to go head to head against each other on a stage which has a cross over bridge so that both cars cover the same mileage.
As we lined up for the start, we were being treated to a rapturous reception though that was not apparent from within the car. The local spectators were very knowledgeable, and the pre event publicity had been promising the last competitive run of the Mini for some time. The Superspecial stage, whilst being ideal for the spectators, is more like trying to ride a bike around your living room for the competitor, with no room for error. We had decided to take it very easy on this first stage, as the action would really start the next morning in the forests around Perth, and a sensible run saw the car left in the overnight parc ferme in pristine condition.
Friday dawned bright and early, which was very encouraging as the inspection of the stages earlier in the week had taken place in foul, wet conditions. We had not been looking forward to wet stages as the mud would have sapped the limited power of the car and made it very difficult for us. There was a long run out to the first stage, and the road timing made it a bit of a dash to get there on time. The first couple of stages were around a man-made reservoir, which involved flooding a natural bowl. The trees that had formally grown there had been left to wither in the water and created a surreal landscape of blackened trunks appearing out of the water. I had noticed this on the earlier inspection of the stages, as I certainly didn’t have time to see them whilst we were attacking the stage for real.
The
first stages were quick fire and had plenty of corners. They really suited
the nimble Mini and we were settling into the rally. The next two stages
were a little more open and we had the opportunity to stretch the car.
The road surface was quite hard after the sun had dried out the roads,
and the ruts left by all the four wheel drive cars didn’t seem to
be having too much of an effect on the Mini. This was good, as the car
does not have much ground clearance and the track of the wheels is not
the same as the modern cars, meaning that Trevor had to choose which of
the ruts to use. There were some very rough places, but the Mini seemed
to be shrugging the punishment off.
On the run back to Perth for the service there were a couple of occasions when the car was felt to dart across the road. Neither of us spoke about it, hoping it would go away. After a check over by the crew we were on our way for the final two gravel stages of the day. It became apparent that the darting was not going to go away, and that it would be foolhardy to carry on with the competitive stages. The trees in Australia are very much closer to the road than those familiar with British forest, and any error would be severely punished. We reluctantly decided that we had to retire, which was a great shame as we were leading our class at the time.
A feature of WRC events from this year is the Super Rally format. This allows a competitor who has retired to repair his car and restart the rally at the start of the next leg. There are a couple of drawbacks to this arrangement: it meant that we were out of the rally proper, and we had to repair the car in the service area. Which effectively meant taking the engine out to replace the diff in the middle of a field.
The team got onto the job straight away, and the plan was to use a scaffold pole, some chain and every available person to hoist the engine up out of the car. It was a simple plan, and it worked very effectively, though it probably looked very odd to the passers by. There were obviously some optimists amongst them however, as we were asked whether the car would be taking part in the Superspecial stage again that evening, approximately an hour and half later.
Cono had rushed back to his workshop and rebuilt a diff that he had available and brought it back ready for fitment. The engine rebuild completed, it was duly put back into the car using the scaffold pole again, and the car was fired back up. After draining the oil to get rid of as much broken metal from the diff as possible, some proper oil was put back in, and the car put away in parc ferme ready for the next days stages.
Saturday
was hotter than the previous day and the first stage was not kind to the
car. There was still some floating metal in the oil despite all the work
the previous day and it all ended up on the magnetic cam sensor. The engine
was running very sickly and we had to pull off. The sweeper car caught
up with us as we were attempting to repair the car and hung around. It
was interesting talking to them, and hearing that they were really behind
us. They even offered to help us out, though Trevor didn’t need
the assistance.
Once we had got the car going again all seemed well for a while, though it soon became apparent that we were in trouble again. Cue our second retirement, though there was the option of running again in the Superspecial later that day, and for the final days stages, if we could repair it. Back to the service area and after some cleaning and checking of the engine management sensors we had got the car running well again.
The Superspecial on the Saturday night was a bit special for us, as we were able to put on a bit of a display for our crew and for the masses of spectators that were following the Mini. Trevor even tried to get the Mini sideways through the tunnel for extra excitement, though fortunately for me he got it pointing the right way in time.
Sunday was going to be our day. We had had problems with the previous days, but surely all that was behind us? As we got to the start of the first stage, it was clear something was different. There was one of the official helicopters flying around, and that only happens to the guys running at the front of the field. As we waited for the start one of the marshals came across to us, and said that the helicopter was going to fly alongside us and film us down the stage. Our five minutes of fame had arrived!
The
stage started well for us, and Trevor was really trying. The road surface
had baked hard in the sun, and the ruts were quite deep in places, but
the Mini was coping. And then the engine management let us down. Problems
with the system meant that we were running on much reduced power, which
was not good for our TV footage. The system cleared itself and we were
off on full power again, but only for a short while. As we got to the
end of the stage, both of us were very disappointed. With the car playing
up like this we would be lucky to get it to the end of the rally.
Sure enough, towards the end of the next stage, with only two more stages to complete, the engine started to overheat. As we were close to doing irreparable damage to the engine, Trevor called a halt to it, and we pushed the car off the stage. As the same stage was being run again we did have the chance to spectate as the top runners came through. They were very impressive with the exceptional speed with which they could travel on the unique ball-bearing surface that Australia has, but it was sad to be sat watching rather thancompeting. Many spectators came to look at the Mini, and have their pictures taken next to the car, but we were looking to retire to the nearest bar to drown our sorrows.
Rally
Australia was a roller coaster ride for us, but it was an event I’ll
never forget. It took a lot of effort to get the car and team out there,
but it was rewarding in so many ways. We met people out there who became
friends, and we will go down in history as the last Mini to compete on
the World Rally Championship. However at the time I would have happily
given that up for a decent chance to show what the Mini can really do
on the difficult Aussie stages!
Ian Harrop
1st October 2004
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| SIMON CLARKE PHOTOGRAPHY © 2004 |
As we speak, the car is on the water in a container bound for Perth. It arrives there on October 27th and Rally Australia starts on 11th November. More details of the event can be found on www.rallyaustralia.com. Watch the press for details of the team’s ambitious project, and when we get back we’ll tell you all about it.
24th January 2004
Mini to end rallying career on a high!
Coventry Automotive have been rallying the classic British Mini since the 1960s and have an enviable record of results in International events since the car was re-homologated in injection form. We have always tried to compete on interesting events and have entered many of the classic World Rally Championship (WRC) events around Europe.
This year, 2004, is the final year of homologation for the Mini and driver Trevor Godwin and co-driver Ian Harrop have big plans to enter the Acropolis Rally, Rally Finland and Rally Australia, to give the popular car a big send off. The Acropolis Rally is one of the classic events that we have not competed on and is a particular ambition for Trevor. We have competed on Rally Finland half a dozen times since the re-homologation of the Mini in 1995 and we are looking forward to giving our car one last run over the famous 1000 Lakes stages. Rally Australia is the final round of the WRC and as such is the last event at world level that the Mini is eligible to compete in.
Coventry Automotive is a small, tight knit team, who are very resourceful when it comes to getting the job done. The Mini is always immaculately turned out and attracts attention wherever it goes. This will be especially true during this final year of competition at the World level. The venerable Mini may not be as quick as some of the more modern machinery, but everyone just loves to see it attacking the stages.
There
are opportunities for companies and individuals to get involved in helping
Trevor and Ian with their ambitious project. If you feel you can help
with some of the costs or are able to offer suitable services, then please
feel free to contact us. We will be able to offer space on the Mini for
advertising, in return for your support, and other opportunities can be
discussed.
Coventry Automotive can be contacted by telephone or fax: +44 (0) 2476
637472 , or use the link below to e-mail.
26th July 2003
The long awaited first event for the new eight port Mini took place on the Quinton Horiba Stages, based around the mid Wales town of Builth Wells. The eight port engined car has been prepared over the last year, using the rebuilt shell from the original Coventry Automotive Group A car which was written off in Finland. A lot of development work has gone into the engine, which uses four Amal carburettors of a type more normally associated with classic bikes. The eight port configuration was used quite successfully in Minis during the sixties, but this installation has benefited from a few modernisations that were not available back then.
In typical rally fashion the car was only finished off just before the event, and was run in on the way across to scrutineering! A tentative start to the rally was soon replaced with a full out attack as confidence was gained, and the car was really pulling well. As Trevor said “The engine has so much power I can pull out of hairpins in second, where before I was having to use first and struggling. The car is a thousand times better than previously”. Obviously happy then!
Just when things looked like they were going well the engine suddenly went off song, and the car limped back into service. A terminal problem with the engine was diagnosed and an early bath was called for. Nevertheless the team were not downhearted, as it was clear that there will be some development called for on this new installation. The car is expected to be quite rapid when it is developed to it’s potential, so watch out for it on the stages!
Thanks
to service crew Steve and Kostas, and support from Horiba, ITG and Fast
Hoses.
30th May 2003
The year did not start well for Trevor as on the Newton Abbott Audi Stages in January the yellow Mini suffered an accident on the road section between the final two stages and was declared an insurance write off. It was a great pity as Trevor and navigator Ian Harrop were leading their class with just one stage to go. The event was held in Devon on a day that went from wet, low lying fog to bright sunshine and everything in between.
The accident occurred in the narrow Devon lanes and the Mini was totally blameless. It was hit on the driver’s front corner and the shell was bent, all caused by a Peugeot 305 driven by a woman driving without due regard for the conditons. The insurance company has written it off, but it has taken some time to agree the final settlement with the company…. you know what insurance companies are like!! The shell is now in the body shop and we are eagerly awaiting the outcome of the attempt to straighten it.
All of this means that the proposed entry to the Acropolis Rally will have to wait until next year, and any other International events this year will have to be decided upon after the car is rebuilt.
In the meantime Trevor hasn’t been idle. The original blue car has been re-shelled and is now a fetching silver and maroon. The eight port engine that will power it is nearing completion and it is expected that the car will begin being shaking down in the next few weeks. Much assistance has been given in the build up of the engine and gearbox, and thanks are due to some long time colleagues for that. Watch out for the new Group B machine on events in July and August.
Customer cars
Two new cars have been prepared and are now out competing. They are a new Peugeot 106 for long time customer Richard Clews, and a recent addition of a Ford Puma for regular Mike Jones.
Richard’s bright red Peugeot has been competing since the beginning of the year and an excellent result on the Tour of Cornwall was reward for a spirited drive. The car is being used for the Tarmac Championship this year, and several events have already been entered, with some worthwhile results. Richard is expecting to get faster through the year, and be in a position to challenge some of the more established runners. See his own web site for more details: www.richardclews.co.uk
Mike’s Puma is a recent purchase and was originally built by Ford’s Boreham workshop. It is a 1400cc version of these potent machines and it’s maiden outing in Mike’s hand netted a second in class in the recent Rally of the Midlands. After the first stages Mike admitted it would take a little getting used to, as it is a serious rally car. Inspection of the car after the event revealed some damage to the six-speed dog box, and some odd suspension settings, both of which made the event frustrating as the gearbox was jumping out of gear and the car was a little lively over the bumps. Watch out for the next outings of the car, when it should be a bit better prepared. Coventry Automotive to the rescue again!
See
the gallery for photos of these new rally cars.
November 23rd 2002
Coventry Automotive are out rallying on a couple of events in the near
future.
Catch
the cars on The Killarney Historic Stages Rally in southern Ireland on
December 1st, where the team is supporting long term customer Mike Jones
in his beautiful black MkII Mini Cooper S. Apparently the car used to
be owned by the Police in Yorkshire at one time in it’s history.
I bet that surprised a few people!
More info can be found on www.irish-rallying.com
Trevor
himself is out again, with regular co-driver Ian Harrop, on the Grizedale
Stages Rally in the Lake District on December 7th. Some famous old RAC
Rally stages will be tackled in the trusty yellow Mini before it is put
away for the winter.
Details can be found on www.grizedalestages.co.uk
For
the future, Coventry Automotive are looking into the possibilities of
entering The Acropolis Rally in 2003. The rally is a famous round of the
World Rally Championship, held in Greece in early June 2003. The event
is generally considered to be the roughest round of the championship,
but the team are not deterred. As the homologation on the car runs out
at the end of 2004 there is not much time left to compete in the footsteps
of the legendary works Minis of the sixties, and Coventry Automotive want
to be there! If you are interested in getting involved in this exciting
project, contact Trevor for more information.
Coventry Automotive can be contacted by telephone or fax: +44 (0) 2476
637472 , or use the link below to e-mail.