Rally season again...

[GravelBen]

Which means its time for some (gravel in your)eye candy from Otago...


Hayabusa Starlet

[Kiwi XTR2]

Forget the surveying and go pro

[GravelBen]

Whoops...donut for the spectators and Alister McRae is off again...



MG suspension geometry seems interesting!

[GravelBen]

Andrew Hawkeswood after using a forestry gate as a can opener





Plus a bunch more here:

http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e392/GravelBen/O...

Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 26th May 07:14

[Esprit]

Man Hawkeswood's care is fkED!

[Omerta]

Wow Ben - those are fantastic pics! Nice to see a 911 rally car, I'd imagine that's a bit of a handful.

[izza]

GravelBen said:

Andrew Hawkeswood after using a forestry gate as a can opener

why am I not suprised


excellent pics as always Ben!
I must head down to listen to those BDAs again one year.

Edited by izza on Tuesday 26th May 08:44

[GravelBen]

Omerta said:

Nice to see a 911 rally car, I'd imagine that's a bit of a handful.

The guys that run them love them - rear engined traction and tough as old boots. Pasi Hagstrom won the classic class last year in the blue/white '73 RS pictured above.

[GravelBen]

izza said:

I must head down to listen to those BDAs again one year.

Not everything has the engines you'd expect...

2x Starlet/Hayabusas
Deane Buist's DX Corolla has a BDA in it.
A few of the Escorts have Nissan FJ20 power, including the classics winning (blue/black) Mk2 of local legend Derek Ayson. Never fear, the FJ20 is a sweet sounding rev-monster too
Blue Capri has a 5.8 V8 and sounds remarkably like a big jet-boat.

[Kylie]

Incredible pics Ben, just amazing!!

[Esprit]

Needs moar TR7V8s

[GravelBen]

Esprit said:

Needs moar TR7V8s

There are a couple that run from time to time but none this year unfortunately.

I must say the temptation is quite strong to sell the MX5 for an old rally car and get stuck into it myself...

[Kylie]

DO IT youll get groupies and max power chicks Ben

[Omerta]

x2 - go for it! If the costs are a worry you could try to find someone to go halves on it all, works well for Iain and I and the co driving is almost as much fun as the driving (well, nearly almost as much ).

[Jem Thompson]

GravelBen said:

Omerta said:

Nice to see a 911 rally car, I'd imagine that's a bit of a handful.

The guys that run them love them - rear engined traction and tough as old boots. Pasi Hagstrom won the classic class last year in the blue/white '73 RS pictured above.

It can't be a guneine RS can it?

[Fume troll]

What a fantastic mix of cars. Great photos.

Cheers,

FT.

[Bull1t]

Those are some really impressive photos. Well done.

[GravelBen]

Jem Thompson said:

GravelBen said:

Omerta said:

Nice to see a 911 rally car, I'd imagine that's a bit of a handful.

The guys that run them love them - rear engined traction and tough as old boots. Pasi Hagstrom won the classic class last year in the blue/white '73 RS pictured above.

It can't be a guneine RS can it?

I'm pretty sure it is a real one but I've been wrong before.

[Jem Thompson]

It looks real to me- the ducktail spoiler and reaer arches in particular- and that was my first thought. But then, given the preices these things are going for (100,000 pounds+ in the UK), I thought that it would be madness to rally. Excellent pictures though.

[GravelBen]

Jem Thompson said:

But then, given the preices these things are going for (100,000 pounds+ in the UK), I thought that it would be madness to rally.

I've never seen it driven by any other than very high-class drivers - current owner Willie Rutherford I believe is an ex-Brit champion, it was previously owned by Brent Rawstron (Rossendale Wines rally team) who brought drivers such as Pasi Hagstrom and Alex Fiorio out to drive it - same team has also had Juha Kankkunen, Jimmy McRae, Michele Mouton and others of similar Legendary status driving BDA Escorts at Otago over the last few years.

To be fair even a '73 RS probably isn't worth significantly more than the ex-factory BDAs being thrashed round on a regular basis.