KB Motorsport

Well, kicking off the KB Motorsport http://motorsport.kirk-burnnand.com/ posts! With a wrap of my first punt at wet British motorsport in the form of a Farnborough District Motor Car Club ‘Auto-Solo’. See the FDMC event report here.

An Auto-Solo would otherwise be called a Motorkhana event in AU. The main difference being the incorporation of a flying-finish nearby the start garage – which worked well. The flying finish meant cars were set off every 30-odd seconds with up to 2-3 cars on course at once, getting through the entry-feild three times per track/cone layout and drivers trying their hand at four different layouts. So 12 attacks at the bitumen – good stuff.

First though, who the heck invented British weather!!? It’s not wet today (Monday), but Sunday was atrocious – wet, cold and very very windy *shock*.

Ok, so entry to this event was to be test/shakedown of my new rally car – more on that in another post to follow; a gravel stage-rally 1.6l Peugeot 205 Gti. And unfortunately those plans faltered with the car not running very happily on the drive to the event; something fuel related to be determined that wouldn’t let it rev freely if at all through the first half of the rev range. So the first three runs were spent working on a car in the open on a wet and windy day = no fun.

Here to the rescue of a lost day, insert Matt Haggart and his Koni, solid-rear-beam plus exhaust neat-street 205 Gti (could even be mistaken externally for mine in Cherry Red). Thanks Matt for letting me behind the wheel A few seat adjustments later, a 50metre drive to the start line in the new weapon-of-choice, no look or walk through of the course – the next three runs could have been better! Close, but no potato – two different wrong-ways, the third run clearly seeing where I was about to go wrong – but too late Never-the-less, good fun and a good car to feel a bit of sideways through the seat and still feel in control -whether at this stage Matt thought it a good idea to have lent his car, I’m not sure.

Race-face on after that, decision made to make the most of it and keep it neat and clean. Not nearly the quickest driver there on the day, the water helped the FWD with traction, but needless to say I’m stoked with my afternoon results. Top 3 times from the 45-entrant field getting the lil’ 205 to match times with the Group-F Elise’s, Caterham and the other quick punters. See the afternoon results attached for car #49, even if I collected the wooden spoon this time around hehe Next time in my 205 should be interesting with a bit more grunt, a lighter car and a handful more suspension upgrades. It’ll probably get away from me.

Photos taken by others:

• http://breathecosse.com/…solo%202008/index.html
• http://www.flickr.com/…sets/72157604183933982/
• http://www.wiseguyphotography.com/MarchSolo/