5am this morning (I wish I had a hobby that didn't involve getting up at such an ungodly hour) saw me point the chiselled nose of the Xantia down the M5/A417 for the Corinium Stages held at Down Ampney, near Cirencester.
Some 70 cars tackled eight special stages on the former WW2 airbase in gusty winds but very warm temperatures.
Enjoy these, not up to my usual standard....but then I was supposed to be marshalling, not lurking in the undergrowth with a DSLR. Hur hur.
Before the rally proper, feast your eyes on this. My mate Neil's recently-purchased Mk1 'Scort, replete with Pinto on 45's/5-speed straight-cut Tran-X gearbox/English axle with LSD. A former rallycar, recently rebuilt and about to begin a new life as a weekend toy/showcar. Gorgeous, isn't she?
Anyway......
Christ, this was quick.
So was this.
More of this guy in a minute. He made an impact....
This gave me a proper trouser arousal.
Oops. Fortunately the damage wasn't too bad, they finished the event.
K11 Love, anyone? Formula Junior ran ahead of the rally proper, giving promising young 15-17 year-olds a taste of rallying in Formula 1000 (as in sub-1000cc) cars. K11's proliferate, with a smattering of Citroen C1's and Toyota Aygos for the better-off. Hugely entertaining to watch too, as sometimes their desire to win overcame their ability to do so.....as the punctures/dents attested to later in the day.
More pics here: www.flickr.com/photos/damaged23/sets/72157626492073659/ which will be added to tomorrow as it's been a long day and I'm not getting any younger. ZZZzzz...
Some 70 cars tackled eight special stages on the former WW2 airbase in gusty winds but very warm temperatures.
Enjoy these, not up to my usual standard....but then I was supposed to be marshalling, not lurking in the undergrowth with a DSLR. Hur hur.
Before the rally proper, feast your eyes on this. My mate Neil's recently-purchased Mk1 'Scort, replete with Pinto on 45's/5-speed straight-cut Tran-X gearbox/English axle with LSD. A former rallycar, recently rebuilt and about to begin a new life as a weekend toy/showcar. Gorgeous, isn't she?
Anyway......
Christ, this was quick.
So was this.
More of this guy in a minute. He made an impact....
This gave me a proper trouser arousal.
Oops. Fortunately the damage wasn't too bad, they finished the event.
K11 Love, anyone? Formula Junior ran ahead of the rally proper, giving promising young 15-17 year-olds a taste of rallying in Formula 1000 (as in sub-1000cc) cars. K11's proliferate, with a smattering of Citroen C1's and Toyota Aygos for the better-off. Hugely entertaining to watch too, as sometimes their desire to win overcame their ability to do so.....as the punctures/dents attested to later in the day.
More pics here: www.flickr.com/photos/damaged23/sets/72157626492073659/ which will be added to tomorrow as it's been a long day and I'm not getting any younger. ZZZzzz...
