Molly's Blog - 30 October 2011 - Rally of Scotland

Hi everyone

So time for a blog I think!  Well, Rally of Scotland, far out – what a wet event!  There had been another rally up there the week before so two rallies on the same roads within two weeks meant the roads were a bit rougher than usual. Even though the rally was very rough and tricky, the roads themselves are fantastic. I was actually quite happy that the conditions were wet and treacherous, because that’s exactly what we will be dealing with in Rally GB (final WRC round Nov 10 - 13).

We really enjoyed the event and we were really pleased with our pace with a couple of fastest stage times and some 2nd fastest times where the gaps to fastest were very close.  It was a pretty exciting moment in the car, sitting at the end-of-stage-control looking at the times on the board and realising we’d set a fastest time. It’s hard to describe that feeling. It’s the moment when all the hard work, and all the frustrations and all the disappointments disappear and all the efforts seem worthwhile, and it is very motivating!

Unfortunately a bolt in the control arm broke in the final forest stage and we didn’t finish the event. Although, we had achieved what we set out to achieve as far as stage times were concerned and we were very happy with that.

A huge thankyou to John, Ronan, Alan and Marty for coming over from Ireland with the car and looking after it for the event. (And Alan for his great cooking…. Nothing like an Irish stew on a freezing night out on an airfield!)

Going back to work after Scotland was a shock to the system after being away for a few weeks. I hadn’t been in the office since the Rally of France at the end of September!

Last week Seb and I went to the WRC round in Spain just to do the recce and we stayed on to watch the rally, and that’s quite difficult – just watching. I don’t think I’m a very good spectator! I found it very hard just standing around the service park. I felt a bit like a spare tyre!

The recce was good. It was tricky because it’s the first time I’ve really written notes on those type of roads. It’s double width tarmac but twisty and very technical.  Usually the roads we are driving on are only a car width wide, so you can easily see what the corners are like. But it’s a bit more technical trying to work out if you need the car to be on the inside at the end of the corner, or if you can let it run out, and how you write that in your notes.  So, I was glad that I wasn’t doing two passes and then going straight into the rally. It was good to drive the roads to be able to just see the roads and work out how you are going to change your notes to help drive it properly. So I think we are better prepared for, hopefully, when we get a chance to do that event – or anything similar.

Right now it’s all about preparing for Rally GB.  I’m going back to Italy next week to do another course at Vittorio Caneva's rally school.  I really enjoyed my last trip to Vittorio and he has been really helpful. When he invited me to go back I jumped at the opportunity.  From Italy I head to France for the next meeting of the Women & Motor Sport Commission in Paris. So, all in all, the lead up to Rally GB is pretty full on.

I can’t actually believe that the last round of the WRC Academy is coming up. What a huge year it has been. Talk to you again soon.