Rally School Oulton Park

[ 13 December 2000 ]

The first thing that stuck me as I arrived at the Outlton Park race track in Cheshire was the weather. And more importantly the mess that it was making of the ground. Long rivers of mud and water lay where in the brochure I distinctly remembered there being hard dirt tracks. But the weather wasn’t working alone here. It had the very able assistance in its dirt-churning duties of Escort Cosworths. Lots of them. And no normal Cosworths either, because while they may have power limited, “for reliability reasons”, the rest of the cars in Outlon Park’s fleet are purebred rally car - all bucket seats and roll cages. And it’s one of these cars that I’m here to drive, and in which I will soon learn that on these tracks and in these conditions, the power they have is more than enough.

The session for the Brands Hatch Leisure Group Rally School Inital Trial starts with a classroom briefing which is far less tedious than it may sound. The basics include how to get strapped in to the car, how to get out if things go wrong, and a quick run through understeer and oversteer which would be important later. The breifing concluded with the instructors informaing us that at the end of the day they would get to drive for a lap and show us how it should be done. Gleefully adding that they would be “driving it like they stole it.”

So out to the cars and we hold back for a “next years spec” car with knobblier tyres and neat roof-top air vent. Strapped in tight and the engine kicked into place with a pleasing growl. I was joined for the trip by Mark Youde, a man of some considerable experience in single seaters who clearly enjoyed his rally driving. And so to the trickiest part of the day - finding the track.

“Through this gate here” might seem straight forward enough, but when your vision consists almost entirely of brown smears, front and sides, hitting the paddock fencing feels like a very real possibility. Much windscreen wiper thrashing later, we’re sitting at a start-line marked by two cones in mud capable of swallowing people whole. Once the way is clear of other cars we set out on a slow lap to learn the course, visibility ever a problem, turning in between cones which you can see only as you’re passing by. The first course is fairly tight but provides a good introduction to the delicate footwork required - for acceleration, foot to the floor, the tyres will get traction eventually. At corners, stand on the brakes as though your life depends on it. Which it kind-of does. Again, the rally tyres will do the business as they see fit.

Over the next few laps, confidence builds and the knack to flicking the car sideways and balancing the direction of travel with the power applied, becomes apparent. A few more laps and it’s the half-time changeover. We move to a faster, more flowing circuit and aim to cut our times before a final run against the clock. This course is a beauty. A short run to a long left-hand turn through 180° gives you a chance to get some speed up and throw the back end out, catching it at the exit for a weave through some cones and a flat out relatively straight section, the tyres tearing at the drenched mud below. A small crest and hard on the brakes of a tight right-hander. If you’re going to spin, this would be the place to do it - one to watch for the final run. Up to a hairpin to the left and a bit of handbrake to get the back out. Drifting round and then down through a tight, weaving section, before a long left hander, flat out with the back end ready to overtake at any time, and the final gate to finish. This circuit feels a lot faster than the last and with speed increasing, I’m coming over all Tommi Makkinen, getting closer to the cones and getting on the power earlier in the bends.

Finally, its practice time up, and we’re on the line, stopwatch at the ready and a target time for the course of 40 seconds in our sights, though the conditions are going to do nothing to help us hit it. No more Mr NiceGuy. A full-on rally start sees dirt flying everywhere and with the adrenaline pumping, we’re round the first bend and off like a shot down the fast straight. Up to that tight right and slam on the brakes, but its a little late and i’m a bit wide. Dropping the revs keeps in all in line, but its a slower exit than I would have hoped for the run up to the hairpin. Tidily round and there’s nothing to lose, so it’s on the ragged edge through the curves and flat out towards the finish, the back end slewing out to the right as we cross the line.

Now it’s the instructors turn to get their own back and stepping out into a brown swamp to swap seats it becomes clear what an admirable job those tyres were doing. Mark’s lap is impressive, getting closer to the cones, and generally following a better line than mine, and faster. He comes undone at the harsh right-hander though, pushing out a bit early and spinning us into the run-off area. Not satisfied with that, we get back to the start so he can prove his point with a faultless and very quick lap that left me longing to get back in the driving seat. Unfortunately, it was time to get back to the classroom for our de-briefing and a breakdown of everyone’s driving and times. Driving skills were similar thoughout the group though many had lost points for huge spins and for murdering cones along the way. My analysis was pleasing with only 4 points lost for my late braking and line through that corner, and style marks of 9/10. A final time of 49 seconds gave me the fastest time of the day and put me top of the class with 86% overall. Not a bad days work!

The only fault with this well organised day was that it all seemed to be over far too soon and I’m in desperate need of another fix. I need to know how much harder I could have pushed, what my times could have been in the dry, and whether Subaru want me for next season. SegaRally will never seem the same.

Photos available here.

Dave Stokes