BLOG: The Magic of the Monte & 2014 WRC

Wow. We said this year's WRC would be a cracker, and, if the season opener – the iconic Monte Carlo Rally – is anything to go by, we were right! What an absolutely thrilling, magic Monte event, setting us all up for a superb 2014 season.
In deeply challenging, changeable conditions – with rain, ice and then so much snow the famous Col De Turini stage was cancelled – Volkswagen’s 2013 champion Sebastian Ogier steered his Polo R WRC to victory, climbing the leader board over the event, to take the win.
Incredibly, second place went to privateer, Bryan Bouffier, who was out to prove a point on his home soil, having narrowly missed out on a factory drive with Hyundai's new i20 this year. Hats off to the Frenchman, who certainly got tongues wagging, leading for much of the event, until Ogier overtook him on stage nine: A phenomenal achievement for a private entry team.
It was a superb, dream start for Brit Kris Meeke too – in his first full WRC season as a Citroen factory driver, who drove a sublime, consistent event, to take third and obviously loved it, while his characterful team-mate Mads Ostberg brought his DS3 WRC home in fourth, in his first competitive drive for Citroen. Impressive stuff for what looks like a very content Citroen team this year.

VW ace and total dude, Jari-Matti Latvala took fifth after a tough start to the event, proving he's a title contender again this year, if luck stays with him.
And new-WRC-blood British rally star, Elfyn Evans drove his superbly-livered M-Sport Fiesta RS WRC to a deeply impressive sixth place – showing maturity way beyond his years. That bodes so well for the young Welsh superstar.

Seventh place went to the stylish, WRC social media expert, Andreas Mikkelsen, who's starting his first full season in the VW Polo R WRC – which looks as cool as he does on the stages again this year. And with next to no pressure, and growing experience, expect some good things from Andreas in 2014.
The all-new Hyundai team rocked the parc ferme with a deeply impressive, flashy new service area set-up – using first names for their drivers, in a successful bid to set an open, friendly, accessible image in the sport and setting new standards in mechanical support, which is sure to stir things up with the other teams and puts their flag firmly in thew WRC soil.
Unfortunately, despite the cars being competitively quick from the off, it was not the dream start that VW had last year with their new Polo for the funky-looking, great-sounding, fresh i20 WRC – as Thierry Neuville made an uncharacteristic error and crashed out of the event... on the first stage, much to his embarrassment and the team's frustration. And things went from bad to worst when Dani Sordo – who was posting good times in the i20 – was forced to retire with electrical gremlins. Sad news for the ambitious new team who say 2014 is all about learning. But we know they really want some podiums, if not event wins. Never mind. I'm sure they will be back with gusto in Sweden February 5th-8th, when the WRC teams take on even deeper snow than they faced here on the magic Monte, and it's great to have Hyundai so committed to WRC.

Former F1 star Robert Kubica's run of bad WRC luck continued in his new Fiesta RS WRC. Having set two fastest stage times on SS1 and SS2 – proving his pace once again – Kubica understeered off into a bridge in spectacular style shortly afterwards, forcing his retirement and lots of repair work on his car, again. Doh.
And it was also dreadful luck for Mikko Hirvonen – back with his old M-Sport pals in his Fiesta RS WRC – who was all set to take a solid sixth place, when his car packed up on the 15th, very last stage of the rally, having suffered alternator issues. Gutted. But, as rally icon, Francois Delecour always used to say about this magical sport: "That's rallying, no?!"
What an event – only enhanced by being able to watch the coverage live this year on new BT Sport! And on highlights on the Tuesday after the events on ITV4 on domestic UK TV.
Bring on the rest of the 2014 calendar, which this year includes Rally Poland back on the agenda. And with two new teams in VW and Hyundai and Citroen and Ford making improvements to match the new blood and fresh-faced, professional, happy and competitive drivers galore – many with a good chance of taking the title – UK TV coverage and two awesome British drivers in Meeke and Evans to support, it's just so great to see WRC back on its feet. Long live WRC!

PROJECT CARS: Project P38 V8 LPG Articles

For the past year, we've been running a iconic Land Rover Range Rover V8 top-spec, 4.6-litre Vogue as a project car. We bought it at auction (which is a right laugh), and have been slowly enhancing it, fixing stuff and generally fettling it to make it a better vehicle.
So, if this sort of V8, LPG, tuning, product testing, 4x4 and spannering stuff floats your boat, you can read the first two instalments on 'Project P38 V8' here on the Road Magazine website. There are 11 instalments in total. Enjoy V8 fans!

NEWS: RMA Track Days 2014 Are Go!

Established in 1989, loaded with great cars and people and offering overtaking either side, expert tuition, race car rental, stella special guests/new car events and the best circuits to lap on, we think RMA days are definitely the best track days we've ever been on. 

And very soon, their packed 2014 track day season gets underway at Brands Hatch Indy Circuit on February 4th, from just £150. But we're particularly looking forward to Spa-Francorchamps, 26-27th May, which is always a very special event – showcasing RMA's European track day pedigree to perfection. Put simply… these Euro-events are the best track days you can have.  
RMA Boss Graham Clarke says: "With the Christmas and New Year holidays well behind us, people's thoughts are now turning towards this years track day season. With bookings are beginning to pour in thick and fast, Spa in May is already half full already. Some of the initial 'early bird' booking prices have started to increase, although there are still substantial savings to be made. For example, the Brands event above started at £99, it's now at £150 with the final price set to be at least £225 if not more! The noisy day at Donington in March is up £50 on it's starting price but still a bargain at £225, although it won't stay like that for long either! There are other examples and whilst the uptake is encouraging, we would much prefer to see our regular supporters taking advantage of these early booking prices, so if you are in a position to commit early, please do so and book now!"
And talking about the Spa with Audi event in 2013, Graham added: "Those who joined us at Spa last September will no doubt remember Audi joined us in force with a fleet of their supercars comprising of three fabulous R8 V10 Plus, a pair of RS6's and an RS4 all available for our regular customers to drive round the awesome Spa circuit. They also brought a film crew with them and produced a lot of high quality footage, both in and out of the car. Take a look here."

We recommend RMA events as highly as is humanly possible and urge you to give them a try. You'll never look back – as their heady mixture of low numbers, open pit lane, overtaking either side, amazing retro and modern cars to battle with, slick operation, excellent facilities, great staff and jolly nice attendees is unsurpassed… in our quite vast track day experience. 

Get involved! 

The first wave of RMA events includes:

Brands Hatch Indy
4th February 2014
from £150 - 105 dB(A)
Book your place at Brands now!

Donington Park
4th March 2014
from £225 - UNRESTRICTED dB(A)!
Book your place at Donington now!

Snetterton
20th March 2014 & May 8th
from £125 - 105 dB(A)
Book your place at Snetterton now!

Silverstone GP
15th April 2014 & 19th May
£349-£450 - 105 dB(A)
Book your place at Silverstone now!

NEWS: Mikko Hirvonen's Free WRC App

WRC ace Mikko Hirvonen has launched a FREE App, for his rally fans to keep up to date with his 2014 WRC season in his Ford Fiesta RS WRC.

The App is called – you guessed it – Mikko Hirvonen and is available to download now. 

It includes: 

• 2014 World Rally Championship calendar with information and tips but also the possibility to comment and post pictures for each event.
• An interactive zone for the fans who wants to communicate with Mikko or leave a message.
• Links to Mikko's YouTube page and new videos for 2014!
• The possibility to post pictures on the App live.
• Direct access to Mikko’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
• Team and crew information.

You can download Mikko's new App at:
For Iphone and Ipad: On the App Store
For Android: On Google Play
& For all other devices here.
Or, you can also use the QR codes :

NEWS: Nurburging Race Rental & Track Day Tuition

Maybe you're a bit handy on a track day, think you know your way around the Green Hell, or have even tried a spot of domestic circuit racing?
But have you considered taking it to the next level – racing the infamous Nurburgring GP and Nordschleife, in the outstanding VLN Endurance Racing series (where many of the 24-Hr cars go bumper-to-bumper), or the equally fun, but slightly less hardcore RCN Circuit Challenge series?
If you've not considered it… you should put it on your bucket list. Not much comes close after you've been there, done that… and it need not cost the Earth, if you know the right people, as we do.
But where to start?
Take your own car out there, assemble a team, learn the ropes, jump the race licensing hoops, spend an age setting your car up with no local knowledge, cross your fingers and get racing? Well, you could do that…
Or...
You could tap into a lifetime of experience with our Green Hell know-how pals Jacos Paddock Motorsport and let them take the strain for you – provide you a perfectly set-up, reliable, rapid BMW race car with all the team support you could ask for and help you cut the red tape to get out a race at the Ring, hassle-free.
Super-friendly 'flying Dutchman' Jaco Velders and his crew have a fleet of really amazing BMW race cars – not the newest or the most flash, but with a perfect Nurburgring set-up, making them class winners in both RCN and VLN. And, budget, skill level and bravery depending, there's a BMW 325i E36 class V4 (for RCN), two BMW M3 E46 class V6 (one GT3 spec) and used two BMW 325i E36 V4 (for the VLN), to pick from… all of which are superbly neutral, balanced and fast race cars.
Jaco's Paddock run races all year at the Ring and also at Zandvoort in Belgium (the 12-Hr) and have raced at the Dubai 24-Hr and in the Nurburgring 24-Hr as well as decades in the RCN and VLN – so have plenty of know-how and experience. And their cars are built to last in these tough championships, which really test your driving skills (and the car).
Jaco's Paddock also offer track day and racing tuition, with individual personal training or in small groups of maximum four vehicles. Jaco says: "No matter what level of experience the participants have, using various techniques from our instructors in the car to following the instructor in convoy with in car communications – we will show you the right wet and dry racing line, the braking points, entry speeds, turning points etc. - everything you need to be quick here at the Green Hell, Spa-Francorchamps or Zandvoort.
"As part of the tuition, we offer a DVD and Power Point presentation and a track walk if possible. And, in addition, we offer preparation to obtain a German “A” race license to enable you to participate
in national races. We're a one-stop-shop for Ring racing!"
The Jaco's Paddock tuition packages include:

• Race car rental
• Qualified, skills racing driver instructors available for individual tuition or groups
• Both radio and intercom communications available
• Mechanical facilities available during the course for service, repairs and tyre replacement etc.
• Hotel, airport transfers & assistance with accommodation etc.
• A great time!

If you want to make your year and have some memories to pass on to the wide-eyed grandkids, why not race or get some tuition with Jaco's Paddock this year? We HIGHLY recommend it here at Road HQ. 

Find out more & contact Jaco directly for prices and information via Facebook.

NEWS: The Fast Show @ The Pod 2014

If you like tuned cars, drag racing, a spot of drifting, Block-style gymkhana and the occasional pole dance and DJ/MC session – Santa Pod Raceway has the answer, with The Fast Show, March 23rd, where you can get a chance to run the famous 1/4-mile in your own car in Run What You Brung (RWYB) against some of the UK's best tuned motors. 

New for 2014, 'The Pod' organisers have a new entry system "in a bid to keep standards at the top" – with a pre-entry system allowing the best cars to secure their spot in the paddock without having to be one of the first few through the gate, which should attract some of the UK's many monster modified machines.
Out on the hallowed drag strip, there are RWYB trophies available for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the street legal FWD and RWD/4WD classes and trophies for the quickest bike and non-road legal car of the day, where the really quick times should be set.
And this year the club displays have been encouraged to take their game up a gear, with the “Best Club Stand” receiving £250 cash and a Performance Direct trophy, and organisers say there should be in excess of 100 car clubs in attendance.
Naturally, there will also be "the one and only FireForce Jet Car," piloted by Martin Hill – capable of 0-250mph in under 6 seconds, which is a bucket list sight, if you've not already witnessed it.
And in "the Live Action Arena" down in the paddock, multiple time World Record holder and Pod regular, Terry Grant will have his fleet of supercars on hand for his stunts driving, which is well worth a visit. And he will be joined this year by fellow car stunner, Lee Bowers.
And, for those who think they're Kenny-of-the-Block, there's also a free Gymkhana competition in the paddock, which should be a laugh – to do and watch! This event feature is open to all vehicles and participants will be timed around an obstacle course featuring twists, turns, spins, a bit of reversing and more: Think autotesting for the yoof! 

There'll also be a whole host of the UK's top name drifters slewing sideways in the paddock and, as ever, a chance to get up close and personal with all these cars. 

The musical backdrop of the day will be provided car show idol DJ Richie Don and his team who will have the tunes flowing with MC’s and BeatBoxers with competitions and giveaways throughout the day including the famous Miss Fast Show competition someone will be crowned as the girl of the show. 

As ever, weekend tickets with camping are available. And you can maximise your RWYB track time by taking advantage of the unlimited runs available on Saturday (into the evening) and get access to the all-new “N20” heated night club.
Modified car, drag or drift fan? Then get your tickets now and find out more at www.thefastshow.com or call 01234 782828.

BLOG: Go Rallying in 2014! Road Magazine Get Started Guide…

2014 is all set to be a great year for British rallying – with both young gun Elfyn Evans and McRae -protégé Kris Meeke entering the WRC fray in what will hopefully become a new boom era of top-level UK rally star action in world rallying, like the good old Burns Vs McRae days of the 1990's (but now it's Welshman Vs Irishman rather than Scotsman Vs Englishman!)
We're confident the combination of the charging WRC Brits getting the glorious sport of rallying a higher profile here in blighty and WRC being on a resurgent run of late (after an outstanding Wales Rally GB and new blood in VW and now Hyundai) will lead to a rise in numbers of folk wanting to try their hand at rallying.
But where to start?
Sadly, rallying is not as straight forward as getting into hill climbing, sprinting, auto testing or even circuit racing… which unfortunately can put folk off. But, if it's your goal to have a go on the gravel, or tear up the tarmac… stick with it, as the rewards are extraordinary, and it's not that complicated.

To help you budding McRae's and Meekes, we've complied a brief outline of the steps you need to take to get started in the best motorsport on the planet:

1. Assuming you are over 17 and have a full driver's licence, contact the sport's regulatory body, the Motorsport Sport Association, MSA, for your 'Go Rallying' starter pack, which is £64 (with the VAT). This bumper pack includes your vital 'blue book' MSA Yearbook (now also in e-guide interactive disc format) which is loaded with rallying regulations and rules you will need to be all over, your application form for a National B rally licence, a 'Go Rally' 1st Aid in motorsport DVD and notes to help you fill out your forms correctly. Get studying, get your form filled in and get ready to post your form/fee off: £55 for a National B Rally Licence in 2014. That's the boring bit almost done!

2. Now you need to pass a BARS (British Association of Rally Schools) test, at one of the 10 accredited centres in the UK, which are: Bill Gwynne at Brackley, Chris Birkbeck in North Yorkshire, Forest Experience in Powys, Knockhill in Fife, Club MSV at Brands Hatch or Oulton Park, Phil Price in Powys, Silverstone Motorsport Academy at Towcester, Silverstone Rally School itself or Superdrive in Northern Ireland.
The BARS test will include a welcome introduction, MSA video, briefing on what to expect at your first rally, safety issues and the BARS test details, then a written test (based on the video contents and MSA Blue Book contents, focused mainly on safety). Finally, you get to go rallying – for 20-minutes, with an instructor, who will evaluate your skills and see if you are fit to go stage rallying.
The cost for these BARS tests varies, but budget c£180-200.
Like all tests, you can fail this (which means a costly re-sit) and the BARS does NOT include tuition. As such, it's not only worth swatting up on your MSA blue book, but getting some time in a rally car prior to the test, to make sure you pass with flying colours.
With your BARS passed, you can post off your licence application and fee to MSA and get ready to receive the licence in the post soon… and you're good to go, almost!

3. Find and join your local car club: You will get a lot of support, meet a load of like-minded people and get a lifetime of camaraderie from your local motor club. They are also likely to host motorsport events which you will want to enter, or help you find them.
Find a list of UK car clubs here.

4. Decide what type of rallying you wish to do:
(A). Road Rallies, which take place on the public highways and are the only form of rallying you do not need a licence for, just car club membership. They come in various forms – historic, economy, endurance and the more hardcore night rallies.
The aim is to navigate (using OS maps, not pace notes) around a pre-set route, to a pre-set time (usually averaging 30mph) and pass through all the control points, exactly to schedule; arrive early or late and get time penalities. It might sounds dull, but they are fabulous events and road rallying is a great, affordable, safe way to get started in the navigational element of rallying, while improving your driving skills and having a great time. We love them.
Plus, you do not need a specialist car either, just a road legal motor, a good OS map, light, magnifying glass and we'd recommend a sump guard. Be warned though: Some night road rallies are full-on affairs (especially in hardcore Wales & Scotland rally country) and you might think you've accidentally entered the Wales Rally GB! Averaging 30mph on the routes they pick means going flat out!  
Or
(B). Stage Rallies: Take place mostly in the UK's stunning forests on gravel, or around competitive loops on closed tarmac/mud/gravel roads at airfields and across farmland/woodland etc.
This is the real deal, and is all about setting the fastest aggregate time A-B, through the timed special stages, just like they do in the WRC.
What some folk don't realise is that you also drive between the timed special stages on the public road, to highway regulations (hence why rally cars need an MOT and road tax).

5. Do your maths, set a budget and then buy a car appropriate for the rallying you intend to do and all the gear that goes with it.
For road rallying, that's not a lot – just road legal.
But for stage rallying, as well as being road legal, your car will also need to pass 'scrutineering' to comply with strict MSA regulations for motorsport safety. As such, you car will need to be heavily modified and fitted with a compliant full roll cage, up-to-date racing seats and harnesses, electrical kill switches, fire and other safety equipment etc. You will also need race suits, helmets, gloves, boots and all the clobber for you and the navigator (like poti lights, timing gear, pace notebooks etc.).
Initially, the gear you need to go stage rallying is a lot to get your head around – not to mention expensive – but your car club mates and the MSA themselves will help you get complaint, and recommend where to get your gear/people to help you sort your car out.
You do NOT want to enter an event, pay the fees and then not be able to rally because your harnesses are out of date (or worse). Get organised and make your rallying journey stress-free we say.

6. Find a capable co-driver and some event support.
Key co-driver traits are: Someone you are prepared to spend long hours with at odd hours when you are knackered and not fall out with, someone who is organised/good at keeping time, someone who is not travel sick easily and most of all - someone you like and who loves rallying!
NB: They need to be over 16 years old and have a navigators' licence, available via the MSA (but there's on need for them to take the BARS test).
You also need to consider the level of event support you will require – getting the car to and from the events, sorting out mechanical issues, changing tyres, re-fuelling (the car and you) etc. This all depends on your budget and ambition. But you will find that your petrolhead mates will be only too happy to muck in, to be part of the rallying buzz, which helps keep costs down. Or, if you are handy with spanners and hammers and pack lots of Red Bull, you and your navigator can do it all yourself… just invest in a pop-up gazebo for the service area!

7. Testing/shakedown: To get the most out of your rallying adventure, our advise is to take your new rally car on a few tests/shakedowns first. This can be a cheap track day to check for running issues at full speed and get to grips with your car's handling and set it up to suit you/the event OR if you can afford it, on a bespoke test on the choice of surface your events are running on, like the pros do. Either way is highly recommended and will pay you back in droves and massively reduce the risk of retirement in an event you've paid up for/been anticipating – either from mechanical drama, or worse… an accident, which is never great! Time spend setting-up is time well spent in rallying.

8. Enter your first event and have fun!
Whether you have a massive budget (and you WILL need one to enter the British Rally Championship say) and are aiming high in the sport, doing a whole championship of events, or you are just having a go at stage rallying locally, as affordable as possible, one event at a time, remember to focus when you are live on stage, soak up the memories and have fun. Each event will fly by. And build up the pace slowly! You have to be at the finish to get ranked, and many aren't! Remember, even Colin McRae rolled his car – a LOT – on his way to being WRC champion, and it's a dangerous, painful and expensive business, best avoided.













We hope you've found our Road Magazine 'Go Rallying in 2014' blog post useful?
Do please share it with your rallyist mates if you did.

And, for more information on getting started in rallying call the MSA for more details on 01753 765 000 and visit their website.