Old TeamRFR News
15 December 2004 - Club Champs Class Captured, Trophies Too!
The Autosport Club championship was presented this evening and TeamRFR had a good share of the spoils! Michelle won the Palmside Ladies Trophy for the year with her points scored at all the autocrosses. David scored a second place in the 0-1300cc class in the club's sprint series for the year, and to his delight won the overall club championship for 0-1300cc cars! Andy received a nice big trophy for his efforts in being the person to score the most points from the first two sprints and first two autocrosses of the year. Well done TeamRFR! It was a great night out, with rally videos on the big screen and a good turnout from fellow club members to chat with. We look forward to the exciting challenge of making the wee black car go faster next year. Happy holidays everybody!
11 December 2004 - Cultus at Cust is left in the Dust
The third outing in the Suzuki Cultus at the Ashburton Car Club's Cust
bent sprint left David scratching his head after being beaten into 3rd by a
large margin in the 0-1300cc class even with some tweaks to the engine and
wheel alignment. "The power comes on in spurts" mused the bemused TeamRFR
driver. The car seemed to handle better although catching the rear in a small
hole on the inside of a corner in a twisty section caused a tank slapper of
monumental proportions leading into a tight off camber left. David is yet to
remember how he made it around the corner but thinks it involved lots of arm
movement and putting his foot to the floor on both the brake and the
accellerator (it should have been the clutch and the brake but the pedals
mysteriously jumped out of alignment). Although there was a little weirdness
going on, David felt better with the car's handling, so it's onwards (and
hopefully a bit of upwards!) from here.
5 December 2004 - Muddy Madness, Zuki Zooms!
At the Autosport Ashley Autocross it was a bit muddy and very slippery after a night of rain and persistent showers throughout the day. It was a surprise to David to find himself second overall in the event after the first run! As the day went on however, the ground softened and with his position at the end of the field due to operating the timing gear for the event, David slid steadily around the paddock and also down the leaderboard, finishing the event in a creditable 8th overall nonetheless. The points gained from 3rd in the class for the event gave David a good chance of taking out the club's 1300cc championship this year. Michelle had a good time also skidding around in the wee Suzuki, climbing from 17th overall after run 1 through to 13th overall after the last run. Michelle should take home the club ladies trophy for the year with that result. Stay tuned for the results of the points tally.
21 November 2004 - Skittery Suzuki scares sceptical skidder
TeamRFR's new car the Suzuki Cultus scared driver and
passenger alike at the Mt. Alexander bent sprint in the Hurunui. A number of
interesting handling characteristics caused more than a few concerns for the
crew of driver Dave and co-pilot Michelle and the tried and true "get out of
jail free" cards that worked in the rear-wheel drive Bob seemed to make the
Cultus perform all sorts of crimes that aspired to take the team further
behind bars. A sceptical driver Dave played down the several tank-slapping
incidents with the good ol' "all part of the learning experience" line.
This of course does not explain why he was significantly slower than his usual
close competitors. Stay tuned for more updates on this "learning experience".
Only time will tell.
7 November 2004 - TeamRFR Triumph in Terrific Tussle!
TeamRFR have won the Mainland Series 0-1300cc class after a great battle all season with former NZ 0-1300cc class champion Graham Wilson of Rangiora. It all came down to the last rally of the season at Greymouth and a short distance into SS1 it looked to be all over for the Team with Bob having a meltdown (see Westland report for more details on that drama). The meltdown was contained and the rally was completed to seal the championship on countback, the closest contest in a while and quite exciting for all concerned. With the placing in Westland, Team co-driver Andy Reid became the 0-1600cc champion co-driver for the series! On a related note the Team were also 2nd 0-1300cc in the national club 2WD championship. Driver David Fletcher said "Thanks to everyone who have helped us out, Jason Clark for providing one tough wee car, Roadrubber Tyres for the lack of punctures, our crew, and everyone who has given us advice along the way, from "You need a bit more negative camber" to "Put your foot down ya girl" every little bit of encouragement has helped". The Team are looking forward to defending the title next season in their front wheel drive Suzuki, hopefully the contest will be just as fun!
7 November 2004 - Wacky wire woes whop Westland win.
TeamRFR's last rally of 2004 nearly went up in smoke in stage 1 of the Westland Rally this past weekend. A shorted wire resulted in Bob filling with smoke and a hasty exit by the crew. After losing 20mins repairing the wire and all chance of winning the event, the crew got started again and claimed a couple of stage class wins, towed a fellow competitor back onto the road and had a huge amount of fun on their way to finishing the event and with that claiming the series title! A report will be available shortly on the Event Details page at TeamRFR.com.
18 October 2004 - TeamRFR confirm car confusion, choices challenging
At a recent strategy and future vision executive meeting, TeamRFR laid the plans for the road map viz-a-viz the vision of achieving sporting synergy going forward. It has been decided that in the interests of optimising driving technique and in the words of team driver David Fletcher "keeping things interesting" the team will try a front-wheel-drive rally car next year. With that in mind the team have proceeded to acquire the Suzuki Cultus GTi built and run by Cheyne Booth of Auckland. The car ran in the national championship 2WD class this year and is an excellent example of a small FWD rally car, said by some to be "the best sounding car in the national championship field". With the team's love of making natural sounds inside the car, the purchase of a car that made very nice, if unnatural, sounds on the outside seemed an appropriate balance. Team co-driver Andy Reid summed it up nicely, "It's all about balance" he said. As sufficient experience is gained with the front-wheel drive car in order to ascertain which gives them the most "jollies", the team will then be in a position to decide how to proceed, or not as the case may be, up the classes. It is an exciting time ahead for TeamRFR!
17 October 2004 - Coozed Clutch and Split Spring Cause Chaos in Canterbury
The roads were great and so was the atmosphere (well, apart from the rain) at the Canterbury Rally this past weekend. TeamRFR were locked in a battle with class contender Graham Wilson from Rangiora and were having a great time when Bob's clutch started to pack up, and then the driver's side rear leaf spring let go. A jury-rigged Bob limped through the last few special stages to finish the event (just!) with no clutch left. Amused onlookers in Cathedral Square witnessed what we've never had to do before, push Bob to the finish of a rally, and it happened right in the middle of the highest profile finish we're been to. Somebody should have shot that Murphy bloke before he wrote those rules down! A report into this chaotic caper can be found on the event details page of TeamRFR.com.
3 October 2004 - Autocross antics over the Ashley
A grouse paddock over the other side of the Ashley river near Okuku provided the team with a busy but fun day out on Sunday. The sun shone and the track was tricky, and the team drivers went a bit more sideways than they should have. Max had a great time as there were always cars going somewhere to look at. A short report is available on the event details page.
7 September 2004 - Fun fourth in speedy sprint
The Makerikeri Road sprint was the first event for just driver Dave and Michelle riding shotgun and Bob obviously thought the lack of sprint miles was annoying and so the team only managed a fourth place finish in the event. It was a very speedy course, lots of fast sweeping, seat of the pants style of road. A bit too sideways at one point cost David a bit of time and perhaps a podium place. Lots of fun was had and the pub afterwards was very pleasant so it wasn't such a bad day, it was however a very long day! A short report is available on the event details page.
31 August 2004 - Balls-out Bob Battles Bends, Resounding Rally Result!
At the Nelson Rally this past weekend TeamRFR scored a good class victory to consolidate their class lead in the Mainland Rally Championship. A very fast start to the day ensured a defensible lead was gained and held throughout the rally, which was a mixture of very fast open roads and twisty rough sections. There were a few worrying moments as on the limit driving saw Bob fly through the air at a dry ford and land heavily, bending the car in the middle so much that the seat belts went a bit slack. The car coped well with making like a banana for the rest of the rally, and with driver David trying hard to scare co-driver Andy on the last stage with some high-speed sideways action the result was put in the bag and sealed with duct tape and other such sticky things that won't come undone easily. A report is available on the event details page of TeamRFR.com.
20 August 2004 - Driver decides depleting dollars detrimental
TeamRFR driver Andy Reid has suffered an attack of fiscal responsibility in the wake of starting a family and has decided to take up co-driving for the team and not to partake in the driving of Bob and any events except autocrosses. While this ends the well versed sharing of the car it opens opportunities for achievement for both of Bob's crew. David gets driver duties and more steering time, which improves his chances in the Mainland Series 0-1300cc class as a driver, and also sees Andy able to rack up the points in the co-driver's class in that series, which he currently leads. There are exciting times ahead for TeamRFR!
15 August 2004 - Malignant Mudbath Bogs Bog But Not Bob
In conditions that could only be described as diabolical TeamRFR scored second and third in the 0-1300cc class and also first lady driver. The mud spread throughout the day, not only over the paddock but into every crevice of the car. It was the slowest event the team have ever been in and went well considering the conditions. In the end both the toilet being towed from the paddock and the Team's "Milk Van" got stuck requiring various levels of assistance to extricate them. Bob nogotiated the event for all three drivers without succumbing to the soggy suction. Read all about it and see the shocking photos on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
7 August 2004 - Slip-sliding down south, fun fourth-place finish
Rain leading up to this year's Catlins Coast Rally didn't deter the intrepid adventurers of TeamRFR. It was wet and muddy in most places in the deep south but Bob went well although it didn't quite fly on South Otago Aero Club avgas as we had expected after purchasing from the airport the night before the rally. A solid fourth place in the small car class and second in the Mainland Series saw the Championship hot up way more than the buffet food at the Rosebank Lodge. For a reasonably complete story see the Event Details page.
25 July 2004 - Creditable Kaiwara Road Runs in Splendid Sunshine
TeamRFR were intimately involved in today's Autosport Club Kaiwara Road Sprint in North Canterbury. David had to get up early (!) to help set up the event, Michelle and Huri performed documentation duties and the team put in a good performance in the sunny conditions with a second and fourth place in class. Bob performed faultlessly. A report is available on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
26 June 2004 - Lucky landing sets scene for successful second
In today's Timaru Rally the crew from TeamRFR had some ups and downs, the ups being up in the air, lauching over a ford in the first stage and bending the front suspension in the really hard landing, and given the damage some other people have had at that ford in the past it was lucky the crew and car survived! The downs were a blown headgasket and a spin but pouring water into Bob's radiator kept the car running for the event and with other competitors also striking bad luck the team found themselves in second place in the 0-1300cc class. A report will be available shortly on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
13 June 2004 - Slippery speediness scores podium places!
TeamRFR gained 2nd and 3rd places in the Autosport Club's Mt. Thomas bent sprint on Sunday. In variable but predictable road conditions the team's drivers came from behind to take a thrilling class podium, the results were very close in the 0-1300cc class with drivers seperated by mere fractions of a second. A report is available on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
7 June 2004 - Heroic Hinge Helps Bob's Brakes Bounce Back in Freezing First-place Finish!
TeamRFR led the 0-1300cc class from start to finish in the rally of Southland this past weekend, with freezing cold snow and hail to contend with David pounced on the challenge from the get-go and with ingenious problem solving by co-driver Andy the crew brought Bob home in 26th place overall. Strut problems, brake problems, trailer problems, they all came to bear on the team throughout the cold, wet and windy weekend but true grit prevailed (along with a cabinet door hinge) and the win was sweet. A report is available on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
23 May 2004 - Accellerator Ailments Axe Andy's Attack
The Otage Classic Rally is the biggest event of the year for TeamRFR and things started out well with a good time on the opening Whare Flat stage. Unfortunately Bob's new accellerator cable let the crew down on SS2, and 5 minutes were lost clamping it up. Andy fought back throughout the rally and achieved another podium place in the event this year, coming home third in the 0-1300cc classic class. A report will be available on the Event Details page soon.
16 May 2004 - Happy at Hororata, Podium Places Posted
The first Autocross of the year was a blast for TeamRFR, the course was great (of course it would be, David helped set it up!) and Bob was running well, the 1300cc class was up for grabs and it was a fight between David and Andy for the top two places in the small car class. To find out who the victory spoils went to, read the report on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com!
25 April 2004 - Balljoint Badness Bombs Bob's Ashley Aspirations
The shakedown event for the Otago Rally was a challenge for the team. A rock in corner broke one of Bob's bottom balljoints and the crew had to drive a stage and a half with wobbly steering before the service park rescue squad could get to work. With only a short distance remaining in the rally there wasn't , much chance of catching up so Andy concentrated on getting some fun time in behind the wheel in preparation for the coming Otago Classic. A short report is available on the Event Details page.
7 March 2004 - Ripper Run at Rakaia
TeamRFR started the 2004 season successfully with second spot in the 0-1300cc class being captured by Andy. David was an organiser for the event and as such had his mind on other things but was able to get within two seconds of Andy in fourth in the class, after leading Andy after the second run. Andy's choice to travel without a passenger for run 3 paid huge dividends, which saw him put in a spectacular drive to finish in second. Bob went well after the summer revamp that saw the car get new pistons and new headers, a whole new exhaust and a repainted interior. More top end power was evident up the hill and given we smoked the rear tyres things are looking promising for the season ahead.
30 November 2003 - Hororata Autocross a sunny stinky skid
TeamRFR went to the last event of the year on a lovely sunny day at Hororata in the middle of the Canterbury plains, to find an excellent Autocross course laid out around the very fresh cowpats. Drivers Michelle, Andy and David did well to stay on course most of the day and came away with some good results if a rather smelly rally car! Bob was waterblasted as soon as it arrived home but still requires pegs over the carby trumpets as there is some manure somewhere we just can't locate. Hopefully we can de-stink the car before Clark's Auto perform the yearly engine rebuild (perhaps we may resort to a peg for Jason too!). A report is available on the event details page of TeamRFR.com.
16 November 2003 - Bank bends Bob, Mainland mission munched
TeamRFR started the 30th Westland Rally full of hope that enough could be
done to score the 16 points necessary for David to take third place in the
0-1700cc classic class in the Mainland Rally Series. Running 2nd in class
after stage 4, but only a few seconds ahead of third, David had the hammer
down and unfortunately that hammer turned on him. Early in SS5, Lake Kaneire,
a corner tightened a little too much and Bob's tail was sucked into a ditch
and stopped, the front swung in and hit the large vertical bank on the other
side of the ditch, bending the front panels and breaking the suspension. The
crew extracted the car with the help of a few enthusiastic and much
appreciated spectators and Andy repaired the suspension enough so Bob could
complete the stage and go to service. At this point 20 minutes had been lost
and all hope had now emptied of scoring the needed points. David said "I'm not
very happy".
A report will be available as soon as David gets over it on the event details page of TeamRFR.com.
16 November 2003 - Class competition closes, Andy accepts accolades
With the entry list finalised for the Westland Rally and his closest competition not entering, Andy Reid of TeamRFR could not be overtaken for 2nd place in the Mainland Rally Series 0-1300cc class for 2003 and accepted the trophy at the prizegiving after the rally. Andy thanked our sponsors Jason Clark at Clark's Auto, Roadrubber Tyres, and Coastal Screen studio in front of hoardes of adoring fans at the Australasian Hotel in Greymouth. Andy's son Max commented "Ooooh, egh!", and the whole team totally agreed.
2 November 2003 - Loose leaf lessens potential podium placings
For the first time at an Autosport Club sprint event, TeamRFR topped the class timesheets for run 2 at Tarn Road. "I'm very happy" said David even before seeing the posted scores, adding "I'm very happy" after seeing the posted scores. The event was going well for the team but unfortunately the tyre budget did not allow us to run a new set for the last run and due to the massive wear suffered by the set we did take, going really hard in the final test was just not within the team's carefully calculated safety parameters. A broken leaf spring put paid to all hope of defending the class lead, nevertheless TeamRFR battled to win the second and third places in the class. A report is available on the event details page of TeamRFR.com.
18 October 2003 - Rotten ol' rose joint ruins run
TeamRFR's luck ran out this Sunday with a suspension rosejoint breaking during the Taylor Pass rallysprint in Blenheim and a DNF resulting due to missing a run while replacing it. Max Reid was most upset about this and would not shut up about it. The Team therefore had to eat a lot at the Marlborough Car Club's BBQ and prizegiving in order to take out minds off the disappointment. Co-driver for the day David Fletcher commented "Yum". A report is available on the event details page of TeamRFR.com.
20 September 2003 - New sponsor on board with TeamRFR!
TeamRFR confirmed the successful addition of a new sponsor today.
Roadrubber tyres in Sockburn will be fixing punctures and fitting tyres for
the team, and Bob will be sporting a new advert for Roadrubber on the front of
it's bonnet. Brian and Errol at Roadrubber have been giving David and Michelle
great deals and good service on the Team's road car tyres for a number of
years now, and we're happy to have their continuing support.
17 September 2003 - Andy Accepts Sprint Series Spoils
TeamRFR attended the Autosport Club sprint series prizegiving last night,
where Andy graciously accepted the trophy for third place in the 0-1300cc
class in front of his adoring family and fellow team members. He also accepted
many of the yummy savouries and samosas on offer as part of the evening's
celebrations.
14 September 2003 - Paced Podium Place Captures Cool Keepsake
TeamRFR took the third step on the podium in the 0-1700cc classic class at the recent Rally of Nelson, and in doing so took home a nice wee trophy with a model Citroen WRC car on one and a Peugeot WRC car on the other. A very cool keepsake indeed! "Pity they're French" said David, being well known for still not getting over that thing with the boat in Auckland harbour but we won't go there. With competitors in the class falling by the wayside in the rough conditions, the steady pace and car-care (well, avoiding the bigger of the rocks!) saw Bob come home in spite of a recurrence of the alternator fault that sidelined the car at Canterbury Rally. The tubes recently fitted inside the tyres by new sponsor Roadrubber in Christchurch really did the business with no rolling off rims going on even amongst the sharp rocks and rough roads. The event was a great weekend in sunny Nelson for the team.
29 August 2003 - Cornering Chaos Kills Crew's Chances
The Autosport Club's fantastic Kaiwara Road sprint saw TeamRFR miss out on the podium due to some rather ordinary driver performance and the presence of some damn good competition. David was first to slip up, putting the car onto two wheels after hitting a small bank by going too wide in one corner, and scaring passenger Michelle. "I was scared" said Michelle. Andy charged into the first corner on the course with a bit much gusto and had a half spin, he was not available for comment at the time. In an eerie deja-vu scenario, the car ended up right in front of Mr. Aaron Scott, just like it did when the team had a half spin at the Canterbury Rally. Theories are that Mr. Scott's great attraction to classic rally cars is causing the car to gravitate towards him. TeamRFR plan to carry out investigations into this strange phenomenon, as it doesn't really make sense because Bob is not a Ford Escort.
10 August 2003 - Podium places in perfect paddock
TeamRFR had a great day skidding in the sun in Sefton yesterday. The Autocross was well laid out, the paddock in superb condition, a really sweeping twisty course (one section though caused a few problems and resulted in an alteration and a re-run of run 1). After clouting a marker in run 1 Andy came back at a charge to take third place in the 0-1300cc class. "Damn" commented the annoyed Andy as he saw the times. David drove a consistently tidy day to avoid the markers and associated penalties and was second in the class. "Resspect tha warratahhhs" said David. Michelle unfortunately had to leave the event due to other prior commitments elsewhere but had fun in the two runs she competed in and showed she was getting to grips with Bob by setting times that compared well with others of similar experience.
3 August 2003 - Second Scored in Cracker Catlins
TeamRFR returned from the bustling metropolis of Owaka today after taking second place in the 0-1300cc class in the fantastic Catlins Coast Rally. Driver Andy Reid commented "good" when probed about how he felt of his drive and the team's performance. Bob the rally car went well throughout the day and didn't even pack a sad when Andy nosed a bank on the exit to a tight right hander. Co-pilot for the day David Fletcher said "calm down, keep it on the island" (apparently he'd been saying this all day). A full report will be available on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com shortly.
20 July 2003 - Tight third and Snotty Suffering
The Autosport Club's Mt. Alexander sprint saw Andy take a third place in class by a mere 12 hundredths of a second. Interesting road conditions and new tyres proved the difference in the effort. "Yippee!" said Andy. David was suffering from a heavy cold and should have been at home sucking back Lemsips and chicken noodle soup but with club championship points at stake the team would not have heard the end of it if they'd left without waking him up. A full report is available on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
June 30th 2003 - Alternator Ailment Axes Attack
Halfway through SS1 on Saturday night Bob's alternator blew a diode and
TeamRFR withdrew from the 2003 Canterbury rally. The disaster effectively puts
an end to any slim hope David had of achieving a placing in the Mainland
Series classic class this season. David was going well in the stage, driving
fast and mostly keeping the car in line. "The car felt good, the new Bilstein
front shockies had it handling great, with 400W of lights on you really notice
the loss of power, we were charging but the alternator wasn't!" said a very
disappointed David in the pitch black of the Ashley Forest. The crew rejoined
the rally on day 2 and had a lot of fun going sideways, but not being in
contention took the shine off the day.
A full report is available on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
June 20th 2003 - TeamRFR prepare for home rally
With the Canterbury Rally fast approaching, TeamRFR have been busy removing Bob's gearbox for a synchro ring replacement job and having the clutch relined. Also we hope to have a nice set of Bilstein front shocks installed in time for the event. Night stages will be a first for the event driver David Fletcher, and the team will be setting up the lights shortly in preparation for the adventure. The rally is expected to be a heck of a battle, with Southland speedster Neville Kidd entered in the same class and hard charger Nigel Marshall coming up from Wyndham, the local crew will have to watch out! TeamRFR were sorry to hear that local stalwart Grant Goile would not be contesting the event due to engine problems.
Keep an eye on TeamRFR.com for updates on the hometown hussle!
June 1st 2003 - TeamRFR Score in Stormy Southland
At a wet and wild (well, there was some sunshine too!) Southland Rally, TeamRFR scored a solid third placing in the 0-1300cc class. A tentative drive in the Pebbly Hills stage that bit back a couple of years ago, driver Andy Reid was sensible, faster where conditions allowed but taking the really slippery stuff with self-preservation in mind. As the conditions improved so did the crew's speed, and the car went well. No serious issues arose, and the crew finally managed to get rid of Bob's annoying flaccid wing mirror using a tree. "Good riddance" commented co-driver David Fletcher.
At his first rally in support, Max Reid said "Aaaaaaa". It was good to see he's starting with the first letter of the alphabet. He'll be changing tyres in no time (when he gets bigger than one perhaps). A full report is available on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
May 25th 2003 - Close to Class Cleanup at Forest Flyer
TeamRFR took the two minor placings on the podium at today's Autosport Club Mt. Grey Sprint. The event was a fast one, with wide open sweeping roads scaring the pants off many a passenger and every now and then a competitor too. With preparations for the event not going well it was a last minute intervention by people with more clues than us that saved the day. A full report on the event is available on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
May 18th 2003 - TeamRFR Skid in Sefton
TeamRFR skidded and scored well at the Autosport Club's Sefton Autocross today. Michelle drove Bob to claim the certificate for first lady, while David found time out from operating the timing system to get third in the 1300cc class. Andy diced with David all day and was pipped at the post. The newest member of TeamRFR, officially now named "Max", attended his first motorsport event and made less noise than the cars, but probably drank more. A full report on the Autocross is available on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
May 11th 2003 - TeamRFR Triumph at Otago!
With a consistently fast drive and a cool head under pressure, TeamRFR driver
David Fletcher, with contract co-driver Hayden Riddle, today took the 0-1300cc
class win in the Dunlop International Classic Rally of Otago. The crew were
stoked with the performance of the car, with newly fitted twin 40mm Dellorto
carburetters giving Bob some extra snot on the very fast stages in the Otago
forests.
TeamRFR had a healthy lead in the class after day 1 after main rivals Bruce
France and Nigel Marshall suffered mechanical problems with their cars, and when
the suspension was bent in SS10 the time lost was not enough for the competitors
to overhaul TeamRFR. Driver David commented "After we bent the suspension I
thought Haydo had taken us down some 4WD test track, but when we got overtaken
by the car behind I knew we were going the right way!". With a replaced front
strut Bob scorched to a time on the Super-Special stage equal to that of Ross
Dunkerton's Lancer turbo, testament to the quality of the car and the commitment
of the crew.
It was TeamRFR's first class win at a rally, and a very memorable
one at that. A full report on the rally is available on the Event Details
page of TeamRFR.com.
May 6th 2003 - TeamRFR have a new member!
TeamRFR are proud to announce the arrival of our new team member, a bouncing baby boy! Andy and Huri's first child was born tonight at about 8pm, mother and father are tired but doing fine.
May 6th 2003 - TeamRFR attend screening of Possum Bourne's Funeral
Last week, like countless others, TeamRFR lost a hero and an inspiration.
Possum Bourne was one of the reasons why we are taking part in motorsport. We
have all marvelled at his driving prowess for many years, and looked up to him
as an example of what it meant to be a top New Zealander, rally driver and
person. Today TeamRFR attended a live screening of Possum's funeral at the
Christchurch town hall. The ceremony was an excellent celebration, "the duck's
guts" for a good kiwi bloke, and international rally champion. We laughed and we
cried at the stories from his family, friends and colleagues, and we laughed and
cried some more at footage and photos of a magic man who will never again speed
past us in his Subaru or warm us with his infectious enthusiasm. TeamRFR will
continue to draw inspiration from Possum and his team, doing our bit to ensure
the legend lives on.
May 4th 2003 - TeamRFR contract expert co-driver for Otago Classic Rally 2003
Due to the unavailability of Andy Reid for the Otago Rally, TeamRFR entered into negotiations with Riddle Motorsport and have reached an agreement that will see expert and experienced co-driver Hayden Riddle join TeamRFR for the event. Hayden is current editor of the Autosport Club's Bulletin and has sat beside many of the region's top drivers. "We are pleased to have Haydo on the team for the Otago Classic, I hope he likes the cakes" said TeamRFR driver for the rally David Fletcher.
March 31st 2003 - Diabolical deluge, Bob's bottom bashed!
TeamRFR were encouraged by the performance of the car and drivers at the recent Rakaia Zig-Zag sprint (see report on Event Details page) and had high hopes going into the Hanmer Motorsport weekend. The weather had other ideas, the rain poured and turned the roads into a mudbath. It was all we could do to keep up with the more experience drivers in other cars. As the weather cleared on the second day, TeamRFR were much more competitive but not without incident: Bob's bottom was punctured by a rampaging rock in the road! Read all about it in the Hanmer Motorsport Weekend report on the Event Details page of the new TeamRFR.com.
March 14th 2003 - New look for TeamRFR.com!
TeamRFR have been working feverishly over the summer to provide you, our fans and people who happen to have stumbled over this site while searching for other more interesting things on the internet, with a more comtemporary look and feel, while retaining the fresh approach of clarity and brevity in the presentation of the site. So, with a swoosh of the e-brush, we re-coloured things a bit, and made some of the text a different font, and present to you the redesigned TeamRFR.com. Enjoy!
Another reason behind the redesign was the ability for David to update the pages and then upload them from anywhere, rather than having to edit the pages online with Tripod's proprietary editor. Hopefully this will mean that we can get reports and news to you sooner, rather than much later!
November 23rd 2002 - Hurunui heat, podium performance.
An excellent piece of road in North-Canterbury on a hot and sunny day was the scene of TeamRFR's latest achievements. With Bob freshly back in shape after the Blenheim bingle, and having performed well in that event, the crew were looking forward to seeing how the car shaped up against traditional class favourites in an Autosport Club event.
It was all smiles when David came in drawn for second place after run 1, falling into 3rd spot in run 2 which he held onto to gain third in class in the event. Andy got to grips with the car and road and by the end of run 3 was within 2 seconds of David's time, and 4th in class. It won't be long until both TeamRFR drivers are on a sprint podium together! The internal rivalry was again evident however with both drivers trading fastest speeds throughout the event. "133" said Andy, "130" said David. Later, "135" said Andy, "Ha Ha, 137!" said David.
A full report is included on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
November 17th 2002 - Bank Bends Bob but Comeback Captures Class!
TeamRFR's first class victory has been achieved at the Taylor Pass rallysprint in Blenheim! In a day of drama, drizzle, and of course driving, David piloted Bob to a win the the 0-1300cc class at the Marlborough Car Club's premier gravel event of the year. With many class contenders capable of taking the top spot, the fantastic road didn't let a winner emerge until the final run through the 8.5km course.
Saying "I'm super stoked", David poured grease on all concerned with the event. "The organisers ran a slick show, there was slick competition, and the wooden bridge was pretty slick too". When asked how the right front guard, bumper and headlight surround had become very bent, the driver commented "It's fun to combine interests to make the most of vacation time but I realise now that geology is not easily combined with rallying, big rocks protruding from embankments on the inside of hairpins should be examined at the appropriate moment".
Co-driver for the day, Michelle, performed admirably in her first event reading the road book. Saying "that was cool", she summed up the event for eveyone concerned much more succinctly than the driver could manage.
October 27 2002 - Punctured Piston Pulverises Podium Party
TeamRFR's final rally of the season at Timaru proved too much for the beleaguered Bob, with a piston breaking 5km from the end of Stage 2. The crew knew something was amiss after opening the bonnet during the stage when the oil pressure gauge dropped to nothing and noticed the car's exhaust flow coming out of the oil breather. The disappointed crew commented that they did stop the car first before attempting to open the bonnet.
With the drive on his 25th birthday, Andy was confident of making the class podium of the event, and learning that class favourite Neville Kidd had lost 5 minutes off the road, the party podium could well have been on the top step! Thoughts of class victory disappeared almost as quickly as the smoke from the cabin of the car, as the crew bolted for fresh air once the stricken Corolla came to a halt. Another DNF due to mechanical failure resulted, and some more spectating, albeit from a very good spot to brighten the day slightly.
TeamRFR will be attempting to repair Bob for the Mt. Thomas Sprint in two weeks time. Donations of Toyota 4K pistons, engine blocks, and cash will gladly be accepted.
October 7 2002 - TeamRFR visit Rally of New Zealand
TeamRFR members Andy, Michelle and David donned the groovy team apparel (thanks again Coastal Screen Studio!) and boarded a plane to Auckland to spectate at the WRC Rally of New Zealand where fun in the sun was had on the backroads around Auckland! We attended the shakedown stage and on arrival spoke to Freddy Loix (whose leg is feeling much better thankyou) and stood right next to Tommi Makinen ("we're not worthy!") in the beautiful Impreza WRC (the telly doesn't do this car justice, it looks fantastic and is perfectly proportioned). After a short chat to Deborah Kibble, TeamRFR scored a great spot watching the cars come down a twisty hill and take a sweeping left 3 meters from the excited spectators. After that it was off to the end of a long straight by an opening right into a bridge (where Carlos Sainz had gone off the road shortly before TeamRFR arrived). The stopping power of the WRC cars is nothing short of physics defying. They are truely amazing to watch. As we heard the start line crew calling the wrong start times out for the card readers we hoped the timing would be right on the day (it was). The rally show was a bit of a letdown, with spare cars on display and little in the way of organised entertainment. When we bought our tickets, a gold pass was supposed to get a rally discount book, but the sellers didn't know about them! We were then told by someone more official that they had run out of them,... not acceptable really, they should have as many books as gold passes. In TeamRFR's opinion the Otago Rally Show is better than Rally NZ's.
Petter Solberg, Rally NZ 2002 Shakedown
The ceremonial start was quite grand and well done, apart from the Maori welcome "club" who's "chief" was dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans while the rest of the club looked amazing in traditional Maori costume. The upside of having "Mr. Casual" up there was that he could get the conch shell horn to work whereas the costumed dude couldn't! The organisers got tricky and had all the team's cars in a crossover arrangement on the stage and this was great; apart from a few near misses as the cars were coming on and leaving as the girls leading the cars were obviously not instructed who went first! The flag wavers had a few oopses too, letting opposing cars go simultaneously on a few occasions. Brian Kelly talked to some overseas competitors as if they were children, which came across as very patronising. Those wee hiccups aside, it was a well presented start to the great event. The speeches by a councillor and a MP were very good. We stayed to the end as the rain came down, cheering off everyone, including the only two 2WD competitors.
It was up very early next day to make the spectator point at SS1 near Raglan. The parking was a wet slippery paddock right near the watching point which was great, although the parking was uncontrolled and people were stopping all over the place. The spectator points (all of them we visited on the rally in fact) were exceptionally well organised, with warning horns and whistles when the cars were coming, lots of marshalls enforcing the controlled crossings and restricted areas, very good signage and as well as all that they were very pleasant to deal with as well. A great job by the organisers on that front. Soon the cars were through, with Richard Burns being noticably quicker than everyone else. Burns set the car up better for cornering than all the other drivers, not excessively sideways but enough to maintain the speed through the corners that the other drivers could not match. In a couple of 500-600m sections we watched throughout the rally, Burns was more than half a second faster than everyone else (until he crashed of course!). We stayed to watch the WRC guys before hoofing it off to SS3. A slight navigation error saw us arrive a wee bit later than expected by still within enough time to get a great spot to watch right next to the road, and did we taste the action, literally! Francois Delacour was loose and showered us with stones and dust, but most of the other cars were fast and smooth. A great place to watch, as the television crew here attested. This would be a day of lots of driving in lines of traffic, trying to pick up rally radio that was next to useless, and lots of hiking around the hills as we found out trying to get to the spectator point mid-SS5. Some idiot said the road was chokka so we parked up and readied for the 2km walk in. Only to find that 500m down the road the cars cleared and there were plenty of parks. We couldn't have got there anyway as said idiot had parked and blocked the road. Grrrrr! After watching the top cars scream down a hill, go through a dipping chicane and into a tight corner we split for the service park at Raglan. It was great to see the cars getting worked on up close and the amount of activity going on. We learnt the wee secret that they use glass cleaner and rags to get the cars spotless before heading off into battle once again. That night it was the super special at Manukau which was fun to watch when you could see. The embankments are not quite steep enough and the kids on people's shoulders meant a good view was impossible. After watching all the cars it was late so TeamRFR headed back to basecamp for a good night's sleep.
The next day was a bit of a lazy one on the "Rally Rail Special". The train departed for the Kaipara Harbour region north of Auckland at around 10:00am and took two hours to get there. The first spectator point the train stopped at was OK, but we only got to see the first 15 cars before going off to the famous Brooks bridge jump. This is a very crowded spectator point and not that great if you want to see the cars for any amount of time, all you see is them jump over a bridge, which is quite cool but not as spectacular as we'd hoped. Colin McRae was spectating there and didn't even get mobbed (must have been the plain brown sweatshirt and jeans). The train then went to the best spectator point TeamRFR have ever had at any rally! Climbing to a ridge above a rail bridge, we could see the cars wind down a hill, go over the rail bridge and jump on the exit, then off up the hill on the other side of the valley; a full two minutes of action! A few hardy souls had hiked along the railway line to join the train spectators and it would have been worth the walk. As darkness fell (after the first 15 cars or so) the train departed for Auckland. TeamRFR's recommendation is that if you want to see lots of rally action, get up early, take your car and see the morning stages as well! Having said that the train trip was relaxing and fun, with lots of like minded people to talk to and the train organisers were terrific, very helpful, knowlegeable and keen.
Day 3 was in the Maramarua Forest which is between Auckland and Hamilton, towards the Coromandel. It was up early again and off to see the repeated stages where we watched the top 15 at the first two stages (the WRC cars are slotted into the main field for these ones). Then it was off on a brisk 2km walk to the final stage and a good combo of corners after a long straight where we saw a few cars hit a bank, egged on by a few tanked-up spectators who did a great job revving up the drivers as they came up the hill towards the corner with a tricky off camber exit. That was great to watch, the only real downer was seeing Petter Solberg's engine expire just after that tricky corner. The long straight tapped out in 6th is what we reckon was the last straw for the Subaru engine. We then drove back to the velodrome finish in Auckland where again a few organisational gaffs were seen again. Aside from being a different colour from the others, the centre Finnish flag was flown at half mast during the winner's national anthem due to the rope being incorrectly tied (and we're pretty sure no-one died!). Juha Kankunnen was not told that a lap of the velodrome was to be done and just drove straight onto the finish podium. A lot of drivers didn't quite know where to stop their lap to bring the car onto the podium. There was a real lack of people telling the drivers where to drive their cars at the finish. The commentator was.. well... hate to say it but, a plonker! He couldn't tell the difference between a Subaru and a Mitsubishi, confused Possum Bourne with Richard Mason (whom he called "Richard Manson") announced someone as Belgian when they were Italian, and didn't know that Freddy Loix was Belgian. The people in the grandstand were sniggering profusely at every nonsense this dude exclaimed. To top it off he didn't even say that Bruce Herbert was now National Rally Champion for the third consequtive time and that Chris West was national Group N Champion. The rally promoters didn't even have a merchandise tent at the finish for people to buy hats and shirts and things. David was disappointed to come away with no Rally NZ cap after being unable to find a promotional tent at the Manukau super special stage, and all of the spectator points visited. People were asking where the promotional gear could be obtained so they could have sold a whole heap more. We were told by one dude that the gear was for staff only! All a bit poor in our opinion. The highlight of the prizegiving was Gilles Panizzi doing a handbrake turn on the velodrome going into the finish ramp, "For ze funn"!
We're convinced that underneath it all, where it really mattered, the rally was exceptionally well organised. Look at the amazing response times to the accident on the Brooks stage where a spectator was involved, and how well all the spectator areas were set up. The smiling crews and drivers at service parks told a story of a very pleasant event to be in. As spectators, we covered a few miles in the wee rental car chasing the stages through spectacular countryside for a rally, and great roads as well. The highlight were obviously the WRC cars and drivers themselves, we saw speed and controlled driving like we'd never seen before. Jaw-droppingly fast rally cars and great roads for them to show off on. Everyone was asking why Peugeot are so much faster than the others. TeamRFR are of the opinion that the Silver Bullets have a far superior aerodynamic package than the other cars and thus create more traction. This can be seen by the rooster-tail of dust behind the Peugeot cars that no other car matches.
Rally NZ was awesome, you should go there next year!
September 29 2002 - Bothersome brakes and alternator anxiety but Bob bounces back!
TeamRFR scored a welcome third place in their class in the Hanmer rally yesterday after Bob's brakes balked and the alternator alarmed. The brakes were continuing to lock up and a visit by mechanic Jason Clark had a couple of un-needed washers removed from the master cylinder and Bob happily off the Hanmer for the rally and sprint. A broken alternator wire saw the battery fail to charge and Bob failed to start. Again Jason came to the rescue and the wire was reattached after some hunting and headscratching.
Other than the carby jets working loose Bob, driver David and co-driver Andy performed well in the rally, securing the 3rd place in class after faster competitors fell by the wayside. The following day's bent sprint saw Bob running with the Milk Van's battery and another fun, if not so successful, day was had in the forests of Hanmer Springs. See the event details page for a full report.
September 8 2002 - Driveshaft Debacle Bombs Bob's Battle
With Andy driving Bob seeded 3rd in class in the Mincorp and Total Rally of Nelson hopes were high of a good class place in the event. Fate however was still dealing the bad cards, and near the end of SS4 the gearbox end of the driveshaft sheared off at the universal joint after negotiating some ruts. "Bugger!", said Andy, again.
A lightening fast trip in the Milk Van to Repco in Nelson saw a replacement universal fitted by Andy on the way back to the service park from Richmond. In a blur of service crew overalls the driveshaft was installed and it was off to start the last stage of the day, having missed stages 5 and 6 in the mad dash for parts. The 59km final test was a real corker, but with Bob down on power due to a now confirmed blown head gasket, the Rally of Nelson was a bomb this year for TeamRFR.com.
September 1 2002 - Michelle wins on Debut!
At the Sefton Autocross, held in perfect sunshine with slippery grass underfoot, TeamRFR service crew member Michelle Reid showed that motoring ability indeed runs in the Reid family by pulling out a first in the ladies class, driving "The Rex". In a display of controlled pace with no mistakes, Michelle headed off the three other lady drivers in the event in a performance she described as "Cool fun!".
August 30 2002 - TeamRFR attract support of top screenprinters
TeamRFR driver David Fletcher confirmed today that the Coastal Screenprinting Studio (0800 T Shirt), whose signage has appeared on Bob's boot lid, have produced a limited edition run of team apparel. Saying "I'm stoked with these" David showed off the cutting edge garments at a recent outing to the pub.
August 3 2002- Catlins Coast calamity, David does damage
TeamRFR driver David Fletcher suffered his first dose of panel damage on Saturday in the 2002 Catlins Coast Rally. After posting competitive times in class on the first two stages of the day, David got a bit enthusiastic in stage 3 and failed to set the car up properly for a very slippery tighening right hand bend. Bob consequently slid straight ahead and contacted a tree, bending the bonnet of the car. Saying how annoyed with himself he was at his bloody silly mistake David commented "I'm not very happy", along with a few other words in his own language.
The "off" cost TeamRFR 12 minutes and any chance of a result. Nervously exiting the stage after being towed back on the road, and gradually getting into it again in the next stage, the rest of the stages yielded competitive times again for the crew, with the Cannibal Bay stage being particularly enjoyable and fast. High highs and low lows were the order, but overall "I'm so hiiigh" was the quote most heard during the day.
July 8 2002- Differential Disaster, Canterbury Chances Collapse
TeamRFR suffered another mechanical disaster at the Autosport Club's Robbies Bar and Bistro Lancaster Canterbury Rally on Sunday. After hammering through a couple of dry fords half way through special stage 1 the differential on the team's rally car "Bob" destroyed itself with a kind of raucous crunching tearing banging noise. The car's crew of Andrew (driver) and David (co-driver) also made various noises expressing displeasure at hearing and feeling the aforementioned raucous crunching tearing banging noise from the differential. Disappointed, the crew throw rocks at a creek.
Towed by a recovery crew at the end of the stage to the nearest safe intersection, TeamRFR waited the entire day for the service crew to be allowed to pick the stricken Bob up, as the road was being used for other rally stages and could not be opened. The car's crew resigned themselves to a long wait with the comment "Aaaaah, equipment failure... what can you do ay?! What can you do....".
4 June 2002 - TeamRFR gain podium place in Rally Southland!
Contesting a wet and wild 2002 Rally of Southland was fruitful for TeamRFR who returned to Christchurch yesterday with their 3rd in class trophies (well, they were engraved toast plates but they're great all the same!).
The rally took place to the north and west of Invercargill and after a week of solid rain the day was grey but the rain stayed away for the most part. With the leadup to the event being so wet the roads were in surprisingly good condition in places, and in other places they were surprisingly not!
Driver for the day David Fletcher commented "We should have packed a chainsaw in the toolbox" after completing the Rowallan stage where the foilage was at times all over the car. Bob the rally car ran well throughout the event as did the co-driver Andy.
A full report is on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com..
13 May 2002 - TeamRFR finish 2nd in class at Rally Otago
A seemingly happy Andy Reid said "I'm velly happy" after finishing 2nd in the 0-1300cc class of the Dunlop Classic Rally of Otago at the weekend. The rally had it's ups and downs for TeamRFR, and that was without the brows!. Bob's new gearbox was pulling some funky tricks by randomly losing gears during stages. Andy had to stop a couple of times in an attempt to find the gears again which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, so a lot of time was lost. With that said, Andy drove a sensible rally, not taking too many chances, and brought Bob to the finish with not a panel scathed. Some of the stages had the crew grinning from ear to ear and at one point Bob was doing 160kph!
The service crew of Michelle, Joey, Huri, Stuart and Andrew provided
good food for the crew throughout the rally, and checked the oil. They
also contributed to a memorable rally by showing up late for one service
park and putting the directional wheels on backwards. When asked to report
on the rally Andy commented "I can't b
stuffd" so the report you see on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com
is David's version from the co-drivers seat.
14 April 2002: Disastrous but humour-filled start to TeamRFR's rally season
TeamRFR's run in the Westland Rally yesterday went from bad to worse to, well, custard really. After such a promising start to the weekend with a "Scoopalicious" for dessert providing "delicious layers of fun", and Grogan Street bringing out toilet humour aplenty, the weekend went downhill, although it stayed funny with many many laughs being exchanged. Getting a minute's penalty for clocking in 10 seconds late for the start of the first stage was bad, but not as bad as what happened next. Second gear decided to give up halfway through stage1, and third did the same in the next special stage. After driving slowly through some awesome roads the replacement gearbox was found to have different mounts and TeamRFR dejectedly withdrew from the rally. To add insult to injury third place in class was awarded to TeamRFR and we didn't even finish! A full report can be found on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
1 March 2002: TeamRFR driver on Autosport Club Commmittee
Not wanting to be seen to be taking advantage of belonging to a club and not actually doing anything for that club, TeamRFR driver David Fletcher annouced today he had been voted onto the committee of the Autosport Club. Fletcher commented "As long as I don't have to get up earlier in the morning I'll give it a crack!".
When asked what he hoped to achieve as an Autosport Club committee member Fletcher replied "I hope to contribute first, and develop achievements through that contribution, plus I''ll be able to save 40c on stamps by handing my event entries directly to the secretary". Raucous laughter from other members of TeamRFR followed and the interview was terminated at that point.
11 February 2002: TeamRFR sick of verbosity and in a predictable move, name car.
Absolutely sick of typing "the new rally car" and saying "the new rally car", or even "the car" or "the rally car" TeamRFR webmaster David Fletcher today decided to reveal the car's new name. TeamRFR have selected the name "Bob" as a fitting name for the vehicle. David stated "Well, frankly, the fact of the matter is that nothing else sprung to mind at the time and TeamRFR reserve the right to rename the vehicle as and when we see fit".
Edmund Blackadder commented "Bob! That's a man's name!". So it may be, but now, in a predictable move (anyone knowing the Reid family will know the history of naming vehicles) TeamRFR can save valuable breath and typing time.
10 February 2002: Michelle announces Autocross plans
At the first event of 2001 TeamRFR crew member Michelle Reid stepped into the TeamRFR rally car for a couple of test runs at the course. Announcing "I'm very happy" at being given the chance to test the car, she felt that she was at a stage where she would contest the next Autocross event TeamRFR entered. Michelle's much anticipated debut for TeamRFR is eagerly awaited by everybody she corners to tell about it.
TeamRFR.com will be bringing you all the news related to this stunning announcement as it happens (or maybe a coupla' days afterwards).
10 January 2002: TeamRFR have a new rally car!
In the last weeks of 2001 TeamRFR negotiated the purchase of a new rally car for our rally campaign in 2002.
The car is a 1975 Toyota Corolla KE20 sedan. The car, for now known as "Bob", was built by Prattley Motorsport and has the following specifications:
1975 Toyota Corolla KE20 sedan
- 1300cc Toyota 4K motor, stood vertically.
- Twin Solex carbs
- K&N Filtercharger air filters
- Limited slip differential
- Kevlar race seats
TeamRFR will be outfitting the car to our own tested requirements and we will have photos on this website as soon as they become available.
The acquisition of the new rally car should provide TeamRFR with an opportunity to greatly improve stage times over last years and we are looking forward to driving the new car in anger. Andy Backitin related the whole of TeamRFR's sentiments when he was reported as saying "I'm very happy".
6 January 2002: TeamRFR back and ready to roll
After a very relaxing and pleasant Christmas TeamRFR have all survived
the rigours of the holiday season and are raring to get into 2002's feast
of motorsport action. At a pre-press conference morning tea today,
TeamRFR driver David Fletcher commented "Nice nibbles". Obviously he had
not had enough of treat sized food after the Christmas and New Year period
where traditionally many such offerings are consumed. Fletcher, when questioned
at the press conference on TeamRFR's plans for the 2002 rally season, also
said "I think you'll find that we are much more competitive this year,
for reasons soon to be revealed". He was not questioned further.
November 23rd 2002 - Hurunui heat, podium performance.
An excellent piece of road in North-Canterbury on a hot and sunny day was the scene of TeamRFR's latest achievements. With Bob freshly back in shape after the Blenheim bingle, and having performed well in that event, the crew were looking forward to seeing how the car shaped up against traditional class favourites in an Autosport Club event.
It was all smiles when David came in drawn for second place after run 1, falling into 3rd spot in run 2 which he held onto to gain third in class in the event. Andy got to grips with the car and road and by the end of run 3 was within 2 seconds of David's time, and 4th in class. It won't be long until both TeamRFR drivers are on a sprint podium together! The internal rivalry was again evident however with both drivers trading fastest speeds throughout the event. "133" said Andy, "130" said David. Later, "135" said Andy, "Ha Ha, 137!" said David.
A full report is included on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
November 17th 2002 - Bank Bends Bob but Comeback Captures Class!
TeamRFR's first class victory has been achieved at the Taylor Pass rallysprint in Blenheim! In a day of drama, drizzle, and of course driving, David piloted Bob to a win the the 0-1300cc class at the Marlborough Car Club's premier gravel event of the year. With many class contenders capable of taking the top spot, the fantastic road didn't let a winner emerge until the final run through the 8.5km course.
Saying "I'm super stoked", David poured grease on all concerned with the event. "The organisers ran a slick show, there was slick competition, and the wooden bridge was pretty slick too". When asked how the right front guard, bumper and headlight surround had become very bent, the driver commented "It's fun to combine interests to make the most of vacation time but I realise now that geology is not easily combined with rallying, big rocks protruding from embankments on the inside of hairpins should be examined at the appropriate moment".
Co-driver for the day, Michelle, performed admirably in her first event reading the road book. Saying "that was cool", she summed up the event for eveyone concerned much more succinctly than the driver could manage.
October 27 2002 - Punctured Piston Pulverises Podium Party
TeamRFR's final rally of the season at Timaru proved too much for the beleaguered Bob, with a piston breaking 5km from the end of Stage 2. The crew knew something was amiss after opening the bonnet during the stage when the oil pressure gauge dropped to nothing and noticed the car's exhaust flow coming out of the oil breather. The disappointed crew commented that they did stop the car first before attempting to open the bonnet.
With the drive on his 25th birthday, Andy was confident of making the class podium of the event, and learning that class favourite Neville Kidd had lost 5 minutes off the road, the party podium could well have been on the top step! Thoughts of class victory disappeared almost as quickly as the smoke from the cabin of the car, as the crew bolted for fresh air once the stricken Corolla came to a halt. Another DNF due to mechanical failure resulted, and some more spectating, albeit from a very good spot to brighten the day slightly.
TeamRFR will be attempting to repair Bob for the Mt. Thomas Sprint in two weeks time. Donations of Toyota 4K pistons, engine blocks, and cash will gladly be accepted.
October 7 2002 - TeamRFR visit Rally of New Zealand
TeamRFR members Andy, Michelle and David donned the groovy team apparel (thanks again Coastal Screen Studio!) and boarded a plane to Auckland to spectate at the WRC Rally of New Zealand where fun in the sun was had on the backroads around Auckland! We attended the shakedown stage and on arrival spoke to Freddy Loix (whose leg is feeling much better thankyou) and stood right next to Tommi Makinen ("we're not worthy!") in the beautiful Impreza WRC (the telly doesn't do this car justice, it looks fantastic and is perfectly proportioned). After a short chat to Deborah Kibble, TeamRFR scored a great spot watching the cars come down a twisty hill and take a sweeping left 3 meters from the excited spectators. After that it was off to the end of a long straight by an opening right into a bridge (where Carlos Sainz had gone off the road shortly before TeamRFR arrived). The stopping power of the WRC cars is nothing short of physics defying. They are truely amazing to watch. As we heard the start line crew calling the wrong start times out for the card readers we hoped the timing would be right on the day (it was). The rally show was a bit of a letdown, with spare cars on display and little in the way of organised entertainment. When we bought our tickets, a gold pass was supposed to get a rally discount book, but the sellers didn't know about them! We were then told by someone more official that they had run out of them,... not acceptable really, they should have as many books as gold passes. In TeamRFR's opinion the Otago Rally Show is better than Rally NZ's.
Petter Solberg, Rally NZ 2002 Shakedown
The ceremonial start was quite grand and well done, apart from the Maori welcome "club" who's "chief" was dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans while the rest of the club looked amazing in traditional Maori costume. The upside of having "Mr. Casual" up there was that he could get the conch shell horn to work whereas the costumed dude couldn't! The organisers got tricky and had all the team's cars in a crossover arrangement on the stage and this was great; apart from a few near misses as the cars were coming on and leaving as the girls leading the cars were obviously not instructed who went first! The flag wavers had a few oopses too, letting opposing cars go simultaneously on a few occasions. Brian Kelly talked to some overseas competitors as if they were children, which came across as very patronising. Those wee hiccups aside, it was a well presented start to the great event. The speeches by a councillor and a MP were very good. We stayed to the end as the rain came down, cheering off everyone, including the only two 2WD competitors.
It was up very early next day to make the spectator point at SS1 near Raglan. The parking was a wet slippery paddock right near the watching point which was great, although the parking was uncontrolled and people were stopping all over the place. The spectator points (all of them we visited on the rally in fact) were exceptionally well organised, with warning horns and whistles when the cars were coming, lots of marshalls enforcing the controlled crossings and restricted areas, very good signage and as well as all that they were very pleasant to deal with as well. A great job by the organisers on that front. Soon the cars were through, with Richard Burns being noticably quicker than everyone else. Burns set the car up better for cornering than all the other drivers, not excessively sideways but enough to maintain the speed through the corners that the other drivers could not match. In a couple of 500-600m sections we watched throughout the rally, Burns was more than half a second faster than everyone else (until he crashed of course!). We stayed to watch the WRC guys before hoofing it off to SS3. A slight navigation error saw us arrive a wee bit later than expected by still within enough time to get a great spot to watch right next to the road, and did we taste the action, literally! Francois Delacour was loose and showered us with stones and dust, but most of the other cars were fast and smooth. A great place to watch, as the television crew here attested. This would be a day of lots of driving in lines of traffic, trying to pick up rally radio that was next to useless, and lots of hiking around the hills as we found out trying to get to the spectator point mid-SS5. Some idiot said the road was chokka so we parked up and readied for the 2km walk in. Only to find that 500m down the road the cars cleared and there were plenty of parks. We couldn't have got there anyway as said idiot had parked and blocked the road. Grrrrr! After watching the top cars scream down a hill, go through a dipping chicane and into a tight corner we split for the service park at Raglan. It was great to see the cars getting worked on up close and the amount of activity going on. We learnt the wee secret that they use glass cleaner and rags to get the cars spotless before heading off into battle once again. That night it was the super special at Manukau which was fun to watch when you could see. The embankments are not quite steep enough and the kids on people's shoulders meant a good view was impossible. After watching all the cars it was late so TeamRFR headed back to basecamp for a good night's sleep.
The next day was a bit of a lazy one on the "Rally Rail Special". The train departed for the Kaipara Harbour region north of Auckland at around 10:00am and took two hours to get there. The first spectator point the train stopped at was OK, but we only got to see the first 15 cars before going off to the famous Brooks bridge jump. This is a very crowded spectator point and not that great if you want to see the cars for any amount of time, all you see is them jump over a bridge, which is quite cool but not as spectacular as we'd hoped. Colin McRae was spectating there and didn't even get mobbed (must have been the plain brown sweatshirt and jeans). The train then went to the best spectator point TeamRFR have ever had at any rally! Climbing to a ridge above a rail bridge, we could see the cars wind down a hill, go over the rail bridge and jump on the exit, then off up the hill on the other side of the valley; a full two minutes of action! A few hardy souls had hiked along the railway line to join the train spectators and it would have been worth the walk. As darkness fell (after the first 15 cars or so) the train departed for Auckland. TeamRFR's recommendation is that if you want to see lots of rally action, get up early, take your car and see the morning stages as well! Having said that the train trip was relaxing and fun, with lots of like minded people to talk to and the train organisers were terrific, very helpful, knowlegeable and keen.
Day 3 was in the Maramarua Forest which is between Auckland and Hamilton, towards the Coromandel. It was up early again and off to see the repeated stages where we watched the top 15 at the first two stages (the WRC cars are slotted into the main field for these ones). Then it was off on a brisk 2km walk to the final stage and a good combo of corners after a long straight where we saw a few cars hit a bank, egged on by a few tanked-up spectators who did a great job revving up the drivers as they came up the hill towards the corner with a tricky off camber exit. That was great to watch, the only real downer was seeing Petter Solberg's engine expire just after that tricky corner. The long straight tapped out in 6th is what we reckon was the last straw for the Subaru engine. We then drove back to the velodrome finish in Auckland where again a few organisational gaffs were seen again. Aside from being a different colour from the others, the centre Finnish flag was flown at half mast during the winner's national anthem due to the rope being incorrectly tied (and we're pretty sure no-one died!). Juha Kankunnen was not told that a lap of the velodrome was to be done and just drove straight onto the finish podium. A lot of drivers didn't quite know where to stop their lap to bring the car onto the podium. There was a real lack of people telling the drivers where to drive their cars at the finish. The commentator was.. well... hate to say it but, a plonker! He couldn't tell the difference between a Subaru and a Mitsubishi, confused Possum Bourne with Richard Mason (whom he called "Richard Manson") announced someone as Belgian when they were Italian, and didn't know that Freddy Loix was Belgian. The people in the grandstand were sniggering profusely at every nonsense this dude exclaimed. To top it off he didn't even say that Bruce Herbert was now National Rally Champion for the third consequtive time and that Chris West was national Group N Champion. The rally promoters didn't even have a merchandise tent at the finish for people to buy hats and shirts and things. David was disappointed to come away with no Rally NZ cap after being unable to find a promotional tent at the Manukau super special stage, and all of the spectator points visited. People were asking where the promotional gear could be obtained so they could have sold a whole heap more. We were told by one dude that the gear was for staff only! All a bit poor in our opinion. The highlight of the prizegiving was Gilles Panizzi doing a handbrake turn on the velodrome going into the finish ramp, "For ze funn"!
We're convinced that underneath it all, where it really mattered, the rally was exceptionally well organised. Look at the amazing response times to the accident on the Brooks stage where a spectator was involved, and how well all the spectator areas were set up. The smiling crews and drivers at service parks told a story of a very pleasant event to be in. As spectators, we covered a few miles in the wee rental car chasing the stages through spectacular countryside for a rally, and great roads as well. The highlight were obviously the WRC cars and drivers themselves, we saw speed and controlled driving like we'd never seen before. Jaw-droppingly fast rally cars and great roads for them to show off on. Everyone was asking why Peugeot are so much faster than the others. TeamRFR are of the opinion that the Silver Bullets have a far superior aerodynamic package than the other cars and thus create more traction. This can be seen by the rooster-tail of dust behind the Peugeot cars that no other car matches.
Rally NZ was awesome, you should go there next year!
September 29 2002 - Bothersome brakes and alternator anxiety but Bob bounces back!
TeamRFR scored a welcome third place in their class in the Hanmer rally yesterday after Bob's brakes balked and the alternator alarmed. The brakes were continuing to lock up and a visit by mechanic Jason Clark had a couple of un-needed washers removed from the master cylinder and Bob happily off the Hanmer for the rally and sprint. A broken alternator wire saw the battery fail to charge and Bob failed to start. Again Jason came to the rescue and the wire was reattached after some hunting and headscratching.
Other than the carby jets working loose Bob, driver David and co-driver Andy performed well in the rally, securing the 3rd place in class after faster competitors fell by the wayside. The following day's bent sprint saw Bob running with the Milk Van's battery and another fun, if not so successful, day was had in the forests of Hanmer Springs. See the event details page for a full report.
September 8 2002 - Driveshaft Debacle Bombs Bob's Battle
With Andy driving Bob seeded 3rd in class in the Mincorp and Total Rally of Nelson hopes were high of a good class place in the event. Fate however was still dealing the bad cards, and near the end of SS4 the gearbox end of the driveshaft sheared off at the universal joint after negotiating some ruts. "Bugger!", said Andy, again.
A lightening fast trip in the Milk Van to Repco in Nelson saw a replacement universal fitted by Andy on the way back to the service park from Richmond. In a blur of service crew overalls the driveshaft was installed and it was off to start the last stage of the day, having missed stages 5 and 6 in the mad dash for parts. The 59km final test was a real corker, but with Bob down on power due to a now confirmed blown head gasket, the Rally of Nelson was a bomb this year for TeamRFR.com.
September 1 2002 - Michelle wins on Debut!
At the Sefton Autocross, held in perfect sunshine with slippery grass underfoot, TeamRFR service crew member Michelle Reid showed that motoring ability indeed runs in the Reid family by pulling out a first in the ladies class, driving "The Rex". In a display of controlled pace with no mistakes, Michelle headed off the three other lady drivers in the event in a performance she described as "Cool fun!".
August 30 2002 - TeamRFR attract support of top screenprinters
TeamRFR driver David Fletcher confirmed today that the Coastal Screenprinting Studio (0800 T Shirt), whose signage has appeared on Bob's boot lid, have produced a limited edition run of team apparel. Saying "I'm stoked with these" David showed off the cutting edge garments at a recent outing to the pub.
August 3 2002- Catlins Coast calamity, David does damage
TeamRFR driver David Fletcher suffered his first dose of panel damage on Saturday in the 2002 Catlins Coast Rally. After posting competitive times in class on the first two stages of the day, David got a bit enthusiastic in stage 3 and failed to set the car up properly for a very slippery tighening right hand bend. Bob consequently slid straight ahead and contacted a tree, bending the bonnet of the car. Saying how annoyed with himself he was at his bloody silly mistake David commented "I'm not very happy", along with a few other words in his own language.
The "off" cost TeamRFR 12 minutes and any chance of a result. Nervously exiting the stage after being towed back on the road, and gradually getting into it again in the next stage, the rest of the stages yielded competitive times again for the crew, with the Cannibal Bay stage being particularly enjoyable and fast. High highs and low lows were the order, but overall "I'm so hiiigh" was the quote most heard during the day.
July 8 2002- Differential Disaster, Canterbury Chances Collapse
TeamRFR suffered another mechanical disaster at the Autosport Club's Robbies Bar and Bistro Lancaster Canterbury Rally on Sunday. After hammering through a couple of dry fords half way through special stage 1 the differential on the team's rally car "Bob" destroyed itself with a kind of raucous crunching tearing banging noise. The car's crew of Andrew (driver) and David (co-driver) also made various noises expressing displeasure at hearing and feeling the aforementioned raucous crunching tearing banging noise from the differential. Disappointed, the crew throw rocks at a creek.
Towed by a recovery crew at the end of the stage to the nearest safe intersection, TeamRFR waited the entire day for the service crew to be allowed to pick the stricken Bob up, as the road was being used for other rally stages and could not be opened. The car's crew resigned themselves to a long wait with the comment "Aaaaah, equipment failure... what can you do ay?! What can you do....".
4 June 2002 - TeamRFR gain podium place in Rally Southland!
Contesting a wet and wild 2002 Rally of Southland was fruitful for TeamRFR who returned to Christchurch yesterday with their 3rd in class trophies (well, they were engraved toast plates but they're great all the same!).
The rally took place to the north and west of Invercargill and after a week of solid rain the day was grey but the rain stayed away for the most part. With the leadup to the event being so wet the roads were in surprisingly good condition in places, and in other places they were surprisingly not!
Driver for the day David Fletcher commented "We should have packed a chainsaw in the toolbox" after completing the Rowallan stage where the foilage was at times all over the car. Bob the rally car ran well throughout the event as did the co-driver Andy.
A full report is on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com..
13 May 2002 - TeamRFR finish 2nd in class at Rally Otago
A seemingly happy Andy Reid said "I'm velly happy" after finishing 2nd in the 0-1300cc class of the Dunlop Classic Rally of Otago at the weekend. The rally had it's ups and downs for TeamRFR, and that was without the brows!. Bob's new gearbox was pulling some funky tricks by randomly losing gears during stages. Andy had to stop a couple of times in an attempt to find the gears again which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't, so a lot of time was lost. With that said, Andy drove a sensible rally, not taking too many chances, and brought Bob to the finish with not a panel scathed. Some of the stages had the crew grinning from ear to ear and at one point Bob was doing 160kph!
The service crew of Michelle, Joey, Huri, Stuart and Andrew provided
good food for the crew throughout the rally, and checked the oil. They
also contributed to a memorable rally by showing up late for one service
park and putting the directional wheels on backwards. When asked to report
on the rally Andy commented "I can't b
stuffd" so the report you see on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com
is David's version from the co-drivers seat.
14 April 2002: Disastrous but humour-filled start to TeamRFR's rally season
TeamRFR's run in the Westland Rally yesterday went from bad to worse to, well, custard really. After such a promising start to the weekend with a "Scoopalicious" for dessert providing "delicious layers of fun", and Grogan Street bringing out toilet humour aplenty, the weekend went downhill, although it stayed funny with many many laughs being exchanged. Getting a minute's penalty for clocking in 10 seconds late for the start of the first stage was bad, but not as bad as what happened next. Second gear decided to give up halfway through stage1, and third did the same in the next special stage. After driving slowly through some awesome roads the replacement gearbox was found to have different mounts and TeamRFR dejectedly withdrew from the rally. To add insult to injury third place in class was awarded to TeamRFR and we didn't even finish! A full report can be found on the Event Details page of TeamRFR.com.
1 March 2002: TeamRFR driver on Autosport Club Commmittee
Not wanting to be seen to be taking advantage of belonging to a club and not actually doing anything for that club, TeamRFR driver David Fletcher annouced today he had been voted onto the committee of the Autosport Club. Fletcher commented "As long as I don't have to get up earlier in the morning I'll give it a crack!".
When asked what he hoped to achieve as an Autosport Club committee member Fletcher replied "I hope to contribute first, and develop achievements through that contribution, plus I''ll be able to save 40c on stamps by handing my event entries directly to the secretary". Raucous laughter from other members of TeamRFR followed and the interview was terminated at that point.
11 February 2002: TeamRFR sick of verbosity and in a predictable move, name car.
Absolutely sick of typing "the new rally car" and saying "the new rally car", or even "the car" or "the rally car" TeamRFR webmaster David Fletcher today decided to reveal the car's new name. TeamRFR have selected the name "Bob" as a fitting name for the vehicle. David stated "Well, frankly, the fact of the matter is that nothing else sprung to mind at the time and TeamRFR reserve the right to rename the vehicle as and when we see fit".
Edmund Blackadder commented "Bob! That's a man's name!". So it may be, but now, in a predictable move (anyone knowing the Reid family will know the history of naming vehicles) TeamRFR can save valuable breath and typing time.
10 February 2002: Michelle announces Autocross plans
At the first event of 2001 TeamRFR crew member Michelle Reid stepped into the TeamRFR rally car for a couple of test runs at the course. Announcing "I'm very happy" at being given the chance to test the car, she felt that she was at a stage where she would contest the next Autocross event TeamRFR entered. Michelle's much anticipated debut for TeamRFR is eagerly awaited by everybody she corners to tell about it.
TeamRFR.com will be bringing you all the news related to this stunning announcement as it happens (or maybe a coupla' days afterwards).
10 January 2002: TeamRFR have a new rally car!
In the last weeks of 2001 TeamRFR negotiated the purchase of a new rally car for our rally campaign in 2002.
The car is a 1975 Toyota Corolla KE20 sedan. The car, for now known as "Bob", was built by Prattley Motorsport and has the following specifications:
1975 Toyota Corolla KE20 sedan
- 1300cc Toyota 4K motor, stood vertically.
- Twin Solex carbs
- K&N Filtercharger air filters
- Limited slip differential
- Kevlar race seats
TeamRFR will be outfitting the car to our own tested requirements and we will have photos on this website as soon as they become available.
The acquisition of the new rally car should provide TeamRFR with an opportunity to greatly improve stage times over last years and we are looking forward to driving the new car in anger. Andy Backitin related the whole of TeamRFR's sentiments when he was reported as saying "I'm very happy".
6 January 2002: TeamRFR back and ready to roll
After a very relaxing and pleasant Christmas TeamRFR have all survived
the rigours of the holiday season and are raring to get into 2002's feast
of motorsport action. At a pre-press conference morning tea today,
TeamRFR driver David Fletcher commented "Nice nibbles". Obviously he had
not had enough of treat sized food after the Christmas and New Year period
where traditionally many such offerings are consumed. Fletcher, when questioned
at the press conference on TeamRFR's plans for the 2002 rally season, also
said "I think you'll find that we are much more competitive this year,
for reasons soon to be revealed". He was not questioned further.