December 9
Rough night with little sleep, as high winds produced a cacophony of howling wind and rain hitting the windows like tracer bullets. Doesn’t seem to have bothered M-sport’s Iain Tullie, who also stayed at Cape Cornwall.
Today is the start of Le Jog. Nerves are jangling, but Nick assures me I will settle after the opening test around the slippery headland path. And blimey it’s slippery – the 1970s non-power steering is a real haul at slow speed. It’s a hard pull, but the car responds.
A second test, as Nick shouts more instructions. I’m trying too hard: “It’s not the quickest way. Calm down; try to drive it smoothly,” says my seasoned navigator. Classic rookie errors in my first event. I wish I’d done some autotesting!
We push on to the next road section, heading to the first major regularity over Bodmin Moor, mindful of HERO Competitions boss Guy Woodcock’s words. As a driver, navigator and top organiser, he is revered – so I listen. “Obey all the speed limits, but keep pushing on. It’s easy to fall behind schedule – then you’ll have to miss sections.” It’s relentless. Words of encouragement come from multiple Le Jog gold medal winner Andy Lane, who tells me to keep it going: “hit all the controls and you could be on for a medal.”
Over a maze of Bodmin roads I’m trying to keep to different average speeds, as Nick calls them. He is navigating off the map, keeping a track of time and speed all at once. It’s amazing to watch but harder to keep up with, as you try to hit hidden controls on the second. I fall short. I’m frustrated. Things get fiery and we’re shouting at each other! Got to calm down.
As we pull into Exeter Race Course for a control and food stop experienced navigator Andy Ballantyne asks Nick if he made the awkward control in the farm yard after the regularity? No, we hadn’t read down through the last detailed instructions. Control missed already, gutted. Worse followed for Andy and driver Mike Tanswell, as their gearbox broke. They were out.
Two tests around the Exeter course allowed us to fling the BMW about; confidence is building and we’re feeling better. But we’re back on the road again, chasing off to the Severn Bridge crossings.
Into freezing Wales, real rally country – narrow lanes, packed with ice and snow, with steep climbs to try and scrabble up. We survive two more regularities in the dark then into a rest halt near Abergavenny. The navigators are all plotting and planning again. They never stop. The next lot of instructions have to be interpreted. Outside, the hero sweeper crews are fettling cars. We’ve lost a few, including the lovely 1968 Triumph 2000 of Tony Sheach and Rachel Wakefield. A Porsche 356B has slid on the ice into Bill Cleyndert and Dan Harrison’s Morris Mini Cooper S, but they’re able to carry on. Eventually though, the Porsche has to retire.