Yiannis' Albi Blue R27 - Toning down...

So I came back from my Transiberian - Transmongolian railway adventures and headed straight to Wales for the weekend. I always had an itch for some rally driving but had totally zero experience, Phil Price rally school came to change that!

For the ones who don't know him, Phil is a legend and a highly respected individual in the rally industry. Not only he has trained (and still does) several WRC drivers including various big names but drivers and teams use his facilities to develop and test their cars. The way he talks about rallying makes you realise how passionate he is about it, I could go for hours listening to his stuff.

Finished work on Friday and departed soon after, it's definitely not close, nearly 4 hour drive from central London but hey, it's all about Wales' B roads:wink: Arrived late at night at a gorgeous B&B in the middle on nowhere and wake up to this;


27242489797_4348fd3c4b_k.jpgDSC00399 by YiannisR27, on Flickr


Fogy morning, full of green, promising weather, and lots of sheep as expected. After being treated to a lovely full English we headed for the stages, 6 miles away. We were the last to arrive - without being late - so we got around meeting all the attendees. 8 drivers (maximum number per day), 7 men and a woman (who was quicker than me at the timed sessions and I'm not even embarrassed to admit it!). Introduction, basic coaching over videos, coffee and off we went to get ourselves in gear. The day consisted of trying to make the car slide, to then maintain the slide and then flip it from one side to the other. God that was fun! Whilst waiting for our turn we had the chance to go to the main rally stage for a blast with an AWD Impreza and Phil as a co-driver. The task was to blindly follow his instructions - having digested all the code presented to us in the morning - and drive on a specific configuration of the stage. I think I got the 50% of it, it was not easy! That's my excuse anyway:smile:

The other cars were 2 rally prep'd RWD Subaru Imprezas, going around with instructors literally shouting at us, in a good way of course! It really was awesome. They kept watering the track so as to make it easier for us but the mud was gradually drying through the day making the whole thing trickier as you'd go along. We had totally about 10 runs each plus 3 runs for the competition (clockwise, anti-clockwise and a final go for trying to improve the slowest run). What I did notice was how competitive people became when the timer was up and running! Up until that point everyone was spinning, hitting cones, sliding etc, during the timed sessions they were literally driving around with all wheels on full traction lol, which I found hilarious. On the contrary, I was giving it full beans trying to slide and perform the Scandinavian flick (unsuccessfully) on totally dry gravel, taking several tyres and cones on the way (and time penalties of course). Did I care? Obviously not, did I have fun? God I did!!

Highlight of the day was when Phil took his Group A Subaru out to take us all for a ride in the rally stage. And it was scary. You can't really tell from the video but it was nuts, especially when you don't know/see where the roads goes, when the car is flying and dancing and when there is a drop next to you without barriers. That was my first experience in a proper rally car with a proper driver, and it was the best thing I've ever done in regards to motoring experience.

A couple of pics and a video with Phil driving;

42112827811_ac464462d3_k.jpgDSC00403 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
41211746805_6ab788a954_k.jpgDSC00411 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
41392665284_89ed75bcd2_k.jpgDSC00406 by YiannisR27, on Flickr


 
Last edited:
great write up Yiannis..looks like you have learnt a thing or 2 and had a fantastic time..do a bit of rallying never hurts..:thumb:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yiannis197
LONG POST WARNING!

Time for an update here me thinks!

Quite a few things on the go currently, good and not so good, as it always is:smile: Track day in Rockingham and a weekend in Brands, supporting my mate who is racing in the Caterham Academy series. What an absolute blast of a weekend that was. Blimey, racing is so addictive even to those who don't actually race. The weather, the cars, the atmosphere, the vibe, the energy, the preparation process, the testing...everything was so addictive. There were quite a few races that day including Touring cars and this is when you know that things are getting serious however, the actual Caterham race was much more interesting. The competitiveness is sky high and the elbows are literally out. We managed to secure a solid 7th out of 28 cars so overall not a bad weekend!

28056796997_e9cfa570eb_o.jpgDSC_9780 by YiannisR27, on Flickr

And yes, a singer parked somewhere around there;

41115614080_fbc387aab2_o.jpgDSC_9783 by YiannisR27, on Flickr


Off for a week to lovely Sitges to get some necessary vitamin D and of course it didn't disappoint one bit;


28056796867_2675e65d61_o.jpgDSC_9850 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
41115613820_bb781181a3_o.jpgDSC_9855 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
28056796767_852d395c1a_o.jpgDSC_9884 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
28056796747_1cba78a03a_o.jpgDSC_9890 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42876826132_173b8e19b4_o.jpgDSC_9857 by YiannisR27, on Flickr


And then a 5 day break in lovely Wales. I hadn't been there for...well, a month lol so I missed it! We started from South Wales this time on Saturday morning heading to the North where we eventually took our way back to London on Tuesday morning via gorgeous Cotswolds. The weather was not splendid but that obviously didn't stop us neither ruined the fun.

We departed Friday after work and we stayed in Tintern at a lovely B&B, literally next to the river with great food and views.

Day one we did A4069 heading towards Llanwyrtyd wells where we followed the single track road to Tregaron, Devil's Bridge, Elan Valley and eventually to Dylife where we stayed for the night. Lots of stops in between for exploring Devil's Bridge area (walking up and down the waterfalls is highly recommended), Elan valley and of course bits in between. The road between there and Elan Valley is the best road in Wales in my humble opinion. Wide enough with rightly cambered turns, superb visibility, no traffic or sheep, not very smooth so it keeps the car unsettled and therefore playful and most importantly..you don't have to be doing crazy speeds to maintain a challenging drive. Simply perfect. It did remind me of some of the very fine roads in the continent. B4518 was awesome, same was the one leading to our hotel which was in the middle of nowhere, Star Inn. We did some trekking in the mountain (one of the most famous Welsh paths according to the locals) and finally ended up back to our hotel for dinner and wine.

Day two we departed late because we caught up with a fellow enthusiast who was driving around in a classic, God how time flies when you share hobbies right? So we followed the Forge road to Penegoes, up to Llanymawddy, then joined a single track road to Eunant and eventually lake Vyrnwy. That road is difficult at times (rough tarmac and very narrow) but as soon as you start going up the mountain it becomes seriously handful, I was getting way excited and I nearly binned it. All good though so the Clio stays to live another day! Break at the lake at a big hotel overlooking the lake and then off to Bala via B4391 (what a road, elevation changes etc!!), A494 to horseshoe pass and eventually to Llangolen for some rafting sessions! 2 hours in the river fighting with the boat, great fun! Dinner at a pub literally by the river, off to do the Evo triangle late evening and eventually to our hotel at Betws-y-Coed. Now, a few might crucify me for saying this but the Evo triangle has to be the most overrated road after the Stelvio pass (the bad stelvio that is, not from Bormio side, Bormio side is excellent).

First of all let's start from the basics. It's not a triangle! A5 (bottom road) is a main artery road so it's too busy, too risky to speed and it's nothing special anyway. B4501 is excellent but still - not very challenging in our cars. Our clios have so much grip so you'd have to be doing crazy speeds there to find yourself involved, and you are risking too much should you opt for it. But very good nonetheless with elevation changes etc. A543 is boring, no two ways about it. Rough tarmac, lots of straights and very narrow at the bottom. Overall, very disappointed considering how legendary these roads are supposed to be.

Day three we woke up early to go to Llanberis through A4086. The Llanberis pass was excellent, reminding me of a miniature Alpine pass. I would have loved to do it both ways but we were running out of time as we'd have to be to Llanberis at 10am to catch the train up to Snowdon Summit. Train up and trek down, the wise way:smile: After 2 and a half hours of walking we got back to the car towards A4085, B4410, A496 and B4391. The latter is a sublime road. I did try to do the EDIT: B4407 as well but it was too foggy so we turned back. We were planning to to the triangle clockwise but for the aforementioned reasons we skipped it, I couldn't be bothered really. So we took the A5 and A494 to end up to a friend's house where we stayed the night.

Day four we ended up in Jade developments because the car developed a steering issue. I knew exactly what the problem was but I just wanted Sean to confirm. The joint in the rack has developed a play and therefore a knock, I had exactly the same issue 5 years ago which was covered under the extended warranty, I'll have to foot the bill now lol. No big drama, I know that these units are not up to the job and if the car is driven hard, issues will appear sooner or later. Good thing that happened now and not a week before the Alps! After a quick diagnostics we headed to Stow in Cotswolds for lunch and then back to Camden. Overall a great break and I can't wait to go back! Some pics at the following post!

Thanks for reading!
 
Last edited:
42925611481_628953b9ae_h.jpgDSC00524 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
28056537827_efe4ecd077_h.jpgDSC00537 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42024297415_8869d3d93e_h.jpgDSC00541 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
28056533297_710f9b28e4_h.jpgDSC00561 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42024293855_c184d7fab2_h.jpgDSC00586 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42207224034_83d6cd05f3_h.jpgDSC00613 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42207223014_d19884bb86_h.jpgDSC00640 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
28056523257_0ecb2b5b35_h.jpgDSC00643 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42024286345_3229fab358_h.jpgDSC00650 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42024284395_f253dded37_h.jpgDSC00654 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
29053133428_8f654a6bf7_h.jpgDSC00693 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42207217744_61b66c49ea_h.jpgDSC00707 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
29053129648_f723939395_h.jpgDSC00713 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42925590631_34906b4146_h.jpgDSC00719 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42925589581_c370edc787_h.jpgDSC00731 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
29053124208_81c9c6c645_h.jpgDSC00753 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42024271895_89f523f575_h.jpgDSC00799 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
 
Great post @Yiannis197. I'm interested to see your views on the Evo triangle. I've not done it yet, but I believe @///M has included it in the Welsh run he is organising & I hope to be on that. Maybe the reason they use it is for the fact that it encompasses different road types, A road, B road, rough tarmac? I don't know. Anyway I still want to experience it.
I agree with @Big Ben, those wheels look awesome. The red/blue combo works so well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yiannis197
Thanks John:smile:

To be honest, if I was driving the EVO triangle without knowing it was the EVO triangle as such, I'd say that B4501 is an excellent road and A543 is a decent drive mainly due to views (naked fields and a patch of tarmac in the middle). Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I did them and any petrolhead who visits Wales should, but I just don't get the immense reputation that these 2 roads have in the community. EVO magazine might have their own reasons for taking their cars there but this buzz in the car forums is something really bizarre to me. I mean...there are definitely much better roads in Scotland and even lake district. And there are definitely much better roads in Wales as well! Why this is so famous I simply fail to see.

Anyway, it's definitely worth visiting and Mes knows his stuff as he's been in the region quite a few times, I'm sure you'll drive all over the best bits so I'm looking forward to hearing your opinion as well:smile:
 
Brands evening session the other day, and a reminder to myself NOT to do that again. It was painfully busy with fast cars but drivers not realising the concept of the "slow car on straight line but quicker on bends" so I ended up most of the time behind them trying to go through traffic.

In all honestly I was really pissed off with the poor driving etiquette, the fact that the Clio is gutless on track only added to the frustration. I won't lie, I came back and started looking at Meganes even though falling out with my pride and joy because of other's bad driving is not on.. At the end I'd pointlessly try finding a clear slot to go out but no luck. 2 and a half hours of track time with 51 cars made that a task and a half.

Most interesting car of the day was a performante with a skilled driver who definitely knew how to peddle. And blimey it was on another level, he would overtake any car as if it was stopped, unreal difference on grip and speed.

Not an interesting footage but multi edited to cut most of the traffic whilst hanging on behind others. The full blown race Leon Cupra is a friend's and it's running 411bhp on 1050kgs. it was literally flying!

28461263747_900809a7d7_h.jpgDSC00835 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42612705984_808c30ac27_h.jpgDSC00843 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
28461260557_e6e4dc009c_h.jpgDSC00847 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42612703964_e3ec1433cd_h.jpgDSC00850 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
28461256797_2908c12cd0_h.jpgDSC00861 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42612701734_ca01df8650_h.jpgDSC00862 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
43329844761_6daba01685_h.jpgDSC00866 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
42612699994_7720dcabee_h.jpgDSC00869 by YiannisR27, on Flickr


 
nice work Yiannis..car sounds brill..sorry to hear about your frustration though..have to admit that you hit the nail on the head..
as much as these cars are good in the corners,the straight line performance is poo...
 
Yeap, always been the case matey @Pav but that normally wouldn't be an issue if the slowest drivers would go out of the way. That white Leon FR was bang on, overtook me on the straight and after 3 corners he let off the throttle to allow me to overtake. This is how is done and this is what I've been doing for years. Why waste the time of another driver is beyond me. Those caterham drivers for example were bang on out of order. Not to mention the BMW drivers...

Racing or chasing laptimes is a different thing, there you need straight line speed and easy pick up on the exit. But on leisure events like track days you can do without, assuming of course you can drive around carrying as much corner speed your talent allows you. Which would be feasible if everyone stuck to the rules and fucked off when they'd see a car on their rear bumper.

Rant over.
 
Yeap, always been the case matey @Pav but that normally wouldn't be an issue if the slowest drivers would go out of the way. That white Leon FR was bang on, overtook me on the straight and after 3 corners he let off the throttle to allow me to overtake. This is how is done and this is what I've been doing for years. Why waste the time of another driver is beyond me. Those caterham drivers for example were bang on out of order. Not to mention the BMW drivers...

Racing or chasing laptimes is a different thing, there you need straight line speed and easy pick up on the exit. But on leisure events like track days you can do without, assuming of course you can drive around carrying as much corner speed your talent allows you. Which would be feasible if everyone stuck to the rules and fucked off when they'd see a car on their rear bumper.

Rant over.

Couldn’t agree more. I’m sick to death of it and it’s getting worse and worse as more people do them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yiannis197
Brands evening session the other day, and a reminder to myself NOT to do that again. It was painfully busy with fast cars but drivers not realising the concept of the "slow car on straight line but quicker on bends" so I ended up most of the time behind them trying to go through traffic.

In all honestly I was really pissed off with the poor driving etiquette, the fact that the Clio is gutless on track only added to the frustration. I won't lie, I came back and started looking at Meganes even though falling out with my pride and joy because of other's bad driving is not on.. At the end I'd pointlessly try finding a clear slot to go out but no luck. 2 and a half hours of track time with 51 cars made that a task and a half.

Most interesting car of the day was a performante with a skilled driver who definitely knew how to peddle. And blimey it was on another level, he would overtake any car as if it was stopped, unreal difference on grip and speed.

Not an interesting footage but multi edited to cut most of the traffic whilst hanging on behind others. The full blown race Leon Cupra is a friend's and it's running 411bhp on 1050kgs. it was literally flying!

View attachment 126839DSC00835 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
View attachment 126840DSC00843 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
View attachment 126841DSC00847 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
View attachment 126842DSC00850 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
View attachment 126843DSC00861 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
View attachment 126844DSC00862 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
View attachment 126845DSC00866 by YiannisR27, on Flickr
View attachment 126846DSC00869 by YiannisR27, on Flickr


Sorry to hear about your frustration. A pity because Brands can be fun if everyone plays ball. I like the Indy circuit despite it's relative simplicity because you don't get much of a breather and are pretty much full on all the time. Hoping to do the GP circuit in 2019.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Yiannis197
Sorry to hear about your frustration. A pity because Brands can be fun if everyone plays ball. I like the Indy circuit despite it's relative simplicity because you don't get much of a breather and are pretty much full on all the time. Hoping to do the GP circuit in 2019.

That's it mate, I do like the Indy as well and as you say, awesome when everyone is switched on.

GP must be magnificent, I'd love to do it but I just can't afford it as it always flirting close to half a grand!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Johnny 99
It was painfully busy with fast cars but drivers not realising the concept of the "slow car on straight line but quicker on bends" so I ended up most of the time behind them trying to go through traffic.


exactly what happened to me at spa last week. it's a brilliant track, but when you can't keep up the momentum in our cars, it gets frustrating quite quickly. M2's and 911's creeping up eau rouge and the raidillon, then leaving you for dead on the straight before holding you up again at rivage. was the first time it was so bad.

won't stop me from going back, though ... :smile: