The Rally Maestro project

[Guest]

Re above: Chelmsford Motor Club are out marshalling in Kent on the first night, and Tony Michael of Chelmsford MC is running the base-camp results service, heavily involved in the Preston (a great event).

Cherry on the Cake Dept: Does anyone know where we can get hold of some MG sticker logos, Austin Rover logo stickers etc to brighten things up a bit - looks like a Christmas tree without any lights at the mo. Ebay no good, we need em in days. The rival girls in the MG ZR are also after some big MG logos for their front bonnet.

Wishbones: Instead of a straight leading edge, its been given a bit of curved half-moon pipe welded to round off the edge to make it glide over rocks a bit easier. They are indeed impressively stout.

[Guest]

The Preston has been won by two ladies in a MG maestro back in the days when it was a more navigational rally . the navigation is very straight forward these days and the winner is likely to be in a very strong and well prepared car with a very brave driver rather than a clever navigator gaining advantage solving time consuming route informatoin .

Tony michael is very efficient with his results service and is a stage rally driver when he competes so your in good company .

In answer to John's question I haven't been very active with Chelmsford car club much this summer but as i've just put my maestro back on the road that is probably going to change .I do go to events but you won't see me at club nights very often , please do say hello if you see my maestro out and about at CMC events.

[Guest]

The workshop are just about finished. A few stickers to add a cherry to the cake. Suspension remains the biggest worry. Packing up spares now, and getting ready for Brooklands, Jan 1st. Keep an eye on results and big map of everyone's position, which goes up on www.londoncapetownrally.com

[E_T_V]

Best of luck!

If there are any problems along the way I'm sure they'll be sorted easily enough.

[Guest]

The sills have been doubled up (one welded to another, both new metal, and then also reinforced with plenty of welding inside and extra plates along the inner side where the floor meets the sides of the car in the upper floor area) and a VW Beetle Jack, (what the rally fraternity call a "Monkey on a Stick" jack) is being modded by Tony with a lip that will work anywhere along the sill length. Not a cheap bit of kit. It fits in a box behind the two front seats. This has been occupying the workshop today. Other little jobs (wire mesh behind the grille, foam over the rollover hoop) are nips and tucks, cherries on the cake, still to do on Tuesday, it then ought to be just about finished. Spotlights need tuning, vital for a good run through the Kent section to Dover.

Results will first appear around 1.0am on Jan 2, or thereabouts, before the cars go on the 3.40am ferry for sure.

[John C]

Philip, did you find out if the CONTACT US portal on the girls' website http://www.girlsacrossafrica.com/contact-us/ is working?

I never heard anything back from either msg to them (and they haven't quoted any other way of getting in touch with them e.g. address/phone).

[Guest]

It should be up and working now to Jane, but she is away for Christmas, and Gill Cotton is going to be connected up in the next few days. (www.girlsacrossafrica.com).

[Piggy Bank]

[QUOTE= Jan 2, or thereabouts, before the cars go on the 3.40am ferry for sure.[/QUOTE]

The official site shows 4.30h am ferry Dover-Calais ?
Will it be P&O or SeaFrance?

[Piggy Bank]

Found, SeaFrance is in financial trouble; 3.40h is P&O.

[Guest]

Correct. We are all booked on P&O, we were going to get a later boat but the results team were so confident they will have it all buttoned up sorting queries we shouldnt be hanging about any longer in Dover...goodness, someone might take a room at the County Hotel and get their head down for an hour! Nar, cant have that...

[John C]

Hi Phil,

I just sent this to the girls via this page http://www.girlsacrossafrica.com/contact-us/ so we'll see if I hear anything back this time...

Hi,

Just checking if the CONTACT US portal is now working?

I never heard anything back from either msg to you (and you haven't quoted any other way of getting in touch e.g. address/phone), but I visited your car at Tony Fowkes recently and I've been liaising with PY on various aspects of its build.

We've been following it closely on the Maestro owner's club forum -it looks outstanding!

Best wishes for your journey. We're relying upon you both to uphold Austin/MG honour (and Maestro honour)!

Regards,
John Clayton
[3x ex Austin Rover Motorsport rally MG Maestros]

[Piggy Bank]

[QUOTE=To be fair though - its actually an Austin. a missed chance to shout for the Austin brand by rebadging it an MG [/QUOTE]

I wonder if this MG rebadging can be a problem at the official checking process because the vehicle document is still bearing the Austin brand as it is homologated as an Austin.

[Guest]

Drive any of the blue-chip British road events in an Austin and you would of course be right (Le Jog, or, the Rally of the Tests etc), but once you go abroad, and venture into some of the wilder, more extreme corners of the globe, if you are behind the MG badge you will be amazed at the support you can attract out of nowhere...there are MG enthusiasts, and MG clubs, all over the world. The Austin badge is unknown in a lot of countries now - it long ago lost its profile. "Depend on an Austin" used to be its slogan and would have been good down the sides of the Maestro, (given its likley to surprise a few), but, there are MG Clubs in South Africa coming out to meet the girls, doubt if they would have got into their MGBs to meet an Austin.

Marque loyalties are a tricky thing. I served as Chairman of the Austin Healey Club for a while, and one of the first things I was told was "dont expect Big Healey types to go to the same pub as Sprite people - just because they are both Austin Healeys and both made by the same men at the same factory in Abingdon doesnt mean you can think it logical to put the two under the same roof."

Some famous marques you and I could take for granted are unheard of on the other side of the Channel. A well-bridged Belgian competitor in a Porsche 911 came to the Rally Office and listened to stories of the London to Sydney, and after a long pause, said: "What's a Hillman Hunter? Who made those...is it a sportscar?"

[Piggy Bank]

I agree; Cars and brands do revive emotion.
I can remember BMC PR people swapping Austin and Morris badges on the Monte Carlo Coopers depending for which country the photos were taken.
My only concern was not to wish initiation of unwanted disqualification by officials or them competitors.

[John C]

Shouldn't the girls have tinted (or even mirrored) windows to reduce temperatures in the car?

They could have a very dark tint for all windows except the driver, passenger (only a very light tint allowed -70% light transmission) and windscreen:
http://www.maestro.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=16290