Well done to the Team...

The Team came 2nd in its class and 8th overall which is amazing considering our best car crashed and we were pitted against the big boys...

In Lithuania for instance,

RALLIES

The winter rallys were a very cool do :-)

As usual there was a bar and bbq set up on one great jump, loads of subaru's and evos of course and one guy using a lada that he drives exeptionally well. A real treat for rear wheel drive nuts and the crowd goes wild when he comes through. Would be nice one day to take our group BDA gp 4 escorts ,but we will need to find more sponsorship ,and our searrira programe? Trying to finish a race and some times trying to get to the start is taking a lot of commitment on the money sponsor front.

CIRCUIT RACING, RALLY CROSS AND GRASS TRACKING

Well i can tell you the weather from our experience tend to be either toasty hot 30 degrees and that is what's killing our cozy in the big race ,or frezing cold like minus 25 on the winter rally .

Then there are the obvious as you can see on the site and my guys them who are single of course get loved up .

Then the most important thing is the crowds. I went to a small grass tack type event and it was brilliant. Maybe 5k people minimum, fencing and plenty of beer! It's like motor sport used to be over in the UK. Don't run away with the idea their old bangers though hay some are young guys just starting out. Opel's are a big choice as are honda's. There was also the serious stuff, of course and also one very nice but battered lancia ,turned out to be full spec gpa integrale which must have been 50k of anybody's money. No, its the raw enthusiasm of motor sport in Lithuaina!!!

DRIFTING

Drifting,their pulling big crowds to thease events a mix of motor sport and pop music a real big hit with the crowds hope to enter one soon with our cozzies.

DRAG

They have so much enthusiasm in Lithuania in all types of motor sport that they managed to organise a drag race in less than 2weeks on the high street in Klaipeda. It was a full-on Santa pod do. All types of cars and motor bikes took part. They have even just built the first jet car in Klaipeda although that did not run at this event,

Nemuno ziedas (Kacergine) - Lithuania

Well done to the Team...

2009 Saw the return of the DHR/DFDS race team to the Palanga race Circuit for the Omnitel 1000km endurance race.

The cars and transporter were kindly shipped by the main sponsor this year, DFDS Tor line Immingham and DFDS Lisco Klaipeda the week before the race, and the rest of team flew in on the Monday to carry out the final preparations to the cars.

First practice (Thursday) was soon upon us, and all the drivers were very keen to try out the car with its newly found horsepower and drivability, courtesy of a new Engine management system hurriedly fitted and mapped by John Noble motorsport just three days before the car was to be shipped. This year also saw a contingency plan in place, in the form of a spare car; this car is again a 3 door Sierra Cosworth; in essence it’s a rally car but would fit the bill of spare car nicely.

First to tame the 500bhp beast was Andrew and after having a few cautious laps he then opened the taps. However, after a few laps he returned to the pits with a serious lack of power. The decision was made to send Michael out in the spare car while the mechanics diagnosed the problem with the big car, pinpointing the problem to a Turbo waste gate pin sheared of due to metal fatigue. Due to the colossal amounts of heat under the bonnet we continued the rest of the session in the spare car and almost all went well, all drivers happy apart from a lack of brakes. Practice session ended, the mechanics set about repairing the cars for the next practice on Friday.

Friday practice was upon us, and the plan was that everyone would have a few laps to accustom themselves to the big car, then to save racking miles up on the big one, use the spare for the rest of the race. The RS 500 behaved itself very well, then was parked up and swapped for the other car - good news was the brakes were much better after swapping the discs and pads. However, the gearbox was now acting a little sick, and the car was nursed around till the end of the session. Again, the team descended on the cars, getting them ready for the next practice, which would be followed by the qualification session.

Cars ready to go once again, strategy was now coming into play. It was decided again to do minimal laps in the beast, then get some good track time in the small car, but disaster! The RS500 came into the pits with a clutch problem, and with no time to effect repairs, the decision was made to qualify and enter the white car into the main race, this would be good for the sponsors as it would guarantee some live television coverage.

Serious business was now upon us, we had to qualify. This was a job for Michael so out he went and did us proud with a lap time of

1.34.98 - good enough for 26th on the grid.

Well, after all the preparation, finally Saturday morning was upon us… race day! Everybody in the team had butterflies, and had fingers and everything else crossed for a good result. This would mean hard work, good driving, clever strategy and LOTS of good old fashioned luck.

Dave, Drew and Mick all drew straws to see who would drive first and the decision was taken that Drew would take the wheel for the first stint, then Mick, with Dad after that. Time seemed to fly, and before the blink of an eye, it was time to line up on the grid. 26th position saw us on row

13 alongside a very tired Renault Clio that over the weekend had had some serious bodywork repairs and also an engine rebuild, all at the side of the track!

With 5 minutes to go, orders were given to clear the grid and the start was now imminent. Drivers were all strapped firmly in place, and off they went for firstly a parade lap, then a tyre warming lap and then countdown was on with the race being a rolling start. All the drivers had to be super alert, and it seems Drew was chomping at the bit, as when the lead car went, he nailed it and made up five places straight away.........GO GO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Drew soon settled into a steady pace, and claimed a few more places, reaching 17th with relative ease. An incident then saw the safety car deployed, and the cars were all bunched together again. With the safety car in, racing commenced again and Drew had settled into a very nice pace, the laps kept coming, and it was soon time for a re-fuel and driver change. Then disaster struck - when the car went to fuel, it was apparent that the cooling fans had stopped working so it was straight into the pits where the mechanics got the fans working again but the coolant temperature was very hot. Mick jumped in, but came straight back when the temperature still didn't come down. Whilst in the pits, Dave got in the ‘hot seat’, while attempts were made to cool the engine, to try to get some airflow, and to circulate the coolant. Dave took the car for another two steady laps but alas, it was not to be. Due to the extreme temperature, the head gasket finally cried ‘Enough!’, and as the car would not keep cool, retirement was the only option so with great regret we pulled from the race.

Keeping cool this summer was a major problem for drivers as well as pit crew ,so it left us with no choice than try the odd tipple of the local brew svyturys ,they brew it not 5 miles from the circuit ,our favorite is svturys extra ,it treats you well if you consume loads and no crew member ever had a hangover ,theirs a big brewing industry in lith

All in all, the week had some massive highs, and obviously some lows with the retirement of the car, but the potential of the RS500 became very apparent and the cars are already stripped, awaiting repairs and WILL be ready for the 4 hour race in Kaunas......SEE YOU THERE!!!!!!