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Driver Rob Eastwood
Age 25
Occupation Landscape Gardener
Hobbies Mountain Biking and Motor sport
1996 Competed for first time as a navigator on a single venue event.
1997 Navigated on a couple of 12 cars.
1998 Competed as a driver for the first time on a single venue event.
1999-2002 Navigated on various single venue events for fun in a variety of cars from a Fiat X19 to a Vauxhaul Carlton.
2003 Year Out
2004 Built stage car to F1000 regs and competed in a few of the F1000 rounds to shake the car down for the following season finishing second in class B2.
2005 Competed in F1000 for a full season finishing 4th overall.
2006 To contest the f1000 championship again and selected SD34 road rally rounds.
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Navigator Martyn Taylor
Age 19
Occupation Trainee Engineer
Hobbies Mountain Biking, Hiking and Motor sport
2005 Began rallying. Took part in various road rallies as a navigator to gain valuable experience.
2006 SD34 Road rally championship to gain more experience. F1000 Tarmac championship as a navigator.(first time stage rallying) and possible other outings in stage rallying. |
Car Spec 1973 mini Built to f1000 spec
970cc cooper S engine
Susspension Adjustable ride hight known as Hi/Lo's, Gaz Shocks,
coopers S brakes,
Then just the usual Saftety device roll cage bolt in
Magnum bucket seats
TRS 4 ponit harnesses bought with some of the cash
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EASTWOOD & TAYLOR TOO MIGHTY FOR REST
A storming drive on Sunday's Wilbarston Stages saw Rob Eastwood & Martyn Taylor win the F1000 Class by an incredible 17 seconds in their Mini Sport/WHL-KL backed Morris Mini. Haydn Williams/Stephen Brown took their Nissan Micra to 2nd, with the similar car of Matt Davies/Paul Hadley a further 8 seconds back in 3rd.
Eastwood/Taylor laid down the gauntlet on the very first stage, stopping the clocks 3 seconds faster than Williams/Brown. Stage 2 went even better with another fastest time, but the exhaust manifold snapped early in the stage and would have to be repaired immediately. Fortunately this didn't cost them any time, and they went into service having done enough to pull out an early lead of 16 seconds. After locating a welder in the service park Rob and his mechanic, Mick Tomlinson of A-Frame Engineering, just had time to fix the exhaust without picking up any lateness penalties.Rob was pleased with their start: "Those first two stages went exactly to plan; we found a rhythm straight away and the car is working perfectly. In this Championship you have to be on it right from the word go. If you make a mistake or have a problem then it takes a lot to pull the time back".
That problem came on the very next stage. "We were flat out down one of the long straights" recalls Martyn, "When suddenly the car just died. The engine was misfiring badly and we had no power whatsoever". The crew managed to nurse the car to the end of the stage and into service, where the problem was traced to a water leak soaking the car's electrical system. "It was really easy to fix" said Rob, "But it cost us 25 seconds and dropped us to 3rd. It’s exactly what we didn't want, but at least we're still going. We'll fight back!"
Determined to get back on top Eastwood/Taylor attacked stage 4 with gusto, setting another fastest time and climbing back up to 2nd, then on stage 5 they took 9 seconds out of Williams/Brown to regain the lead. "Nothing's going to stop us today" said Martyn. "We've got to win this one." Once back in front they adjusted their pace to stay just ahead without taking risks, and by the 10th and final stage they had a lead of 18 seconds. "We'll be nice and steady through this last stage" said Rob, "No heroics required!" Williams/Brown went fastest on that last stage, but it wasn't enough to deny Eastwood/Taylor of the win.
"We're elated to win the F1000 Class" beamed Martyn. "Competition in this Championship is always fierce, and with the cars being so evenly matched its really hard to recover when you lose time. We've had a couple of problems today but we had the pace to fight back and take the win. It’s been a great day." Rob continues; "The car's working well now. The Mini Sport engine has proved strong again, Martyn's been on top form, everything just fell into place. I like these faster venues, you can really get your teeth stuck into the stages!"
The pairing now have a three week break before Round Three of the Formula 1000 Tarmac Stage Rally Championship, the Weeton Stages near Blackpool on the 18th of June. In the meantime you can keep up-to-date with Rob & Martyn's adventures by visiting their Website at www.rallyrob.co.uk
Dan Willan
WHL-KL
www.whl-kl.co.uk
After months of hard work and dedication Rob Eastwood and Martyn Taylor are now ready to contest their first round of the 2006 Formula 1000 Tarmac Championship, the Lee Holland Memorial Stages on the 14th of May.
A capacity 65-car entry will take over Anglesey race circuit on Sunday to tackle 45 stage miles of tarmac and shale. Nearly twenty of these competitors are racing in the F1000 Championship for cars with an engine capacity of 1000cc or less, so Rob and Martyn will have plenty of competition to deal with. They'll be lining their Mini Sport/WHL-KL Mini up at car 48, second of the F1000 runners.
Its been a busy couple of months for Rob and Martyn, but their self-built Morris Mini is now ready for the off. A freshly built 970cc engine has been provided by Mini Sport, much to the approval of Rob, who during the running-in period felt very impressed with the torque and response of his new motor. "Last year we were really struggling to get the best bits for the car" says Rob, "But with the financial backing this year from Team Northern Construction and Kirkby Lonsdale Motor Club we've been able to get a better engine sorted, so now we should be able to take the fight to the newer and higher spec'd cars out there". Martyn too is relishing the new challenge. "I did my first stage event last weekend, the Procare Stages at Three Sisters, and it opened my eyes to the sport. Everything seemed to fall into place quite easily though; you learn all the aspects of timing and map reading through road rallying so I felt perfectly at home".
Another boon has come from A.I. Harrison Motors of Bentham, who have kindly agreed to supply Rob with fresh competition Falken tyres. "Now I don't have to worry as much about tyre wear, so I can just concentrate on going as fast as I possibly can!" jokes Rob. "Anyway, it'll give Mick something to do during the event!" That'll be Mick Tomlinson of A-Frame Engineering, who for the second year running will be supporting Rob by giving him on-event servicing.
Rob and Martyn have been keeping themselves sharp during the Winter by competing in several road rallies, including the VK Derbyshire Rally in Chesterfield, where the duo survived mechanical problems in their borrowed Peugeot 309 to finish 32nd Overall, just missing out on a top 10 Class result. Rob opted out of the recent Westmorland Road Rally for financial reasons, but Martyn secured a ride with Gemma Tyson and they brought their Astra home 19th Overall and top Novice crew, giving Martyn a huge confidence boost in preparation for the weekend.
"Its easy to say we'll be going for a finish" quips Martyn, "But when the flag drops and the red mist comes down we'll be pushing as hard as we can". "There's no better way to start a championship than with a good result,” adds Rob. "After the first couple of stages we should be fairly settled, then we'll have a push and see what we can do on the timesheets. We're just looking forward to getting out there!"
Can Rob & Martyn 'Tango' the opposition in their vivid orange Mini? Watch this space.........
Dan Willan.
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