Kirkby Lonsdale Motor Club

What are your earliest memories of motorsport? 1968/Aged 15. Cycled to Sea Wood hairpins (Bardsea) at 3am to watch the Illuminations. First car was the works Imp of Andrew Cowan (??), engine screaming – hooked …………………….

How did you get involved in Motorsport? Lad next door used to take me to Oulton Park to watch motor racing. When I was old enough, joined Morecambe CC (Tony Mason was Chairman) and then Furness District MC.

How long have you been competing? Navigated for father on a Police Driving Test and Treasure Hunt, early 1969. First road rally as a driver would be the 1972 RL Brown.

Are you a Driver, Navigator or Both? Driver in modern day class on some Historic's, when not navigating. Navigator on Historic events currently with Ian Curwen and navigating for Mal Grisdale on Road Rallies since 1996.

What was your first event? (Excluding a few FDMC and MCC 12-cars), 1972 RL Brown.

How many events have you done? In excess of 300. Road Rallies/Stage rallies/Historic events/PCT’s/Autotest’s, driving and navigating.

What’s your Best Result? As driver: 1 st o/a Towers Leck Rally 1984 and 1 st o/a Johnston Trophy (Modern) 2007 with Paul Allen navigating. As navigator: 1 st o/a 2003 and 2004 Berwick Classic with Ian Knowles.

What’s worst Result? September 7 th this year!! Navigating for Ian Curwen in his 1966, 1380cc Mini Cooper. First test, blew gearbox after 80 yards!!!

Do you have any Sponsors? Mrs Hazel Hargreaves!!!!!

What is your biggest off if any? 2004 Ryemoor, navigating for Mal Grisdale in the Subaru. Went off backwards at about 80mph on a wet 90 right, just over a brow, whilst I had head down plotting on the move. Hit the far side of the ditch and it rolled us over.

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you on a rally? Where do I start???? Possibly 1984 Towers Leck. Finished the rally in 2 nd place. Winners (Roy Garner/Mike Evemy) where excluded for “bringing motorsport into disrepute” after executing a handbrake turn in front of a policeman. Roy thought as it was his mate in the Panda car – wrong!!!!!!!

What’s you favourite event? Berwick Classic – farmyards over there are huge.

What’s you favourite stage or section? Jackson Ground/“Scissors” and Woodland. 1977 RL Brown, 2 nd fastest to Tony Jackson, beating all Muttering News lads and Terry Benson on Jackson Ground.

Which event would you like to do but never had the chance? Possibly Rally of the Tests or LeJog. Enjoyed doing the 2005 Lombard Revival. Funnily, not interested in stage rallies.

What would you improve in modern day rallying? Alter the rules in road rallying to allow only a Ford engine in a Ford car etc (i.e. not allow a Vauxhall XE Red Top or Honda S2000 in an Escort). Also drop the noise level a couple of DB’s.

Name? ALEX WILLAN.

Age? 32.

Home Town? KIRKBY LONSDALE.

What are your earliest memories of motorsport? I HAVE MANY, BUT THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WAS WATCHING 1985 RAC RALLY IN GRIZEDALE FOREST, OR THE BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP ON GRANDSTAND ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

How did you get involved in Motorsport? JOINED KLMC AT 18.

How long have you been competing? 14 YEARS. (!)

Are you a Driver, Navigator or Both? DRIVER. TRIED A BIT OF NAVVYING BEFORE I WAS 17, I'VE NEVER GONE BACK !

What was your first event? DID A FEW AUTOTESTS AND QUARRY BASHES AND A 12-CARS. 1ST NIGHT RALLY WAS THE 1996 GORDON MUSGROVE (NOW THE MEMORIAL) RALLY. I HAD SOME YOUNG GUN CALLED STEVE HEAD NAVIGATING, I TAUGHT HIM ALL HE KNOWS.....

How many events have you done? MORE THAN I CAN REMEMBER.

What’s your Best Result? 1ST O/A ILLUMINATIONS 2008. 3RD O/A ON THE 2006 RYEMOOR ALSO STANDS OUT DUE TO THE SIZE AND QUALITY OF THE ENTRY.

What’s worst Result? ANY RETIREMENT.

Do you have any Sponsors? www.kirkbylonsdalecars.co.uk

What is your biggest off if any? ONCE DID 2X 360'S ON A DUAL CARRIAGEWAY AND WENT BACKWARDS DOWN AN EMBANKMENT COLLECTING A ROAD SIGN ON THE WAY. I WASN'T EVEN ON A RALLY !

ON THE MORECAMBE RALLY IN 2006 I WAS STILL SUFFERING FROM THE 'NIGHT BEFORE'. WE GAVE THE GATEPOST A BIT OF A CLOUT IN CURWEN HALL FARM THEN HAD A LOOK AROUND A FIELD SOMEWHERE BEFORE PETROL. I THINK THE ONLY STRAIGHT PANEL LEFT ON THE CAR WAS THE ROOF.

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you on a rally? NEARLY GETTING STUCK IN SNOW ON THE WAY TO THE VK RALLY IN DERBYSHIRE 2006. THEN WE LOST THE SPOTLAMP LENSES AFTER A HEAVY LANDING IN A FARM YARD. THE MARSHALS WERE KINDLY CLEANING WINDSCREENS AT THE NEXT TIME CONTROL SO I ASKED THEM IF THEY'D CLEAN THE SPOTS TOO, THAT'S WHEN WE REALISED THEY WEREN'T THERE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS FUNNIER, THE MARSHAL SPONGING THIN AIR OR THE REALISATION THAT THE 'JANGLING CRUNCH' WAS ACTUALLY MY OWN LAMPS THAT I'D RUN OVER !

What’s you favorite event? THE VK OR RYEMOOR RALLIES FOR THE ORGANISATION AND COMPETITION; THE MORECAMBE RALLY FOR THE ROUTE AND IT'S ONLY 10 MINS TRAVELLING.

What’s you favorite stage or section? THE 'WRAY WHITE SECTION ' ON THE MORECAMBE RALLY IS AN ABSOLUTE BLAST.

Which event would you like to do but never had the chance? I DID THE 1998 JIM CLARK RALLY, I'D LOVE TO HAVE ANOTHER GO, OR INDEED ON ANY STAGE RALLY. ANY-ONE WANT TO LEND ME A CAR ?

What would you improve in modern day rallying? AT THE TOP LEVEL THE CARS JUST AREN'T EXCITING ENOUGH TO WATCH. SURELY LESS TECHNOLOGY WOULD COST LESS AND POTENTIALLY MAKE THE CARS MORE EXCITING. LOWER DOWN THE SCALE IT'S JUST SO EXPENSIVE TO GET INTO STAGE RALLYING, PARTICULARLY IF YOU WANT TO BE COMPETITIVE.

Name? Dan Willan

Age? 26

Home Town? Kirkby Lonsdale

What are your earliest memories of motorsport? Grizedale Forest, RAC Rally
1988? Or 1989. Either way Lancia were winning. Then watching my dad compete
on the 1990 Illuminations in his lurid green LAD Sunbeam Imp.

How did you get involved in Motorsport? The initial interest for my older
brother and I came from our dad. Once Alex could drive we would go out
watching and marshalling, then when he did a few events I'd help out/get in
the way. A lot of our friends were into rallying too, so that's what we did
with our weekends.

How long have you been competing? 4 years

Are you a Driver, Navigator or Both? Driver! Although I did dabble with
navigating on one or two 12 Cars before I was old enough to drive.

What was your first event? Navigating for Steve Head in a mk1 Fiesta van on
a Spadeadam 12 Car, which we won! First event as a Driver was the Harry &
Ivy in 2003, which led to my first National B start on the Shaw Trophy in
2004.

How many events have you done? Approx 30 National B's, plus maybe 20-30 12
Cars

What's your Best Result? 2nd Overall on the 2006 GPMC Memorial & Shaw Trophy
rallies

What's worst Result? Retirements! Especially when you've been leading.....!

Do you have any Sponsors? Nope, just myself and my understanding wife

What is your biggest off if any? Probably the 2007 VK Derbyshire. It wasn't
really an off, but could have been very nasty. Braking heavily after a long
downhill straight a bolt sheared off from the nearside wishbone, causing the
front wheel to jam up into the wheelarch. The car veered into a grass bank
on my side then nosedived off the verge as the road beared round to the
right. We managed to get stopped on the corner, the car wasn't too badly
damaged, just needed a new wishbone and the driveshaft popping back in.

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you on a rally? One unusual
event was taking a monumental wrongslot and finding a competing car stuck in
a ditch after trying to turn round. If we hadn't wrongslotted and found him
he would might been there for hours!

What's your favorite event? Too many, but I have fond memories of the
Memorial and the Shaw. The Whites in Derbyshire are mega too.

What's your favorite stage or section? I seem to go well over Tan Hill,
despite not knowing it. Haylots is good, likewise Bretherdale. Basically
anything with a good mix of tight and twisty separated by quick flat out
blasts.

Which event would you like to do but never had the chance? The Carpetbagger

What would you improve in modern day rallying? Fewer events! Rallies are
struggling for entries, so why not run fewer events to get better entries?

If you would like to fill in the below questions and send it to me i will include it on the page you can include a few photos as well.i will change it every month or so.
Send to: paulwhitelock@heaves.freeserve.co.uk

Name?

Age?

Home Town?

What are your earliest memories of motorsport?

How did you get involved in Motorsport?

How long have you been competing?

Are you a Driver, Navigator or Both?

What was your first event?

How many events have you done?

What’s your Best Result?

What’s worst Result?

Do you have any Sponsors?

What is your biggest off if any?

What is the strangest thing that has happened to you on a rally?

What’s you favorite event?

What’s you favorite stage or section?

Which event would you like to do but never had the chance?

What would you improve in modern day rallying?