Ibiza Cupra Sport rally project....CODENAME PROJECT: CHAV

Discussion in 'Members Gallery' started by Cupra_Rally, Oct 26, 2014.

  1. Cupra_Rally Forum Member

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    New to the forum and figured I'd share my road rally project with you and fingers crossed get some help and advice along the way.

    After selling my much loved Lhasa green MK1 GTI, I had a VAG itch that needed scratching. I'd always wanted an ABF engined car and being a life long rally fan I'd always fancied an Ibiza in Kiwi green. As luck had it, on a different forum for classic mini's I was offered the car you see here and the project was born.

    The car was used for sprints and hillclimbs, so when I got the car, it already had the cage, seats and a few bits and bobs that would save me a few quid down the line, but several areas needed sorting, and in all honesty still do.

    I bought the car to take the place of my other rally car (oldschool mini) on rougher events as the Ibiza offers so much more power and strength....and is ultimately less valuable if all goes upside down and I run out of talent!!! I've done a few rallies, but still fairly new to the sport and always learning and developing the car event by event. Please don't confuse this style of rallying with the big budget stage rallies you all probably know and love. I simply can't afford to do such events (would love to though) so seeing as road rallying is very much alive and kicking - that is my chosen form of motorsport to empty my bank account! Its the sort of rallying that happens in the middle of the night in lanes in the middle of nowhere and has a rich and long history in the UK. If any of you fancy yourselves as the next Ogier then this form of rallying really does offer a clubman level of entry....get an MSA licence, join a motorclub and away you go.....no need for cages and bucket seats - but most crews have them fitted for safety reasons.

    I will go into details later on in the thread with all the work i've done, and any future work I will undertake, but for now I'll just put a few photo's up to get the ball rolling.


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    Last edited: Jun 8, 2017
    RobT and jamesa like this.
  2. jamesa Forum Junkie

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    Welcome ... great to see some grass roots competition here :thumbup:

    Look forward to your progress
     
  3. Cupra_Rally Forum Member

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    No 'progress' info or photo's as we've been busy competing. I have done a fair bit of work on the car and have photographed all the boring little details, but they will have to wait for the time being and you'll just have to make do with some action shots from our last 2 events.

    First up (might as well do in chronological order) is Y Rali Gogledd Cymru back at the beginning of November. We were doing really well and faster than our main rivals who kept asking how much time we were dropping on sections - our numbers were smaller than their numbers (i.e. FASTER!!!) so we were heading for a really good result. But after a rough section where my nav got bounced around a bit and lost where we where on the map we missed a little road on the right (or 'slot right' in rally terms) so missed a code board. This cost us 5 minutes in penalties and dropped us way back....Gutted!!! Anyway, we ended up 5th in class and 14th Overall so not too bad, but we would have been 1st in class and well into the top 10....but all what if's and but's!!! We did win best mixed crew so didn't go away empty handed and won a very nice award to add to the collection.

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    Last photo shows the first outing for my new ebay bargain wheels. Compomotive MO5's shod with brand new Silverstone s505 rally rubber - very grippy on the loose stuff.
     
  4. Cupra_Rally Forum Member

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    Next up was last weekends rally 'oop north'.

    GPMC's Preston Regardless rally. A monster at 190 miles round the finest lanes Lancashire, Cumbria and Yorkshire have to offer. Superb event which started at a Go Kart track in Preston called TRAX. We set 4th fastest time there which set us up for a good nights sport. Again, all was going really well with us cleaning sections left right and centre (which means the organisers set atheoretical time for you to do a section and we did it faster so had to wait for our time) so all was happy in the little green car. We'd dropped about 2 min 30 up until this point and it was late on in the event (probably about 4.30 am) and a slight clerical error from the navigation seat saw us check in a minute early at a time control which means we incurred a 2 minute penalty....again.....GUTTED!!!

    We cleaned the last of the sections and had a dip in Kit Brow Ford (see pics) which saw me get very wet one year as i had to push my other rally car out of it!!! Anyway. enjoy the pic's...

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    Cheers, and hope you enjoy the photos.

    We ended up 3rd in class and again 14th overall. We 'should' have finished 1st in class and 5th Overall had it not been for the clerical error....Oh well, next time!!!!!!!
     
    1990 likes this.
  5. notenoughtime

    notenoughtime Moderator Moderator

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    Great stuff! I Would love to get back into rallies again! Maybe I should keep that spare shell I have!
     
  6. 1990

    1990 Paid Member Paid Member

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    The water picture is great!!!!

    Is the car modified to handle deep water like that or do you just go through fast as you can?
     
  7. Cupra_Rally Forum Member

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    The engine is standard apart from airfilter (which came with the car) and VR6 clutch (fitted by me).....so no 'deep water' mods. To be honest I went through the water a bit too quick and a fair load of water went up under the bonnet which did cause a slight misfire for a second or two. Best bet to handle water like that is to go smoothly through with high revs and slip the clutch.

    Or as i did 2 years ago in my 1971 mini - don't give enough revs, water up the exhaust and stall right in the middle!!! I couldn't start the car so had to climb out of the window and push the car out knee deep in water!!!! The car was full of water but managed to push start it with the aid of spectators. When we came to the next bend all the water sloshed to one side of the car....felt really weird!! We still managed to finish the rally though!!!
     
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  8. Cupra_Rally Forum Member

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    Cheers.....why not give it a bash. A few of the top lads use mk2 golfs and win hands down. Great fun and seems to be growning in popularity even if the police don't really like it. But we stick to rules set by the MSA and it is all above board (I think some folk on here see it as a bunch of boy racers treating the open road like a race track - there is so much more to road rallying than that and is more about the navigation) Plus the cars are less slammed on splitrims and more on stilts with Bilsteins and Compomotives - so probably not to all tastes!!!
     
  9. tinto

    tinto Forum Member

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    Looks like great fun - that water crossing is deeeeep! I bet it took out a car or two.
    That's quite a bow wave you've got going there - bit of a give away that you came in a bit hot! :)

    No helmets? That's a bit of a surprise given all the other gear that's in there fixed back seats, cage etc).
     
  10. Cupra_Rally Forum Member

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    Helmets are not allowed as these events are held on the open road.

    Cage, seats, harnesses are not manditory but most cars have them fitted. I realise there is an issue about hitting heads on cages, but mine is well padded where it matters and belts are tight so very little movement anyway. I find having bucket seats allows you to feel what the car is doing much better as you are connected to the car properly and not insulated from any movement (if that makes sense?)

    That ford always takes a few cars out as it is deep and rough......good fun though
     
  11. jamesa Forum Junkie

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    :thumbup: Progress enough, thank you for taking the time to update us.

    So true !
     
  12. Jon Olds Forum Junkie

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    Great fun. Have done the Hexham historic in an old cooper s. Things you need;
    Good brakes
    Basic sumpguard
    Ground clearance
    Good navigator light
    Superb reversing light(s)
    And a good nights sleep the evening before
    Oh, and you have to get on very well with your navigator...............
    Jon
     
  13. Cupra_Rally Forum Member

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    Thought of another thing you need Jon.....an AA card!!!! We drive to rallies, so if we break down (and we have once) you need some way of getting home. To be honest the AA dude was very understanding and bought our story that we were only there spectating and on our way home....car covered in mud and on full forestry tyres!!!!

    Here is my other toy which might interest you.....

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  14. Jon Olds Forum Junkie

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    If I knew how to post I would put up a pic of me in my mini!
    Jon
    (sorry to vw mafia!)
     
  15. Cupra_Rally Forum Member

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    Ha ha.....the way i look at it, if you shut your eyes slightly, the front of my mini looks ever so slightly like a mk1 golf...just smaller
     
  16. notenoughtime

    notenoughtime Moderator Moderator

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    Is it a 1275gt then?

    Just seen above post!!!
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2014
  17. Cupra_Rally Forum Member

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    Not a proper one no. It's got a 1380cc engine in it though with twin carbs and a big valve head which spends more time off the car than on it!! Goes alright and has just had an engine rebuild by my fair hands with a fully rebuilt gearbox and a new diff. Hopefully getting a full bare metal body resto over the next few years if i get time and returning back to it's original colour.
     
  18. notenoughtime

    notenoughtime Moderator Moderator

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    I had a 1978 mini I recently sold had a 1330cc, lovely ported head, 12-1 compression, flat planed crank, split 45 webers (I still have them!) sc/cr box, sc drops, aluminium flywheel with paddle plate, etc,etc did go well!
     
  19. Jon Olds Forum Junkie

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    649 cam, lovely!
    Jon
     
  20. notenoughtime

    notenoughtime Moderator Moderator

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