 Well
it all started Thursday night, we had check all the pace notes
and the route book. We then decided to carry the car for a final
test up the road, on returning to the work shop Cliff miss changed
the 2nd gear and we herd this "BANG" after it was
eventually selected and the clutch released. After hearing this
we shut the car off and pushed it in to the workshop. Then we
checked every thing with the engine etc not to find anything
wrong (compression still good etc) we then narrowed it down
to the gear box, when we disassembled the box we found that
the selector fork for the 1st and 2nd gear was moving freely.
Inspecting it carefully we notice that the pin which holds it
to the shaft had snapped. With the blink of an eye it was fixed
and ready to go.
 Friday
afternoon we packed the service van etc and did out final spanner
check and tuning. Saturday morning we got to Simpson Motors
about 8.40am. Finally it came the time we have all been waiting
for. After SS1 had been cancelled we then moved on SS2 where
in ever stage after that up until lunch we where catching Wim
Wermink (Opel Ascona). After calling Rally control a couple
times they pointed us in the right direction and reseeded us
in front of him from the start for of route two. At the end
of SS12 our voltage was reading very low because of a bad alternator.
After changing this we have no more trouble through out the
rally mechanically wise. On a couple of stages me made bad tyre
choices and because of that we were a few seconds off the pace.
To tell you about the many scares we had through out the rally
would take all day on the keyboard so ill just highlight one.
With about three minutes till the start of SS30 Malvern we
receive a phone call from my weather source in the stage saying
the rain was falling in Malvern corners, at this time we had
no choice but to drive the stage on the slicks. From the start
the road was bone dry, we thought that with the heat of the
road it dried
up quickly and when we approached Malvern wall it was wet.
With the car in full over steer from the right 90 we hit the
wet and headed for the wall (right). At this point I thought
it was all over, and by some miracle the car only slipped
of the edge of the road near the apex of the left 90 and with
a quick blip of the throttle we got back on the road with
only grass, mud and leaves in my lap. At the end of it all
we came 2nd in group and 7th over all just 20 odd seconds
or so behind B.Mayers/A.Heart
I just want to say congratulations to all the other competitors
and special congrats to B.Mayers/A.Heart and J.Parkinson/C.Parkinson
for making the group so competitive and making it a starlet
1,2,3 in Modified Open.
Thanks to all the marshals, stage commanders, rally timing
and all other involved for a job well done.
Thanks to our sponsors (Roett's Garage, Nassco, Michelin,
Lucky Horse Shoe) For your continued support.
Rhett Watson (Co-Driver for Cliff Roett)
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BRC
Rally Barbados 2003, 