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Coffs Coast blog: Day 1

15/11/2008

He's back!!....I'm back!!...We're back!!!

Hello from Australia...where it's warm, wet, hot, wet....warm. Everything!!!!

Pugh's back in the co-driver's seat for this one after several months out with a bad back...and it's good to have him back!!!...It felt right straight away and it's getting better and better.

The Honda R3 has been very good in the tricky conditions and we managed to set two fastest times and hold second place overall so it has been a very good day for us.

This morning it dried out fast and the heat inside the car was intense. Something like 32 degrees ambient // 70% humidity so it was hard work!!

On the last two stages we caught the edge of a thunderstorm and roads were very, very slippy so we lost a bit of time to the 4WD cars. But apart from that we're happy.

The other drivers were very welcoming at the start...but they are not saying much now. I said to Pugh, what have we done to upset them....

Day two is the same stages in the same direction...same format.

There could be showers but hopefully if it doesn't get too wet we stand a chance of staying on the podium.

Stay tuned...!!

Guy

Going underground

06/11/2008

We're going underground, underground.....

Packing bags once again and this time will be the last overseas visit of the year.

Australia with the J.A.S. Motorsport team and Honda and............Pugh!!!! He's back!

It's been along time since I competed in the Honda Civic, Rally Finland to be exact, and I'm obviously looking forward to getting back behind the wheel.

Pugh, however, is a different story. Some people thought we'd had a lovers tiff, some that he'd had enough and some that he'd gone looking for his idol.....Elvis!!

The reality was he was injured. A bad back was already showing its cards by the time we had an early bath on the Jim Clark...but worse was to follow.

David Moynihan was drafted in at short notice and did a great job while Phil was sidelined and, for that, I thank him. I know he has a different outlook and has enjoyed his time alongside. His time will come.

Anyway, Pugh has been on the road to recovery for some time now and, although he could have perhaps been back already, we wanted to make 100% sure.

So now is the time. Phil and I have been together since the start of '03. Talk about lows and highs!

Australia is going to be a real tester for all of us let alone Phil. But the team has made big improvements with the car since our first event together, which was also in the land of the hopping roo!

Quite fitting that we are going to finish our Honda year back where we started, although we will be doing our upmost to get a different result.

Guy

08/10/2008

Viva Espanya a!a! a, a, a, a!! Rallye Catalunya and a trip was needed!

Wednesday evening is not the best time to book an easyJet flight to Spain, especially when you fly the next day but this was important!

Boarding the plane I heard the ominous phrases,... 'Oi ... Wilksy!'....... laughing followed....... my head turned slowly to the ever-growing eagerness of all the passengers to see who 'Wilksy' was!

'Wheeey, how's it going? Wonder why you're coming out here?!' It was Ian and 'The Boys' from North Tyneside Motor Club.

'Banter' then followed. ...... so that was my lift to service sorted (with a slight detour)!

Anyway, back to business.

I was there to see some people and firm up my options for next year. Lots of rumours are flying around at the moment as to what I'll be doing next year but I can tell you now that nothing is signed, sealed or done.............. although we are getting close!

A massive thank you to everyone who has pledged their support to the Wilks 500 Club so far.

Please keep backing Phil and I in any way you can. We’ll do you proud.

Guy

29/09/2008

It has been a difficult time these last few weeks...

After a bereavement in close family two weeks ago I learned of the passing away of a certain Mr Rob Arthur. Sad news indeed.

Rob was instrumental in the early days of my career and, although we did grow apart when I moved from Ford to Suzuki, we still remained in touch.

His knowledge of the sport was unbounded and to anybody who had the pleasure of meeting him, he definitely left his mark!

...YORKSHIRE

Busy week. Testing in Hamsterley Forest on Tuesday was local to me and proved extremely valuable.

A good day for both Gwyndaf and myself and the event was looking good!

Saturday.... what can I say..... everybody was there! I even had two co-drivers!!!

Pughy had made the journey up and was great support and even offered to do split times.... but then he said we didn't need them after we were 10 up on everybody after the first stage!!

The day just went better and better and David, myself and the Mitsubishi team won every stage.

Then...... ..... post-event scrutiny and we were protested by the Atlas Teg Sport team on a bolt that holds the steering wheel to the steering column..... after the gearbox and turbo had been stripped and found to be correct.

I hear some wry chuckles and, yes, as the scrutineers and stewards didn't have the expertise to make a concluding decision, we were excluded on the grounds that we would appeal the decision.

Not a performance enhancing part, just extra safety. But guidelines and rules should be adhered to, which we believe have been, so hopefully justice will be done and we will be reinstated.

Guy

03/09/2008

Ulster. The job was on!

Three stages down and the best part of a 10-second lead. The next three stages going into the dark on the Ulster Rally were asking for a whipping!!

Stage 4 start and the plan was clear between David and I. We wanted to turn 10 seconds into 30!....lead!

The hammer was down, pouring coals on the fire, letting rip!

We were giving it our all!....The split time was showing it was paying off too, with three miles to go we had a 10-second advantage over Mark in the stage...........then came the noise!!

Whirring from the rear and it was getting worse by the metre. With 1km to go it cried enough and there was one hell of a noise!!

I backed off immediately and dipped the clutch, not knowing how and if we'd get out of this one!!!

We just cleared the stage and dropped 1.9 to fastest. With two more stages to go I made the decision to dirve on it, I tell you that all that power through the front, there was no lack of concerntration!

The boys fixed it and the lead had been turned into a 38-second deficit for the start of Saturday.

Stage 7 and we were out of bed fast - taking 7.9 out of Mark in a stage that had been reduced by half in length to just over 4 miles. GAME ON!!!

Stage 8 and the plan was the same. We were pushing hard then..... flat left in over crest 70 braking turn tight left 6-.

The first note was brave and we used all of the road ....and a little grass. It was a split-second decision, the only way out was to accelerate but as I chose my escape, spectators were too close. I had to get on the brakes!! ..... A spin ensued and a wheel was shattered on the rear.

Not deterred, I knew I was getting that car out of there! The guys once again got most of it fixed but in 20 minutes it was asking a lot!

The roll bar in the rear wasn't held correctly and try as we might I could take no time with the car handling in this way.

Settling for 2nd I never enjoy, especially when we've led every tarmac rally this year.

But 2nd is better than 3rd............................... Do you think I'm settling for 2nd on the next round......

Norway.
This weekend see's my debut in the Norweigen Rally Championship............ in a Subaru!

I've been invited by the Subaru importer and John Haugland to set up the all-new Impreza cup car and do a rally in it also. Good times!

Flight today, test thursday, recce friday, rally saturday!!!.......... Home Sunday!

I'll give you more Later!

Guy

Flat out or get out

22/08/2008

Waaaaaaaahhh! 500 Club in between filming for the new gadget show series, go-karting with Mitsubishi at Buckmore Park and now Ulster... it's flat out or get out and second is no option!!!

Guy Wilks is coming via a TV to you very soon....... on a squashed frog!!... not the drink but my nickname for the go ped quad kart.

Awesome fun racing 15 other gadgets around a go-kart track. Let's just say it was a little manic!! Wheels and bodies everywhere ...the less said the better but watch out for it on channel Five!!

Three-hour endurance karting..... are you for real??! Ulster pre-event testing was a little different this year! An Evo X sales... BLAG!

Twelve teams and myself, Paul Brigdan and Simon Slade won... by 3 laps!! Great fun!!

...just finshed recce day for Ulster, so bed and 07.00 alarm for shakedown and 15.00 start! ha!

Later,

Guy

14/08/2008

Finland was mental!

As you can see from day one the pressure was on for a result and that's what we gained.... a fantastic one!!

Myself, David and the team were on cloud nine and I think some of them still are!

I have been working hard on the Wilks 500 club over the last week . . . although I did have one run out in a rally car.... a special one as well!

I've been giving Dave Weston jnr a bit of tuition and his dad asked me after he'd been sidelined with neck injury to drive his 05 focus on the Speyside.

One of the cars I used last year in fact. I received the call at 13.30 Friday for a 09.00 start........ in Elgin, 5 hours drive north!!

Anyway all was sorted so up we ventured! Co driving was Dave Robson, Weston snr's usual partner (in car)..... (in rally car)...

All was going well until a stall in the first forest stage and 15 seconds were lost when I inadvertently knocked the ignition off going for the starter!

A few set-up changes later and starting to get into organisers notes again the rhythm was good although commitment not the usual level.

I think you can appreciate the last thing I wanted to do was bend it when Dave had been so generous to get the car out for spectators, organisers and, of course, me!

Meticulous preparation from Mr Robson and a calm voice ensured that we were able to take 13 seconds in 4.9 miles in SS5. We were looking forward to the rest of the afternoon.

Unfortunately SS6 and only a mile in the engine failed, a disappointing end for all. But thanks Dave snr, thanks Mr Robson and thanks to the guys at Ramsport.

Busy schedule from now until Ulster but I can't wait!

Guy

Finland diary: Day 1

01/08/2008

A long day and not the easiest...nevertheless, it is very pleasing that we are leading two-wheel-drive, which includes all the JWRC boys...it's really cheesing them off with us being in an R3 car!

A few small problems but nothing major. One bent wheel. Rough stages on the second pass not so nice on the car. Slowed on stage seven by another car going off. But apart from that it's been a good day.

We wanted to stamp some authority on the last 22km stage - and we did it in style.

Dave and the team are doing a great job...we are all set for a big day tomorrow!

Guy

24/07/2008

What a week on the island! Not quite the result wanted or needed, but a least we came home with 2nd place points.

It was a sunny start and the slicks were on for the Thursday evening start, all was going well fastest on all the first three stages and looking forward to the long run through Cringle and over the top of the mines when........... you guessed it, RAIN!!!

Not a problem everybody is on a slick so I said to David lets just take it as it comes. All was going well until 3miles in to the stage slowing from 110mph in 5th to 50mph in 3rd became a small drama..... the back of the car stepped out on some shiny tar and I had to dive to the inside of the road for grip when there was a 'bang!' Puncture and 8 miles to go.

Luckily, it was so wet nobody could push so hard but after a spin we'd lost over 20 seconds to Mark in the stage.

Day two didn't start on the best footing, wrong tyres for the first loop followed by a small mistake by myself resulting in a broken wheel needing to be replaced in the stage.

We were now not fighting for a win but the best points we could get........ The fightback was on!!!!!!!

We were fastest on five out of the eight remaining stages even though the car was not running exactly straight for four of the eight! (My fault though.) We were now back to third BRC!

Day three was all about getting ahead of David, he was 20.9 seconds ahead. Through the first stage of the day 11 miles long we managed to overhaul David and take an advantage of 3.3 seconds.

We managed to extend that all the way to the end of the rally to 1.33.7.

This was not the ideal result, but it never is when your aim is to win. We'll take the points and move on to the Ulster knowing we had the pace to win!

Guy

Thank you, Steve Perez

15/07/2008

Following our early exit from Rally Russia it was a race against time to catch numerous flights to get to the Goodwood Festival of Speed Ball.

It was almost totally thwarted by a distinct lack of hire cars at Heathrow but could I get us there before pumpkin status was begrudgingly achieved for my bell (Joke)!!!!

11.45 and we were arriving..... as some people were leaving!!!

It was important to get to Goodwood as it was the perfect place to formally launch the Wilks 500 Club.

The Ball was short but sweet with an hour and a half of good chat with some on a different level to my half a glass of white. Lord March always puts on the party of the year!!

Sunday and the alarm was pounding away, sleep has been short over the last week in Russia with near midnight sun, but up and at 'em as a busy day was ahead of us. The team met for breakfast and briefing.
The day went spankingly good. Fastest non-WRC car on the stage and a go in Steve Perez’s Audi S1 (Thanks once again Steve!).

But the main objective for the day was surpassed with emphatic style............. Not only did we manage to get the launch of the club televised live all over Goodwood but we actually managed to get our first investor!!....... Mr Steve Perez!!

All were overjoyed and the response was fantastic to the launch so the hard days are coming, not done.

I would like to thank all involved in the fantastic launch at Goodwood and especially two people.... ‘Stand up Rob Gill and take a bow son!’ (Said in Scottish style’e!) Your support and massive help is immense!!

The other is Mr Steve Perez - thanks for getting the ball rolling!!!!

Please join the Wilks 500 Club and back me. In a Subaru. In the WRC.

Guy

Sat nav . . . in Russian

14/07/2008

From Russia with love! But not so much...

A late arrival into St Petersbourg on a Sunday evening wasn’t too bad an idea, less of a queue at passport control, miss the traffic on my way to Vyborg, no queue at the hire car desk......... All was going well until I realised sat nav would be a good investment at the hire car desk!

My new Russian friend had never used the sat nav, I didn’t speak Russian which the sat nav was coincidentally set in!

So 50 minutes later and at midnight I was now northward bound through St Petersbourg - enough to keep any European on his toes!!!

Monday morning and...... well afternoon (I did have a lie in), and David Moynihan (replacing Phil here as Phil has pulled his....., is injured) shouldn’t be far away.

The border to Finland is only 40k away but David would be sitting there three hours before admittance to Russia!

It was soon apparent from the recce that this rally was not going to be easy but with plenty of competition our heads were down from the off.

Day one couldn’t have been better. All according to plan through the first four stages to pull a 22-second lead on Kris Meeke and Simon Jean-Joseph.

And to top it all off a ceremonial start in St Petersbourg........ after we’d already started, work that one out!!

Day two started as we’d left off and our lead was growing with each stage. David was doing a good job and was starting to relax. Just when we were well into our stride a shaft broke at the end of the 3rd stage and we still had one more to do before service.

One wheel drive for 29k is no fun but we were still moving until 5k from the finish. Total electrical failure (caused by a broken radiator fan cowling, very freak, but probably caused by rough roads)....... our run was coming to a standstill!

It took more than 5 minutes to find the problem so super rally rules would be used. Day three was short, a shaft problem put pay to any result but the positives must be taken.

Honda was leading a gravel rally within their category by a healthy margin against stern opposition, the performance is there we only have this one problem of drive shafts dogging us now.... the team are on to it!!!

Guy

Go! Go! Goodwood! Go!

23/06/2008

The Guy Wilks program is all go!! July and August are a packed house in the diary!

Saturday 21st June and it's holiday time in France (with a Honda test in the middle of it), back from there on Tuesday 2nd July Mitsubishi test in Wales on 3rd Mobil 1 British F1 Grand Prix Garden Party on 5th off to Russia on the 6th for the IRC round in the Honda back from there on the 12th land in Heathrow and straight to Goodwood for the Saturday evening ball...... huuuuuhh... still with me... good! Then back home on the Sunday evening to the Isle of Man on the Tuesday in the Mitsubishi finish Manx on Saturday Sunday back home........ home for five days then off to Finland......!!!!

Great places, Fantastic people....good results = HAPPY TIMES!!!!

Must dash.

Guy

19/06/2008

Back to it testing in Italy with J.A.S. and the Honda R3. A two-day gravel test in the north of Italy close to Turin.

The weather was warm and mixed making it very humid outside and very challenging inside the car! We were there to do some endurance work on some parts and also gain some more generic gravel set-up information and this we duly did.

The road was a good mix of rough, smooth and also twisty and tight...one might say it had everything, including a jump!! Check out the gallery for some photos very soon.

Phil wasn't present but I was flying the flag...the Union one! We had a really good hard test and the car stood up very well, if you remember from Australia we had a driveshaft failure, but the team have now solved that problem as we covered over 120km with no problems along with working on different aspects of the car.

.....I had a call yesterday from the engineer asking if I was able to test again next week in Italy, 'Yes'... then I thought, I'm supposed to be on holiday with my girlfriend in France then,....'Yes, no problem' I reply. Sarah will understand taking two days out of our holiday.... no really she is great! (Sarah doesn't know that I know she wants to sit in!!).

Anyway, the answer is Yes so I'm back off to Italy for two days testing.

On call 24/7...

Guy

10/06/2008

The RallyShow at Chatsworth...cars, noise, smell and faces - lots of them. Champions past and present talked and mingled with the crowd.

I sometimes have to be reminded as to what we achieved last year, winning the British title in an epic battle after our two dropped scores, but that was 2007. It is now 2008.

It's nice to reflect on the past though and see the likes of Jimmy McRae, David Llewellin (not often seen these days!), Gwyndaf (nobody needs his second name), and many other great names and possibly my all-time favourite Ari Vatanen......LEGEND!!

I must congratulate Malcolm Neill on organising a fantastic event along with his team. I hope to be back again next year with my name next to 2008 on the big trophy!! Nice to see and meet so many people there, I promise to have a pen in my pocket next time!!!

Guy

04/06/2008

Cooling down . . . not from a frayed temper, but as you know my Mitsubishi wasn't only red because of the paint on the Jim Clark.

All was going to plan. Three stages down and 6.5 seconds in the lead, it was 'under control'. We were not in full stride as the surface was difficult and it was important not to make an early mistake.

Stage 1 'Abbey St Bathans', an absolute classic of British rallying and our favourite stage in the UK. It has everything and lengthened for the 2008 challenge!

Off the line and if we needed any reminder that this stage is quick we only used third gear once and fourth three times in three miles!! The stage has everything and like I said push hard yes, risk no.

Even so the 16-mile stage was covered in 12.45 minutes, an average of over 75 mph.... AVERAGE!!!!!! On mainly single track roads this is an adrenalin rush of great proportions! 4.5 seconds lead over Mark was nice as it is never easy to take big time on this rally.

Stage 2 and the surface was proving difficult, slight dust worked into a very dry surface was causing understeer that was just too much to push hard and hold the car on an exact line, so we decided to back it off and get to service losing a second to fastest. This was after all the stage that bit us last year in the rain!

Changes made and on stage three normal service was resumed. Fastest by 3.5 or so. We were now starting to get into our stride.

Or so we thought.

Stage four and literally off the line something was wrong. Noise but no ill-handling. We had definite cause for concern. Conversation was flowing between the notes and then at the first braking area 'banging', I knew it was bad but still couldn't fathom the problem.

Ignore it as we may three miles later the bang and noise couldn't be!! I told Pughie to watch the fuel gage this time I knew what it was, PROP SHAFT FAILURE!

We noticed straight away the fuel was disappearing faster than it should. The tank had been split by the flailing prop and we were now also loosing drive!! Aarrrgggghh!!!!!!!!!! I battled to try and get to the finish of the stage and possible safety only 700 metres away.

It wasn't happening. A steep up hill and we came to a halt, no drive and Pughie leapt out to be greeted by flames, 'FIRE, FIRE GET OUT!'

Better had I thought as I too was shaking hands with licking red and orange flames as I opened the door!
David was next along and try as we might we were fighting a losing battle as the fire grew. It was time to admit defeat - something I never do, but this time sense had to prevail.

Gutting watching a car burn like that............. as they say the rest is history. Twenty points lost, but the main thing as always we are here safe and ready to get back and fight!

Guy

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