Chip

iTrader: (3)

Given that the RS Turbo lads arent able to muster a complete team and probably never will be, and the cosworths seem to be in the same boat, do people think its time that the TOTB team managers for all the different sections is a bit pointless?

Personally I would love to just see a combined ford team, as I think it would be competitive, not for 1st place probably, but certainly enough to do ok.

I reckon that Neil @ Fast Ford should be volunteered as manager, it makes sense being someone from one of the mag's as it means they can do like I do with the Vauxhall mag and use it to drum up support for the team and to publicise for entrants, and I reckon Neil is of the right mindset to pick a good team out.

What do other people reckon? Seems like a good way to see ford's back at the event.


A potential 10 man team could be something like:
Stevie with the granada
Lee with his cossie powered westy
Stu with his cossie powered westy
Luca with his fiesta
Martin with his escort
Andy G with his focus
Rod with his sierra
Nick Hedley with his mk1
Dave with his escort
The norris cossie powered sunbeam


Thats just off the top of my head as an example, those cars are all either ford or ford powered, so if it was a general ford team, I dont see why they couldnt compete together.


Thoughts?

Benni

Three of those cars are not actually a Ford. Does it matter?

Benni.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

No, it doesnt matter, they are ford powered, so I dont see why they cant feature in a ford team, I wouldnt think twice about including Neil's LET powered westy in the VauxSport team if he wanted to enter and posted a good time.

There is nothing in the rules saying the team name has to be an exact description of every car entered, I spoke to one of the organisers about it today and they seemed quite happy with the idea if it gets fords back to the event, like I said though, those were just 10 vaguely suitable cars, there are loads more, I forgot Lee Catermole in that list for example with his 3 door and he's a very competitive car, likewise gareth lloyd.
There is DEFINATELY the potential for a proper 10 car ford team out there.

XRT_si

iTrader: (2)

The FWD squad should hopefully be sorted by next year! It was only money that stopped me, Paul and another mate getting our cars ready for this one.

All of us should be on decent gearboxes and gas (except Paul) very soon.

Benni

I completely agree. There's that Orange Fiests JWRC Car too! That goes like stink!

Benni.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Heard that for the last 5 years, would be great if its actually true this time though

IF those cars are all ready though, it would still make sense for the quickest couple to go into a combined ford team that might do ok, and the other couple to run as invited entrants, rather than enter as a team that has no hope of doing well.

TBH though, just seeing more fords at the event would suit me, whatever the format, but I just think that a combined team that did well would enthuse people more.

zetaboostboy522bhp

anything to get more fords at this show , surprised not to see paul johnson ford focus zetec turbo there this year he used to be there all the time

XRT_si

iTrader: (2)

Totally agree, and I am well aware it's all been said before, but if our cars actually run ok then we're all for it! Paul, a mate named Alex and me should ALL be sorted by then. Alex is looking for 500 brake on gas, I am looking for a little less than that but lighter.

Don't think we're be touching Vauxhalls just yet but I am aiming for low 12s.

What were the quickest Vauxhall FWDs? Heard specky ran a 11.3 off gas?

Chip

iTrader: (3)

11.2 was specky's best time, next quickest this year was an 11.9 from chris sutton, we had a couple of the cars I would have liked to see in the team missing from the event but still cleared up in FWD, we got fastest quarter, fastest top speed, and all 4 of the final positions in the shootout.
We benefitted from breakdowns by Andy Nichols Rover and Errol with the CRX, if it wasnt for that we would have had less cars in the final, but ultimately it comes back to the old racing saying of "to finnish first, you must first finnish"
Would be good to have some competition from the ford lads, im sure an 11 in a fiesta cant be that hard!

Martin Hadland

To kick it off, I will attend next year. I will have the car ready one month before and then not use it to ensure it actually gets there.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

That's the sort of commitment that we need to see, nice one Martin

Lamb Souvla

Fighting talk, love it.

Mike

Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

I could have attended, but just cannot see the point to be honest. With all the big budget Skylines/Evo's etc, you just feel like you're in the way.

I'd rather put my time/money into an event where my car is appreciated, not one where its just there to make up numbers. Let's face it, no-one really wants to see a 20 year old Ford do a 12.5-13.0 second 1/4 mile pass at an event like that when there are dozens of cars there that will do sub-10 second.

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Well the FWD vauxhall cars are always very well received, Ollie Clark for example came up to Specky while I was stood next to him and was asking how he was getting on and saying a big well done when he heard he was doing 11.2 second runs.

So I think you are grossly underestimating the lads at the top's ability to appreciate the people managing to do well in the lower classes.

I dont see why people cant build a fiesta or an escort to compete with a tigra or a corsa, and the tigra's and corsas are certainly made very welcome both by the organisers and the other competitors, but also by the crowd many of who relate more to the FWD class than the mega money 4wd cars anyway.

crazycage

my car was ready to go but sadly my wife is not getting the hours at the min so i had to put it on the back burner ,would rather pay my mortgage and put food on the table at the min.
wouldn't have won it but that doesn't bother me i just like to give the car a good kicking when ever i can

Neil@FastFord

Just noticed this thread, been saying for a long time that some people should club together with the attitude of having fun, a bit of banter and abusing our cars (seeing as that's what they were built for).
Who knows, we may even suprise ourselves, instead of the defeatist attitude some people carry.

I would like a crack at it, i know full well i have no chance of winning, but i do know i would enjoy trying to get some new personal bests and hitting the handling course. I only really drove my Fiesta in anger for the first time this week, and was on baby boost of 9psi. Next year we really should all club together for this.

Marquee, BBQ, Smoking tyres = heaven!

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Thats the spirit Neil

I knew you would be up for it.


Might be worth seeing if you can run a qualifying session at Central day?


At the Performance Vauxhall show they actually give me exclusive use of the strip briefly to run all the TOTB tryout lads up the strip and chat to the crowd about the event etc, its become quite a popular part of the show now, maybe you could get together with the lads running central day and sort something similar out?
Or perhaps fast ford could run a day for qualifying?

Neil@FastFord

I'm game, people know where i am.

Never enough interest or genuine contenders when we have ran days before. A day at the pod sounds more like it though

Rob84

... a little tea pot short and stout?

Neil@FastFord

LOL

I knew someone who quote that...i expected it to say "i'm gay"

my fingers are working quicker than my brain, dunno what happened then

Cossie Helen

iTrader: (1)

I could try and twist Dave's arm for TOTB next year......

Chip

iTrader: (3)

I think he would score points in the top speed contest pretty much guarenteed, he might even manage it on the quarter too

So if Stevie is up for joining the team with his granada as well, then with martin and dave too, thats 3 cars that will be in the points, which is far more than most teams manage!

If we can get andyg into the event in the 4wd class rather than the demo class, then its starting to look like quite a good team already

Luca

iTrader: (2)

Im 100% IN

Mr C

iTrader: (2)

thats a good attitude, the Vauxhall boys have there, they didnt mind?

Christian and Beccy

iTrader: (14)

You forget, I did TOTB 1 and 2 and the reason I stopped is as I said above. I seems that the best of the best FWD Ford's does mid 12 second 1/4 and it's just not what 90% of the spectators want to see. Bollocks to them being able to relate to it, they just want eye-candy IMO, so paying close to Ł100 to enter (thats about what it is, right?), to feel like you're in the way just doesn't cut it IMO.

Out of interest, what was the fasted FWD top speed this year?

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Mr C, the vauxhall boys in the main have a great attitude, they build their cars to drive them not to polish them and they do whatever it takes to keep them going.

Chris S who won the fwd drag shootout yesterday popped a core plug halfway through the day, and despite being 0.7 seconds off the pace (at which point im sure C&B above would say there was no point entering the finals) he was still determined to get his car ready for the finals, so he chemical metal'd it back in place with a washer helping to hold it in, and proceeded to win his semi and then the final!

Bit more of that sort of fighting spirit from the ford lads rather than the usual business of waving the white flag before they even start would be great!

Luca

iTrader: (2)

Chip you cant polish a turd!, however you can by golly make one fast thats for sure!

Vauxhall boys sure do have the getup and go spirit so well done for yesterdays win!

I look forward to competing against them next year

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Well then some of them should try a bit harder, surely a vauxhall corsa isnt THAT much better a platform than an RST or an RS1600i that the difference is totally insumountable?

Well there were people coming up to the vauxhall lads all day talking about their cars and looking at them, so them seemed pretty interested to me.

Not that the vauxhall lads would care much either way, they built their cars to use so when they get a chance to do 3 different events all rolled into one they jump at the chance, and if they beat a load of scoobies and evos etc (specky was 9th top speed in the whole event last year, not just in his class) then that just makes it even better.

I cant imagine why you would feel in the way, we were made very welcome, maybe its just cause everyone knows that the lads have exactly the same dedication and fighting spirit as the likes of the top evos and scooby owners, if not more, just a bit less cash typically, and like I said we saw no evidence of people judging them too harshly for that.
When people like Olly clarke come and congratulate you when he wins EVERYTHING at TOTB, and you get trophys for your achievements in your class, how much more welcome can you really be made to feel?

If you dont want to run at the event then thats fine, but I cant see the point in you saying a load of stuff that just isnt true, if the organisers though the FWD class were in the way, they wouldnt have been handing out trophys to them!




166mph was the fastest standing KM this year

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Fucking spot on, I reckon your car will surprise a few people

Luca

iTrader: (2)

Chip can you post up please the winning times/speeds for the Vauxhall boys

alistairolsen

Ive never understood why, if a tigra will do an 11.3 quarter with enough work then a puma damn well should as well. Likewise corsa/fiesta comparisons.

Either the ford boys bhp isnt what it should be, or the setup of the cars is dire!

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Best quarter times this year:
Specky - tigra - 11.2
Iain - astra - 11.8
Chris - corsa - 11.9

Only top speed I know of was specky's one at 166mph as I didnt get a copy of all the results.

WENNY

wenny`s in for this next year

zvhrst

chip jonny says he cant apologise enough about yesterday, his block let go while mapping it sat night got it to 1.9 bar and it was steaming, and tbh a few of really reckon it would have shocked everyone yesterday, but unfortunatly the block let go and its not a pretty sight,


as for a ford team, i would love this, and i would love to be in it, my car is still underway and nothing can be garenteed yet but a "team RS" team for TOTB would be awsome!!!

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Zvhrst, no problem mate, he had already passed on the message that he couldnt make the team.
We had 2 other people dropout at the last minute with problems as well, Mick with his Viva van blew a headgasket the night before and despite fitting a new one just couldnt get the rest of the car finished in time, and James Birch had an ECU failure that left him with no spark.
So we only ended up with 7 starters out of the 10 places, but all 7 were still going strong at the end of the day, so I guess that overall that is a good result for reliability

jonny s2

iTrader: (12)

Think luca can do it,also christian an beccy,tim ollie all norris motorsport guys,and also jamsports demo car if its ready, us guys dont build cars like this just to look at .spend an absolute bomb,to say there 350/450hp an not prove anything come on get in the spirit get those crazy powered blue ovals competing

Chip

iTrader: (3)

Fantastic, another genuinely competitive car!

At this rate the team manager (Neil?) is going to be spoilt for choice

danneth

seems like a no brainer to me chip, all the cars you mentioned get lots of interest and all run very would be nice to see them all in the same team

as for sutton really pleased for him hes always messing with the car come rain snow or whatever he will be under it on the drive, it always gets abused how its meant to so was nice to see him win it

shame about jonny's astra i thought it would have done quite well

Chip

iTrader: (3)

I think that a ford team could rock up and look very professional and do well, there is a really good variety of cars what would be quick in their respective classes and plenty of people in the ford scene who would help with spanners etc to form a decent pit crew im sure too.

polly_x

iTrader: (2)

Im in of course as I will have to defend my new found drag racing title!!!

Christian, TOTB 1 and 2 are far from where its at now. I am the best advert for this. Turn up under my own steam with a couple of mates to help. No sponsors and just get out there and try hard. No entourage and mechanics or fuss. I think it really went that way in TOT4 and 5 but its way better organised now with more privateers or unsupported people than ever in my my view.

Ford team would be good idea and you FWD boys must be able to sort out your cars to be competetive?

Stu