I have mentioned earlier about belonging to the rally training. In October it was time to the bi-annual physical tests in Vierumäki sports training center. The Sports Institute of Finland supports professional sports and Vierumäki is the place where it's easy to test athletes.
The two days basically held rowing with a gas a mask on until you drop and the normal push ups etc other physical tests. In addition to tests everybody had discussions with the coaches about the past year in general and about the plans for the 2012 season.
The two days basically started with the rowing test. There you sit on the normal rowing machine. In addition to that you get a mask(think fighter pilots mask and you get the picture) on your face with a tube going to a machine which analyzes your exhaling gases and calculates how well your body can utilize oxygen. In rallying the physical fitness helps on long stages and on rallies lasting several days. The test itself was as fun as you can imagine. You row all the time except every three minutes the pace is lifted to a higher level and somebody takes a blood sample from your finger. You continue this as long you can...
When you are waiting for your turn to the rowing tests everybody had their session with the coaches. You went through the physical training programs, but also the rally training part. Basically a summary of the year. What went well, what needs improving, how do you see different aspects of the sport, what are the plans for the next season etc. It's good to have that kind of talks so you'll get different views on the topics.
On Saturday we had the more common physical tests including push ups, abs etc. On the afternoon we went through the results, then basically packed our bags and went home. The test weekend effectively ended my 2011 season, but of course the work for 2012 is going on all the time. No major secrets regarding the next season, but still not the time to reveal the plans yet either. I'll write about the plans sometime in December.
lauantai 26. marraskuuta 2011
Kaakkoisralli 15th of October 2011
Final rally of my 2011 season. But finally the first rally for my brother's BMW M3! I have been looking forward to sit in it and find out what the M3 is like. The word out on the street is that the M3 has power...
The Kaakkoisralli in Hamina was the only rally that we could even think of so late into the season since it was relatively close to Joensuu. Only 300km or so from Joensuu. We wanted to test the car before the first rallies in 2012 so that we would have even some kind of idea how it handled and if we would have any small technical problems to solve.
Picture: Kaj Lindberg
After the normal routines in the rally center we headed towards the first stage. The start was a welcome surprise since the organizer had managed to locate it on tarmac. Eliminates nicely the deep struts. For the M3 the first stage wasn't the optimal however. Most of the stage was driven on a small road and the M3 was suffering from lack of grip. We didn't draw any conclusions just based on that stage.
On the second stage we got to drive on a faster road. The crew also managed to get to a "rally feeling". Have to say that an M3 really has to power to go even on a bigger gear. The car just keeps on accelerating even on 5th gear. The downside of a big car is that it doesn't stop or turn like some of the lighter ones. Can't complain though, it's just so fun when you've got enough power under the pedal. The suspension felt too hard on a faster road so that we have to soften in the future. After the second stage it was time to head for the first service. The plan was to change different tires to the rear and see how the traction would change. If it would change at all. In the service our mechanic Teuvo switched the tires and that was pretty much that. The aim is not having to repair the car during the rally. Cars should last for 70km without major repairs. In the end of the service we decided to change one front tyre also. It was leaking air and a minor detail like that would have been fun to notice on the following road section. After the service there was a refuel possibility, but we had enough petrol in the M3's tank for the following two stages. In this rally the aim was not to optimize car weight so that's why the extra petrol. Any opinions about the third stage? What a great stage! 19km long stage on a fast road and easy to look a head so that you didn't have to on your guard all the time guessing where the stage would turn. The stage was just like the ones you were dreaming about before starting rallying at all. I'm sure the crowds like it too since the BMW was all the time sideways in some direction. Some of the people on the outside banks of corners must have gotten " a few" rocks flying at them. At the time control after the stage we complimented the stage to the officials. They said that nobody had complained so far... The fourth stage was also a nice one. Had fun and no complaints.
Picture: Niina Hakulinen
After the fourth stage to the service again. This time we had to refuel. After all the M3 isn't some diesel with a 3,9L/100km fuel consumption. What it looses on the fuel consumption side it more than compensates on being that much more fun to drive around. For the last stage we decided to adjust our tactics a little bit. This time we wouldn't drive on the safe side. We were going to drive like little old ladies. On the hindsight a good decision since there were some nasty places on the last stage. Last thing we wanted to do on the first rally is to crash the car. According to the stopwatch we lost a decade, but that was to be expected since we were driving through the stages without any risks. A little bit of training and setting up the suspension should equal to a decent gentleman rally driver pace.
The Kaakkoisralli in Hamina was the only rally that we could even think of so late into the season since it was relatively close to Joensuu. Only 300km or so from Joensuu. We wanted to test the car before the first rallies in 2012 so that we would have even some kind of idea how it handled and if we would have any small technical problems to solve.
After the normal routines in the rally center we headed towards the first stage. The start was a welcome surprise since the organizer had managed to locate it on tarmac. Eliminates nicely the deep struts. For the M3 the first stage wasn't the optimal however. Most of the stage was driven on a small road and the M3 was suffering from lack of grip. We didn't draw any conclusions just based on that stage.
On the second stage we got to drive on a faster road. The crew also managed to get to a "rally feeling". Have to say that an M3 really has to power to go even on a bigger gear. The car just keeps on accelerating even on 5th gear. The downside of a big car is that it doesn't stop or turn like some of the lighter ones. Can't complain though, it's just so fun when you've got enough power under the pedal. The suspension felt too hard on a faster road so that we have to soften in the future. After the second stage it was time to head for the first service. The plan was to change different tires to the rear and see how the traction would change. If it would change at all. In the service our mechanic Teuvo switched the tires and that was pretty much that. The aim is not having to repair the car during the rally. Cars should last for 70km without major repairs. In the end of the service we decided to change one front tyre also. It was leaking air and a minor detail like that would have been fun to notice on the following road section. After the service there was a refuel possibility, but we had enough petrol in the M3's tank for the following two stages. In this rally the aim was not to optimize car weight so that's why the extra petrol. Any opinions about the third stage? What a great stage! 19km long stage on a fast road and easy to look a head so that you didn't have to on your guard all the time guessing where the stage would turn. The stage was just like the ones you were dreaming about before starting rallying at all. I'm sure the crowds like it too since the BMW was all the time sideways in some direction. Some of the people on the outside banks of corners must have gotten " a few" rocks flying at them. At the time control after the stage we complimented the stage to the officials. They said that nobody had complained so far... The fourth stage was also a nice one. Had fun and no complaints.
After the fourth stage to the service again. This time we had to refuel. After all the M3 isn't some diesel with a 3,9L/100km fuel consumption. What it looses on the fuel consumption side it more than compensates on being that much more fun to drive around. For the last stage we decided to adjust our tactics a little bit. This time we wouldn't drive on the safe side. We were going to drive like little old ladies. On the hindsight a good decision since there were some nasty places on the last stage. Last thing we wanted to do on the first rally is to crash the car. According to the stopwatch we lost a decade, but that was to be expected since we were driving through the stages without any risks. A little bit of training and setting up the suspension should equal to a decent gentleman rally driver pace.
Volunteer work as a marshal in Teijo-Talot rally 1st of October 2011
Everybody knows that you need a lot of volunteers dedicating their time as officials, marshals and doing whatever to arrange a rally. I try to do my bit from time to time to ease my conscience. My motoring club called once again and since I had declined twice(I was co-driving in both rallies) already this year thought there wasn't any "excuses" to not help out. I co-drive in a lot of rallies and even though it seems that spare time is a luxury nowadays I still try to help even sometimes. In a way the safety car trip in September was this kind of help, but since it's almost like rallying I don't consider it as a chore. Being a marshal and keeping an eye on some junction to make sure nobody enters the special stage is more like a chore. That was something I was doing on Teijo-Talot rally.
Luckily the weather was good and I could also see the cars for a long time. Only a handful of spectators in my junction so I could also relax and focus on the cars. There was even one sierra among the cars. A rarity especially compared to the huge amount of mk2 escorts in every Finnish rally.
Luckily the weather was good and I could also see the cars for a long time. Only a handful of spectators in my junction so I could also relax and focus on the cars. There was even one sierra among the cars. A rarity especially compared to the huge amount of mk2 escorts in every Finnish rally.
tiistai 4. lokakuuta 2011
Talotekniikka 10 SM-ralli 16th-17th of September
The final round of the Finnish rally championship in 2011. This time co-driving for Andreas Amberg who also belongs to the rally training program. Friday the 16th of September and heading to Kerava for the recce. Easy trip this time since it's a 30 minute drive from home. The recce was a relatively short one, because almost all the stages were run twice and so you only had to do "half" of the pace notes compared to normal. After the recce we stayed at a hotel near Kerava. even though the rally is close to home it's good to take some time of from the normal everyday routines and concentrate on the rally. As a co-driver I spent most of the evening cleaning up the pace notes before having dinner and a good night sleep.
Saturday and the normal routines at the rally head quarters. Checking that everything is OK with the car, rigging up in-car camera, camel bags, putting on the racing overalls, checking official time from HQ etc. Then off to the stages. The first stage was familiar from the previous years. A fast stage on a wide gravel road, but probably a bit slippery since it had been raining for several days. Our aim was to start at maximum attack, but the conditions didn't make it easy for us. The road was very slippery and we were fighting for grip. Then on a fast left/right combination we lost the rear and spun the car when travelling around 120 km/h. Unfortunately the rear of the car hit the side of the road during the spin even though we were traveling quite slowly already. That caused us to roll on the road. Not significant damage to the car except we lost the exhaust which of course meant we didn't have all the power from the engine.
Saturday and the normal routines at the rally head quarters. Checking that everything is OK with the car, rigging up in-car camera, camel bags, putting on the racing overalls, checking official time from HQ etc. Then off to the stages. The first stage was familiar from the previous years. A fast stage on a wide gravel road, but probably a bit slippery since it had been raining for several days. Our aim was to start at maximum attack, but the conditions didn't make it easy for us. The road was very slippery and we were fighting for grip. Then on a fast left/right combination we lost the rear and spun the car when travelling around 120 km/h. Unfortunately the rear of the car hit the side of the road during the spin even though we were traveling quite slowly already. That caused us to roll on the road. Not significant damage to the car except we lost the exhaust which of course meant we didn't have all the power from the engine.
Photograph by Valokuu.com
We did drive through the stage, but decided to retire because we were missing the exhaust and had lost too much time during the stage to fight for a podium finish. Sometimes these things happen in the rallies when you are pushing, but we are not planning to make a habit of it. After our retirement we left the car for our mechanics and went to see other guys on special stage 5. Lots of people in the same corner watching and even some of my friends. I forgot that I had recommended the corner when they had asked for a good viewing spot. My next rally as a co-driver will be in October again with my brother in a BMW M3 in it's maiden rally. Before that some volunteer work as a marshal in one rally to help other crews to enjoy their day driving/co-driving.
keskiviikko 21. syyskuuta 2011
As a spectator in Heinola F-Cup 10th of September 2011
The F-Cup is Finland's most popular rally series. Usually F-Cup rallies have between 170 and 220 cars participating. No recce allowed so the crews drive without pace notes. Of course it helps if you have a good road memory since many of the stages have been driven during the previous year in F-Cup or in some other rallies. The rally in Heinola was the last for this season in F-Cup and Jere Rekola won it by a mere 1,5 seconds with his MB 190. A worthy winner since Jere has been close to winning the championship several times.
There are still several mk2 escorts used in F-Cup. The escorts usually have been through lots of modifications in all areas and engines with a power output of between 170-230bhp.
There are still several mk2 escorts used in F-Cup. The escorts usually have been through lots of modifications in all areas and engines with a power output of between 170-230bhp.
That was one day spend in watching rallying and waiting for the next to get back to the action myself.
keskiviikko 7. syyskuuta 2011
Training weekend in Myrskylä and Huittinen
In the rally training we get to spend 6 weekends in different parts of Finland driving, co-driving and getting feedback from the coaches. During the 4th and 5th of September I had one of these weekends with the other drivers and co-drivers in the program. We started the weekend in Myrskylä in something we in Finland call a club race. Everyone in the training program gathered to Myrskylä at 8am on Saturday morning. Only 40 cars are allowed to participate and there was one stage which was 4 kilometers long. So a very suitable event for testing and training. The atmosphere was very relaxed even though the weather greeted us with some occasional showers. I spent the weekend co-driving for Andreas Amberg with whom I´ll participate in the last Finnish championship rally (Kerava SM-ralli) on the 16th of September. Personally I think Honda Civic is a nice car to use in rallying. I prefer rally cars to make some noise. Hondas are well known for rev happy engines and a type-r with 230hp and a rally exhaust really does make some enjoyable "screaming" when on attack mode.
Saturday afternoon we moved to a hotel in Forssa from where we had one hour drive to Sunday's test stage at Huittinen. On Saturday evening we got some feedback from the coaches, went through Sunday's program and relaxed the Finnish way by going to a sauna.
Sunday morning started the usual way in our training weekends. Morning run at 6am! Rally drivers are after all athletes and a bit of jogging in the morning helps to wake up before you go to breakfast. Personally I don't mind the early wake up since my dogs wake me up at 5.50am every morning anyway. Sunday was a better day what comes to the weather so one didn't have escape the rain showers anymore. And definitely much better than the -30 Celsius temperatures we had in training during January. Nothing special during the day. People in the training team know each other well already so just the usual stuff. Focusing on your performance, checking other people's times, going over in-car footage, speculating this and that related to rallying.
The youngster in our group V-P Karttunen received his driving license only a couple of days earlier and was warming up his wrists before his first ever rally on the next weekend. Since everyone in Finland drives their first rallies without any recce allowed (so called dark rallies) the rest of the training team seems to be going to the rally as spectators to see rally cars and check how V-P performs with his Renault Clio. If your not practicing or driving yourself then the natural way to spend a free weekend is to go and watch others drive. My girlfriend loves the logic behind this way of thinking...
Saturday afternoon we moved to a hotel in Forssa from where we had one hour drive to Sunday's test stage at Huittinen. On Saturday evening we got some feedback from the coaches, went through Sunday's program and relaxed the Finnish way by going to a sauna.
Sunday morning started the usual way in our training weekends. Morning run at 6am! Rally drivers are after all athletes and a bit of jogging in the morning helps to wake up before you go to breakfast. Personally I don't mind the early wake up since my dogs wake me up at 5.50am every morning anyway. Sunday was a better day what comes to the weather so one didn't have escape the rain showers anymore. And definitely much better than the -30 Celsius temperatures we had in training during January. Nothing special during the day. People in the training team know each other well already so just the usual stuff. Focusing on your performance, checking other people's times, going over in-car footage, speculating this and that related to rallying.
The youngster in our group V-P Karttunen received his driving license only a couple of days earlier and was warming up his wrists before his first ever rally on the next weekend. Since everyone in Finland drives their first rallies without any recce allowed (so called dark rallies) the rest of the training team seems to be going to the rally as spectators to see rally cars and check how V-P performs with his Renault Clio. If your not practicing or driving yourself then the natural way to spend a free weekend is to go and watch others drive. My girlfriend loves the logic behind this way of thinking...
00 Safety car
August 27th 2011. First time for me to get to be in a 00 crew. First time in any of the zeros. I have to admit that I really liked the experience. I got an enjoyable day in a rally car without the usual nervous waiting to get to the first stage. With the 00 car you can drive good rally speed in some places and avoid taking any risks. Of course primary mission of the safety car is to check that the stages a safe for spectators and competitors. Being a safety car is a task where the organizer regards your crew as one who can be trusted to do this with certain amount of experience from rallying.The day started with a breakfast with the driver in Imatra's Valtionhotelli. A beautiful old place next to a deep ravine. From there me and the driver Juha Huttunen headed collecting the route maps and time schedules for safety car crews.
Before the stages we participated in a meeting for the safety cars. There it was explained for everybody what is expected from them and what kind of things to keep an eye on. The briefing was very useful for a first timer like me. The start of the rally was in the middle of the town on a walking street. The nice location and beautiful weather enabled people to have a close look at the rally cars and ask questions from the crews queuing for the start. Everybody I talked to liked the location which enabled normal people to learn more about rally sport.
From the centre of Imatra we headed towards the first stage which was a narrow, but fast road. After the stage I had to unlearn something compared to a normal rally. One mustn't follow the time card, but the schedule given to the safety cars. I was planning on going too early to the time control in the beginning of the second stage. The second stage was a really fast stage and there we even got to entertain the crowds a bit. The day was quite hot so the brakes on our fwd Opel Kadett started to overheat which caused us to navigate through one corner unusually sideways. Third stage was also quite fast stage. Nothing out of normal except one jump where there was a bunch of spectators with a sign "more throttle!". I found that quite funny. Spectators don't usually bother doing something like that in Finland.
Since the rally was only three stages long our day ended early. After our duties as safety cars the organizer wanted feed back from all the safety car crews if there was anything they could improve the following years. We couldn't really find anything to complain and the weather had been nice and warm so all in all a good day. my first time in a zero car, but hopefully not the last.
Before the stages we participated in a meeting for the safety cars. There it was explained for everybody what is expected from them and what kind of things to keep an eye on. The briefing was very useful for a first timer like me. The start of the rally was in the middle of the town on a walking street. The nice location and beautiful weather enabled people to have a close look at the rally cars and ask questions from the crews queuing for the start. Everybody I talked to liked the location which enabled normal people to learn more about rally sport.
From the centre of Imatra we headed towards the first stage which was a narrow, but fast road. After the stage I had to unlearn something compared to a normal rally. One mustn't follow the time card, but the schedule given to the safety cars. I was planning on going too early to the time control in the beginning of the second stage. The second stage was a really fast stage and there we even got to entertain the crowds a bit. The day was quite hot so the brakes on our fwd Opel Kadett started to overheat which caused us to navigate through one corner unusually sideways. Third stage was also quite fast stage. Nothing out of normal except one jump where there was a bunch of spectators with a sign "more throttle!". I found that quite funny. Spectators don't usually bother doing something like that in Finland.
Since the rally was only three stages long our day ended early. After our duties as safety cars the organizer wanted feed back from all the safety car crews if there was anything they could improve the following years. We couldn't really find anything to complain and the weather had been nice and warm so all in all a good day. my first time in a zero car, but hopefully not the last.
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