STEFAN SO CLOSE TO S1600 BRITISH TITLE
SO NEAR YET SO
FAR FOR STEFAN
Stefan Davis came so close to his Super 1600 British title despite a host of problems being thrown his way.
All was not quite smooth though was still going to plan. Stefan managed to win Super 1600 on the first leg taking maximum points from Darren Gass and things were looking good.
The rally started off badly when Stefan’s stand in navigator could not get them to the first stage to carry out the recce. The value of a good co-driver is not often seen from outside the car but the last minute stand in co-driver vastly underestimated the job in hand. This made the event horrendous for everyone, especially Stefan who ended up managing both sides of the car and was forced to drive all the stages blind without pacenotes in the worst weather conditions ever.
The team of friends and family worked so
However all efforts were to no avail after braking the suspension arm and Stefan fixing it in the stage. The crew were running last on the road. The crew went over the time limit on arrival to the very last stage due to marshal’s on a time control not understanding the rules and refusing to write in their finish time, delaying the crew from reaching the next time control on time.
“It was an absolute disaster from start to finish, but all I had to do was finish so I kept focused on getting to the end. I could not believe it, when the lower arm broke. I rolled in the mud to fix it and got out the stage before it had closed but then had to argue for my finish time for 3 minutes! We ended up then being 2 minutes late for the final stage and out of the rally. I can’t believe that the event has done this to me after all my hard work, they have ripped my heart out.”
Stefan will be searching hard for supporters for a 2008 BRC campaign and he is convinced, as are his team, that he can make 2008 a major success.
“There is a massive PR benefit from being involved with a British Rally Team. It takes sideways thinking and imagination from people who are dynamic and creative to see what is possible, but with my energy behind them, their investment can’t go wrong”
The SDM Rally Team would like to thank Eastern Fabrications Ltd, In-tuition.net, Maidstone Signs, McLean Reid Accountancy, Brise Ltd, and everyone that endured the horrible conditions throughout the year and especially Wales Rally GB.
STEFAN SET TO CLAIM FIRST BRITISH TITLE
Super Stefan leads Super 1600
Picture by www.jakobebrey.comStefan Davis and Pat Cooper take the lead of the British Rally Championship Super 1600. The crew contested the Jim Clark Rally based on closed roads around the Scottish Borders town of Kelso.
“It has been a massive learning experience for us has a team, and I have never driven so fast in my life! 130MPH down a 9 foot wide road gives you a real sensation of speed I can tell you” Said Davis.
Stefan was never going to find it easy to compete with Darren Gass in his new Citroen C2 S1600 in the now 7 year old Ford Puma. Gass has a definite head start with the superior modern car and a year in the British Championship already “To finish 2nd to Gass was always to be expected really, but to be only 3 seconds a mile of his pace was a nice surprise knowing our circumstances at the moment” Said Davis. Davis charged hard throughout the rally and started to gain the faith in the Pirelli Tyres “The Pirellis have awesome grip compared to what we are used to, it’s hard to get your head around how fast you can go through things” Said Stefan.
The crew had a few moments mainly when caught out with the combination of ever changing Scottish climate and tyre selection but Davis said “having the back end skip on you at 120MPH gave me the concentration required for the rest of the stage”. The rally was not without drama for the crew though “We spent a bit of time in the scenery thanks to slick tyres on the wet road, but thanks to 20 plus spectators we got back going again, a big thanks to them” said Stefan.
Stefan commented “we have a lot of work to do to get the Puma working right and achieving full power but we are confident we can get it all done in time for the Manx, we won’t be giving our Super 1600 lead away easily that’s for sure”.
A massive thanks to Eastern Fabrications and McLean Reid Accountants our main sponsors so far this year, and all our world record members hopefully growing by the day!
Stefan and Pat will be out defending their lead in the Isle of Man International Rally 19th-21st July. So watch this space.Davis Delivers Despite Dramas
Stefan Davis and Co-driver Pat Cooper competed in their first British Rally Championship round at the weekend, the fast and flowing Pirelli International Rally based in Carlisle, Cumbria. Fresh from success in the World’s largest one make series in which they came joint first in 2007 the crew were looking forward to the new challenge. After a pressured three weeks of non-stop preparation on the Ford Puma Super 1600 the beast was finally unleashed to the forest for the first time.
The first four special stages were set in the darkness of night. It was the first time driving the car and the first time driving in a left hand drive machine for Davis. The lamp pod was lighting up the sky instead of the track due to the sheer power launching the bonnet to the sky, something that never happened to the humble Peugeot. The crew had never written pace notes in the forest before and were struggling to get the flow. If a new car, 240bhp going through the front wheels, left hand drive and lamps into the sky was not enough, the intercom failed half way through the very first stage. Cooper had to resort to improvisation, hand actions and shouting directed the blind rally driver. “Thank god for the Pirelli tyres” said Davis, saving him from going off the road several times around the blind bends.
The following morning, the optimistic team were back out tearing up the Pirelli stages only to experience more problems. The crew were setting top 15 times by stage 6 and Stefan said “we are nowhere near the limit of the car yet, she has so much more to give”. Stefan’s baptism of fire continued with low oil pressure, weird engine noises and to cap it all a two wheeling incident over a crest on stage six. Stefan said, “We would have been over in the Peugeot so I’m rather glad to be alive.”The crew went on to hit trouble over the rough stages with the self prepared super 1600 had a crack right the way through the exhaust manifold. A devastated Davis limped back to service but it wasn’t over yet. The two man mechanic crew were determined to get Stefan back out competing. With much needed help from other professional teams, no less than 5 other drivers teams jumped in to help the British Junior get the car patched up. In just 20 minutes the manifold was temporarily bandaged up and welded back together. With only a forty second lateness penalty, the underdogs were back out for the last few stages.
The rally wasn’t over yet, with the car sounding like a tractor, noise marshals were concerned “We crawled through the last stages and I was concerned we may be stopped on the way to the finish with the exhaust blowing so badly.” The mechanics had a final ten more minutes before the car was meant to be at the finish ramp. The team re patched the manifold back together once again and sent the crew off to the City Centre for the Spectators to see, and the team to pick up their well deserved awards.
Despite dodgy pace notes and an endless list of mechanical problems, the always determined Davis kept it going and finished the rally with a spectacular result. . 2nd in class and 14th overall, a fantastic start to the season and an amazing debut in the British Rally Championship!The team are looking forward to the next round of the BRC, the Jim Clark Rally in Kelso, near Edingborough where the public roads are closed for a few days whilst the Rally Cars take charge.
For any further information please do not hesitate to contact Stefan.davis@btinternet.com or 07866675163.
Fireworks for Stefan as he burns up the Competition
Conrad Euregio Rally, Holland, 5th November 2006
Stefan Davis and Pat Cooper fastest on 11 from 14 stages and winning by 3:32 minutes
Stefan Davis and co-driver Pat Cooper contested the final round of the PSSOC Quaife Challenge the Conrad Eurogio Rally based in Hengelo in Holland. They don’t celebrate Bonfire Night in Holland so they have lightening bright lamp pods and flaming red and sparking brake disks as their spectacle to light up the night!
The crew got off to a flying start on the spectator lined closed tarmac roads. The crew took a massive 10 seconds out of the entire field. Not only that the crew set 27th fastest overall out of a field of over 100 serious international cars, not bad for a 140 BHP 20 year old Peugeot 205.
Stage 2 the night was setting in. It would be the first time Stefan was to ever compete in the dark. Stefan said “I know it sounds srange but running the lamp pod can slow you down, you only drive as fast as your eyes can see, and you see a lot further in natural light, but not under trees I found out, DOH!”. The lamp pod was off, which was fine until a tree lined section of the stage where it was so dark the road could not be seen until 3 big trees appeared out of the dark. The crew span out and lost at least 15 seconds, starting up, reversing and getting back in the right direction. They still only lost 7 seconds to the fastest of the field through the stage Chris Reid.
Stefan lost 4 of the spot lights on Stage 3 due to an electrical fault. “It was just near impossible to see where to brake. The Holland roads are very low on scenery, and are completely flat not 3D like in the UK, it makes life very difficult if you don’t have the lights”. Despite losing the lights Stefan was only a second off the fastest Scholarship Car and set 2nd fastest time in the field.
Stefan charged on through Stages 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8 and gained himself an amazing 21 second lead over the rest of the field by the end of the night. An 11:30 PM finish meant no food before bed for the crew who grabbed what sleep they could before the 6:30 AM re start in the morning.So onto day two, daylight!
A re-seed of the field overnight means you start in the order you finished in. Unbelievably Stefan and Pat started the rally as number 70 but their pace through the night saw them re starting an amazing 30th. “I was leaving Parc Ferme where the cars are kept over night; I saw the look of shock in one of the Dutch competitor’s eyes. He was sat in a mint 2006 Subaru Impreza, he realised I was leaving Parc Ferme before him in my 20 year old home built 205, was a funny sight” said the British Junior.
The streets were absolutely paved with spectators 11,000 Continentals mainly Dutch. “It really gets the adrenalin going when you can see that many, you say right nice and smooth but the buzz you get your just flat out everywhere because everyone jumps and cheers when you are on the limit! You can’t disappoint can you!” said Stefan. Stefan set a time 4 seconds clear of the leader and charged on through the next 2 stages setting fastest times on all before service. Service was a little humble for Stefan. With budgets so tight the team was Andrew Davis (Stefan’s dad), himself and Pat the co-driver giving the car a quick once over. A funny sight amongst the big international teams, even funnier that they were beating a lot of them and clear of the Peugeot Scholarship field now by a staggering 41 seconds.
So stage 12 the start of the loop of 3 stages again. Stefan charged through the stage but a half spin on cold tyres in front of his family, supporters and sponsors that had come to watch meant he dropped a little time, 6 seconds off his previous. Little known to Stefan however, his closest rival Chris Reid who was pushing hard to try and keep up found some big rocks and a lamppost in front of the spectators and parked his 205 there. Stefan was unaware so carried on full steam ahead only to find out on return to service that he need not of because he had just won the Scholarship by over 3 and half minutes and his 3rd round on the trot! Stefan also finished 3rd International Driver and a staggering 26th Overall in the rally.
Stefan has finished joint 1st in the PSSOC Quaife Challenge and came 2nd by only 3 stage times which add up to a total of 2.1 seconds throughout the year so a fantastic season and fantastic platform for the launch of the Junior World Rally Campaign for 2007.
Stefan needs your help to make 2007 happen, the goals are high, the highest they can be the World Championship. The pace is there, the marketability is fantastic and the opportunities and rewards of being involved have never been so high. So please check out www.Stefandavis.com to see how you could help and become a part of it for 2007.
Stefan would like to thank all his supporters for taking time out and coming to Holland and Rally Rob for his guided tour. Stefan would also like to thank his 2006 sponsors Maidstone Signs, Top Notch Health Clubs, In-Tuition.Net, Fat Wheels, Scribble-it.co.uk and AB Motorsport for their support throughout 2006.
Please check out www.abstars.co.uk and www.stefandavis.com or contact Stefan Davis on Stefan.davis@btinternet.com or 07866675163 for more information.
Stefan and Ella Dominate in Yorkshire
Trackrod National Rally 7th October 2006
Stefan Davis enlisted Britain’s youngest co-driver Ella Flynn for the British Rally Championship support rally based just outside York for the penultimate round of the Peugeot 205 Scholarship. Young Ella has competed on 5 rallies since her 16th birthday not many weeks ago and Stefan gave her the chance to compete at the front of a highly competitive championship and gain some experience at the sharp end. The decision turned out to be the right one as Ella did not miss a beat all day and the crew went on to win the Scholarship by a massive 3 minutes and setting 5 fastest stage times from 9 stages!
Stefan was back in his own car after sustaining too much damage to the AB Motorsport built car on the previous rally. The cost of the repairs put him in jeopardy of not financially being able to even contest this rally.
The crew got off to a fantastic start, taking 2 seconds out of their main competitor Chris Reid on the first stage the 0.5 mile spectator stage. Then off into the Yorkshire forest for Stage 2 and the new pairing took a massive 25 seconds out of the whole field over 9 miles. “The car just felt really good and Ella was doing excellent on the notes, world championship material I reckon” said Stefan. The crew was pushing on through the next stage wanting to collect as many fastest stage times as they could for the fastest times league. The crew had a spin on one of the bends losing some 15 seconds though they still set second fastest time only 7 seconds down. Going into stage 4 with a 17 second cushion was nice, but not enough to back off. Halfway through the stage however they spotted their team mate Chris Reid’s car who had suffered a puncture and dropped a lot of time. Stefan kept it tidy for the rest of the stage. Stefan was then struggling with what to do for the rest of the day whether go out to win all the fastest times or try to take the rally win. A voice of reason from a 16 year old sat alongside who threatened to cause physical harm to Stefan if he did not give her the champagne celebration she had deserved meant that the car was brought home safely and indeed given a drink of champagne for its trouble.
Once again a massive thanks to AB Motorsport who did a great job supporting us throughout the day. Thanks to Pentti Airikkala for helping set up the brakes before the rally. Thanks to the Higgins Forest Experience for providing some fantastic testing in the Rally School Forest before the rally.
