Nova – 1.6L 16v Vauxhall
Specification:
Engine:
Corsa 1.6 16 valve. Tapered throttle bodies, SBD airbox. Pocketed std pistons. H/duty big end bolts. Ported cylinder head SBD hydraulic profile cams and vernier wheels. Modified titanium valve caps,valve springs and spring seats modified in head. Tony law 4 branch manifold, homemade 2.5” exhaust system. MBE ecu with SBD engine harness. 2.0 Astra injectors. Mapping by SBD..
Transmission:
F13 gearbox with Quaife 5 sp dog box with 4.36 cwp. Big plate diff to 60% grp A shafts/ hubs etc. Paddle clutch/std cover running on std Nova GTE flywheel. Quaife gearlinkage..
Body:
Grp A strengthening kit/ seam welded shell. Pilbeam multi point triangulated cage. Fibreglass bonnet, lightened tailgate and doors. Polycarbonate side / rear windows. Dural sump guard. Aircraft alloy tank guard. 3” Willans belts, Sparco seats.
Brakes:
FR 280mm Discs with Willwood 4 pots hawk blue pads. Hockley bias pedal box. Hydraulic handbrake. Std rear drum brakes!
Suspension:
Bilstein Grp A FR struts coilover type, Bilstein rear shocks. Tarmac rally rears. Rose jointed tiebars. Eccentric spherical bearings on strut tops. Home made adjustable lwr arms with rose joints. Wheels: 15 x 6” Compomotive MO with 18/58/15 Michelin tyres N20’s,TA00’s and P2A’s.
2001 Contesting Cotswold Championship
Brean Regency stages
27-28Jan – 10th overall 1st 1600cc class. An enjoyable event for us with many of the ‘supercars’ struggling around the twisty holiday park in the slippery icy conditions. Luckily there was no repeat of the engine failure we suffered when a std valve cap shattered in the 2000 event. A long break was caused by the foot and mouth crisis losing many events.
Colerne Azimghur stages
14July – 15th overall 2nd in class. This is not a favourite event for us as it is not very twisty, a lot of time was spent on the rev limiter (4.53 cwp fitted at time)
Abingdon carnival stages
Retired on first stage with snapped drive shaft (time to change to Grp A shafts!)
Caerwent Patriot stages
30Sept – 8th overall 1st in class. This was the first event with the new box and we had many teething problems. For the first five stages we rarely had any gears apart from third. The engine however is very torquey and this and the treacherous wet conditions allowed us to dominate our class, this did require carrying a lot of speed through the corners causing great entertainment for the marshals as we had a few problems staying on the road.
Predanick City of Truro Stages
13Oct – 11th overall 2nd in class. This event was not part of the championship but is great fun with a good balance of twisty bits and straights. Predanick also has gravity defying levels of grip so many corners are taken flat in top. My dad John navigated for me on this event (his first since since the 1979 RAC rally in a FIAT 131) as my brother was navigating for Neil Bowden in his 1300cc Fiat Uno. Longcross on the third of December is the final round of the Cotswold championship in which we need a finish to win overall.
Longcross stages
final round of Cotswold Stage Rally Championship. We were first Cotswold crew home again which seals the 1st overall position in the championship for us. We came 13th overall and 3rd in class after some uncharacteristic for us! cautious driving to ensure we finished.
2000 Results:
Caerwent
26March – 7th overall 2nd in 1600cc class
18June – 6th overall 2nd in 1600cc class
24Sept – 6th overall 1st in 1600cc class
2000 Caerwent challenge 2nd overall
Longcross
14May – 10th overall 2nd in 1600cc class
Cotswold championship 2nd overall, 1st in 1600cc class, best GM car.
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