The Ulster ends early
The Ulster Rally dealt David Higgins another blow last weekend when he had to use superally regulations to finish the event in the TQ RED Toyota S2000R.
Before the rally David had said it was an event he liked but it had never been very good to him, this year was no different. After losing their intercom connection in the first stage, David and his co-driver Ieuan Thomas suffered from steering lock problems and overshot a junction in stage six.
“It all made for a hectic opening night,” said David. “When I turned left, then turned right the steering locked completely.”
The TQ RED team changed David’s steering rack in the Friday night service leaving things looking more positive for the Saturday stages. But on the way to the first stage of the day they lost power steering fluid leaving them with no power steering. Then on the second stage the car stopped.
“At junction 12 of stage eight the engine cut out,” said David. “We got on the phone to the team to ask advice and tried everything they told us but the car wouldn’t start. A mechanic came out to us and was able to start the car. Something he did made a fuse pop out and when it was replaced the car started. But it popped out again on our way back to service. It could have been a wiring problem.”
“This was our last chance to go for the championship," said David. "But we’ve had three non finishes now.”
David’s TQ team mate Hugh Evans also used superally rules to finish after he rolled in the same stage David stopped. They took team points off Mitsubishi’s Guy Wilks who had retired earlier in the event with transmission problems. The TQ RED team lie third in the points, just 14 points behind Mitsubishi. In the drivers championship David lies 11th and Hugh is 14th.
Before the rally David had said it was an event he liked but it had never been very good to him, this year was no different. After losing their intercom connection in the first stage, David and his co-driver Ieuan Thomas suffered from steering lock problems and overshot a junction in stage six.
“It all made for a hectic opening night,” said David. “When I turned left, then turned right the steering locked completely.”
The TQ RED team changed David’s steering rack in the Friday night service leaving things looking more positive for the Saturday stages. But on the way to the first stage of the day they lost power steering fluid leaving them with no power steering. Then on the second stage the car stopped.
“At junction 12 of stage eight the engine cut out,” said David. “We got on the phone to the team to ask advice and tried everything they told us but the car wouldn’t start. A mechanic came out to us and was able to start the car. Something he did made a fuse pop out and when it was replaced the car started. But it popped out again on our way back to service. It could have been a wiring problem.”
“This was our last chance to go for the championship," said David. "But we’ve had three non finishes now.”
David’s TQ team mate Hugh Evans also used superally rules to finish after he rolled in the same stage David stopped. They took team points off Mitsubishi’s Guy Wilks who had retired earlier in the event with transmission problems. The TQ RED team lie third in the points, just 14 points behind Mitsubishi. In the drivers championship David lies 11th and Hugh is 14th.
posted by David at
09:55
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