Tag Archives: Blackpool

Legend Fires North West Stages – Blackpool & Fleetwood

Organised by members of the, Blackpool South Shore Motor Club, Chester Motor Club, Ecurie Royal Oak Motor Club, Fylde Motor Sports Club, Garstang and Preston Motor Club, High Moor Motor Club, Preston Motorsports Club, Stockport 061 Motor Club, Warrington & District Motor Club and Wallasey Motor Clubs the 17th Legend Fires North West Stages Rally ran over 75 miles of tarmac stages in and around Blackpool and Fleetwood for competitors in the Northern Tarmacadam championship, The ANWCC Stage Rally Championship, The ANCC Rally Championship, The SD34 Rally and the Formula1000 Championships on the first weekend of the month.

Legend Fires North West Stages, Legend Fires North West Stages, Stage 3 Fleetwood,Legend Fires North West Stages, ABP Fleetwood Docks Special Stages

I missed the first stage on Friday and after standing down at 9am on Saturday I negotiated over 200 miles of heavy rain and a closed section of Motorway to arrive in time to catch some of the action on the ABP Fleetwood Docks Special Stage, above the 6th place finishing #4 Proton S2000 driven by Andrew Fenwick with Andrew Roughead is being chased by the cheeky #48 Vauxhall Corsa crewed by Nick and A Constantine that finished 7th overall.

Ford Focus WRC, ABP Fleetwood Docks Special Stages

On their Stage 15 run through the Fleetwood Docks Tony Bardy and Neil Colman lost over a minute in their #1 Ford Forcus WRC with what appears to have been a puncture, above members of the team and public put their backs into lifting the car onto a jack, they finished the event 3rd overall despite the delay.

Ford Fiesta, Duncan Taylor, Steven Grayson, Legend Fires North West Stages, Legend Fires North West Stages, Blackpool Promenade,

Unofficial paint job of the event went to Duncan Taylor and Steven Grayson who’s UFO, Unicorn, Dinosaur bedecked #31 Fiesta came in 16th overall, if anyone can tell this old duffer what the paint job is about please chime in below.

MG Metro 6R4, Driver Unkown, Legend Fires North West Stages, Blackpool Promenade,

The MG Metro 6R4 above was part of a demonstration before the final Promenade stages opened, not sure who was driving it, again if you do please chime below.

Land Rover Wolf XD, John Hickinbotham, Scott Young, Legend Fires North West Stages, Blackpool Promenade,

Class L of the Rally was run for 4 Land Rover Wolf XD’s all crewed by members of various active military units, the Royal Air Force (RAF) #108 was crewed by John Hickinbotham and Scott Young who finished 3rd in class and 43rd overall.

Sunbeam Imp Sport, Alan Kitson, Ronald Aspinwall, Legend Fires North West Stages, Blackpool Promenade,

Oldest car in Class A by the best part of at least two if not three decades was the 1968 #68 Sunbeam Imp Sport crewed by Alan Kitson and Ronald Aspinwall who finished a highly respectable 2nd in class and 24th overall.

Subaru Impreza, Arron Newby Rob Fagg, Legend Fires North West Stages, Blackpool

The #5 Subaru Impreza driven by Arron Newby and Rob Fagg added plenty of colour to the event on it’s way to 2nd overall, but that was not enough…

Subaru Impreza WRC S11, Simon Bowen, Richard Robinson, Legend Fires North West Stages, Blackpool Promenade,

… to get ahead of the older Subaru Impreza WRC S11 driven by winners Simon Bowen and Richard Robinson seen above at one of the chicanes on the last but one Promenade Stage.

Legend Fires North West Stages, Blackpool Promenade

I added a few new snaps to my collection of abstract lights before it started raining just in time to drive the 200 miles home.

Thanks for joining me on this “Legend Fires North West Stages” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at another Trans Am Camaro. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Mechanical Orchestra – TVR T350

TVR T350, Pistonheads, BMW Plant

The TVR T 350 is probably as close as one can get to a four wheeled motorcycle that will scare a young mans prospective in laws to death, it’s small and according to one journalist in 2004 the engine belongs in an orchestra pit.

TVR T350, Pistonheads, BMW Plant

The T 350 comes with TVRs own 350 hp 3605 cc / 219.9 cui Speed Six all alloy 24 valve engine that is canted over at 30 degrees so that it fits into the svelte T 350 body that measures just over 13 feet long by six feet wide by 47 inches high.

TVR T350, Pistonheads, BMW Plant

TVRs under the direction of previous owner Peter Wheeler dispensed with creature comforts like interior lights, air bags and traction control, though these vehicles did come with air conditioning.

TVR T350, Pistonheads, BMW Plant

Weighing just 2,616 lbs / 1,187 kg performance from rest to 62 mph was 4.4 secs up to 100 mph in 9.5 secs with an official top speed of 175 mph.

TVR T350, Pistonheads, BMW Plant

Production of the T350 ran from 2002 until 2006 when Russian/Greek/British baby oligarch Nikolai Smolenski took over the company and soon after halted production of all TVR models.

Allegedly Mr Smolenski has announced various plans to restart production most recently with a Corvette powered model which might be built anywhere between Blackpool and Cape Town, here is hoping this hairiest of automobile brands finds its way back to the market soon.

My thanks to the Pistonhead who brought this T350 along to the Sunday Service at the BMW plant back in January.

Hope you have enjoyed todays orchestral edition of Gettin’ a little psycho on tyres and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Dark & Sinuous – TVR Tuscan

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TVR Tuscans were manufactured in Blackpool in the UK from 1999 – 2006

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This 2001 model will have been available with either 360 or 380 hp variation of a 3996 cc / 243 cui straight six engine.

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The sinuous fibreglass body fits over a tubular steel chassis.

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TVR’s then Chairman Peter Wheeler was quite adamant that TVR’s were safer without airbags, particularly in convertibles arguing that if somebody were to die in one of his cars as a result of an airbag he ‘would not be able to live with himself‘.

My thanks to the Pistonhead who brought this Tuscan along to the Sunday Service at the BMW plant back in January.

Hope you have enjoyed today’s dark & sinuous edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’, and that you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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