GwynneSpeed Rallying, a rally company based in Staverton,
Gloucestershire is delighted to be working with PIAA UK,
High Performance Lighting Systems. Andy Gwynne, company
proprietor has just finished building a Super1600 Citroen
Saxo kit car which is also being supported by PIAA and
will be competing in the 2008 MSA National Asphalt Rally
Championship.
GwynneSpeed Rallying provides all manner of rallying
services ranging from Junior Rally experience for 10-16
year olds, co-driver tuition, car set up advice right
up to advanced one to one tuition for competitors. Fully
equipped workshops in centrally located Staverton enable
the company to offer rally car preparation and build services.
The company's authentic rally venue between Swindon and
Cirencester offer an ideal location for testing and tuition.
Please visit www.rallydrivingschool.co.uk
for further details!
PRESS RELEASE: 17. September 2008
GwynneSpeed Rallying take class honours on charity
rally.
Andy Gwynne and Holly Robinson have been awarded with
another very convincing class win on the Richard Burns
Memorial Rally at Marham Airfield on 13th & 14th September.
The GwynneSpeed Rallying team won the class by 5 minutes
13 seconds and finished an impressive 7th overall and
1st 2 Wheel Drive Car in their 1600cc Saxo kit car.
The rally did not run easily for the team due to a poor
seeding position. The crew started in 51st position and,
over the course of Day 1 of the rally, they caught and
passed approximately 24 cars on the stages. This inconvenience,
coupled with braking problems, cost the pair a significant
amount of time on Day 1 but re-seeding for Day 2 meant
that the crew re-started at car 6 on the road and enabled
them to have a trouble free run with no hold ups!
However, disaster nearly struck on the last stage when
a suspension mounting broke 1 mile from the end of the
stage which forced the crew to crawl to the stage finish.
Luckily, the team had built up enough of a class lead
that it did not jeopardise the class award although they
dropped a place overall from 6th to 7th.
The rally was organised and promoted by King’s
Lynn & District Motor Club and was in aid of the Richard
Burns Foundation (incorporating the Michael Park Fund)
and the RAF Benevolent Fund. The rally saw a return to
competitive rallying for Markko Martin and Robert Reid
who competed together in the new Subaru World Rally Team’s
Impreza and won the rally overall.
Perhaps the most evocative entry was that of Gordon Jarvis
and Richard’s father, Alex Burns. They were competing
in a Talbot Sunbeam which had originally been built alongside
Richard’s Sunbeam. This was the first time that
Alex had actually competed despite attending hundreds
of rallies with Richard. GwynneSpeed Rallying’s
driver Andy Gwynne has close connections with this charity
and describes his feelings about the rally:
“I competed with Richard in the original Peugeot
challenge and we had a strong friendship; I am very pleased
that we’ve been able to support the charity. Michael
Park, who was tragically killed in a freak accident co-driving
for Markko Martin on Wales Rally GB 2005, did his first
season co-driving with me and we were also very close
and so this rally was special to me. I would like to thank
the organisers for the massive effort that they put into
organising and running this fantastic event which I thoroughly
enjoyed and I’m sure that everyone else did.”
GwynneSpeed Rallying would like to take this opportunity
to thank Warners Peugeot, Gloucester Motaquip, Holly’s
older brother Tom, her God Mother Leslie and her parents
Binna and Tim for their generous support.
CITROEN SAXO SUPER1600 RALLY CAR SPONSORS:
Race Engine Design Ltd – www.raceenginedesign.biz
PIAA UK High Performance Lighting Systems –
www.piaa.co.uk
Silkolene Motorsport Oils – www.silkoleneoil.com
PRESS RELEASE: 6 August 2008
GwynneSpeed Rallying return to Epynt to settle
the score!
Following
months of further development and testing of their Super1600
Citroen Saxo kit car, Gloucestershire based rally team
Andy Gwynne and Holly Robinson returned to the Epynt military
ranges to contest the S&G Printing Harry Flatters
Rally on 2nd and 3rd August and came away with a very
convincing class win and an impressive 12th overall position.
The rally, organised and promoted by Brecon Motor Club,
was based in Brecon and consisted of 85 competitive stage
miles across the notoriously tricky tarmac roads which
Epynt is renowned for. The last time that Gwynne and Robinson
tackled Epynt, they came away with some significant battle
scars after an altercation with a substantial chicane.
The crew was extensively more prepared for this rally
having carried out further engine testing and having made
several alterations to the engine cooling system. The
car also ran a revised suspension set up and performed
superbly on a set of new AST dampers.
The event held 2 stages on Saturday afternoon and then
a further 8 stages throughout Sunday ranging in length
from 2.5 miles to nearly 13 miles. The event started well
with Gwynne setting the fastest class stage time on Stage
1 despite being help up for nearly 4 miles and he dominated
the class from the start. The crew finished leg 1 feeling
extremely positive and codriver, Robinson comments on
the first 2 stages:
“Stages 1 & 2 were re-runs of the same stage
and were challenging. They really tested the changes that
had been made to the car, in particular to the suspension
as the stages utilised some massive jumps and some of
the very technical tight and twisty roads. The car ran
faultlessly which gave Andy and real confidence boost
in preparation for a maximum attack on Sunday!”
The crew continued to dominate the class throughout Sunday
and eventually won the class by 2 minutes and 16 seconds.
The last stage of the day saw Gwynne find new limits with
the car and saw him set 8th overall fastest stage time
despite having had a fright on the previous stage with
a soft brake pedal! He describes his event:
“I’m absolutely delighted with our result
this weekend; it has really shown what the car is capable
of. The car ran very well although I feel that there are
still some improvements that I can make but I feel that
we now have a strong basis to work from.”
The car is clearly generating massive interest amongst
spectators as the following clips show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21iPe0P11bo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7Ug8fsm8LU&feature=related
Thanks to all at Hankook Motorsports, AST Suspension
& 710 Motorsport for their continued support. All
photos are courtesy of EDP Photo News www.edpphoto.com
CITROEN SAXO SUPER1600 RALLY CAR SPONSORS:
Race Engine Design Ltd – www.raceenginedesign.biz
PIAA UK High Performance Lighting Systems
– www.piaa.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE: 12 April 2008
Hard work finally pays off for GwynneSpeed Rallying!
Months
of development and testing have finally paid dividends
for Staverton based rally team, Andy Gwynne and Holly
Robinson. On Saturday 12th April, the crew took part in
the Get It Sideways rally based at their rally school
venue, Down Ampney airfield and they went away with their
first overall rally win.
The weeks running up to the rally were somewhat fraught
as they worked frantically to repair the damage caused
to their Super1600 Saxo kit car in the crash on the Tour
of Epynt.
Gwynne started the rally well and took the overall lead
from Stage I and then continued to win all of the following
stages up to stage 9 of 10. Stage 10 nearly brought disaster
as one of the competition engine mountings broke and forced
the crew to have to drive very slowly around the last
stage. However, despite one minor incident with a pothole
damaging the bottom arm on stage 5, the team had had a
faultless run and had built up enough of a lead overall
that meant that they could afford to lose 30 seconds.
Gwynne has lead this rally several times over the last
few years but has never been awarded with a win due to
mechanical problems and so this win is particularly special.
He comments on the rally:
"Firstly, I would like to thank Cheltenham Motor
Club and all of the marshals for organising the rally
which ran very well with no delays and provided really
fun stages! Thanks to the service crew who kept us going
through some minor bottom arm problems and thanks to Holly
for keeping me on the straight and narrow (!). I am delighted
that the car has started to work properly and this result
has really boosted my confidence for our next rally, the
Isle of Man in a few weeks."
The team plan to make some further adjustments to the
suspension on the car prior to the Manx. They will also
be reviewing the rose joints which they have used in the
bottom arms and the engine mountings as this rally has
highlighted that they are clearly not strong enough.
GwynneSpeed Rallying also had several other cars competing
on the rally, a 106 Rallye driven by Celestine Smith and
co-driven by her Dad, Richard and a 306 GTi-6 driven by
Roger Tillotson and co-driven by Steve Robertson. This
was the first rally for both teams and they both finished
well with no dramas so congratulations go out to them
as well!
The next rally for the Andy and Holly is round 2 of the
2008 Richard Egger Insurance MSA National Asphalt Rally
Championship, the Manx Rally on 9th and 1& May and
the team are currently seeking sponsors for this rally.
For more information, please visit www.asphaltrallying.com
and www.manxrally.org
CITROEN SAXO SUPER1600 RALLY CAR SPONSORS:
Race Engine Design Ltd — www.raceenginedesign.biz
PIAA UK High Performance Lighting Systems
— www.piaa.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE: 3 March 2008
Trials and tribulations for GwynneSpeed Rallying
on Round 1!
Round 1 of the 2008 Richard Egger Insurance MSA National
Asphalt Rally Championship brought a mixture of emotions
for Gloucestershire rally team Andy Gwynne and Holly Robinson.
The
Tour of Epynt, based in Llandovery, uses some notoriously
difficult roads across the military ranges surrounding
Sennybridge. Stage 1 started well for the team with the
recent suspension and steering modifications which Gwynne
had made working well. However several miles into the
stage, the car hit a pothole hard and caused the nearside
front tyre to puncture and disintegrate. The crew were
therefore forced to stop and change the wheel in order
to prevent the flailing tyre from doing any damage to
the suspension. Robinson estimates that they lost approximately
3.5 minutes on stage 1 putting them to the back of the
class.
Stage 2 again started well but too much rear brake bias
resulted in the car spinning spectacularly at a chicaned
junction and the crew lost yet more time. However stage
3 was a complete contrast. The car ran without fault and
the pacenotes which Gwynne and Robinson had spent making
and preparing on Saturday worked perfectly. Stage 3 was
18 miles in length and they set 2nd fastest time in their
class. Things were finally starting to look positive.
The team continued their faultless runs into stage 6,
having set fastest class stage times on stages 4 and 6
and 2nd fastest on stage 5. However, stage 7 brought an
abrupt end to the event.
The stage started as planned with all aspects of the
car working perfectly. The first part of the stage was
uphill with very little need to use the brakes hard and
this caused the front brake pads to cool down considerably.
After the uphill section of the stage, there was a flat
out 6th gear straight into a flat out crest and then a
flat out approach into a very tight chicane which was
made with 1 tonne, round bales of silage. As soon as Gwynne
hit the brakes hard in anticipation for the chicane, the
cool front brakes didn’t bite hard enough and caused
the rear brakes to tie on and put the car into a massive
spin at a speed close to 115mph. Gwynne had no option
other than to let the car spin into the chicane. This
caused a big impact onto the front and rear of the car
as it bounced into the 1 tonne barricades. Driver Andy
Gwynne comments on the accident:
“Firstly and most importantly, both Holly and I
walked away from the crash without injury. The car however
did not! We damaged the offside front suspension and will
need to replace the bonnet, front bumper, offside wing
and tailgate. Everything is repairable. I’ve never
spun on a straight before but I know what changes to the
braking system I need to make in order to prevent this
type of accident from happening again! Fortunately, our
non-finish on this round will not affect our championship
standings as our main class competitor did not finish
either.”
The next round of the 2008 Richard Egger Insurance MSA
National Asphalt Rally Championship is in the Isle of
Man on 9th and 10th May and the team are currently seeking
sponsors for this rally. For more information, please
visit www.asphaltrallying.com and www.manxrally.org
CITROEN SAXO SUPER1600 RALLY CAR SPONSORS:
Race Engine Design Ltd – www.raceenginedesign.biz
PIAA UK High Performance Lighting Systems –
www.piaa.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE: 20 February 2008
GwynneSpeed Rallying gears up for 2008!
2003 National Super1600 Rally Champions, Andy Gwynne and
Holly Robinson are ready for a return to National rallying
in their new Super1600 Citroen Saxo kit car. The Gloucestershire
team will be contesting the 2008 Richard Egger Insurance
MSA National Asphalt Rally Championship which includes
rounds in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, Wales and
England.
Gwynne and Robinson have conducted several tests at The
Brean Stages and the Wyedean Rally prior to the first
round of the championship, the Tour of Epynt on 2nd March.
Andy Gwynne, who designed and built the car himself, comments
on recent aspects of development which the car has been
through:
“Following the recent tests which we have carried
out on the car, we have been very busy re-designing the
suspension settings in order to improve the strut angles
and therefore improve traction. I am now very happy with
the car set-up and am really looking forward to the start
of the championship.”
Since the Wyedean Rally on 9th February, Gwynne has had
to redesign the fuel tank to incorporate an internal reservoir
in order to prevent any mid-stage fuel surge problems.
He has also modified the car’s steering rack to
facilitate a quicker, more responsive steering action
which will be crucial on the technical, twisty stages.
Gwynne is planning a final engine mapping session with
John Beattie of Race Engine Design before the rally on
2nd March.
The crew are aiming for a class win in order to start
the championship off with maximum points although there
are several strong competitors in their 1600cc class including
last year’s 1600cc asphalt rally champion. Gwynne
has had several outstanding results on Epynt which is
renowned for being a particularly challenging rally venue.
In 2006, he finished 4th overall in his 1600cc Vauxhall
Corsa, just before he sold the car. By finishing 4th,
he managed to beat several 2.0litre, turbo-charged, 4-wheel
drive world rally cars and the infamously quick Metro
6R4s and Darrian T90s.
The Tour of Epynt, organised and promoted by Port Talbot
Motor Club, consists of 75 stage miles on military tarmac
roads in mid Wales. The rally is based in Llandovery and
the 75 stage miles are broken up into 10 stages which
represent all aspects of rally driving from flat-out jumps
and straights to extremely technical, tight and twisty
narrow roads.
For more details about the Tour of Epynt, visit www.ptmconline.com.
For more information about the 2008 Richard Egger Insurance
MSA Asphalt Rally Championship, visit www.asphaltrallying.com
CITROEN SAXO SUPER1600 RALLY CAR SPONSORS:
Race Engine Design Ltd – www.raceenginedesign.biz
PIAA UK High Performance Lighting Systems
– www.piaa.co.uk
PRESS RELEASE: 27 November 2007
GwynneSpeed Rally Team Returns to Competition!
Staverton based rally team Andy Gwynne and Holly Robinson
are looking forward to an eagerly awaited return to rallying
after a 2 year break.
The team sold their infamously awesome Vauxhall Corse
kit car in 2005 and have since been developing and building
their new car, a Super 1600 Citroen Saxo. This car incorporates
some of the most modem technology currently available
in rallying. Please refer to our previous press release
for further information about the car.
The crew will be debuting the car at the Rockingham Stages
on 8th/9th December 2007. The rally is based at the Rockingham
Speedway, Northamptonshire and uses parts of the oval
race track, the karting track, venue perimeter roads and
the vast car parking area! The rally takes place over
2 days which is unusual for events which remain on one
venue, known as single venue rallies. There will be 4
stages on Saturday, 2 of which will be in the dark and
then a further 6 stages on Sunday. Each stage will be
between 8 and 11 miles each.
The event is limited to a maximum of 100 competitors
and has already received 60 entries. The GwynneSpeed Saxo
will be competing in Class 2 which is dedicated to cars
with an engine capacity of between 1401cc and 1600cc.
There are already 14 competitors in this class and driver
Andy Gwynne comments on the competition:
"We are thoroughly looking forward to the rally.
Having built the car myself, I am eager to see how the
car compares to the other 1600 cars in the class. I am
confident that the car will work well although we plan
to test several aspects of the car such as the gearbox
ratios, the engine efficiency and the suspension set up
comprehensively before the rally."
The rally venue, Rockingham Speedway offers some fantastic
hospitality and viewing facilities. The Grandstand offers
sheltered viewing of all the stages and, unlike most rallies,
you will have the opportunity to watch the stages out
of the weather, with restaurant facilities in walking
distance! VIP hospitality boxes are available for hire.
The rally raises money for the Lynda Jackson Macmillan
Centre for Cancer Support and Information at Mount Vernon
Hospital. Results and further information about the rally
can be found at www.rockinghamstages.co.uk.
CITROEN SAXO SUPER1600 RALLY CAR SPONSORS:
Race Engine Design Ltd — www.raceenginedesign.biz
PIRA UK High Performance Lighting Systems
— www.piaa.co.uk
Photo from www.edpphoto.com
PRESS RELEASE: 1 October 2007
GwynneSpeed Rallying's Super1600 Rally Car Debut
Andy Gwynne, company proprietor of GwynneSpeed Rallying
is delighted to announce that his newly designed and developed
Group B10 Citroen Saxo 1600cc 16V Rally Car is nearing
completion.
The car is a culmination of over 2 years of development.
The car started as a bare, standard Citroen Saxo road
car shell and has been designed and modified to accommodate
the most modern technology currently available in rallying.
Many of the crucial components of the car such as the
suspension, engine/gearbox mounts, steering components
and body panels have been designed and hand made by Andy
Gwynne in order to maximise their efficiency and durability.
Andy Gwynne has worked closely with John Beattie and
Mike Phelps of Race Engine Design Ltd. based in Much Wenlock,
Shropshire to develop the Saxo's unique engine. Andy had
an ex-works Peugeot 106 Maxi kit car engine which John
has re-built to incorporate all of the most current technology.
Race Engine Design used their expertise and specialist
engine dyno facilities to design a special engine management
system in order to increase the efficiency of the 1600cc
engine. The engine produces just over 200bhp at the moment
and the Evolution II engine is already in the development
stages!
The gearbox has been designed to suit the Saxo's requirements.
Steve Walby of SWR Motorsport based in Harlow is the UK
distributor of Sadev gearboxes. Sadev, a French transmission
specialist company, currently supply the gearboxes for
many of the French Rally Teams including the Citroen Super1600
Works Team. Andy, Steve and the engineers in France worked
together to decide on the unique settings of the ST75-14
which is a 6-speed sequential gearbox fitted with a flat
change facility. This enables clutch-less gear changes
to take just 6 milliseconds. The gearbox and engine are
managed in harmony to enable the driver to change gear
without using the clutch or lifting off the accelerator
in order to minimise power loss.
All of the fabrication on the car has been designed from
scratch by Andy Gwynne and Rory Frost from Frost Engineering
based in Staverton, Gloucestershire. They have designed
and manufactured all of the brackets and mountings for
the engine and gearbox, rear beam, pedal box and power
steering column as well as designing and building the
bottom arms from a material which is twice as strong as
steel but half the weight, T45.
The Saxo will be used on both gravel and tarmac National
rallies. Originally, Andy was going to use Kevlar body
panels in order to reduce the body shell weight However,
after some research he decided that the Kevlar panels
would quickly become damaged and potentially destroyed
when rallying on gravel and so he decided to hand build
the panels out of tin. The wings have had to be increased
in width by 120mm in order to accommodate the wide track
of the Saxo running gear. This has also been applied to
the rear wheel arches. The weight of the bonnet has been
reduced by 50%.
When the car is used on tarmac, it will run 17"
wheels in order to allow large enough brake discs and
water cooled, 4 pot brake calipers to be accommodated.
In the early stages of the car's development, it was planned
to use 4 stud hubs as the works Citroen Saxo kit cars
did. However after some research, Andy decided to reduce
the risk of shearing wheel bolts off under braking by
using 5 stud hubs. This has also enabled him to use larger,
stronger driveshafts as driveshaft breakage has always
been a problem with Andy's previous, high-powered front
wheel drive cars.
This car will be competing on the MSA National Tarmac
Championship which includes rounds in Scotland, Ireland
and the Isle of Man. It will be also be used on selected
National gravel rallies.
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