TeamWoodSpeed Racing - News-Articles

Teamwoodspeed enter the 2010 Centenary Stages Rally

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:37:55 +0000

Following the Woodford brothers' exciting 3rd place finish last time out at Manby, the team are looking forward to building on this achievement while Paul gets more experience of driving the Saxo in anger. Little more than a week away though, as Paul explains there is still plenty to do:

"The car still requires work on the steering rack, which we will hopefully complete early next week in time for the rally. Apart from that, we didn't really do any damage at Manby so we'll be looking for a trouble free run at Barkston Heath, without the frustrating problems that held us back at the last rally."

The Opposite Lock Stages saw Paul and Mike, by their own admission get to grips with the 1600 Saxo for the first time since they began competing with the car at the beginning of the 2010 season. With Barkston Heath promising fast, all tarmac stages the Centenary Stages Rally looks set to offer a different challenge to the other events so far this year.

Graham Gibbs is hoping to put the troubles that saw the Peugeot driver pull out of the last event behind him as the team head to Barkston Heath. Provided the car is ready in time, he looks set to be co-driven by newcomer Reece Elliot, who has joined the team before as a member of the service crew.

Organised by Sheffield and Hallamshire Motor Club, the 2010 Centenary Stages will see the crews tested over 10 special stages, totalling approximately 55 competitive miles. For more information about the rally or to get involved as a marshall please visit www.sheffieldandhallamshiremc.co.uk.

Woodford brothers fly to third place finish at Manby

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:05:58 +0000

Rallying is all about the ups and downs, and Teamwoodspeed know all too well the downs. This weekend however was all about the ups as the team took home their first trophies with the Saxo.

As Paul explains, the result was hard fought: "The first stage saw us lose all but 1st and 3rd gears, due to a problem with the gear linkage. That was fixed in service and a smooth run on the second stage had us sitting 5th in class. Stage 3 was a struggle when the alternator belt came off, meaning we had to do the whole stage without power steering or intercom. Again, an easy fix in service followed by yet more problems; Stage 4 looked to be a turning point when we lost almost 3 minutes when the throttle stuck open mid-stage, and together with a broken wheel stud and alternator bolt this meant we were in 9th place going into the lunchtime service."

The morning's events had seen Tom, Andy and the rest of the service crew busy with repairs, and to be in 9th place going into the afternoon leg of the competition didn't do justice to the hard work put in by everyone. The answer was to push. Hard.

Going into the final stage, the pair were in 4th position, almost 2 minutes off the first of the podium places. Mike Woodford, co-driving for brother Paul knew what it would take to get the finish the team deserved:

"I knew it would take a combination of a big push and someone ahead of us having some problems to make up a place in the last stage, and we really did go flat out!"

Paul did just that, getting to grips with the 1600 Saxo and making the shortened final stage count. At the finish, the team took third place by a matter of seconds, a true credit to the hard work of everyone who helped on the day.

As Paul takes up: "We've had a fantastic result here, and it really does belong to everyone. We've proved the car is competitive and even passed a Subaru Impreza on one stage. The next step is to get some more time in the seat, develop my driving and make some more improvements to the car before the next event."

The team would like to thank everyone who supported them and made this result possible.

Gibbs and Hutchings pull Manby entry

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:53:59 +0000

As Teamwoodspeed prepared to depart for the Lincolnshire-based event, the Peugeot 205 of Graham Gibbs was still undergoing final preparations in an attempt to be ready for the rally.

As Graham explains: "It was a tall ask, we've all worked so hard these last couple of weeks but there was so much to do in such a short space of time. We're bitterly disappointed not to have both cars out, but will be there tomorrow and hope for a good day for the Saxo."

The car did finally make the rolling road on Friday afternoon - acknowledged as the last major job - but low oil pressure means that the engine will have to come back out and leaves Lincoln-based MBE with no time to complete the remaining work.

Paul and Mike Woodford are entered in the second of the team's cars, the Citroen Saxo and are looking for a good finish in tomorrow's rally.

Teamwoodspeed return to Manby

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:40:12 +0000

Paul and Mike Woodford have had an entry accepted for the Opposite Lock Rally, which will be the first time the Saxo has been driven in anger since the brothers' troublesome event at Twyford Wood two months ago. Despite the car suffering substantial damage, they still managed 7th in class thanks to what Paul claimed was a real team effort.

Paul said: "The car has undergone a comprehensive re-prep following the last rally, which has resulted in some significant suspension set up changes and repairs to other parts which mean the car will be very different to drive at Manby."

The Woodford brothers' last event at the Manby Motorplex, near Louth saw the Saxo's debut. However the team will be looking for a more positive result at this rally as headgasket failure resulted in a frustrating retirement on SS2 last time at the venue.

Due to Paul's commitments as a TV Presenter for Motors TV, initial plans to contest the ANCC Rally Championship were put on hold, but the Opposite Lock Rally, organised by Slaithwaite and District Motor Club is a round of the ANCC series and reflects Paul's intentions to compete in selected rounds.

Graham Gibbs, co-driven by Rob Young last drove the team's Peugeot 205 on the John Overend Memorial Stages rally at Melbourne, when a wheel stud resulted in retirement. Following this rally, a full rebuilt is in progress and it is hoped the car will be ready in time to enter the Opposite Lock Stages.

The team's lead mechanic and all-round technical guru Tom Hutchings looks set to partner Graham in the hot seat if preparations go to plan. Tom's last event as a co-driver was at Manby in 2009 when he partnered Paul in the Ford Ka.

He said: "It will be great to get back out, and the 205 will be better than ever with a new and improved spec. I suspect it might be a busy day for the team but I'm sure we'll manage!"

Both crews will be looking for a good finish and to put to rest some of the demons that have plagued the team so far this season when they arrive in Lincolnshire later this month.

Further details of the event can be found at www.slaithwaitemc.co.uk. The team's photography sponsors www.rallyaround.co.uk are hoping to be in attendance at the rally and we look forward to showing off their work!

7th in class for Woodford duo at Twyford Wood

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:55:48 +0000

The team arrived at Twyford Wood, near Grantham in Lincolnshire with only two stages and a blown headgasket from the last rally to show for their efforts with the Saxo so far. Starting the event with the intention of bettering that record, things began well.

Running 48th on the road meant that the surface was well swept, giving Paul good grip on the Kumho tarmac slicks. The first four stages of the day were without incident, despite being held up behind slower cars in front on the last of the morning’s tests. But as Paul explains, that’s not all bad:

“Being quicker on the road than a lot of cars we’d last year have been battling with was a very nice feeling, although we found ourselves at the mercy of the Twyford dust at times!”

The times over the morning’s stages were improving consistently as Paul got to grips with the Saxo. Going into the afternoon stages with a position of 7th in class and 24th overall things were looking promising. However, the afternoon leg would not go as smoothly.

Stage 5 saw the Saxo land badly off a jump, smashing a front Proflex suspension shock which in turn damaged the driveshaft CV joint. Limping back to service, the team set about making a temporary repair to get the car to the following service when there would be more time to carry out a more substantial fix.

Despite a heroic effort by Tom, Dave and fellow competitor Simon Naylor to get a new driveshaft fitted within maximum lateness at the next service halt, the next two stages were fraught with more driveshaft and suspension trouble as the damaged Proflex continued to cause problems.

Determined to make the finish of the rally, and with 7th place still in hand, the team battled to keep the car running. The final stage saw the gear linkage snap, but with the help of marshals, Paul managed to manually select third gear on the gearbox and limp to the end of the stage, coming home within the maximum stage time.

7th place at the end of a hard fought rally is a strong finish for the team with the new car, and as Paul explains there are plenty of positives to take away from today’s rally:

“We were improving all the time, and the car’s pace and composure seemed very good. I’m more confident in the car and can see clear areas for improvement for Mike and I.

I do have to say a huge thank you to the whole team for their super human efforts today without which we wouldn’t have got to the finish. This result is well and truly testament to the help I’ve received from everyone before this event to get the car ready and on the event to keep it in the running.

Another thank you is due to the other teams and marshals who helped with our rally today – Twyford is a superb venue and we will be back to improve on this result!”

Thank you to www.dpphotographic.co.uk for the action photos that appear in this article.