Part 11 - The Car is a HERO (the driver, not so much)

After six month's delay due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we were finally able to complete our first UK HERO (Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation) event at the beginning of September 2020, albeit under the shadow of Covid-19 infection precautions.

There were a few last minute rectifications to the car...that irritating rattle was traced back to the very first thing we fixed on the car:  The front shock absorber mounting.  We had replaced the bushes and reassembled all the washers and cups in the position we found them.  Big Mistake!  Given all the other bodges we found on the car, I should have thought to double check the assembly earlier.  Doing so now, it was obviously wrong.  It was a 10 minute job, that changed the car from a rattlely old banger into a swish, silent Jag.  The power steering fluid is slowly disappearing (I know not where), so a quick top up and we were ready to roll.

Prepped & Ready To Go

I met Graham, my navigator, at the start venue, the Bicester Heritage Centre, a world class centre of car restoration.   Our instructions were to go through scuitinering and pick up our signing on packs.  It was a strangely solitary affair.

One of many buildings at Bicester Heritage containing extraordinary cars.
Notice the D-Type (no.9) in the background

The usual chatting, mingling and mixing of competitors at the start was missing.  Of the 99 cars entered, we saw fewer than 15 before, during and after the event as our arrival and departure times were strictly controlled.  Social distancing, face shields, temperature checks and sanitising were the order of the day.

The running order was determined by classification:  Generally the older cars, including exotic open tourers from the '20s and '30s ran first, followed by cars from the 50's, 60' and 70's; rounded off with the modern classics, such as ours (1980s) in Class 8.  As a youngster, our 30 year old Jaguar (1982 specification) started near the bottom at no. 87.  I failed to realise at the time that whilst this was our very first event, many of the cars around us in Class 8 were vying for top honours.  

Car No.1:  Bentley Derby 4.25 1937

  

Wire wheels to the fore

The cars in our class were mostly in full rally spec:  Roll cages, sump-guards, tuned engines etc.  It caused some amusement when we rolled up in our sumptuous and near silent Jaguar.  As I said to the starting marshall, "There's no reason to be uncomfortable!"

A Slightly Unusual Version of a Ford Escort MkII Rally Car - A Four-Door Ghia

The first three tests were on Bicester Airfield; a wake up call for all the drivers and navigators who had not competed for at least 6 months.  The tests were intra-class, timed to the second, meaning we were competing with our formidable and experienced Class 8 rivals.

Graham and I had agreed that we would concentrate on eliminating any penalties for taking the wrong route or hitting cones, and not worry about the time.  However, when the driver gets the 3-2-1 countdown from the marshall, plans tend to go out the window in all the excitement and adrenaline.  It was pedal to the metal.

This was the first time I had driven the XJS in true anger and the first time in a rear-wheel-drive car on loose surfaces....there was some fairly wild understeer followed by lurid oversteer until Graham managed to calm me down and I and the car managed to get a grip.  By Test 3, things were improving with more sealed surfaces and longer straights where we could use the power of the V12.

This was followed by the first of six regularity sections, with increasingly hard navigation as the event unfolded.  Using the lesser known and less travelled roads in Oxfordshire, I soon discovered why many of the top contenders have sump-guards.  We managed to avoid any substantial damage, but judging by the fumes in the car the following day, I think a petrol pipe or fitting has been compromised (which is probably why HERO recommend running armoured petrol lines inside the car instead of underneath) and the exhaust system bears a few scars.

Scything across Oxfordshire (average speed 28mph!)

I laughed out loud when I learnt that the next series of tests would be at the Bill Gwynne Rally School.  A fairly standard Jaguar XJS on a proper rally stage was not likely to be a serious contender.  Luckily it was limited to a couple of special tests on a smooth-ish but loose surface.  The main problem apart from trying to control the car was the dust obscuring the way!  To our credit, we did avoid all cones and wrong directions, so our total penalties were limited to time (we were not the slowest).

The lunch halt was at Gaydon, the site of British Motor Museum and Jaguar's own historic collection and workshop.  This coincided with National Jaguar XJS Day - and about 500 other XJSs sparkling in the late summer sunshine.  Our XJS, with its rough and ready paintwork, would have been a minor embarrassment had it been lined up with the concours examples displayed on the museum's lawns.

One of the unusual XJS variants at the National XJS Day, Gaydon:  An XJS Eventer

After a socially distant lunch, it was time to continue.  We had picked up some time penalties in the first half having not quite understood some of the finer points of Regularity timing, but now we were getting more consistent in maintaining an average speed and the increasing difficulty of the navigation played to Grahams rallying experience.  Our main achievement was not getting lost; indeed, thanks to Graham's map reading skills we managed to complete the entire route correctly with no penalties for wrong directions, missing code boards and the like.

Unlike the crew, the car performed faultlessly throughout the weekend*.  The main lesson was that the car is far more capable than the driver:  Never mind modifications to the suspension, transmission, steering and engine that I had in mind:  What is far more important than all of these is improvement of the driver. For now, I am the weakest link.

When the results were published, we were very satisfied to be placed 45th overall; half way down the field - a good result for the first attempt.  Now with the bit between our teeth, we have set a target to be in the top third overall in the upcoming HERO Challenge 3 starting in Taunton in October.

The End of A Good Day Out

* Yes, the car did perform as required, but that doesn't mean the to-do list has been fully crossed off.  Many of the ancillary systems still need work, the most urgent of which is the HVAC - the heating, ventilation and air conditioning, which has a mind of its own.  It decides what heat, what fan speed and what distribution.  The rest of the car lends a hand too: Pressing the brake pedal leads to increased fan speed.  The only control I have is to switch it off and open the windows.

The HVAC installation is the most byzantine array of vacuum pipes, servo motors, temperature sensors, tubes, flaps, fans, rods and cogs and logic(!) circuits that has ever been assembled...and much of it is duplicated on each side of the car.  The system is supposed to be fully automatic, but even as standard, it is impossible to simply allow fresh air into the car.  The workshop manual states that that it can take up to 10 minutes for the system to stabilize when starting the car.  I can attest to that:  Naturally, the aircon on this 30 year old Jaguar does not work, but on a warm summer's afternoon, you don't expect full heat to the central dashboard vent whilst the system decides what best to do.

By October, we may have to contest with wetter, colder conditions.  I have visions of the inside of the cabin resembling a steamy sauna!