NHMC Cadwell Stages Rally 2021 - MSN Circuit Rally Championship Round Two

Part Two - The Raise Nissan Micra with Adam and Ray Ripper

Images by David Harbey

Cadwell Park 21 November 2021

An early start for my first trip to Cadwell Park this season – and my first rallying action of the year too.  Our adopted team of son and father, Adam and Ray Ripper were out in their Nissan Micra for the first time this year and Ray agreed to share with us their experiences of the day. Ray writes:

What a wonderful place Cadwell Park is; one of the country’s most picturesque motorsport venues, and it is to there we ventured on Sunday 21st November to rally in the ably-run North Humberside Motor Club Cadwell Park Stages. 



Having elected, for familiarities sake, to utilise the track day that was arranged on the previous day, we arrived at the circuit early on Sunday morning to a colder north wind blowing some sharp showers our way, we very pleased to have erected the awnings the night before. 

After a sausage roll for breakfast we set off for a first stage with the colder temperatures, fallen leaves and damp track providing reason for early caution. Perhaps we were overcautious as the Micra posted a time of 6 minutes 55 seconds, some way adrift of the early pacesetters Charlie Barlow and Emma Morrison in their highly-specced Micra.

Still, it was a good basis from which to build and we’d had some success at the venue before so we knew our Micra would make the distance, at least. 

With a dry line appearing, a more forceful stage two meant we managed to shave 26 seconds off our previous time and move up to second in class, and by the end of the stage we really felt back in the groove after a year out from competition. 

The next two stages were a little more compact with the Park and Park Straight restricted to a finishing flourish only and the exciting Gooseneck not included at all. And it was busy!

We emerged at the start behind Charlie Barlow and followed him through the complex around at the Mountain, before giving way to a faster Impreza along towards Mansfield and the split. 

It’s always worth yielding to faster cars on the circuit, as firstly time spent looking worryingly in the rear view mirror is reduced, and secondly there’s an increasingly open road ahead; everyone benefits. 

Sadly that wasn’t the case at the merge where we ended up on the tail of a slower Fiesta through the Mountain which then refused to yield along the whole stage through to the split despite our flashing lights and almost continuous horn.

A yellow Astra spun in front of this ‘duel’ and only Adam’s quick reactions saved a three car collision. A disappointing time resulted in a dropped place in class, now behind the gradually improving Vauxhall Nova of Joe Walker and Brad Sowerby. 

Returning to the circuit on stage four, Charlie and Emma clearly had a problem as they dropped 22 places overall, but we had a clearer run, not encountering the Fiesta again and posting another 26-second improvement – it just shows what a clear stage and considerate driving can do (the Fiesta was 20 seconds better off as a result too!) 

Stages five and six promised the use of the full circuit (the right way round, too!), also the removal of the chicane up on Charlies; this offered the prospect of some quick stage times. However, for us it was not to be. 

After entering stage five at Hairpin and rounding the corner at Barn we were alerted by the marshals to take care. Evidently there was a broken Peugeot that had spun earlier and was now attempting to return to the stage from the grass verge.

Obviously, we slowed to allow this and just along before Coppice also pulled aside to let a faster Clio through which was then unceremoniously side-barged by the Pug at Charlies.

Avoiding the breaking and scattering wing mirrors, we were left to chase the two cars up towards Park to the split, and then the Peugeot around the rest of the stage before closing again at the foot of the Gooseneck where our line was superior and we passed by. 

At least that was behind us and we could concentrate on the rest of the stage, but after the merge and entering the old pits complex the black Fiesta was now in front of us! Oh, give me a break! However, a lesson had been learned and this time it pulled over leaving us clear to finish the stage.

A check on the stage times revealed that we were now playing second fiddle in our class to the improving Nova. 

Stage six was much better, passing without incident and a 17 second improvement! There was a moment of concern when we were requested to attend scrutineering again for a fuel sample check, but on arrival the scrutineer present waived us through – we weren’t the car they wanted to inspect after all! 

Stage seven began with all light pods and light bars blazing. Sat between the arrival and start on the perimeter of the park, we’d heard from the service crew that a shower had fallen on the circuit, although only a mere smattering of rain had fallen on our windscreen, not a quarter of a mile away. Once we were underway with our lights fully on, the extent of the shower became apparent with standing water at Coppice and along Park Straight. 

Our tyres had served us well the whole day so far but couldn’t cope with the excess water and we aquaplaned along some of the two sections mentioned and a lock up at the square left at the finish provided some unwanted drama. 

While in service and with no further rain in the past hour it looked like we would finish the rally on a single set of tyres. There was some debate as to whether the last stage would be run because of the noise curfew and I later gathered an extension was agreed. During service I’d had a discussion with a fellow co-driver, Andrew, about the importance of not arriving at MTC2 too early (or too late). And so we readied ourselves and set off for arrival on stage eight. 

We only went ten yards and the rain began again, so Adam took the decision to change to our set of wet tyres. The service crew were brilliant, changing all four wheels in a controlled four minutes while Adam and I sat in the car. It may not quite have been as lightning fast as an F1 change, but it was quick enough for us and meant we could go out with the confidence of having some good rubber on the road and gave thanks for the extra safety and 11 seconds gained as we travelled smoothly along the dark stage. 



At the finish I made the necessary calculation for correct time arrival at MTC2 and we congratulated each other on a second place in class behind a Nova – no shame for a heavier Micra with considerably less horses under the bonnet. 

We headed off to the Clubhouse for a celebratory hot chocolate (we know how to live!) and saw almost to our disbelief that the Nova crew had earned a one minute penalty for early arrival at MTC2, putting us 12 seconds ahead!

Whilst this was hard luck on Joe and Brad it opened my eyes as a navigator as to the importance of the final arrival time and had it not been for Andrew making sure that I was fully aware of it, I would probably have made the same transgression. 

Thus we returned to competition with a win. That’s two on the bounce now, if 12 months between rallies actually counts. Our Micra was brilliant, it may not be the best presented but it does exactly what is asked of it. For me, Adam was the difference, he’d been fantastic all day.

Keeping on the pedal and putting in some terrific driving to put us there or thereabouts at the end. On reflection, if Joe and Brad hadn’t got their one minute penalty and we hadn’t been held up for 69 seconds we would still have had 21 seconds on them. Poetic justice? That would be ungracious. I think it was just that the luck was with us on the day. 

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