© Kasia Nicklin 2013
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After a 7 month break from rallying, Kasia returned for 2013 to contend the Ward Construction, Association of Eastern Motor Clubs, Stage Rally Championship, driving for Major Motorsport in their 1.4lt Rally First Nissan Micra.
It soon became apparent that the diminutive micra, a virtually standard car running on road/track day tyres was set up perfectly for the event, being nimble and agile through the tight sections allowing the crew to offset its’ obvious disadvantage along the straights.
Commenting afterwards Kasia explained “This was my first senior event, so I didn’t set myself high expectations, my main goal was to finish the event and further build a relationship with the new car (we’re still getting to know each other!) “….
“The car performed very well and my confidence increased throughout the day which was shown by our competitive stage times. We were seeded 89th from a field of 99 cars and finished 30th overall and 2nd in class - an achievement I was really proud of, especially since my last competitive event was 7 months ago”.
Indeed, the crews’ achievements did not go un-noticed with a Ian Harden reporting for “Motorsport News” nominating this as his “drive of the day”.
Kasia concluded “I really couldn’t have hoped for a better result, I’d like to thank my co-driver Emma, and all at Major Motorsport for their tireless attention to detail keeping the car in top form all day, and Bill Gwynne Rally School for their continued support in training and tuition ahead the event.
“Abingdon was not only a fantastic rally, but the social aspect such as the BBQ, beer tent and the comedy entertainment in the evening encouraged a family spirit which made the event really special; I very much hope to return next year.”
First senior rally ....
2nd in Class !
2nd in Class again !
In a strong showing, they finished 35th overall and 2nd in the 1400 class, adding useful points towards the “Ward Construction” AEMC Stage Rally Driver’s Championship .
First Win in 1400 Class
The all female crew completed the 7 tarmac stages at Woodbridge to finish 1st in class, and 20th overall, from the field of 73 entries, and were on the winning team of the MSA Inter-Association Stage Rally team event.
But it was almost not to be,
"When we pulled into service after Stage 1, steam was spiralling upwards from under the bonnet, followed by a pool of coolant on the floor from a failed seal on the water pump."
With just 20 minutes left before Stage 2, the mechanics at Major Motorsport set about a temporary repair
"We set out on Stage 2 with the heater on full power inside the car and instructions to monitor the engine temperature. Emma and I had everything crossed because if the temperature reading went into the red, we knew we would have to stop on the stage to prevent damaging the engine"
Luckily the temporary repair held and we completed the remaining stages despite the tropical heat inside the car.
In addition I was delighted to be nominated to represent the AEMC in the Motor Sports Association (MSA) Inter-Association Stage Rally Team event. Each motor club selects a team comprising 3 drivers and their individual finishing class positions are added up to determine the winning team. The AEMC took the victory as Kasia and the other 2 drivers in her team, Pete Rayner and Stuart Cadman took honours by winning the team event by a resounding margin.
Kasia & Emma secure the
AEMC Championship 1.4 class
While bitterly cold there was thankfully no return of the snow and ice from last year. Both Saturday and Sunday started with the track wet and cold, with conditions steadily improving throughout the day. The cold slippery conditions suited her driving style so while several others made unscheduled visits to the gravel traps Kasia made good progress finishing stage one just a second behind the class leader. However, the team knew going into the event that a win would be difficult as they were up against the very successful car of Ian Barnard, who had earlier this year secured 2nd position in the B9, 1400 class of the MSA British Asphalt Rally Championship.
Having been seeded 54th from 61 cars, Kasia was delighted to end the first day and its' night stages 23rd overall, with a firm grip on 2nd in class. Sunday started cold and wet and very encouragingly she was fastest in class by 3 seconds, climbing to 21st overall, before the track started to dry; as the track dried, Barnard's car, with more power and a sequential gearbox was able to get this power down and extended his lead in the class.
Kasia in the Major Motorsport, Nissan Micra completed all 12 stages, finishing 2nd in the 1400 class, and 24th overall, also gained the Award for best Lady Driver.
