NKD258

[Keith Clements]

The Jowett Archive search service found this gem of a report in By Jupiter 1994-04 page 5 about the Le Jog, 'Opposite Lock' . I particularly like the postscript from the editor.

I then tested the newly installed OCR service on the server to get this. Much better than the OCR done on the PC which had an uncompressed file to work with. So it looks like I have the massive task of OCR ing all the 1800 documents again!

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“OPPOSITE - LOCK”
by Keith Clements & Drummond Black
LE JOG - Land's End to John O’ Groats Reliability Trial 1994
Five Jowetts originally entered LE JOG. Engine rebuild problems terminated the aspirations of Smailes, Blanckley and Selci to do the event in their Jowetts - but McAuley and Clements passed the biggest hurdle. Starting!!
I picked up Drummond from Bristol airport and continued to my parents’ home in Barnstaple. Finishing touches to the navigator cockpit and (unsuccessful) repairs to the rev counter delayed the start of our journey to “signing on”. No worry - the officials arrived three hours late!
This gave us time to re-route the speedo cable to the navigator’s side. Cutting the hole in the bulkhead with a small file kept us warm, A formal dinner set the scene for the impressive early morning start of the exotic machinery, including a whisper-quiet Lanchester.
After 30 yards we started the first test which was a garage, slalom and 360 degree turn test on the exit to Land’s End; then on to a regularity section - a simple introduction for the teams to the Jogularity timing method which tested their ability to keep on time and on route.
There followed a braking test, a reverse hill climb test - which both Jowetts failed miserably - and a muddy grass track test. Jowett supporters led by John Blase met us at the first halt and my parents at the second.
The long Exmoor regularity section strained the navigation techniques. We exchanged greetings with a horse riding party on the moor. Porlock Hill entertained three hill-climb tests.
Evening now approached so Drummond drove the 20 miles of M5 to the Severn Bridge supper halt, where John Prescott and others were waiting to encourage us. Panic set in amongst the navigators as they were unable to complete the plotting of the night section. Every opportunity was then taken throughout the night to complete this task.
Our new rally lights had their first test in the forest drive in south Wales. Powered by a large alternator, this was the only non-period modification allowed by the organizers. This I believe to be valid since it does improve safety.
Drummond was only half ready for the big test: the army ranges in the depths of Wales. We missed a couple of route controls but just made the Time Control. A sequence of Time Controls in the forests saw us, along with others, miss an obscure path - at three attempts! Picking up a dented backside and smashed rear light on the way, we eventually found the slot and hurtled over the rough tracks in true rallying style. The Jupiter was performing superbly!
A long regularity stage in the forest took us over some fantastic roads, rough at times, which tested the strength of the KINGPIN tyres.
A tired Drummond aimed the Jupiter towards the breakfast halt whilst T grabbed 15 minutes’ sleep. Drummond clocked in and obtained the next set of instructions. We then had 30 minutes in which to shower, sleep. or plot. We chose to shower to wake ourselves up.
A top gear flexibility test and a regularity preceded a ford and test near Catterick. The Jupiter somehow stalled and then jammed in reverse in the middle of a simple test. We were first car through and took a few minutes to sort it out, Embarrassed but undeterred we flew into the next sequence of watery tests, one of which was marshalled by Mike Smailes - who was so surprised to see our Jupiter in the lead that he fluffed the start of the
test! We saw most of Richmond trying to find the TC in the Market Square. Moving so fast to catch up time, we overshot the next TC. The Javelin caught up with us at this point. By now the miles were passing quickly as we crossed into Scotland via Newcastleton.
Another regularity where Drummond argued with Sir David Steel. who was manning the TC, and a superb test completed the day. At this Test we stopped to watch the Javelin, which was probably why it decided to break down with what turned out to be distributor trouble.
However, it made it to Edinburgh where, after being well fed by Ruby, Geoff fitted his spare distributor.
Drummond was horrified to discover that the Jupiter's brakes had worn so much that the pedal went to the floor. He was worried enough for me not to tell him. Adjustment reinstated them to normal functioning.
The next morning we hit the rush hour traffic in Edinburgh. A couple of U-turns and we took the back roads, arriving at the first test before the marshals and ahead of all but one of the Veteran cars which were touring in front of the main rally.
The fog surrounding the Knock Hill circuit made life interesting. We were accused of going too fast by confused timekeepers. Our penalties did not, however, show that we had! The ice patches on the road were treacherous. Luckily, being the first car and not pushed for time, when I slid I slowed down. Unfortunately, Geoff was not so lucky and terminally crashed BEG.
Section after section of roads around the lochs were interspersed with tests I had done last year with John Blanckley. We were held up by snow and a snow-plough near Aviemore. The chunky Kingpins coped and the Yeti snowchains were not required. Time however was not tight, so no heroic driving was needed.
We were thought to be the Course Car in a long Regularity before Inverness - we were now running well ahead of the rest of the field. We believe we even missed controls because they had not woken up! Anyway. we did not complain too much as it made little difference to the result.
The supper halt at Inverness was spent plotting. Glucose tablets were now providing a much-needed boost. A sequence of tight Time Controls (TCs) followed. On one though an MG Y-type was letting me pass him. Wrong, He had slowed down for six inches of water! Needless to say, the Jupiter did not like it at 70 mph. We lost a minute drying out the distributor in this tight nine-minute section: then followed a ‘wrong slot’ up a winding drive marked by boulders. Wet leaves caused me to slide, collecting a boulder either side of the sump, the offside one breaking the bumper support tube, flattening the exhaust. and pushing the petrol pump into the floor.... We came to a halt in a lot of noise, steam and smoke - over a cess pit! In the mud and pitch darkness | switched off the battery switch, thought for LO seconds, observed the situation, and jacked up the car to remove the boulder. I started the engine and. with Drummond directing me - there were only six inches on either side of the front wheels to a very nasty situation in the cess pit - gingerly inched the Jupiter backwards. A couple of rotations around the forecourt of the house and we were back on the rally route.
We dropped about ten minutes to the next TC. At the next stop some Gun Gum fixed the noisy exhaust.
For the next 300 miles we did not see another moving car. High winds, flying debris, snow, sleet, hail and failed windscreen wipers (Drummond refused to do his ‘Pirelli wire trick’) added to the endurance test.
Since most of the route in northern Scotland was the same as last year had been, I relaxed. We were now doing well on the regularity sections. Dawn broke just as we started the last section, making visibility a problem through a wet windscreen. Drummond made a superb job of the final regularity, with just one wrong tum which lost us four seconds. We thought it was more, but decided not to argue!
The marshals at the finish said “Do you always arrive on Time?!” We had gained a reputation for arriving early.
As others arrived we relaxed and had our ration of alcohol. A couple of hours” sleep was grabbed before a superb evening in a nightclub in Wick. John Brown, the organizer of LE JOG commented on the extremely quickly-driven Jupiter at the presentation of our award for coming First in Class.
The Jupiter of course brought us home in style but I was forced to fix the wipers in a blizzard just south of Edinburgh. Over 3,000 miles - and going better at the end than at the start!
I am now even more in love (after 26 years!) with NKD. It has taken hundreds of hours to make her reliable, However, I have already started the list of work to be done in preparation for our next adventure - the Monte Carlo Classic Challenge, 1996!

Keith Clements.

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Footnote:
Keith was awarded The Alf Thomas Summer Trophy at the 1994 JOAC Annual Dinner for his Racing Year with NKD 258. His closing words at the ceremony were.... " next season we with be rallying...". and how. What a brilliant beginning to a new season. On behalf of us at,.......and to both of you......... Very well done.
The JAVELIN of Geoff McAuley and Frank Wooley suffered misfortune on black ice north of Edinburgh on the Monday morning, 5th December. The Javelin was smote a mighty blow to the offside, amidships. when it was in collision with a Toyota Land Cruiser. Frank collected some bruising, but Geoff, wasn't quite so lucky and suffered a cracked rib. And what of BEG 308, well in Geoff’s own words "We shall return...” The enthusiasm, much like the JAVELIN, is a little dented, but the motivation is to be ready or the TARGA ESPANIA in June 1995. Good luck from all of us.

Geoff was leading his class when the accident happened, and had only to finish to be assured of a victory. This turn of fate effectively robbed JOWETT of a double class win... in their Saloon and Sports Car categories.
I feel a bit of a wimp...... these fellas covered more miles in a round trip on a tong weekend in December than I do over a six month period during the Summer.

Editor.

[Keith Clements]

I may get around to composing the memoirs of NKD 258 having just been injected with nostaligia reviewing my Google Photo album. Here is one of 'knackered' in rally garb - the Halda Tripmaster and Speed Pilot with velcro for a couple of stop watches and pencil. Water bucket to save and collect fluids, bucket rally seats with four point harnesses, extra light switches and storage for maps.

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