Speed, excitement and burning rubber with Bailey Caravans and Wales Rally GB (part two)
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Our Bailey base on a Caravan Club site proves perfect for a weekend of Wales Rally GB action
-- Read Part One here --
The grounds of Chirk Castle are filled with flora and fauna that flourish in the tranquil surroundings; birds, squirrels, foxes, deer, rabbits, ancient oaks and fungi adore the serenity and thrive in these unspoiled acres. This is nature in perfect, blissful harmony.
And then… ‘BWAA, BWAA, BWAAAAAH… CRACKLE… BANG… BWAA!’ – the calm is annihilated by a 300bhp fluoro-coloured missile, sliding sideways through the peace and quiet, slaying the silence.
Welcome to the World Rally Championship.
Move over nature, it's four wheelin' time!
Wales Rally GB lays claim to Chirk’s grounds each November, usurping its status as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Astonishing serenity is swapped for hours of hooning around in big bhp beasts, covering everything in mud and filling the air with the sound of engines.As a WRC stage, Chirk Castle is 2.06km of competitive cornering and climbs around these glorious grounds. From our Caravan Club campsite, we’ve been looking forward to this one since we arrived. However, on our approach to the parking, we nearly get an even more intimate experience of the Special Stage than we expected.
We leave our pitch at Lady Margaret’s Park Caravan Club site, situated right next to the castle grounds. It doesn’t take us long to pass a flappy-armed race marshal, who proceeds to wave us in the direction of the car park. As we trundle down the road in our Honda, we’re gestured onward by another high-vis volunteer, then the local police signal us to head left.
We turn through a gate and are met by more marshals who order us to stop for a second. We’re facing slightly uphill and in front of us are a set of red lights and some fast-flicking digital timers. We look at each other, then back at the lights. All of a sudden we realise we’re on the start line for the Chirk Special Stage!
Our race-liveried British Touring Car Championship Civic Tourer has fooled the marshals and cops into thinking we’re one of the WRC animals we’re here to see.
We sheepishly drive away, only to find the real spectator car park around the corner. A field isn’t quite as exciting as the start line of a rally stage, but it’s probably for the best, considering our relative lack of racing experience.
Heading right into the action
From the parking point it’s easy to spy where we’re headed. A line of rally addicts snakes across the fields towards the entrance. Hyundai – the official Wales Rally GB sponsor – has hooked up a giant hot air balloon, tied down to a bunch of Santa Fe SUVs. Impressive.We continue up a hill to the track. Hay bales form a bridge over a stream and provide a vantage point for punters as they perch on top. People are everywhere, searching for the best spot. Near the first corner, marshals allow passage across the track at the right time, so you’re in the centre of the action and there’s racing everywhere you look.
Some lucky people have special passes allowing them to watch the races from Chirk Castle’s battlements. I wonder what it’s like to see the circuit from above.
No sooner has the thought lodged than two of the Red Bull Air Race team take to the skies in a surprise acrobatic display (I should have read the event literature). Looping, soaring, spinning and stalling, they defy gravity and cause craned necks and open mouths before disappearing in a cloud of smoke; making way for the action at ground level.
A sensory experience for anyone
There’s nothing quite like the sound of motorsport. From the engine noise of F1 (even with the controversial reduction), or the screeching of tyres in drifting, it’s a sensory experience that gives extra depth to an already exciting spectacle. Rally isn’t an exception to this enticing audio attraction, as we hear the ‘bwa bwa bwaaah’ of an awesome exhaust set-up dealing with the passion, hunger and talent of the driver behind the wheel.Chirk Castle’s circuit is muddy and manic, as there’s so little room for error on the short course. The slightest slip and a car slides into a hay bale before awkwardly shuffling back onto the track, losing vital seconds. It’s exciting, easily accessible and there’s a level of community here between spectators.
As Editor John snaps the passing rally traffic on each run, a quick flash of my pass and a mumble gets me access to the Hyundai VIP area to shoot video. There are places to get up close to the action all around this stage – a great introduction for anyone looking to get into rallying.
It’s a two-minute drive back to our Bailey, which has been kept toasty by the Truma Combi heating and hot water system. We crank it up a little to wind down for the night before prepping some dinner.
End of an incredible trip
The morning comes, marking the end of our Wales Rally GB motors, mud and misdirection experience. Now there’s just the minor detail of towing the Pursuit 550-4 over 150-odd miles back to Caravan Towers, turning heads the whole time with our motorsport-liveried tourer, before returning the outfit to The Honda Institute the following day.As we roll off our pitch, we know we’ll be leaving the adrenaline rush and the stunning Welsh countryside behind, but also that we’ll be back for more sideways action next year.
For more information on the next event, visit the Wales Rally GB website. If you missed it, be sure to read part one of the Caravan magazine tour.
Watch the video of Caravan magazine's trip
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