October Origins - Need for Speed

As most people know I'm a huge sports fan, one of the top sports I follow is motor sports, I get this need for speed from my dad and a bit from my grandfather. In one of my early blips I posted my love for motorcycle racing, and I always went with my dad and grandfather to watch the road races in Aberdare Park.

Whilst we love two wheel racing, it is undoubtedly the four wheeled variety which my father loves the most. My grandfather had a garage, although he never drove, and my dad used it when he was growing up to tinker with his cars, he also stored all his Motoring News magazines in the garage and it's this which sticks in my memory more than anything. I always enjoyed looking through these and reading about some of the legends I'd hear him mention, his hero was Jim Clark, and in his opinion Jim was the greatest ever driver because he was a Formula One World Champion, Indy 500 winner and just as talented in rally car driving.

Rallying is where my dad made his mark in sport as a co-driver/navigator, and this is his rally board which he used for his maps and pace notes. Of course this was in the day when it was proper rallying, no driving through the stage a few days before, you only had a map and you had to navigate your way around the stages. Stages also took place during the middle of the night, servicing was done in a factory or pub car park, not like now where its all done in special, fancy service parks with umpteen mechanics crawling all over the car.

My dad would also marshal on the RAC Rally, Wales Rally GB now, national and clubman events so would often travel around the country, I always loved to go with him when I was old enough. I can remember one RAC when after all the cars had passed through and the stage was closed, my dad and his mate had a blast around the forest on the way out. I was only young at the time and was scared witless in the back of the car as we slid around the forest, of course I'd love to get a chance to do it now and have often considered going on one of those rally days.

We haven't been to see the Wales Rally GB for a few years now, partly because you don't have the freedom to find your spot because they've created these spectator zones. Half the fun of going to a rally was walking three or four miles into a forest stage and finding this really great corner or jump, where you could watch the cream of world rallying do their stuff. I understand the reasons for doing it because of the potential danger to spectators and drivers, but if you look at some of the foreign rallies they are far worse than ours.

We still watch rallying on TV along with Formula One, Speedway and Motorcycle GPs. I've got to say my father is my best friend.

This is an entry in the October Origins Challenge as created by PontyCyclops.