The enthusiasm and generosity of top Bajan rally driver Greg Cozier, respected journalist Martin Sharp, and the members of the Barbados Rally Club encouraged eight OUMF university students from Oxford to embark for the West Indies in May for the most ambitious adventure the Foundation has undertaken to date. As a result of their appearance at Race Retro 2008 - on a stand kindly donated by show director and ardent OUMF supporter Ian Williamson - they were invited to pit their 1965 Riley 1.5 project car against over 80 modern rally cars for the two week Barbados Rally Carnival. These included 'full on' WRC cars, and top drivers like Kevin Proctor, Steve Perez, Bjorn Waldegard, and eventual overall winner Kris Meeke. 

 

With only 3 weeks to finish preparing the car (between receiving the invitation and the last possible date for the car to be delivered to Geestline for shipping), they faced a huge struggle to raise funds and meet the deadline.

 

Powervamp helped resolve one of the biggest headaches - which was resiting the standard battery on the floor behind the co-drivers seat. It was acid filled, and had to be sufficiently large to meet the power demands of a long distance rally with night stages - and the MSA safety regulations required it to be sealed within an even larger container.

 

Student co-driver Jon Puliston recalls " It was a nightmare! The position chosen was ideal - low and in the middle of the wheel base - but the space available was really restricted. To allow room, the fixed rally seat generously donated by Recaro had to be mounted too far forward and too upright - and there was no room for adjustment. Furthermore, once the seat was in place, the large, heavy battery became virtually inaccessible within its aluminium container so - regardless of the appalling seat position and discomfort - any normally quick operation like topping up, recharging, or using jump leads, was going to be a major operation!"

 

One call to Kelvin Charles at Powervamp Racing for advice - and the problem was solved! Kelvin suggested using the Powervamp 30 racing battery (with similar power output but half the weight and size). This is because it is 'dry' i.e. has no liquid electrolyte inside the case, so it is both safer and does not need to be put in a - larger - sealed container to guard against spillage. Additional benefits for us include the fact that it can be mounted on its side using just the bespoke Powervamp lightweight aluminium clamp (so saving yet more room), and accessibility is not a problem as it does not require topping up - which is good news in the 35 degree heat of the Caribbean! With a simple Anderson plug installed on the rollcage for easy access, it can be recharged, or started with a Powervamp Grid Start booster pack, quickly and easily.

 

Driver and project leader Ding Boston shared everyone's relief. " We were delighted that so many problems were quickly resolved with Powervamp Racing's help - and the items arrived the next day! I am sure that the Powervamp system we have installed will be used as a blueprint by OUMF's young engineers later in their careers - when they are faced with similar problems on future projects - as it just makes things so reliable, so safe, and so easy."

 

Powervamp is delighted to have been instrumental in helping OUMF to overcome this and many other hurdles encountered in competing on the Sol Barbados Rally, and congratulates the team on its finishing the rally 2nd in Class and 46th place overall - out of 89 entrants! What an achievement for this young and inexperienced team, in a classic car they prepared themselves, under some of the toughest road conditions and against some of the strongest opposition in the world. Their astonishing result shows great promise for the future!