Metro 6r4 Rally car.
I regularly rally my 6R4 and also enjoy competing in it at Harewood Hillclimb. The car always draws attention, the engine note being unmistakable to rally fans. I have a large amount of memories regarding this car, the wins and also the tribulations that go hand in hand in running this iconic vehicle today against modern day WRC rally machinery.
The memory most prominent to mind was during a single venue tarmac stage rally called the Jack Frost stages held at Croft racing circuit base in Yorkshire in early January.
Having won this event in the past we started as car number two behind an ex Ford Factory WRC Ford Focus driven by Paul Bird. During the first stage we missed an awkward split used on the rally stage, which meant we had to put in an extra lap of the circuit, which resulted in a huge loss of time. In fact it forced us way down the results board and we found ourselves in seventy seventh place out of a eighty one car field.
Despite this big setback we decided to continue, using the rest of the rally for testing and to try some different suspension settings during the day.
The 6R4 is best described as a difficult car to drive on the limit but on that day we really got the car dialled in, almost working perfectly and started to set some amazing stages times.
Spurred on by the usual big support we find at these events using this iconic car, we pushed on, driving the 6R4 to its maximum and continued our charge up the leader board, setting fastest times on a number of stages.
As each stage passed we climbed further and further up the leader board and by the final stage we had made it back to 3rd and were still pushing on strongly.
We finished the event only a few seconds behind second place driver, had there had been one more stage we would have finished as we started as Car No 2
The support the car received throughout the day from the spectators and supporters for continuing from nearly being in last place was tremendous. That support was also for the sight and notable engine note of a 1985 Metro 6r4 been driven to win will stick in the memory of all who witnessed it during that event.
Chris Wise
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Memory added on May 31, 2012
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