James Everard

Despite most of Cockermouth being submersed, the Grizedale forest stages are set to continue as planned.

This gives Everard just 12 days to complete the R2 build. Progress so far has been smooth, the rollcage has been fitted (Custom Cages), sprayed (The Paint and Body Shop, Hull) and the engine is currently at top engine performance builders Mountune Racing.

Everard and mechanics are now left with the tricky tasks of wiring and heat protection to finish before the engine returns and the gearbox, drive shafts and suspension can be connected.

Latest pictures show the car on side mounts, which Everard believes will greatly benefit the Used-Garage-Equipment team in service. He commented, “It has made a massive difference whilst we have been building the car, and it will make it much quicker and far more secure when the team are rushing about during servicing. The most pressing concern at the moment is to ensure that we get the car ready in time for our first planned event. ”

On a lighter note, the youngest member of the team was heard to remark, “if you can’t fix it with a hammer, you’ve got an electrical problem.” It remains to be seen if this is the way foward in modern service team analysis.

After collaborations with top local graphics designer Ian Fathom, the finishing touches have been made to a sponsorship package boasting some of the most prestigious benefits available in the world of rallying. In addition to logos and brand names on the car itself worth an estimated advertising value of £612,500 per annum, sponsors names are broadcasted worldwide, reaching approximately 500 million viewers.

Exclusive VIP benefits include getting behind the wheel of Everards personal rally car to complete a test stage or even compete in a local or national event. The used-garage-equipment.com rally team believe that no other team are able to offer a sponsorship package that enables rally enthusiasts get as close to the action as this.

For further information regarding sponsorship package availability or to request a brochure please send an email or give the team a call using the contact details available.

Other news

With the bodyshell well on the way to completion, mechanic Townend is feeling positive about the next stage of car preparation. Bringing on board diagnostics specialist Jon Fry of Jonathan Fry Automotive Ltd to assist in the engine rebuild will give Everard a boost in the right direction.

“With the engine fully stripped and awaiting machinery to accommodate the new camshafts and connecting rods Fry took a well earned break to describe the rebuild protocol. It’s an absolute pleasure to have been asked to work on the engine for James’ new Fiesta R2 rally car. This engine represents the very latest technology Ford has to offer and I can gain a great deal from working on such a project, benefiting James both now and in the future.

The goal is to provide a top specification engine for James which will prove reliable throughtout the rallying season. Using the upgrade kit provided by M-Sport and years of automotive knowledge my aim is to build the very best engine possible, giving James a fighting chance of competing in this years Fiesta Sporting Trophy.”

After safe delivery of Everards Fiesta Zetec, mechanic Andy Townends’ tight scheduling has enabled the car to be well on the way to looking more like a rally R2 and less like a family Zetec. All metal panels and underseal have been removed and new engine mounts, side stand mounts and seam welding have been completed.

Head mechanic Townend is said to be happy with the progress and has booked the car in for a rollcage to be fitted on Monday 2nd November. The early starts and late finishes from both Everard and Townend are paying off with only minor adjustments still to be made.

The final shell modifications are currently taking place and Everards determination to see the car completed should be enough to secure his entry to the Grizedale Stages 2009.

M-Sport finally unveiled their first global rally car, the Fiesta R2, designed to allow competitors to graduate in Ford cars from national level through to WRC.

A European tour showcasing the R2 has proven the car to be immensely popular, and it is looking to be the most hotly contested single make championship in Europe and the UK. The R2 and ST will be in the same championship, the Fiesta Sport Trophy, and with some of the highest calibre drivers involved it is looking to be one of the most thrilling contests of 2010.

Everard and regular navigator Sam Collis, see this as the perfect opportunity to progress from the top level results gained in the Fiesta Sporting Trophy and to prove their worth in the R2. An invitation to the first Fiesta R2 test day at Carisle on 28th September will allow Everard to test the handling of the car before the kit has been fitted to his own. The Championship is set to follow all rounds of the BRC plus the Malcom Wilson Rally.

Impressive podium finishes in the Malcolm Wilson and Pirelli National Events led to a personal request by BRC champion David Higgins for James to join the leading Chinese Wan Yu Rally Team. Tight scheduling meant that James had to choose either the last round of the Fiesta Sporting Trophy or to make his debut into China.The opportunity to compete in a four wheel drive Evo 9 on foreign soil was enough to entice James away from his chance of a Championship podium finish. Despite this, previous solid results throughout the season managed to secure him a 4th place championship finish.

The Longyou rally, part of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) is held 400km away from Shanghai, the largest city in China. The event kicked off with a head to head short super SS. James made an impressive start, easily out driving his counterpart when disaster struck on the final corner. The front and rear left tyres slipped down the edge of the embankment towards the river, and due to advertising banners spanning the mud wall James was unable to find the grip to pull the car back up to the road. When nothing else could be done to get the car onto the road, James climbed out and bowed to the eagerly awaiting 2000 spectators perched on the bleachers and another 13 million viewers on live Chinese TV!

After several hours of waiting, the car was finally towed back to service with minimal damage ready to compete in the morning. James was back to winning ways the following day, despite the remainder of the stages involving tight and twisty muddy dirt tracks snaking up the terrifyingly high mountain edges. After two days of tricky terrain and bad weather James surpassed all expectations and finished first Brit and 10th overall, in an event comprising over 100 competitors.

Speaking after the event James remarked that he had had a “fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed the stages and competition. The car was amazing to drive and the team did an unbelievable job at service, working all hours to ensure the car was ready after the off on the first stage.”

James is completing in this year’s Ulster Rally in his Ford Fiesta ST rally car.

Preparations have been taking place for the last few weeks and James and his team set off for Ireland on Wednesday morning.  James arrived safely and has already signed on and is surveying the stages.

James will be posting regular updates via Twitter and you can follow James’s progress in several ways:

• Through this web site.
  The Used Garage Equipment Online Rally Team at their engineering base in Hull will be correlating all the information and updating James’s web site accordingly over the course of the rally.
• Through Twitter.
  Receive James’s updates by following James Everard on Twitter.  James is Twitting personally directly from his rally car when time permits.
• Through Facebook.
  James will be updating his Facebook profile personally whilst in Ireland and in addition the Used Garage Equipment Online Rally Team will post further information and photos when they become available.

The latest updates we have received from James are as follows:

1. On route to Stranraer with Sam Collis ready for Ulster Rally recce tomorrow.
2. Now in Ireland heading to Rally HQ with Sam to sign on for recce.

Fiesta Sporting Trophy UK
Severn Valley Rally
31st May 2008

Everard Loses Second Gear But Hangs On To Championship Second Place

After re-seeding the Fiesta for the Severn Valley Rally, Everard and Collis set off as first car for round three of the Fiesta Sporting Trophy on Saturday. The Fiesta was going very well on the first stage until James entered a left+ corner. Carrying too much speed, Everard found a new ditch, which had been freshly dug out to allow for new drainage and didn’t show on the pace notes. A big thank you goes out to a band of spectators who, with tow ropes, manually pulled the Fiesta from its resting place. Everard managed to rejoin the rally but sustained some hefty damage, the front bumper was ripped off and damage to the passenger side panels. One of the tyres was off the rim and the steering was affected by damage to the suspension. The gear box was also damaged getting out of the ditch. Miraculously James only lost about one minute, twenty five seconds before getting back on track and another minute or so on the rest of the field, limping back to the service stop.

There was just time for James to change the tyre before going back out for the second stage. Steering problems due to the damaged suspension continued and damage to the gearbox worsened through the stage, constantly jumping out of second gear but Everard battled through to the next service.

The Used Garage Equipment Online service crew did all they could before Everard went out on the long third stage, including replacing the damaged passenger side front suspension arm, as he was fighting major high speed stability problems due to further suspension damage. By this point in the rally Everard had totally lost the use of second gear and had to complete the final two stages without second gear, which due to his left foot braking style of driving, severely hampered quick deceleration. Whilst pushing as hard as he could, Everard survived a hairy moment on the final stage, managing to scramble back from the edge of a very large fresh air drop.

Finishing the eleventh Fiesta and still managing to put ten points on the leaders’ board, Everard and Collis showed some real grit and determination to get the car to the finish. Just hanging on to overall second position in the Championship, the Used Garage Equipment Online team are now looking forward to the next round of the championship at Swansea Bay.

After the event James said “There was an abundance of spectators who were watching near to where I found a newly cut ditch and they were great and helped me out very quickly. Spectators know how to find hot spots and I was not on my own finding that trouble spot.

“The team put in a great effort to keep me in the rally and I would have to say that I was happy to pick up enough points to stay in contention for the Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy Championship following our set back on stage one.

“We are now half way through the Championship and it’s very close at the top and we are still in second position. With a trouble free round, I expect to be back up with the pace for the next round at Swansea Bay.”

There is a great spectator event this weekend, James Everard and the Used Garage Equipment Online sponsored Fiesta are entered at the 2008 Rally Show Chatsworth taking place at Chatsworth House on the 7th and 8th of June. This event is run with spectators in mind and is guaranteed to be a cracking day out.

FST Championship UK 2008 Table

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Team Used Garage Equipment Online Rally Update.

James and Sam have sent the following update directly from their Ford Fiesta ST rally car.

The team have successfully completed the pre-event shake down for the third round of the Fiesta ST Championship this morning.

There were some small changes made to the car’s suspension set up and James Everard, who is entering this event leading the Ford Fiesta Sporting Trophy Championship table, was said to be very happy with the changes the service team have made and is looking forward to starting the rally.

The team are now heading to Builth Wells for scrutineering and signing on.

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Fiesta Sporting Trophy UK
Severn Valley Rally
31st May 2008

Everard on his Way to Severn Valley Rally

James and his navigator Sam are looking forward to round three of the Fiesta Sporting Trophy this weekend. For the first time this year, the team are heading to Wales for the Severn Valley Rally, taking in 45 miles of classic Welsh forest rally stages.

The Used Garage Equipment Team have the Fiesta ready to roll and are heading down to David Higgins Rally School course, early on Friday morning, to test and make any final tweaks on the cars set up. Then on to Builth wells for Saturdays Rally were Everard will be looking to add to his Championship points tally with a third consecutive podium finish. Currently leading this years Fiesta Sporting Trophy, James is in a very positive frame of mind and is raring to go at this weekends rally.

For another opportunity for spectators coming up the following weekend, James Everard and the Used Garage Equipment sponsored Fiesta are entered at the 2008 Rally Show Chatsworth taking place at Chatsworth House on the 7th and 8th of June. This event is run with spectators in mind and is guaranteed to be a cracking day out.

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Fiesta Sporting Trophy Ireland
Killarney Rally of the Lakes
4th May 2008

Everard Enjoys First Irish Experience

Everard and Collis flew over to Shannon Airport on Wednesday morning and then drove 80 miles to Killarney. They were looking forward to taking part in the Rally of the Lakes over its famous tight mountain side course arriving a couple of days prior to the event giving them a chance to recce in a hire car.

James and Sam along with the Used Garage Equipment Online Team were spectators on Saturday, as the International Rally got underway. Then on Sunday, the Fiesta Sporting Trophy crews joined the National Rally with an exciting opening stage at Molls Gap. This famous stage starts at the foot of the mountain, climbing up to the top and back down the other side. Everard set a very good time on the first stage and was very pleased with the Fiesta set up and handling around the tight hairpin corners of the first stage.

On the second stage, James closed in on the fellow Irish FST competitor in front of him, taking 30 seconds out of his time. Then pushing hard with just over a mile remaining on the Ballaghbeama stage, James ended up on the wrong side of a fence in a peat bog. The call into a corner was, three right, tightens to one, over bumps. The Fiesta lifted off a bump on the inside of the one right, resulting in a wheel on the edge of the grass, sending the Fiesta through a fence. The Fiesta was sucked into a peat bog, leaving no chance of escape and resulting in a premature ending to the rally for Everard an Collis.

There was an up beat quote from Everard after his Fiesta was retrieved from its soggy resting place:

James commented: “I was very pleased with the pace of the Fiesta on my first visit to Ireland, I would have liked to complete all the stage miles but never the less, thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I may have a word with Ford, I’m not sure if they are aware that when parked in an Irish peat bog the shell is not water tight! On a serious note, the team and I are looking forward to returning to Ireland for the next round of the Irish Championship.”

The Fiesta was found to have only suffered superficial damage after being almost up to the door handles in a peat bog. A front bumper, wing, and head light unit are the only parts needing to be replaced after any of the Irish countryside brought home has been washed away.

The next next round of the Fiesta Sporting Trophy UK takes place on the May 31st. Everard and Collis will be looking to maintain there position at the top of the leader board with a third consecutive podium finish at the Seven Valley National Rally.

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