After lay-offs of nine months and three years respectively for
ITV F1 analyst Tony Jardine and
Daily Express journalist Bob McKenzie, the duo were successfully reunited in a Sportinglife.com Peugeot 206 to take their best ever overall result together on the Tempest Rally - the final round of the 2005 Kwik Fit Pirelli British Rally Championship.
The pair battled through seventy miles of special stages set in Surrey forests and Hampshire military land on Friday night and through Saturday at the wheel of the Group A car run by RallySchool UK, with the 206 a vastly different machine to the showroom class machines Jardine has been used to competing with in the past.
"It had so much more power and seemingly a gear for each corner," he said. "I scared myself on Friday night flat out in sixth over the jumps of Ash Ranges - it just seemed so much quicker. I don't think Bob noticed, he was too busy concentrating on calling the pace notes as we groped our way in the dark but he adapted back to rally navigation like a pro, three years out of the hot seat yet he never missed a beat, which is why I think we enjoyed our best ever result together!"
By the time day two arrived, McKenzie was firmly back into the swing of things as the Peugeot tackled the stages, with the Scot thoroughly enjoying being back in action – especially on one section of stage which saw the 206 blasting down a one and a quarter mile forest track full of mud holes and dips.
"I was trying to contain my laughter and deliver the essential route notes to Tony but the experience became akin to a fair ground ride as we lurched from one jump to the next mud hole at a series of crazy angles," he said. "There were loads of spectators at the square right mud bath at the bottom of the straight but Tony just threw the car into a big slide all the way through, how many got spattered in our wake I don't know but I hope they enjoyed the spectacle from the outside as much as we were having fun from the inside!"
Having brought the 206 home in 17th place, Jardine was left with just one more thing to do when Kumho tyre officials asked for help as newly crowned Production Cup champion has lost his Kumho victory cap which was needed as he collected the title, with Jardine reluctantly giving up his own.
