fro and the cowboy monkey

I've been away for a little while. I was "Assistant Course Checker" for the 2005 WPS Rally Bathurst, which is the last round of the Globalstar Australian Rally Championship for this year, and essentially a "new" event.

It was a very interesting time. I got to spend Wednesday through Sunday with Iain Stewart, co-driver to Ed Ordynski, and an Australian Rally Championship winner. And just a tops guy to boot. He was the CAMS-appointed checker for the event, and I was apprenticed to him, in a move I have to thank a few people for...

I got to drive the course as the "Double Zero" car, essentially 15 minutes ahead of the first competitive car. But most of our time was spent fixing side-issues with the event to ensure the safety and security of the event for all involved. This meant things like showing Bathurst Council workers where to build fences, becoming lighting consultants for the super-special stage, liaising with camera crews on camera positions, and generally being busy. Not to mention driving around in an RS-Challenge spec Impreza for the event to check the event on the road.

It was a heck of an experience, and one I hope to write about in great length over the next few weeks. Expect to hear about it practically forever...