Kevin Kivlochan and the Tour Auto - starts today

[cobham cobra]

Kevin Kivlochan is working the maps this week as co-driver with Shaun Lynn in the Tour Auto over in France - as you are all friends and club members he thought you may like to be kept posted on their progress so I will try to post this update on a daily basis once I have the latest news from the road via Russell Brown. This is an event that Kevin and Shaun have competed in for the last four years and in 2009 they won in Shaun's Ford GT. This year they are competing in Shaun's AC Cobra - 644 CGT (Chassis No 2130).
   
   Cobra History
   Chassis 2130 was the one-off Willment Team Cobra raced in period by Bob Olthoff, amongst others, and more widely known as the "Le Mans Prototype". Shaun has owned this Cobra for around ten years and on the first entry in the Tour Auto in 2007 they finished in 32nd place. In 2008 and 2010 they retired in the lead. Fingers crossed this will be the year for the Cobra.
   http://www.secondstrike.com/Coupe/Olthoff.htm
   
   The main rivals in the Tour Auto are the black Cobra of Ludovic Caron (2008 winner) and the three Ford GTs. There is also the large unknown with Tour Auto where organisers would always prefer a French winner so this will make Shaun and Kevin even more determined to avoid dodgy speed cameras and penalties.
   
   If you would like to check the event website you can find it here (in French)
   http://www.tourauto.com/fr/s01_home/s01p01_home.php
   
   There is also a translated (English) version of the website here:
   http://www.tourauto.com/en/s01_home/s01p01_home.php
   
   The Schedule:
   
   The cars are gathering in Paris ready for an open day today
   Monday - Paris open day in the Jardins des Tuileries
   Tuesday - Paris to Poitiers via Le Mans
   Wednesday - Poitiers to Objat
   Thursday - Objat to Bordeaux
   Friday - Bordeaux to Pau
   Saturday - Pau to Biarritz

[SB7019]

Better tell them to check that their headllamp bulbs comply with the regulations!

[nikbj68]

Here are a couple of photos courtesy of Mr Cobham of Cobra:
   
   Shaun & Kevin preparing for the off last year:
   
   
   
   Finding it a little too cold maybe? Sadly just before they had problems:
   
   
   
   Maybe this will be 2130`s year? Here, seen next to Shaun`s 2009 winning GT40:
   
   
   
   And finally, taken today, beautifully prepared & all set to go!
   
   
   
   Best of luck Shaun & Kevin!!!
   
   You can also keep abreast of their progress on MotorsTV (Sky channel 413) as there are daily 20-minute reviews @ 11:40pm & repeated at 2am, starting tomorrow night(Tuesday) for 5 nights.
   
   If you don`t have Sky, you will be able to see a new instalment on YouTube every evening with commentary in French:
   
   and not only, but also, the "stage by stage" (etape par etape) section of the Tour Auto website is now up and running.
   
   You now have NO excuses for missing it. (Well, I`m sure you can think of some [;)] )

[aaron]

" The main rivals in the Tour Auto are the black Cobra of Ludovic Caron (2008 winner) "
   
   "There is also the large unknown with Tour Auto where organisers would always prefer a French winner "
   
   Good luck to the pair of them,hopefully a certain driver won`t swap his car for a Kirkham replica this year when his original car breaks down !!

[nikbj68]

Hehehe....

[Gus Meyjes]

Inform the un-initiated please: What happened?
   
   Gus

[aaron]

quote:Originally posted by Gus Meyjes
   
Inform the un-initiated please: What happened?
   
   Gus
   
   

   
   Lets just say there are two Cobra`s with the chassis No CSX 2127 ,one was built by AC ,the other one was built by Kirkham !!Do the rear arches look wider on one of the cars ?
   
   You can ask Shaun and Kevin what happened when they get back.
   
   Both cars look almost indentical,but one has a Screen on the grille,and the other car does not have a screen on the grille.I have just noticed,one car has clear indicators,the other one has orange indicators
   
   
   
   

[Gus Meyjes]

Will the real CSX 2127 come forward please?

[nikbj68]

The wonderful mechanic on the right believes it to NOT be this one!!!
   
   
   
   Anyway, enough of all that.... the great news is that Shaun & Kevin are currently LEADING the TOUR!!!
   
   Seen here at Montlhery, with (the real)CSX2127:
   
   
   
   And receiving some routine attention at Poitiers:
   
   
   
   Keep it up, Fellas!

[TLegate]

I spy an imposter in the Goodwood paddock - marshals!!! (not the car)
   
   Shaun is not noted for hanging around and 'Leadfoot' Kivlochan saw 158mph on the speedo at Montlhery before he decided not to look any more....let's hope they can keep ahead of the slightly-less-than-legal GT40 :-)

[cobham cobra]

Not good news[:(] Below is an update from Russ Brown.......
   
   Oh dear! We've been here before and it's bad news on day two, I'm sorry to report. Having retired with the Cobra in the lead in 2008 and in 2010, today brings more of the same with a suspension collapse forcing the boys to retire in the lead yet again and much earlier than on the other occasions. They are both OK and the car will fight another day.
   
   The suspension caved on the morning stage - a 7.8Km route from Darnac to Miaumande - just South East of Poitiers. Winding through tight country lanes at high speed the front wishbone snapped in two places. Shaun held it together and it's being recovered from the roadside. There are a couple of photos attached. Ouch!
   
   In other news the winner of the morning stage was the AC Cobra of Ludovic Caron and our old friend Richard Mille finished the morning stage in 40th place - 1 minute and 9 seconds behind Caron.
   
   That puts the new standings as follows:
   1 - Ludovic Caron in the AC Cobra (France)
   2 - Jean Pierre Lajournade in the Lotus Elan (France)
   3 - Jose Manuel Albuquerque in the Ford GT 40 (Portugal)
   
   With no Brits in contention and none in the top 20 it's most likely to be a local winner this year. I won't send you the daily updates but you can still follow the action on Sky and on YouTube each evening and there will be new photos and reports each day on the Tour Auto website.
   
   I hope you have all enjoyed my little updates. I know that many of you will be at Goodwood this year for the Festival of Speed (July 1st-3rd) and the Revival (September 16th-18th). I'm sure that Shaun, Kevin and 644 CGT will all be there so pop by and say hello. You would all be very welcome. For anybody planning a trip to Le Mans this year for the 24hr race you might also get to see Shaun and Kevin go head to head in the Classics warm-up race just before the main event starts on June 11th. Let us know if you are going to be there.
   
   Russ

[nikbj68]

One less than happy looking Cobra [xx(] :
   
   
   
   I thought 3° of camber was optimum. [:(]
   
   
   
   The Cobras have a less-than-spectacular record in the Tour Auto, as 39PH & 645CGT (so that`s all of the Le Mans triplets) have also failed to finish on previous Tours.
   Oh well, there`s always next year....
   

quote:Originally posted by TLegate: I spy an imposter in the Goodwood paddock - marshals!!! (not the car)

Aaah, those crisp white overalls are a dead giveaway every time! BUT I only said I was A mechanic, not THEIR mechanic...[;)]

[TLegate]

Hold yer horses - they got their Fisher Price Welding Kit in the boot, the car's repaired but three lots of 50 minute penalties mean that victory is out of sight. Whether it's worth continuing is open for debate as the purpose of crossing the channel to furrin parts was "to win the bloody thing", end of quote.....(so un-British)

[aaron]

Originally posted by nikbj68
   
The wonderful mechanic on the right believes it to NOT be this one!!!
   
   
   
   You should get a job working for Kirkham !![:)]

[aaron]

quote:Originally posted by Gus Meyjes
   
Will the real CSX 2127 come forward please?
   

   
   The bonnet scoop on car No12 is different also !!