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Last Updated:
Mar 4, 2009 - 11:17:25 AM |
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Many drivers like to rag their pride and joy on a country B-Road or two on the weekends, but none are as dedicated to the cause as the pilot of this race-tuned Toyota, it's a full-fat WRC gravel muncher in miniature, forget Colin McRae and Richard Burns, meet Phil Spratt and his Yaris EVO1.
Making the leap into professional rally driving, Phil snapped-up this baby Toyota for a song after ending his previous fling with a stripped-out Vauxhall Nova. Bought from Belgium the ex-Yaris Cup car is used to a life of grind, its circuit racing past in the one-make championship made prepping it for future rally-slag status a much simpler task.
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| For Sale: Ex Yaris Cup Car... |
The door-banging tin-top racer has an engine set-up akin to any circuit champ, the 1.3 power plant delivers the punch from it's 130bhp at the top end of the scale, not best suited to a rally car. To cure this some juicy cams are planned to shift the grunt to a more low-down torque based band, ideal for the short blasts between muddied corners on a forest stage. Linked to that, the close ratio gearbox and limited slip differential add to a long and star-studded spec sheet which is morphing all the time.
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| 1.3 produces 130bhp with more to come... |
Glancing inside as the car drifts around a hairpin bend; almost all non-essential equipment has been binned in favour of saving weight. Twin bucket seats face the dash which holds a 'STACK' display, complete with Yaris logo, to inform Phil of the vital statistics while he saws away at an alcantara wrapped wheel.
The rear seats are long gone and a meaty looking roll cage now fills the cabin, it looks the part and has a job to do if the twisty bits should surprise Phil and co-driver Steve Coles.
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From the outside the senses are equally battered, a top quality red and black paint scheme has been applied leaving every available panel ready to receive its vital sponsor decals. Phil's team, PSR, is boosted by some seriously tooled-up mechanics from Jonny Milner Motorsport in York who prep the car, used to tweaking British Rally Championship winning motors - these boys know their stuff.
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Conditions for the car's inaugural run, the first round of the Silkolene 1400 Forest Rally Championship on the Rally of Kent on 14th March 2004, were appalling. Officials claimed the weather was the worst the event had ever seen; despite the slippery action Phil wrestled the mud-slinger round in awesome style. The JMM crew had completed the Yaris EVO's conversion just in time to make scrutinering for the first stage, leaving no time for Phil to learn the tiny beasts driving habits and making for some tentative initial steps.
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| Spratt & Coles |
Seeing the machine in action, booming exhaust and spinning tyres, it’s easy to see why Phil enjoys his sport, managing to chuck the car round to his first career stage win and finishing second in class, an impressive thirtieth overall.
The EVO1 is an unusual weapon of choice, the first of its kind in the UK, but it makes a menacing opponent and with Phil behind the wheel it can only get quicker. It's sure to chew through its rivals like it ate-up the Kentish forest...
The Spec: 'Spratty' & PSR's Yaris EVO1:
The Yaris EVO 1 is currently undergoing a major mechanical re-build, spec to follow - watch this space!
View the car in the TOC Garage for the latest spec:
http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?act=Garage&CODE=12&CID=76
-PSR-Sport would like to acknowledge the help of Toyota; Nicky and Martin at the DVLA Local Office Sidcup; Jonny Milner and sponsors Jamie Houghton Transport - without whom the team could not have competed in the Rally of Kent.
-TOC would like to thank Dan for some of the pictures used and Phil for the kind invitation to view the car at Detling County Show Ground.
TOC will follow PSR's progress through-out 2004, for more info check out their ever-expanding website: www.psr-sport.com
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