18-24 Rallycross Bug

1303 RALLYCROSS BEETLE
“I wanted
to win as a
mark of my
respect to
my uncle”
To see just how quick the PPJ Beetle is
go to www.volksworld.com/rallybug
time is a great healer, and a few years back Paul and
James decided to drag the Beetle out of storage and into
their workshop, where it was stripped, checked over and
rebuilt in preparation for an assault on the Ripla Retro
Challenge. The time had come to celebrate Peter’s place
in Rallycross history and continue the family tradition.
Warm welcome
It’s a no-brainer to me, as sitting beside a lake in the
peace and quiet may be appealing to some people,
but how could it ever compete with the kind of rush
dropping the clutch on this insane Beetle must give
you? After the rebuild, a period of testing and tuning
followed, and this year saw the car back out battling on
the Rallycross circuits of Britain. As a very well known
historic Rallycross car, the old Beetle has been given
a very warm welcome, and it’s performance stands up
as a fabulous example of what “a group of amateurs
from Norfolk”, as Paul refers to their efforts, can come
up with. If you want to see this car in action, and we
do mean action, get yourself to Lydden Hill over the
weekend of August 24-25. Welcome back Paul and
James, we’ve missed you! And, while we’re at it, Peter
and John too, who will remain in our memories as long
as this incredible Beetle does. Legends.
THE HISTORY
Here’s the car
racing in the ’90s,
when it ran the
Norwich VW Club
logo across the
bonnet. Note the
extra cut-outs in
the bonnet for the
radiator, and the
flamethrower!
We felt it only right to show a
photo of the late Peter Harrold,
the British Rallycross stalwart
behind the PPJ team. He sadly
passed away in 2003
Now sporting
major Autocavan
logos up the
sides, and
racing against
ex- Group B rally
cars (remember
them?) such as
Metro 6R4s and
Ford RS200s
Behind the Wheel
always a shock to the system! I don’t really get
enough time behind the wheel, but I don’t think you
“It’s
could ever get used to the power. It goes from zero to
top gear in around six seconds and is geared for 128mph, but it
all happens so quickly it’s hard to take in. It revs to 9,500rpm,
and there’s a little bit of turbo lag, but you only find it if you let
the revs drop. My dad always says the engine is in the wrong
place, but the power comes in and it really digs in off the line. I
use the hydraulic handbrake on the loose and it gives me a
similar effect to left-foot braking. Again, to quote my father,
‘You’ve got to be able to control the boost on the loose.’ That’s
the tricky bit. Although it’s an animal, I’m not scared of it, but I
am scared of stuffing it backwards into a wall, as the car is like a
family heirloom. Not that that means I don’t race to win!
And as you can
see, the Beetle
was a force to be
reckoned with
This shot
shows how
complex the
overhead cam
set up is. How
many belts can
you see?
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