Insurance broker Adrian Flux sponsors RAF rally team
RAF Marham‘s Typhoon Rally Team is set to go ‘supernova’ in a Nova – thanks to sponsorship from private companies including Adrian Flux Insurance Services.
When they’re not working on supersonic aircraft the six members of the team, who are all based at RAF Marham in Norfolk, chill out by tearing round rally stages at a relatively sedate hundred-odd miles per hour, in their heavily modified ’92 Nova.
“The RAF gives us lots of support and we finished third in the regional championship last year,” says Sergeant Chris Daykin, driver and team manager. “In order to move up to the highest national level for amateurs, the BTRDA National Championship, we needed extra support – and Adrian Flux has kindly assisted us.”
So how did the Typhoon Team choose their car? “The Nova chassis was chosen due to its weight, short wheel base, handling characteristics and simplicity to work on,” says Sergeant Daykin. “And it’s certainly been heavily modified in just about every area – for example, the engine is a race-prepared 1400cc Class A rally engine that produces 150 HP, double the original car’s output.” The car can do 0-60mph in as little as four seconds which, as Daykin modestly admits, “isn’t bad for a 17 year old, 1400cc car…”
As you’d expect, the team does all its own work on the car. “We have a diversity of engineering specialities that we transpose from front line aircraft to motor sport – sadly we haven’t quite worked out a way to make the Nova supersonic. Not yet, anyway.”
The RAF is keen to encourage its personnel to take part in a wide range of sports, but the Typhoon Team is also a wonderful ambassador for the Service. “We travel around the country supporting recruitment at large public events and air shows,” says Sergeant Daykin. “Last year the Team was seen by over 350,000 people and this year, with more public appearances, that number will increase. There’s also the chance of TV and press coverage.
“The highlight this year will be a display alongside the RAF Recruitment Team at the British F1 Grand Prix and the Goodwood Festival of Speed.”
For Flux, the involvement with the RAF Typhoon Team is clearly relevant because enthusiast motoring, including rally driving, is a significant part of the company’s market. Flux’s Gerry Bucke explains that, perhaps surprisingly, the cost to insure a rally car isn’t all that high.
“Typically a rally car policy will be for third party, fire and theft and we’ll cover the policyholder to drive their (road legal) rally car on the public highway in between stages of competitions,” he says. “Obviously there is no cover in force whilst the vehicle is being used on the event itself.
“Most of the rally cars on our books tend to be policyholder’s second car, so the vast majority are on a low mileage limit, which cuts insurance costs dramatically.”
Adrian Flux aims to offer cheaper car insurance and has a huge range of policies for the motoring enthusiast. For details contact the Adrian Flux quote line on 0800 505 3000, email the company at quotes@adrianflux.co.uk or see the Flux homepage on www.adrianflux.co.uk
For information on RAF Marham visit www.raf.mod.uk/rafmarham
For information on the BTRDA National Championship see www.btrdarally.com