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Howford Hydraulics Tarmac Stages (19/04/08)
After our uneventful drive up to Ingliston on Friday afternoon, and our relaxing evening in the hotel, Bill and I were all set for a busy day ahead when we scrutineered on Saturday morning.
During scrutineering, it became apparent that we had a slight technical fault that needed to be fixed. The fault was only small, but vital. Although the fire extinguisher was activated, the light was not showing. Fortunately, this fault was fixed and we were able to complete scrutineering. With this done, I was able to look at my maps and make my scribbles. Neither Bill nor I had been to Ingliston, let alone done this event. Nevertheless, we were ready for the challenge of the first stage and were looking forward to it.
The first stage went by without any hiccups, and now we both expected what the rest of the day was to be like. SS2 came and went just like the first, but 10 seconds quicker. After a slight change around of the course, we then completed the SS3 just the same as the first two. Unfortunately though, SS4 was when the hiccups began. After turning 90 Right, which should have been a 90 Left, we had to try and turn around without driving on the grass. The reason for this was that if we drove on the grass, the penalty we would incur would be a time penalty of 5 minutes. So as easy as it may sound, we had to try and turn around with driving on the grass! Fortunately, we didn’t lose too much time over this.
After a bite to eat and a reversal in the direction of the stages, we started SS5. This was when our second mistake of the day happened. This time at a 90 Right, we continued straight on whilst under braking, into all the tape. At the arrival of SS6 though, Bill noticed that the brakes were feeling a bit spongy. After a few quick checks, things seemed ok and we completed the stage, knocking 16 seconds off the previous stage time. At the end of SS6 though, I wasn’t feeling too great. But in my true style, I wasn’t going to let it ruin the day. After drinking plenty of water, we completed the seventh stage without any hiccups and the eighth stage was even better, we were 11 seconds quicker!
With SS8 over, we finished this exhausting day 5th in class and 53rd overall. |
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North Humberside Forest Stages (29/03/08)
This being my second forestry event, I was all geared up and ready to go and looking forward to it. Darren and I arrived in Whitby Friday evening at around 6, got the car through scrutineering, and did all the usual and moved into our accommodation for the evening, this being a static home of a friend which over looked the sea.
After a not so early night, we woke up around 7 o’clock the Saturday morning to a lovely sea view. We made sure that everything was all-ok with the car and ourselves and headed on down to the Whale Bones for a late start. We set off from the Whale Bones at 10:40 and made our way to the SS1 Langdale. After having a new braking system installed after the Riponian, Darren was having trouble adjusting to it and wasn’t happy with the set up. Nevertheless, after completing the first stage, Darren said that he enjoyed it, especially the long straights.
Would this mean that he wouldn’t enjoy SS2 Blakey as much as the first stage because of the number of chicanes that there were for such a short stage. I need not have worried, as the majority of them were obliterated by the time we got to them! On the road section from SS2 to SS3 Cropton, Darren was telling me that he still wasn’t happy with the brakes, but was adapting to them. This showed on SS3, when we seemed to find another gear that we didn’t know we had! The marshal on the stop line asked what I thought of the stage, and all I could say was, fantastic! He said that that wasn’t the most popular reply from that stage, but was glad that we enjoyed it!
With the 3rd stage over, it was back to service for a quick bite to eat and change of tyres. This was when the heavens opened and the ‘fun’ started! We headed back out for a repeat of the mornings stages, but this time in wetter conditions! SS4 ran rather smoothly for us to say that it was quite wet! But on the road section between SS4 and SS5, the windscreen wipers were being a bit temperamental and kept sticking. But whilst waiting at the arrival for SS6, the right wiper blade detached itself from its arm. This meant that we had to quickly take the wiper blade off from my side and fix it onto Darren’s so that he would have been able to see where to go!
We finished SS6 without any further hiccups and finished the rally 4th in class and 46th overall. This means that I have officially finished my first forestry rally, and a good finish it was. |
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The Jane Cowling Memorial Stages (22/03/2008)
About a week before the rally, Kevin rang me to see if everything was ok and just to go through the last minute bits. He informed me that we were not to be in his Subaru as he is trying to get it prepared for shipping off to Barbados after suffering gearbox problems on the Robin Hood, which were temporarily fixed. I asked him about the car that we were to be in, and he told me that he didn’t know, but he had a friend willing to lend Kevin his car, but nothing was definite. A phone call later, I learnt that we were to be in James Sparrows’ Ford Escort Cosworth, which is of course a left hand drive! Something different for Kevin and myself!
After an eventful night regarding the weather, what with the wind and rain, and even hail, we woke at about 7am to a lull in the rain. After doing some final titivations to the car, Kevin and I got ourselves signed on and headed back to the camper to warm up. Our due start time was 09:21, and as we set off the car felt good. We completed the first lap (we were to do two full laps and then split off for the finish on the third) with no problems, that was after negotiating the two flooded corners! We were on our second lap and had just come down the long back straight and into the chicane. Upon exiting the chicane, Kevin tried to change into third but unfortunately was unsuccessful at doing so. This was when we discovered that we had no gears at all and had to retire.
Due to our retirement, Kevin and I were unable to retain our title from the previous year but we are going to try it again next year and see if luck is on our side! |
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The Riponian Stages Rally (10/02/2008)
First of all, what a fantastic event! If, like me, you have never competed in a forestry event or even in a multi venue event, I recommend that this is one rally for next year's calendar! I enjoyed every minute of the day, even though at times it was a little hard, as I also had to learn how to read pacenotes!
Darren Grimston and I arrived at Light Water Valley around 8 o'clock on the Sunday morning, all ready and raring to go. I had my notes prepared and my maps ready for the road sections and was all set to go. We reached ATC1 fine but whilst waiting to start SS1, there was a delay, and the stage was delayed by 17 minutes. This didn't help my nerves, which had been growing for the past hour before even getting into the car! Once the stage was underway for Darren and I, the nerves had disappeared and were replaced with enjoyment.
As the day progressed, my confidence grew and by the end of the day, a good rapport between Darren and myself had developed. Unfortunately, just after completing Stage 7 we had to pull over on the road section on the way back to main service, where we had to carry out emergency repair work due to a mechanical fault. We managed to repair the problem as best as we could whilst being on the roadside, and drove back to Thirsk Auction Mart, where our service crew were able to repair the fault properly!
With the repair work done, we headed back out to the forests where we had a good, uneventful afternoon! That was until the last stage (Stage 14) where we were just coming over the yump next to the Ultimate and ended up directly facing it! Both Darren and I are unsure as to how that happened, but fortunately, with the aid of a marshal, we managed to get ourselves out of that sticky situation and heading for the finish! In the gallery, a picture shows just how tight it was, and I am surprised that we didn't hit anything or do any damage to the car!
After reaching the stop line on Stage 14, and handing our final time card in, Darren and I both felt very relieved and glad to have completed the Riponian! We loaded the car onto the trailer and went to the presentation area, where the provisional results were posted. We could see from these results that we finished 29 th Overall and 7 th in class. Unfortunately though, when the final results were posted, we were deemed OTL due to being 4 minutes late into ATC2. This was due to the mechanical fault at the end of Stage 7.
Even so, I had a fantastic day and I have to thank Darren and Larry Carter for that. |
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