Just got home. Got to be quick, got up at 3.45 this morning for The Mechanics and got to get up at 3.45 tomorrow for the business. I have posted a couple of pics. I enjoyed the trial. Well done Stroud for not duplicating the Clouds. What wonderful long sections - fantastic. I thought they were fair but I know a few people thought some of them a bit rough.
I finished around 16.00 no delays apart from one I caused with a puncture on the last but one section. Thanks to Mark Linforth and his team for rescuing me. Off to bed now - hope others can fill in more detail as I didn't see much running round at the front of the field.
Michael
I normally reserve all judgement on a trial until after the results arrive - especially 'random-start-order' trials where one has no idea what the Class opposition is up to - but I'll make an exception this time as Michael has posted a nice photograph of my car at the top of Noverton Lane - and, Michael, I did spot you lurking in the bushes but was too busy concentrating on that devilish left-hand hairpin to smile or otherwise acknowledge your presence. Overall, speaking as a Class 7 competitor, I think it was a thoroughly enjoyable trial and, for us, only Noverton Lane was really rough but even then not a real car-breaker as there was lots of grip on even the rockiest parts. But I would most definitely not have liked to be tackling it in a saloon. We had an extremely amusing episode whilst changing a puncture at the top of Noverton Lane. During a lull in the trial proceedings about a dozen motorcyclists came up the lane with whoops of joy as they crested the mound of gravel at the top (which I understand conceals a burnt-out car) that we had to deviate to avoid. Their joy turned to stunned silence and dropped-jaws as they saw Terry Coventry powering up the lane in his Citroen AX and successfully negotiating the deviation. As Terry got out of his car there was thunderous applause from the motorcyclists who realised they'd witnessed a very special performance. As I said to them as we all drove away - "It just goes to prove that triallers go where 4x4s fear to tread". Andrew
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