Sunday 20 January 2008
Clee Hills
Got home to Bedford just before 6. Must be a record. It was a very efficient event. We had very few delays, even running at the back of the field. We had a few problems with the route, like finding the Penhales Puzzler Special Test. Three sections were canceled, which was a shame, but the conditions were pretty tough, mud, mud glorious mud! An enjoyable day but performance wise I don't think we troubled the scorer to much! How was your Clee?
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Hi Michael, My navigator Dave, failed to finish with Alistair McQueen in his Skoda last year. So, after many jokes about it, he failed to finish with me in my Skoda this year!! A proper Jonah! I agree about some dodgy route instructions (or lack of them) but apart from that it seemed very good to me. If we ever finish I'll let you know for sure! Scrutineering was a bit chaotic. They could do with scrutineering somewhere else nearby (perhaps at the front of the pub). 'Great to see everyone though. Car 65, Nigel Jones.
ReplyDelete....and for those of you who just cannot wait, here are the Results. I have to note that for formal purposes these are unofficial and that the official copy will be sent directly to competitors and marshals in due course.
ReplyDeleteAttachment: Results 2008.pdf
We had a good start to the Clee but on the run back into Craven Arms Dissy did a self destruct on our trigger and rotor arm so the Liege rolled to a halt. A big THANK YOU to Julian & Beccy Lack who towed us in to the petrol staion just oustside town. Cheers Jules next pint is on me! Steve
ReplyDeleteHi to all you muddy enthusiasts, we got back to deepest Yorkshire before midnight after falling to the back of the field due to wasting much time looking for non-existant sections. It was bad enough not knowing that Round Oak was cancelled, I understand now that notices were available at signing on, and wasting 45 minutes before abandoning our search, but then the confusion of locating Penhales led us to consider an early retirement on grounds of frustration. We were not alone in this search as we had to placate an angry off-route resident who had been pestered for several hours by competitors seeking to get back onto the route. It may also be heresay for a first timer to suggest that some sections are pointless when the first half of the field cut them up, then the rest just bottom out, but after a great morning we found the afternoon mostly a test of ground clearance that could have been settled with a tape measure instead of driving the section. The Yeller Dutton is tall, powerful and gets good traction so we generally do OK and it's not the organiser's fault that it rained but too many sections deteriorated too far to give a consistent challenge to everyone. The patience and demeanor of the observers deserves praise, thank you all for your efforts. (Including the folk who, quite reasonably, closed their sections before we got to them). Will we be banging on the door next year? It depends what's on telly. In summary, a brilliant morning that became a lottery. Regards to all, John
ReplyDeleteWell I for one thought that it was an excellent trial with a good mix of sections. Yes, finding the Puzzler special test was as per its name but these things happen. We saw at the start that Round Oak was cancelled and had it clearly displayed on the front of our route card so no problems there. As regards the hills getting cut up and ground clearance being an issue - well isnt that just what happens when trialling in mud. The alternative seems to be to just have rough damaging sections to stop the cars, restarts everywhere, or to have everything so steep that its all about power. I thought the Clee had a good mix of sections. We were running near the back but in a Beetle ground clearance isnt quite so bad. But then if it was such a problem yesterday then how come Escorts with their low slung diffs came 2nd and 3rd overall? All in all a very good event in perfect trialling conditions. Giles
ReplyDeleteJust to clarify - our route book had no mention on the front about Round Oak - we even asked the lovely lady at the start if there were any additions/alterations - but as I think she may have been as new to the trial as we were, she had nothing to offer. We saw the corrected route book of someone else after the event - slightly annoying as our morning was going rather well until then - even though we had our first puncture in four years of trials. The poor route instuctions to the Puzzler test had residents in the area who had not known of the event rather upset - we spent some time calming one down rather than roar off and leave a really poor impression of us and our sport, after she had a day of noisy cars arriving, sitting there, and then making noise as they went. What capped it off for her, was some fool in a competition vehicle drove across the grass triangle outside their houses, leaving tracks and ruts across it. While probably not illegal, it doesn't do the publics impression much good of us, does it? But we did get her down from "jail the lot of us", to her being sorry she couldn't help us more with directions, so I reckon we deserve bonus, negative, marks for that ;-) . As a side issure, I've queried our good result in class 7 as it doesn't seem quite right to me. Ground clearance - I bet the Escorts ran those sections in the morning? We, with an escort back axle, ran them last but one, and simply ran out of droop in the front suspension, and wheel diameter to keep the driving wheels in the grip - I know where most of the mud went, as I spent an hour jet washing it off this evening! I still say mud trials are not a test of skill, but of tyre tread and clearance - and possibly no-mechanical sympathy to keep the engine at valve bounce and therefore wheel speed high. This is no critism of the organisers for the sections - they have no control over the weather and mud depth, but mud trialling doesn't really do it for us, and so our Clee was a bit of a disappointment - a personal opinion, just like the one where we thoroughly enjoyed the Exeter. One last question - how, when on special tests, can I never get reverse quick enough? Yet on Strefford Wood, after crossing the cross track at reasonable speed and assaulting one of the side banks, I desired first, rather than second, so made the appropriate movements of the gear lever - and got reverse - immediately, no crunching, nothing. And shot, rather rapidly, back down towards the cross-track. So after our enforced restart, we got to the 4. Without the problem, I reckon a clean was on the cards. We, of course, got the correct 9 recorded, and the applause and commiserations of the remaining spectators. That and the cheers as we cleaned Priors Halt 1 and 3 sort of made up for the "interesting" route instructions. And many thanks to all marshals, expecially the ones out in some very exposed, very soggy, very windy places. Without you . . . we'd had been at home in the warm, not spent any money, and not be knackered today . . . and bored rigid! TA! ;-) Bri Yeller Dutton
ReplyDeleteI thought the Clee was a cracking event with some very good sections especially Strefford Woods and Meadowley.I know the route card was a bit dodgy but this could have been rectified with some better route marking.The special tests were more interesting than normal and I thought the 3 penalty points for failure of a test was a reasonable comprimise compared to some events.Big shame about Round Oak but speaking to Adrian Tucker-Peake not using it now will hopefully mean it gets reintroduced in the future,here's hoping!The provisional results show a cracking drive from Dave Foreshew,and Arnie and Sticker Martin.The marshals did a great job in less than ideal weather and well done to the MAC. How did the Dave H mess up the special test,perhaps he was feeling the pressure from the two french cars in the class !
ReplyDeleteHi Nick, Too much attack on the special test, was aiming for a top ten finish! where did you manage to come? Obviously saving your diff on your climb on Jenny Wind. Once again lack of start lines for the blue cat runners. No advantage to Aid D or myself on the hills we failled, but a great help to the less competitive cars in the lower classes on all the hills. Will be writing the report for Re-start, any thing said will be used and the truth streched a little. Dave..
ReplyDeletearnie and sticker had a very enjoyable event in class 3;and looking at prov results a very thick layer of icing on the clee hills trial cake.phill done well on his first? outing with his [green house] escort estate and i can assure everyone we all had plenty of diff rubbing on our 13 inch tyres and lower pressure limits. ps as far as french pressure for dave h we did have a measure up with trye guages on last hill and he agreed that his was rather snail like compared to mine so maybe there is a connection.anyhow thanks mac for good event. now anyone fancy a good mix of stone and mud type trial try holsworthys chairman's trial on 24 feburary,19 sections inc cuttliffe lane and not big road miles.camping availible and start/mid trial/finish venue at a tank museum[quite interesting]entries coming in fast now so if you have not received entry form yet then brian alexander is your man [secetery of meeting] he can be contacted on 01288 381058 cheers arnie
ReplyDeleteDave,we were going really well on jenny wind until the condenser decided to part company with the distributor and stopped us dead,we rolled back down to the bottom,traced the fault and earthed the condenser out with a bit of wire and we were up and running again,s**t happens but we would only of pulled perhaps a point or two anyway.Apart from that and a bit of over excitement on Strefford Woods resulting in a huge bit of bank climbing I was relatively pleased.I thought you would have got the better of us on the second special test though as Alan and I stopped for a picnic at the top. Nick
ReplyDeleteTut, Tut, Results posted before photographs, I must be getting old. Here are my attempts at photographs of this years Clee, http://hoits.smugmug.com/gallery/4212153/1/246254103 for photos of the start http://hoits.smugmug.com/gallery/4212175/1/246256508 for Classes 0 to 5 at Jenny Wind http://hoits.smugmug.com/gallery/4212235/1/246260293 for classes 6, 7 and 8 at Harley Bank I hope you enjoy them. as usual if anyone wants copies get in touch and I put them on my other site www.photoboxgallery.com/ClassicTrials for printing or send you hi-res copies. Dave Cook
ReplyDeleteLost and Found A pair of green Woollen Gloves left at the start ( someone must have had cold hands that day) A Flat Cap with a vaguely tartan pattern on the top left at the finish.
ReplyDeleteCan any one help re Alez Oop. The results don't show the reds and yellows as having done the section but Brian O assures me they did. Would like to know so I can ger my report right. - Michael
ReplyDeleteHi Michael,I can confirm that 6,7and8s drove Alez Oop as an observed section but for some reason it wasn't counted in the results.Perhaps nobody failed it and then if it was dropped for 6,7 and 8s that meant everyone in the trial attempted the same number of sections,it's only a guess,but that's my theory. Nick
ReplyDeleteHi Nick - Pat T dropped me an email to say it wasn't a section for 6, 7 and 8 who used it as a transit route. It was of course marked out for us peasants in the lower classes which may have resulted in confusion.
ReplyDeleteMichael
I have the Class 6,7 and 8 route card in front of me and Allez Oop was very much a section for us. It was section 4 on our route between sectin 3 Gattens Gamble and section 5 Priors Holt 3. We all did the section one by one after being started by the marshal. So we did do one more section than the 1 to 5's. Stuart Harrold
ReplyDelete