Message to "filipe"

	Hi,   Thanks for your membership application. Can we ask you to resubmit using your real name as your "nickname". If you read our rulesn you will see we are a "real names" community.   Michael

My Lands End 2002

Nice to see your report Mike - here is my little story FWIW:

If I say I was 5 yards off a Gold Medal I wouldn't be exaggerating. (Now where have I heard that before?). I was on a bike in Class B starting from Plusha.

Felons Oak was a good confidence builder. Stoney Street was … stoney. Riverton was a challenge though with some unexpected sharp bends that I understand led to many solos running out of track – good challenge to add some warmth in the wee small hours. Sutcombe was nice to do just as dawn broke with the dawn chorus going well. Darracott had a lot of loose stuff but wasn’t anything like I recall – I am sure there used to be huge washed out gullies – maybe it was over prepared - lets see what the results say for this hill. The Bude special test was a hoot – I followed two sidecar outfits and the one just before me really gave it the beans – sidecar high in the air at one point, driver hanging over so far that his shoulder was nearly scraping the ground at another – they finished with a well-deserved round of applause – can’t remember the number but they had a red petrol tank and the outfit in front of them failed the test by going the wrong way around the second set of cones. Crackington was a cracker. Warleggan nearly caught me out with my back wheel skipping around on the slimy rocks – what a lovely hill – primroses and celandines decorating the banks – and very cheery marshalls and observers. We got held up behind a group of horses at Bishops Path Special Test and had to wait quite a while to clear the section but I will let someone else tell that story. Bishopswood - after thinking I had finished the section the marshall encouraged me on toward a very snotty looking bank across a road - the TTR responded to a rapid twist of the throttle and sailed over although I didn't mean the front wheel to paw the air quite so alarmingly!

The weather was perfect and the hills were very kind to me - until Bluehills. After seeing the crowds there, I nearly chickened out but having got that far clean, it had to be done! Bluehills lived up to everything I had heard about them but worse - I arrived to look across the valley at it - the track was just a very long thin brown strip that seemed to run vertically upwards with a very large crowd which I now realise were thickest at the nastiest bits - sensible spectators eh?

Bluehills 1 went fine and it was great to charge up the hill after negotiating a snotty hairpin in the mud at the foot of the hill - fortunately another competitor reminded me that there was a stop otherwise I would have probably charged the whole hill in one go.

The restart toward the top for the second observed section - Bluehills 2 - was pretty daunting with a huge slab of rock to negotiate just feet away - but the stop marshall was encouraging although the sea of faces provided me with more adrenalin than perhaps was needed! I got a clean re-start and was romping up the hill confidently until - at the top the bikes are sent an a left hand loop which was the MCC's last chance of saving having to give out too many Gold Medals and it worked on me - I think they must have dumped a lorry load of loose earth and stone there earlier in the day - I gave it too much throttle on the bend and lost the back on the loose stuff so dabbed to save the bike and the embarrassment of decking it in front of the crowd – b****r!

After nearly 17 hours in the saddle at that point I would like to say it was tiredness that led to the fail but the truth is that it was poor riding and perhaps over-confidence - 5 yards from the top of the very last section though :o(

Well here's to a Silver Medal and well pleased I am with that if I get it - it assumes that the observers on the earlier hills agree that my restarts were clean - Beggars Roost was the only iffy one. At the previous stop some wag said the Beggars Roost was pretty easy as the postman went up it every day - what he didn't say was that said postie has a 4X4 and doesn't do restarts at the nastiest bit of the climb!

My Yamaha TTR250 ran perfectly and I didn't open the tool roll once - what a brilliant bike - it has rewarded my faith in the model! The only attention it got was refilling with petrol and letting some air out of the rear tyre towards the end of the trial when the 2 bikes in front of me failed a particularly slippery Hoskin Hill and returned to the bottom - that was a good hint! The TTR is now pretty much run in after adding about 700k on it over the Friday and Saturday. The perfect tool for the event I reckon. When I have recovered a bit more it will be power washed and well lubed.

Nice to see some photos posted up already – look forward to the rest!

Brilliantly organised event – well done to all the folk that made it happen!

Brian

My 2002 Lands End

 Mike Hayward and I left home early with the plan of having a leisurely meal at the M3 services before the start. However, we were just getting out of the car when a young lad asked if we had any tools as he couldn’t start his 1962 Consul; Capri! We spent an hour trying to help him before leaving him to the tender mercy of the AA man to grab a rather rushed fish and chips.

 

 We failed Felon’s Oak. Yes I know it’s impossible to fail Felon’s Oak but we did and we don’t know why! We went on to fail two more, Sutcombe because I didn’t stop in the right place and Hoskins because it was hard!

 We enjoyed the trial. It had the promised different flavour. There seemed to be lots of stops for holding controls but I like that as it gives a chance to socialise. I thought Riverton was good. We had a long wait in a queue there, caused I think by difficulties in removing a broken down Reliant.

 We also had a long wait for the Bude special test. Apart from that everything seemed to be well with the organisation.

 I hadn’t driven in the Lands End for 4 years and my car when I was still in class six so this was the first time I had done Bluehills 2 without a re-start. I thought the new tight bits were very tight but we got up OK.

 We ran in company with Simon Robson and Neil Bray and helped Neil when he had a puncture on Hoskins and couldn’t get the wheel off because the nut was rounded. First we tried to chisel it off but it wouldn’t shift. Finally we decided to change the tube with the wheel in-situ. When we got the tyre off we found the alloy rim had split but we bandaged it up with Duck tape, got a new tube in and got the Skoda going to finish.

 We weren’t staying at the “official” hotel so didn’t go to the club supper. We had a nice meal at a fish restaurant but isn’t Newquay isn’t my idea of a nice place and I was glad we weren’t there for two nights. Personally I think the “Lands End” should finish at Lands End!

 How was your Lands End Trial?

Michael Leete

Targa-Liege

Posted on behalf of Peter Davis

 

Hello Michael, hope you are well.  I was wondering if it would be possible to include a mention the Targa-Liege 2002 on your Classical Gas community. The entry is mostly made up of kit cars, having a trials car take part would be wonderful.

 

Basically it's a five day reliability trial for hand built sports cars from Spa in Belgium to Florence, via Germany and the Austrian and Italian Alps and takes place on the 21st - 25th September 2002.  Latest details and entry attached.

 

Many thanks.

 

Peter Davis.

 

P.S. Look forward to seeing you in the bar in Newquay Saturday evening.

 

Attachment: Entry-cl.xls

Lands End 2002

Looks like the summer run has arrived early judging by the Met weather forecast!

 

 

Good Luck to all

 

 

Mark

MCC Lands End Trial - Riverton

 Whether its because I am tired or just being stupid but I can't find Riverton on the map and the programme doesn't give the OS reference because "no spectators". Can anyone supply the grid reference please? I think I can track down most of the other sections although I am sure it won't prevent me getting lost!

Regards

Brian

Murrays March Hare Trial

I have posted some more photos in the photos album from the March Hare Trial.

Mike.

Murray's March Hare 2002

CLASSIFICATION

Don't quite understand the motorcycle classification for the Land's End.  If I were to ride my lightweight XT500 Yamaha instead of my class A 650cc TriumphI would be excused all restarts (it weighs about 250lbsand would be in class C), as it is, I have do the two restarts that the even lighter up to 401cc have to do as well. My machine entered, is a class A 400lb twin (dry weight), restarts are for class A and B only. If my twin was foreign I would be in class D and be excused restarts (a BMW twin R80 GS is lighter- I used to have one before I took up long distance trials). It seems we are penalised by having British bikes in the dwindling class A. It is nice to pull off a gold against the club if all goes well, but life is getting more difficult, I did Riverton in the Exmoor on a lightweight BSA B40 in the daylight so will not be looking forward to it on a heavyweight in the dark!   I suppose the answer is class O if I do not want to end up under my machine halfway up a section because I do like riding it and most spectators appreciate the older machinery. Perhaps I am getting too old!

Lands End Timing

Sorted out the timing on your routecard yet?

Check out my Timing Calculator on the Lands End This Year page of the MCC site
Available from Saturday lunchtime (I Hope) 

Gentler Classics

I was wondering whether I could prey on your collective knowledge.

I have just bought a mini as a general competition car, for pcts, autotests, classics etc, however I have found previously using my old midget that a lot of classics are really just far too rough for a mini. The MCC ones, particuarly in 2000 was way to rough.

I enjoy classics, and enjoy doing them in a mini (although not always successfully!!), but I don't enjoy it when they are so rough I risk writing off the shell.

What classics are in your opinion, gentle, non car breaking ones??

The car will be prepared for trials so I'm not looking for pct smooth ones, but not car breakers either.

Simon

Roll over bars

I understand (but correct me if I am wrong) that there is a regulation governing the diameter and the material to be used in Roll over bars. Could anyone let me know what this is or point me in the direction for obtaining the information. My needs are a single loop bar for a Dellow.

Thank you

John Mac.

First Lady (posted on behalf of Susan TP-J)

Dear Michael,   

Yes , its that Classic rearing itself again, I think it first went back to July 1997, and subsequently corrected by Ron Warren and then again by Simon Woodall June 1999,  now I would like to add another!

Within my research for my book, to be launched Feb 2003, titled, Women in Motorsport from 1945,  I am listing the women winning Triple's,
These are my findings

Margaret Woodall is the undisputed first women to win one in 1955,
but as one interprets Simon's email to you, June 1999, it would appear to indicated that Maralyn won her first one on the same event.  If this was correct, it would have made her 12 years old, truly then something for the history books.

Maralyn did in fact win her first Triple in 1964, and her second in 1965, making her the first women to win 2 Triples.
Going on from that Ann Templeton won a Triple in  1996 and 1997.

Hopefully this will finally close the book on the subject.

Many congratulations on your website, I'll get round to signing up, once the Lands End is over, Been a bit hectic this year,   Look forward to seeing  'The New Falconers'  all obtaining  Gold's in this years 'new look trial.
Very best wishes.

Susan TP-Jamieson

Lands End Entry List........

.......... will be appearing on the MCC site from Saturday morning.

Look on the Lands End page, and check out the timing on the "This Year" page
Be surprised at how early your start time is.

Skoda for Sale

Skoda Rapide 135 RiC   93 on a J-Plate
1300 Single-Point Injection Engine,  Double-Joint Rear Suspension, Sun Roof, 55,000miles,  4 new Kingpin ALP4 tyres on 13" Alloys, MoT until Nov,
Reverse Gear a bit dodgy, but spare box included.    A bargain at £200

info@bvwf.org.uk (Terry Ball) or 01584-88138 working hours

Murrays March Hare

Are we all ready for it?

 

I've been trying to drum up support from marshalls for the early morning Whitwell sections, and think that I have just about enough, but a few more would be nice... if there is anyone in the Hertfordshire area, not competing and willing to help out at 8.30 am on sunday 10th MArch then please mail me... julian@hertsvwclub.org.uk

 

See you there.

 

Julian