JUNE TRIAL - 15/06/2008

 “The Border Raiders”. 

Some of you might remember the last time I was CoC at Cwmgila, it’s a trial that has possibly already entered the Trialing Hall of Fame, or “infamy”? I think there were 8 rolls from 7 different drivers? Whatever, it was a memorable trial.

I like Cwmgila, it’s a great natural site with a good variety of obstacles to stop drivers getting to the end of a section, and it’s close to home. As it is for Mike Lee as well, so when we drove Jo’s excellent trial there a few months ago we thought another trial there wasn’t a bad idea. And Mike hadn’t been CoC there before so it would be easy enough to find something different to drive when we crossed the border for our annual assault on your driving skills. 

So it’s Mike we need to thank for setting most of the sections, although the first section up in the quarry did have a strong resemblance to the one where I rolled Malcolm Sumner and Malcolm Whitbread a few years ago when Mr Whitbread barrel rolled in my direction, and which has now been officially declared as the fastest anyone has ever seen me move!

We sent you up the rough track and a side slope, across the field, drop into a small swamp, down the hill and back up to the 1 gate. Easy?

Well, it wasn’t that bad as the score sheet shows a line of 2’s and heroic 1’s from Chris Spittle and Tom Jewell, and they are in Class5.

Angus clipped the 5 gate, which was either bad luck or a bad choice of shunt, and one of the three new drivers, Tim Rapley, scored 9 when he set off with the diff lock disengaged. But he had a drive around anyway and would have scored a 2.

Everyone remained upright, and I wasn’t forced to run for my life! 

Section 2 was where I broke a steering drag link on Saturday. We did drive a lot of the sections until Mike broke a rear diff. My ‘heavy duty’ drag link broke on the log in the nettles, but I do admit to reversing back a few times and having another go! Luckily I had a spare.

So we missed the log out and set what looked like a fairly easy first part of the section through the nettles and around the trees, then we had the uphill run through the very narrow gully, with a slightly different approach for Class 5.

Which certainly didn’t stop Chris Spittle, he just booted the Muddler and literally ‘flew’ from the 3 to 1 gates! It was impressive to watch, but Chris does have a well deserved reputation for being an impressive driver, he’s certainly not frightened of having a go at whatever the CoC sets out.

The 2’s from J.P.R., Jo, Tom and Angus were also well deserved. 

The third section was down the field in the stream. We had planned to use the stream right down to the gate as we have in the past, but the nettles were worse than anything Bear Grylls would battle through so we just used a small area that didn’t resemble a tropical jungle.

The mud at the 10 to 8 gates was driveable, but the log at the 7 gate proved to be a better obstacle than Mike and I ever hoped for. As ever the battle for Class 4 was already reaching critical levels, even after two sections, with most of the drivers on 2 or 3 points. But Matthew Tomley and Angus were the only Class 4 drivers to conquer the log.  

We gave the drivers a choice, if they went up the bank one way they had to come down the opposite side, but those that got there all chose the left side climb, which obviously gave you a better line at the 2 and 1 gates. Matthew and Chris scored good 2’s but Jo cleared – just! 

By section four we were back on familiar territory, this was a bit of land Jo had used in April, but we went the other way and had canes in different place so it was different enough.

Where Jo had set a 5 foot vertical drop and a 90 degree turn into the river, I remember getting towed from there, the bank had been broken down enough to drive up, so we started the section across the loose stone, down into the river and up the bank then finished with a hill climb.

Tim Rapley, on his first trial with us ( he usually competes with the new Shropshire Off Road Club ) and driving a nice looking Whitbread creation was first off on this section, and promptly rolled on the climb out of the river!

But it was gentle roll and no serious damage was done to either man or machine, or indeed his wife in the passenger seat.

The concensus was that Tim’s motor was stiffly sprung, set up for comping, so we carried on.

Next up was Matthew, who failed the climb, but stayed upright. This wasn’t looking good, we wanted the drivers up the hill climb, and that’s just what the rest of you did with good clears from Simon, Jo, J.P.R. and Angus, a wide range of machines and classes, proved that it was driveable. 

By now it was time for lunch, and a short rest. It was getting hot and the forecast rain hadn’t arrived. Which made Mike and I happy because the next sections would have been difficult in the rain.

The start of the next section was a very steep drop with a left turn at the bottom, maybe the trees would have kept the rain off? But we didn’t need to worry about the drop being slippery, it was just too awkward for the turn so we adjusted the start, it was a 10 gate after all.

This was a tricky section, after the drop there was a steep and long side slope, turn down into the stream through the trees and a finish up a steep, off camber, climb. We left the gates wide, but the natural obstacles made it tight.

There’s a few 7’s and 6’s on the score sheet, but enough 2’s and 1’s to make it worthwhile. They were all Class 5 drivers, but they are supposed to have the most capable machines so we make no apologies for setting extra hard 1 gates to give them something to drive for.  

There’s a long line of clears on section 6, and we honestly thought we were going to stop people on the 2 gate, where I damn nearly rolled when we were setting out. But it’s very difficult to set the canes to ensure that drivers follow exactly the same line.

The last three sections were further down the stream close to where we’d parked. Basically these were Jo’s sections modified and reversed, which was interesting because we heard a lot of drivers commenting on how they drove a particular obstacle at Jo’s trial, but Mike and I had altered them enough to make whole new sections.

The start was up the tree root steps into the field, down onto the track and a bit of a drive to the turn into the stream, then drive around some trees and poke the hub through the 1 gate.

All those clears make it look as though it was a doddle, it wasn’t. The drop into the stream was nasty, have a look at Marc and Ian’s excellent pictures on the forum and you’ll see plenty of people with full lock on, two wheels in the air and the left front wheel submerged in mud. I was marshalling down there and was convinced someone would go over but nobody did, although Angus and Dave Tomley did need a tug. 

The first one of this trio was, as they all were, a series of loops in and out of the stream and up and down the banks. We also reversed this one, that water hole was far too good to not be used twice! I was stuck in there for a long time on Saturday.

We also used the bit of bank that jutted out Jo had us balancing on, the first time through in the opposite direction which meant climbing the front wheel up a vertical bank nearly a metre high. I had my doubts about it holding out, or getting too slippery when it got wet, but it held out ok.

There’s a big range of scores on this section, and a superb clear from Tom, who just booted the motor and flew through the last few metres of the section. It looks like a theme for Class 5, one that I need to perfect!

While Mike reversed this section we took off a little way upstream where a little patch of mud in the field caused a few unforeseen problems.

We’d set a different 1 gate for Class 5, just to make it difficult you understand. But it was deemed even to difficult for them, so we relented and called the tarmac crew in and made a motorway for them.

Chris then got lost and scored 4, Jo got a good 1 and Tom a terrific clear, that left him so finely balanced that a breath of wind would have had him on his side in the stream. And any rumours (or photographic evidence) that I was pushing him over with a stick are completely false!

Marc was driving Simon’s  oil burner and also scored a superb clear, and the ‘regular’ 1 gate wasn’t exactly easy. Marc, as usual, drove well all day and won Class 3 from Simon by two points, but it was close all day, and they both caused plenty of black smoke! 

The last section now had the water hole between the 8 and 7 gates, which was as far as nine out of the twelve drivers got. But there were some brave attempts at getting through, mostly involving lots of revs and huge plumes of muddy water that soaked everyone within the parish.

So the 5’s from Jo, Malcolm Morgan and Dave Tomley were well worth watching, I think Mr Tomley was trying to destroy the motor because Matthew beat him, second trial running, and it was Fathers day as well.

Chris Spittle won Class 5 by one point from Tom and 3 from Jo.

Which, as far as Mike and I were concerned, made it a good trial. There was a low score or a clear on every section until the last one, which favoured nobody.

As always we enjoyed setting the trial, and enjoyed the trial itself even more. And from your comments you enjoyed it as well.

Which you should, there was only one roll and no retirements! We were slipping…………… 

Many thanks to Linda, Ian and Les for helping, and to everyone else who did their best to make it a great day out.  

Dave Lloyd