Anyone for a wet one ?

 Well that has got to have been one of the wettest trial weekends we’ve had for ages.  Sam, Marc, Les, me and the dogs turned up on Saturday to set up, less the scrapsu. I thought that if we got stuck with it, we would never get it unstuck with only our 110 on A/T’s and the chippers Isuzu on road tyres for extraction.

 Sunday morning soon rolled up, and we were greeted at the gate by Arwel, at 0815 he must have got up early.  Everyone made it up to the car parking part of the field with out any drama.

 So on to the action.  We were 11 drivers all signed on and ready to go.  Section 1 started with a steepish drop and a bit of a side slope towards the 7 and 6 a quick weave around the trees, over a large fallen tree, back across the slope and up a slippery rocky slope for a clear. Simple! Or maybe not. We were aware when we setup that the ground was horrendously wet. Jo’s motor failed before the start gate, some sort of fuel pump issue I think, so he drove Tom’s.  Quite a few failed on the turn across the slope and scored a 7, Tim managed the turn with some careful and skilful throttle pinned to floor and hope driving, only to slide off the tree in to the 5.  Some good 1’s from Angus, Jo, Chris and Tom.

Section 2, a nice simple start, up to a nasty little up hill climb with a hole in it. Why on earth would anyone put a gate there? Hehe.  Across a small wet ditch, over some cross ruts, loop around the tree, then through a horrible little hole and up yet another slippery rocky climb. Arwel was very unlucky when he was having a good blast up the hill at the start when his door came open and clouted the 9, quite a few others failed on the climb. Jo managed to get stuck on the large rock for a 4. Good clears from Tom and Chris.

Section 3, started on the flat, a short climb up a small step, weave your way across the slope and the trees, then blast up the wet mud run. Class 5 had a quick dive out and fiddle to get back in for the 3. A couple of 4’s and 5’s I think it was here that Simon decided he wants some different tyres.  The tyres span quite happily flinging the mud all over him, but not actually moving forwards very much.  A 1 from JPR when he sank quicker than the titanic, everyone else managed a clear.

Section 4 saw you start by the side of a track, cross it, round a tree, back across, around another tree (remember that bit Chris?) cross the track again and again, up a small step to a clear. Chris managed to get lost for an 8, Matthew also an 8 but not sure why.  A good 3 from Rob in his 90, and 1 or clear from the others.  By this time we were starving, so back for dinner.

After lunch the next section turned out to be far too easy, with the only casualty being Arwel who scored an 8, failing to turn in for the gate at the start of the gorse. Clears for everyone else. That section looked like it would cut up much quicker than it did, never mind.

Section 6 saw us move to some trees and some old unused badger holes.  There was some serious arm wrenching going on here as you tried to dodge the 2 holes the right width to swallow an axle at the 3 gate, I think it was Simon who was first to go and give us all a good laugh as he stopped dead and the back jumped across into the 3. Rob and Matthew fell foul at the holes earlier on for a 6. 2’s 1’s and clears for the others. This is where Tom’s newly fitted CV decided it wasn’t up to the job and committed suicide.

Section 7 was the section in a large crater. You started on the side turned blind and on the angle into the crater, up through the 7 and back in and out for the 6 and 5. Up the short sharp climb and a quick right turn and back down. Quick loop in the field and back up the climb to the finish.  A number of you suffered in the crater, both coming in and going out.  Angus was the first casualty on the turn in for an 8.  7’s and 8’s from Tom (now driving Jo’s) Matthew, Rob, Tim and even Les in the little nimble scrapsu failed.  Arwel drove to a well deserved 3, good 1’s from Simon and Jo. With superb clears from Chris and JPR.

On to the last. Was quite a long section, which started with a couple of loops around some trees on the slope, across a wet bit which turned out to be not that wet, up a small ledge bank, through the bracken across a track which had a high bank on the exit, up the track back into the trees for another loop, back across a ditch and up into the trees again for a clear.  I think Arwel was first off and got caught out at the 5.  Rob slid off the ledge and into the 7, the rest of you managed to get virtually to the end, with 2’s from Angus and Matthew. 1’s from a crowd from class 3, Les, Simon and Tim. 0’s from JPR and the class 5 gang of Chris, Tom and Jo.

Hope you have all recovered from all the slipping and falling over that went on? I think everyone fell over at one stage or another.

Thanks to Marc, Sam, Malc W and Mart for standing around marshalling.  Hope you all enjoyed it. I did! 

See you next month.  Ian.