Well the competitive part of my Land End was shorter than expected. I was in my Beetle with Mike Hayward and we went round with my mate Neil who wanted to fulfil his ambition of doing the event in his Rover V8 powered Skoda Rapide. Enjoyed the night run from Michael Wood Services to Bridgewater. The Regularity Test certainly gives that added enjoyment.
Appreciated a decent sized restart box at Felons Oak but cocked up the tarmac Special Test by not reading the instructions properly. All 4 wheels over B instead of stopping astride then stopped astride C instead of flying finish. All own to me.
Got to Barbrook to find people and cars and people everywhere and a 30 minute Q for the control (thats on foot not in the car). Good job it wasn't raining! The smart people sent someone for refreshments so they could eat while waiting. IMHO the problem was that competitors didn't obey the instruction to wait at the preceding unmanned holding control.
Shame about having to make Beggars artificial with all that tape. Do you get penalised for hitting it? Have to look in the instructions.
Delighted to clean Rodneys Revenge for the first time in years. Waited at the road for Neil who didn't come. Along comes Simon Groves to tell me Neil has broken down on the exit track. We go back to help and find a drive shaft has broken. He had a spare but it took the four of us more than an hour and a half to fit by which time it was light, the course closing car had long gone and we found the diff had locked as well.
Nearly got locked in the forest as nobody came to check the exit track was clear but I had spotted the marshals leaving on a track below and ran to tell them we were still there.
Got the car out of the forest. Called the AA who weren't bothered about the Skoda being a trials car. AA took the Skoda and gave Neil a hire vehicle and we went down to see Blue Hills and distract Dave Cook (sorry Dave)
Michael
How was your Lands End Trial?
