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This was a trial of two halves. A dry night and morning and a wet afternoon when some of the sections became very muddy and there were some cancellations.
Follow this Draft report as it develops
The Edinburgh Trial has steadily evolved under the stewardship of Clerk of the Course Mark Gregg and weather apart this was a successful trial. Fortunately the rain didn’t come down until the afternoon but when it did it was relentless. This caused the abandonment of Booth Farm, at least for main trial cars. Litton was affected as well and the lower class cars confined to the grass section overlooking the old hill.
Like Dave Middleditch on the Lands End Mark Gregg is to be congratulated on his pre event communication and making himself so accessible to help with even the smallest query with such good grace. It remains to see to see if the clubs remote hierarchy learn from this.
The entry included the leading contenders for the ACTC Wheelspin Trophy and this was to be an important event for that competition.
The Start
There were the inevitable issues affecting some on the way to the start. Lee Sample had forsaken his usual Rickman Ranger to try two wheels on a Honda. Unfortunately his Camper and Trailer became immobilised on the way to the Duke of York campsite. Not to be deterred Lee arranged recovery and proceeded on two wheels. Ed Wells had to be on domestic duty at home and Roger Ashby had a trailer tyre blow out on the M5, fortunately he had a good spare.
Litchfield Rugby itself was heaving with people as they had double booked and there was a social event taking place downstairs. Fortunately the weather was OK and after some efficient scruitineering it was warm enough for competitors to socialise outside.
Tissington Ford
The 40 mile run up to the Tissington Ford Holding Control was mainly on small roads and single track lanes. It was remarkably uneventful once past the canal bridges and many turns in the first few miles after the start.
Early cars joined a rapidly developing queue for the 25psi tyre pressure check handled by the ever present Dave Middleditch.
Haven Hill
Arriving at the section there was another lengthy queue. Restart marshal Peter Thomson reporting the reason was the number of motorcycles struggling to navigate the ruts and hitting the ground. Putting machine and rider back on their feet was time consuming, especially the heavy larger bikes which sometimes took three pairs of hands to get upright.
The cars weren’t so much of a problem with few failures. This was aided by the marshals announcing the tyre rule was scrapped and allowing free pressures.
Ballidon
Excelsior was challenging with separate restarts for the different classes (Video by Simon Everett)
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With most of the classic Edinburgh sections still unavailable the event still continues to be a shadow of its former self. Still it had the benefits of the wonderful Derbyshire countryside with its spectacular views.
A new hill was introduced called Chrome Hill which turned out to be a mud PCT style section which many considered inappropriate for the event.
Without many of its Classic Sections the dry conditions provided plenty of grip and more than 50% of the entry came away with a medal after the breakfast timing penalties were scrapped.
The make up of the entry was interesting. With the influx of X90’s Class Five was the most popular and Class Seven was the exclusive province of Marlins and Lieges.
It was very misty as competitors left the souls M42 services at Tamworth on a misty morning. Unfortunately a motorcyclists was involved in a road accident soon after the start and taken to hospital. Several competitors stopped to help and decided not to continue with the trial.
Later numbers were held at the Carsington Water Control to control the flow into Haven Hill. They didn’t include Richard Peck, Lee Peck or Tim Cookman, who didn’t make the start. Richard’s brakes disappeared on the way to the start, the Mazda engine in Lee’s Kraken dies half a mile from home and Tim’s MX5 lost the diff on the motorway. Brian Partridge made it to Carsington but decided to head for home when his starter motor stopped working.
Haven Hill – All Classes, no restart
Without restarts or deviations Haven Hill was straightforward in the dry conditions. It was the end of Barry Redmaynes trial though. His Leige wasn’t running properly and at first he thought he had lost all his fuel. Eventually he found a fuel filter blocked with what looked like rubber particles. By then it was to late to continue and Barry retired after also finding a split bin the header tank.
Cliff Quarry – Restart for all Classes, deviation for Seven and Eight
In the dry conditions the restart wasn’t problematical, leaving the very tight turn for the higher classes as the main challenge. This isn’t easy and Dudley Sterry was one of several Class Eights to be penalised.
Haydale – Restart for all Classes
The route past the entrance to Deep Rake quarry but there was no Deep Rake or Black Harry on the agenda this year. Instead Handle was next on the agenda with Triple Editor Celia Walton in charge and a Special Test following immediately after. This is a well surfaced track and there wasn’t to much of a gradient for the restart so not too many problems.
Haydale Special Test
The A boards indicating the start of the first special test signified the end of the observed section, so no time to adjust pressures. There was an off track chicane that could have been nasty in the wet with the B boards on the exit corner, positioned so it was difficult to actually stop astride.
Calton – Restart for all except E and 0
Last year there was a big delay due to all the failures in the wet. No such problem this year in the dry.
Breakfast at Bull I’th Thorn
There was chaos and confusion at the breakfast halt. First competitors were arriving around an hour and a half early, such was the timing from Carsington. Inevitably there was not enough parking and it was fortunate there were no accidents as later cars queued on the busy main road.
Competitors were confused when the Chief Official announced they were “free to go” after taking an hours break. Some did and some waited for the scheduled time amongst much discussion about the wording on the route card which no longer said “depart at scheduled time”. The MCC made the pragmatic decision not to impose penalties here which was undoubtably the best decision under the circumstances.
John Looker was busy changing an tube split on Haven Hill and Eric Wall’s Dellow was parked without any numbers. Eric had repaired his Spare Wheel Carrier after the Lands End but it failed again, a few inches from the new repair.
Incline – Seperate Restarts for 1-5 and 6-8, No Restart for 0
After leaving the Bull I’th Thorn the route went into Buxton on the A515 and out on the A5004, passing the Old Long Hill section before turning into The Goyt Forest and joining a long queue over the reservoir dam.
This was the second year using this section so the organisers were a little more adventurous with restart positioning with separate boxes for the higher and lower classes. The yellow restart caused a few problems in Class Five and the experienced Mike Warnes didn’t get his TR7 away.
Corkscrew – 6-8 only with Restart This twisty, narrow section was called Jenkins Chapel in the past and has a formidable reputation. However, the conditions this year hadlogh drawn its teeth and there were only a couple of failures.
New Litton Slack – No Restart This gentle grassy slope overlooks the lost traditional Litton section and was distinguished by two things this year. First it was the only section on the trial to have no failures. Second the route instructions after exiting the track caused chaos causing many competitors to turn left at the end of the farm road rather than right where they should have gone.
Putwell – All except Class 0. No Restart on A, Restart 6-8 on B The resurfaced sections were cleaned by all the four wheeled brigade but proved problematic the sidecars in Class D and a few of the solo motorcycles.
Hollinsclough Rest Halt The mist had cleared and sunshine had arrived when competitors arrived for their tea and cake at Hollinsclough Village Hall for a rest halt and another discussion about timing. This was because the route instructions specified a 20 minute break but there was no penalty for early arrival or departure.
Rakes Head, Not Class 0, Restart 6-8 This short, sharp section lies just up the road from Hollinsclough Village Hall. The restart caught out quite a few, including the experienced Pete Hart (Marlin) and Peter Mountain (Dellow).
Excelsior Restart for all except 0
The restart didn’t take its usual crop of victims this year. There was a delay for later runners though after Mike Crews had the propshaft break on his TR7 and it took a while to clear the car from the section.
Moneystones – Class 0 Only with Restart
Marshalled by the outgoing Exter team of Tim Keeling and Anne and Tim Whellock this was one of two Class 0 only hills. It was very straightforward with only two failures, including the French crew of Jacques Veyer and Felicien Guillaume who are fast becoming MCC regulars.
Clough Wood No the trial didn’t use Clough Wood as a section but the route did come down it on the way to the Clough Mine sections. There has been a lot of resurfacing and all the old ruts had gone on the part of the track that used to comprise the section. Even so it would be nice to get this one back. Clough Mine 2 – Restart for all except 0 The first turn was tight and tricky but there was plenty of grip and outside of Class 2 where the Austin Sevens struggled there were few failures in the main field. The motorcycles in Class 0 had problems and John Plant lost his clean sheet with his X90.
Clough Mine 1 – Restart for Class 6-8
The restart was almost at the end of the section, where the gradient was at its steepest. A couple of the class eights were penalised for running back and Davod Jackson couldn’t get his FPS away. The Marlin/Liege Class 7 was more challenged with around 40% penalised and Trevor Wood (Liege) and Richard Houlgate (Marlin) lost their golds.
Dudwood 1 – 6-8 only, Restart for 7 & 8
Normally this is a muddy section, but not this year! With plenty of grip all the Classs 8’s stormed up as did most in Class 7. With their lower power to weight ratio the Class 6 Beetles all struggled and multiple National PCT champion Barry Parker scored the only clear in the class with his Toyota MR2.
Dudwood 2 – 0 to 5 Restart for all This familiar section starts on a surfaced track, turning sharp right before winding through the trees on a mixture of sand and leaf mould. Triple contender Alan Cundy didn’t get this far, retiring after Clough Mine and limping back to the Bull I’th Thorn with hazard lights flashing.
Almost all the main trial competitor went clear but not so in Class 0 where around half failed, either failing to get away from the restart or running out of grip and stopping just afterwards.
Dudwood 3 – 0 only The second class 0 only section was a gentle trundle round a grassy field and up a bank. It had to be treated with respect though as if you lost traction and started spinning the wheels that was it. Thats exactly what happened to some, ivluding Verdun Webley/Arnold Lane in their X90, veteran Reg Taylor in his Ford Ka and Hohn Bradshaw who lost his Blue Hills Tin in his Morgan 4/4
Dudwood Special Test
This long, glorious thrash finished the competitive part of the event and decided the Class Winners. Ubfortunatlt it also took away MCC debutant Sam Lindsays Silver when he was penalised in his ex Lee Peck Beetle.
The End After all the early arrivals and departures at the Bull I’th Thorn for breakfast the car competitors were arriving on or after their scheduled time at the end of the trial. Inevitably there was a lot of discussion at the finish and on social media about the timing issues. When the provisional results were published most hadn’t realised their fears although there were some lateness penalties imposed for the second half of the event.
All in all an enjoyable trial. The organisers and most of the competitors wild have preferred not to have such dry conditions but even the MCC can’t control the weather.
It remains difficult to run a trial in Derbyshire and without Litton, Bamford, Haggside, Great Hucklow etc it is a very different trial to 10/15 years ago. But hey we may get Clough Wood back.
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Golds hard to come by on surprisingly competitive Edinburgh.
With most of the events signature sections gone the organisers were saved by the weather on this years Edinburgh Trial. Several months of dry weather ended with a deluge on the early hours of Saturday morning, enlivening the conditions and making Calton and Excelsior particularly competitive.
Dave Cooks wonderfully atmospheric picture of Julian Lack rounding the tight corner leading to the deviation for the higher classes on Cliff Quarry (Picture by Dave Cook)
Starting out from the soulless M42 Services the 194 starters, with surprisingly few in Classes 1 and 2, diverted along the route amendment up the A38 to the outskirts of Derby before entering Ashbourne on the A52 instead of the usual A515. This confused some of the navigators as they didn’t pick the correct place to re-enter the original route card.
Carsington Water
Robin Barlow was in charge here with a radio link to the first section. With ample parking he was able to despatch competitors according to the number queuing on the road before the access track.
Haven Hill
Veteran Reg Taylor was on the start line on the first section. He managed to remain dry for main trial competitors but had to don his wet weather gear as the Class 0 competitors appeared. With no restart this year and a bone dry section everyone went clear.
Cliff Quarry
Kevin and Sam Lindsay about to tackle the higher class deviation. They were to retire shortly afterwards with fuel feed problems. (Picture by Dave Cook)Lee Sample and Matt Robson had clutch issues on the restart. It was fixed with a bit of adjustment and they went on to finish the event. (Picture by Dave Cook)
It was still dark when the first competitors arrived at Cliff Quarry and later numbers had to cope with the rain that started to fall around 6am. Everyone had to do a restart with the higher classes having to deviate around a tricky corner which was particularly Marlin unfriendly, seven of them failing, including father and son Tony and Hal Branson. Most of the non-deviators in the main trial went clean but the experienced Greg Warren was a notable exception.
The restart area wasn’t very muddy, despite the rain, but it still took numerous class 0 scalps including the two French competitors who produced a very nice Video of their adventure.
Going back to Marlins. Kevin Lindsay was having fuel problems with MGB engined car. He couldn’t fix them and had to retire.
Deep Rake (Class 0 only)
Dawn had broken for competitors in Class 0 when they arrived at Deep Rake where Ford Pop stalwarts Nigel Hilling and David Child were in charge of a compact section, with a restart on some loose stones.
This proved challenging for the less experienced and around a third couldn’t get away. These included Lee Sample who found the clutch wouldn’t bite properly on his Rickman Ranger, which has had a new engine since the Lands End.. He adjusted it after the hill and it didn’t give any more trouble. The trial was notable for the number of restarts for Class 0, with no less than seven on the schedule
Deep Rake Observed Test
This followed the familiar route although there was no water splash this year. Not just because of the dry summer but also because the hole had been filled in. There was a delay towards the end of the trial as a local claiming to be the Land Owner arrived saying the club didn’t have his permission to use the land. Fortunately the MCC officials sorted the situation to allow the trial to continue but it remains to be seen if there are any repercussions.
There were very few penalties on the test but they included the two French competitors, maybe the hadn’t yet come to terms with an MCC route card!
Black Harry
Still within the Deep Rake Quarry complex Black Harry had Trojan stalwarts John Wilton and Steve Potter in charge. They didn’t trouble the MCC results team and this was the second section on of the trial without any failures.
Haydale
Triple Editor Celia Walton was in charge here and had needed her wet weather gear as she had caught the worst of the rain during the sections opening hours. Everyone had to restart but outside of Class 0 there were few penalties.
Calton
A rainy view in the long queue for Calton where the restart was problematical for many.
With the rain and a restart for everyone competitors knew this was going to be one of the events significant challenges. The deep ruts on the upper reaches have long gone but there is something special about getting away on polished limestone in the wet!
Nobody in Classes 1 or 2 got away from the restart. The Suzuki’s in Class 5 didn’t fare well. Neither did many Marlins or Lieges or in Class 7. These included Julian Lack who had only put his engine back in the car just before the event but had the distributor module come loose just as he was trying to pull away.
Unfortunately many of the failures had problems backing up for a second try and a long queue built up. When it was getting close to getting back to the main road the Chief Official decided to cancel the hill for Class 0 who went straight to breakfast at the Bull I Thorn.
Incline (Classes 0 to 5 only)
James Turner waiting for his attempt at Incline in his Reliant Rebel.
The rain had eased when the field went through Buxton, out on the A5004 towards Whalley Bridge, passing the former Old Long Hill section before turning off into the Goyt Forest for a new section called Incline. It was a smoothish forest section. The gradient wasn’t too severe but it kept rising and levelling out which caught out the unwary. Other than Classes 1 and 2 where nobody went clear it only caught out a few in the main trial but Steve Kingstone lost his Gold in his MG Midget.
The section was a challenge for Class 0 and Nev Bowers failed his first hill here. This was the last section for Jacques Veyer in his AHS as he ran out of time and found the following sections closed when he arrived. His colleague Denis Sautery had retired his BMW with a holed tank at breakfast.
Corkscrew (Classes 6,7 and 8 only)
Dave Cook had a long walk to Corkscrew where he captured Simon and Bekki Eddy going clean on their way to a Gold and Class D win.
The higher classes tackled the former Jenkins Chapel, reintroduced after many years. Competitors either loved or hated this narrow rocky track but most were appreciative of the section after loosing so many of the other traditional hills.
Alan Spencer was the only class 8 to stop but the section took its toll in 7 and 8 including Matt Facey who had entered his BMW saloon in Class 7 for more of a challenge!
“New” Litton Slack
Competitors could only take sad glances to the left at the “real” section as they tackled the gentle grassy slope of the former escape road which had plenty of grip despite the earlier rain.
Putwell (not for Class 0)
There were the usual two sections. Putwell A was rough again, but there was no restart. Higher up the track came the resurfaced Putwell B with a restart for 6,7 and 8.
The section didn’t have much impact on the results this year although Mike Pearson had to retire when his Dellows alternator failed. The message went back down the section to those waiting and Emma Wall kindly donated her spare so Mike could get to his hotel in Buxton for the evening.
Rakes Head (not for Class 0)
This little section was just up the road from the tea and cake stop at Hollinsclough Village Hall. Classes 6,7 and 8 had to restart. This proved challenging for 6 and 7 but those challenging for premier awards all went clear.
Excelsior
Ian Facey didn’t need the considerable ground clearance of his BMW Z3 to clean Excelsior on his way to a Triple (Picture by Dave Cook)Dick Bolt puts the power down as he pulls away from the Excelsior restart to joint Ian Facey, Stuart Roach, Emma Wall and Hans Viertel in the 2014 Triple Club (Picture by Dave Cook)
Everyone had to restart and with the box on a sharp corner on slippery limestone rock it was going to be a challenge.
The section certainly took its toll on the score sheet especially in 5, 6 and 7. It was interesting that not only did everyone in Class 4 go clear but they all maintained their clean sheets at this stage of the trial.
This was probably the most challenging section of the trial for Class 0 who had to restart like everyone else. Only three cars (Michael Leete – Beetle, Chris Adney – Morgan and Vic Lockley – Beetle) went clean, leaving Vic and Michael with the only clean sheets. Failing the restart was unfortunate for Neil Bray as it cost him a Tri0 award.
Moneystones (Class 0 only)
Exeter Trial Secretary Tim Keeling was marshalling the start and there was a stony restart to tackle further up the slope. It was dry and most avoided the holes but they still caught out Brian Osborne in his MGB and Vic Lockley who said goodbye to his Blue Hills Tin.
Clough Mine 1 (not for Class 0)
Passing the entrance to the former Clough Wood track the lower classes had a straight run but the higher classes has a restart towards the top. The non-re-starters didn’t have problems but getting away from the box was a problem and the 6,7 results were decimated. It also caught out some of the class eights and Russell Clarke (Troll) and Barry Redmayne in his 4 cylinder Suzuki engined Leige, which now sports SU Carburation, lost their chance of gold.
Dudwood 1 (6,7 and 8 only. No restart)
Nobody in Class Six succeeded and only Dudley Sterry in Class 7 reached the summit. It wasn’t that easy in Class 8 where Simon Oates (Triumph Torum), Brian Partridge (Ridge Cannon) and Bill Moffatt (Troll) all said goodbye to Gold.
Several cars in the lower classes also attempted Dudwood 1. This attracted a WR penalty, presumably meaning wrong route. This counted as a section failure and both David Golightly (Ford Morton & Brett) and Kevin Sharp (Suzuki X90) lost their chances of Gold.
Dudwood 2 (1,2,3,4 and 5 only. No restart)
Previously a Class 0 hill this section started in the farmyard this turned into another run through the trees with the surface turning very loose before the top. This proved a bit much for most in Class 5. Aaron Homewood lost his gold here in his venerable Skoda but the three Beetles in Class 4 went clear and were clean as they went to the final observed test.
Dudwood 3 (Class 0 only)
This new section turned out to be a grassy slope which turned out to be dry with plenty of grip and everyone went clean.
Dudwood Observed Test
After a stop astride and reverse this turned into a long blast along a farm track, an enjoyable way to end the competitive part of the trial. Enjoyable that is unless you were John Arrowsmith (Class 4 Beetle) or Dave Wall (Dellow) who were penalised and lost their gold’s here.
The Finish
Leaving the farm track competitors passed the Cliff Quarry section (Hill 2) on the way to the finish back at Bull I Thorn. Popular opinion was that the organisers had done a grand job to make use of the sections that were available to them. As it stands from the provisional results it looks like Car Triples will go to Dick Bolt and Emma Wall, both in Escorts. Hans Viertel (Beetle) Matt Facey BMW Z3 and Stuart Roach (HRG)
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With two sections cancelled, and a returning Litton Slack attempted only by the higher classes, this years Edinburgh was a concentrated affair.
It wasn’t easy though, Excelsior in particular taking its toll on Triples.
Graham Whiting fettling his Skoda at the breakfast halt. Sadly this was to be Grahams last trial as shortly afterwards he lost his brave fight with cancer.
It was a fine night when competitors gathered at Tamworth Motorway Services. There was bad news for those in the main trial who were told Bamford was cancelled due to an exposed electricity cable. This left very few “traditional” hills for those in the lower classes who would not be attempting Litton Slack.
Lost Golds at the Cliff Quarry Deviation
The first challenge came early on at Cliff Quarry, with a restart for everyone. That wasn’t the main problem though, that was a truly horrible deviation for the higher classes. This really challenged their steering lock and such luminary’s as Dean Partington, Nick Farmer, Dudley Sterry and Eric Wall all lost their clean sheets here.
Putwell Repaired
After the Black Harry complex came Putwell. The rumour was that Putwell B had received the attention of the Derbyshire road gang. Putwell A was as rough as ever but Putwell B was a bit different, as smooth as the M1! Never mind a couple of years of water erosion and it will be competitive again.
Litton Slack Only for Some
There were two Litton Slacks in the route card. New Litton Slack for Classes 0 to 5 and old Litton Slack for 6, 7 and 8. The section for the Lower Classes could hardly be described as Litton Slack, its just a smooth grassy track, with very little gradient, running along the top of the valley.
The real Litton Slack was a challenge for the higher classes and nobody in 6 or 7 reached the summit. It was a challenge for Class 8 as well and the experienced Dean Partington, Nick Farmer, Dudley Sterry and Eric Wall were the only drivers to go clean. Unfortunately for this quartet they had all flailed Cliff Quarry.
Slippery Stones
Calton and Excelsior are both traditional hills with re-starts on polished stones for everyone except Class 0. They failed more than 50% each and sadly Nicola Butcher lost her triple on Excelsior when all the class fours except James Arrowsmith and Hans Viertel failed to get away.
Motorcyclists to Hospital
The abbreviated Edinburgh finished with Clough Mine and Dudwood. Neither are “classic” sections and Dudwood was cancelled after two of the motorcyclists hurt themselves and required medical attention .
Class 0 had a very similar trial, minus most of the restarts and a couple of the rougher hills, substituted by some gentler stuff.
Triple for Julian
When the provisional results were published it looked as if there wouldn’t be any triples. However, after some time they were amended with particular reference to Classes seven and eight on Litton Slack which meant Julian Lack was awarded a Triple.
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Unfortunately a Memorable Event for Rough Sections, PR Issues and Delays.
Rain immediately before the event toughened up a route that had lost many of its traditional sections. This caused delays and some later numbers finished some four hours after scheduled time.
John White negotiating his way over the Putwell Rocks on his way to winning the only MCC Triple of 2012 (Picture by Dave Cook)
It is becoming more and more problematical for the MCC to run a trial in Derbyshire. Haggside and Hucklow have been lost in recent years. Litton Slack is no more and there are doubts about other favourites. As a result the Edinburgh is a very different trial these days, with an increasing number of sections on private land.
Delays in the Night
After a period of dry weather there was rain during Friday night, making some of the sections quite slippery. Car competitors faced immediate delays when an early number had to be extricated from Haven Hill. This caused a delay which built up and an hours worth of cars were soon backed up at Robin Barlows Carrsington Water Holding Control.
Cliff Quarry was next, new to the MCC but well known to VSCC aficionados. Everyone had to do a restart here, including Class 0. The rain had made this much harder than the organisers probably intended and with no recovery possible. The inevitable failures had a long, difficult, reverse back to the road to the head of the long queue that soon stretched back to the nearby village.
Although it wasn’t shown in the route card classes 7 & 8 had a tricky deviation, with a corner that stopped almost everyone, including eventual best in Class 7 Roger Bricknell, making a welcome return in his Vincent. It was possible though, as Nick Farmer proved on his first outing in his Red Top powered Fugitive. There was no deviation for Class 1 but Ian Cundy will remember this section as he lost his Triple here when the engine on his Golf fluffed.
Rileys Rise was a nice section, a bit rough, and maybe not the same track as has been used previously with that name. It was unfortunate that a PR problem developed towards the end when the local farmer arrived, objecting to the track being used as a section. Things were smoothed over by the Bristol club marshalling the hill and lets hope it doesn’t prevent its use in the future.
Into the Quarry
The Quarry complex was uneventful, apart from those that got soaked in the water at the end of the Special test!
Putwell was just down the road and although not in the quarry it was certainly rough enough. After another long wait car drivers found that Putwell A was full of loose rocks and those with limited ground clearance really suffered This was merely the appetiser for the unbelievably rough Putwell B. Always a rough one it appears that water erosion has made the “valleys” deeper while 4WD drive traffic hasn’t reduced the height of the mountains. While there were some that were OK with the section the majority of car drivers reckoned the section was past its sell by date.
Stuart Harrold was observing driving standards on the exit track and was delighted to report that everyone was behaving.
With all the delays breakfast at Bull I’th Thorn was most welcome, especially the generous portions and friendly service.
Litton wasn’t the Traditional Section
Unfortunately the traditional Litton Slack isn’t available as a section but one was run along the track at the top. With it being so wet the restart was cancelled but it was still necessary to use considerable throttle control in the mud.
Bamford on Form
The wet conditions made Bamfords infamous steps very slippery this year and there were numerous failures. It certainly wasn’t very friendly to Class 5 where the Suzuki X90’s all struggled for grip. Paul Clay was on form in his Ford 10 powered Austin Seven Special, clearing the section on his way to being best in Class 5. The inevitable Bamford delays were exasperated by non-competing traffic and Dudley Sterry received a baulk.
Tricky Restart at Calton
This is of those sections that looks so innocuous from the start line. Twenty years ago it was deep ruts that were the problem. Then they were filled in and it became an easy section for a while. Now everyone except Class 0 has a restart on polished stones and this year the damp made the limestone really slippery. Sadly this cost Dick Bolt his triple when the Cornishman couldn’t stop the back wheels spinning. His only hope was for none of the class to go clean but unfortunately for Dick both Lester Keat in his Avenger and Edward Broom in his Escort got away. This left only John White on for a Triple this year.
Running late at Hollinsclough
By now the delays had spread the field out and cars were arriving in dribs and drabs. This had one benefit as the parking field was out of use as it was too muddy and cars had to park on the limited space on the road.
Rakes Head was a few yards up the road. It isn’t very long but this is a nice little section attempted by everyone apart from Class 0 with a restart for everyone. This took its toll of the lower classes but it also defeated Nick Farmer and Duncan Stephens in Nicks new Fugitive.
Excelsior came next, with a restart scheduled on the slippery cobbles. This proved very tricky and after numerous failures it was cancelled.
Cancelled Clough
Heading East towards Darley Dale there were two sections on the Routecard. One on private Land at Clough Mine and the traditional Clough Wood track.
The Clough Mine section was a very muddy, rutted track, quite long and straight. Ground clearance was the big problem. Classes 6, 7 and 8 had a restart as well. None of the 6’s and 7’s got away, nullifying things for them. It was pretty difficult for Class 8 as well, but it was possible. Local men Dean Partington and Liam Rafferty got away in their Dean constructed cars, joined by veterans Dudley Sterry and Eric Wall.
With a restart for all, delays soon built up on the nearby Clough Wood and Chief Official decided he had to cancel the section.
Quagmire at Dudwood.
The final action was scheduled at Dudwood Farm, with different sections for Class 0 and the main trial. Everything was very muddy and the special test had to be cancelled. The main trial had to tackle the quagmire at Dudwood 2. It looked impossible and it was, for all but one man, Dean Partington, who powered his way to the summit.
Fortunately for John White he was joined by everyone else in class 4 in not getting up this last hill, earning him the one and only Triple for 2012.
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