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Start
There was nice weather for the start on the Pateley Bridge Show Ground, which held for the rest of the day. There was plenty of space for van and trailer parking, and some stunning views to take in while waiting to start.
Watergate
The scenic Watergate 1 is a familiar Yorkshire Dales fixture. Most experienced competitors took it in their stride, but it still took its toll on the unwary. The bottom needs an enthusiastic attack as it becomes very slippery as water from the splash gets carried up the hill. This caught out a few cars, including past event and class winner Mark Busfield in his HSTA spec car running in Class 5 and Derek Reynolds in his X90.
Having got past that comes a restart on rock for the higher classes at the six marker.
The final challenge was a deviation on grass at the very top, with the higher classes having a second deviation at the one. These summit deviations appeared on several sections throughout the trial, part of this year’s plan to toughen the event up a bit. It succeeded, and the experienced Mark Hobbs, John Early, and Karen Warren all dropped a single mark here.
Watergate 2 was different this year. Rather than the usual fearsome drop into the bomb hole, there was some PCT-style wiggling on grass followed by a gentle descent preceding the full-blooded blast to the top of the section. This all proved too much for the MCC’s Andy Kennett. The diff on his Class 0 Vincent Kit Car blew asunder, ending his trial on what was his class’s first section.
Dry Gill
The restart for classes 7 and 8 on Dry Gill 1 was on the steepest part of the slope. A fail to get away cost 9 marks, and it cost a number of restarts that penalty, including John Early, who retired his Liège a few sections later. Getting off the start was no guarantee of a clean though, as there was a steep hump at the five that was to prove significant.
Sam Lindsay failed here, although he was relieved to make the start at all after problems with his Zetec-engined rail.
Simon Woodall was another victim of the hump, making a guest appearance in Lee Pecks’ Kracken, his first outing in a front-engined car.
Simon Oates was the most significant failure. Had he gone clean here, he would have been equal with Julian Lack on hill scores but would have picked up the overall event win as he was ahead on the special tests.
Dry Gill 2 was a twisty affair, in and out of a gully with a tricky restart for 6, 7, and 8. There were some notable failures to get away, including Dean Partington, Jack Selwood, and Charlie Merson in Class 8. These were to be the only six marks Charlie lost during the event.
The section also had a big impact on the Motorcycle result, with reigning Pouncey League Champion John Reeves losing his only marks on the event here.
Strid Wood
Strid Wood 1 incorporated the familiar deep gully, but this was preceded by some tight PCT-style turns marked out on a grass bank. This wasn’t a problem for the higher classes, but some of the saloons and sports cars bottomed out on one of the humps. Fails here included Mark Hobbs (Escort), Lucy Moore (MX5), and Derek Reynolds in his X90.
Traditionally, the restart on Strid Wood 2 has been on the 90th right onto the cross-track. This year, it had been moved down amongst the bracken and marked out with poles on a curve. This restart proved a problem for a couple of the Dean Partington cars, as neither Jack Selwood nor Kieran Bartlett, in his DP Sports, got away.
Strid Wood 3 was cancelled for cars as one of the later running motorcyclists needed medical attention and was waiting for an ambulance to arrive.
Hawpike
Neither of the two observed Hawpike Sections had a significant impact on the results but couldn’t be taken for granted.
Hawpike 1 was very boggy in its higher reaches and cars needed momentum to get through the mire.
After coming back through the farmyard Hawpike 2 had some different grassy twists and turns on the lower reaches. It was also the first restart off the day for the lower car classes and claimed its fair share of victims.
The Highwood Farm timed test followed after a scenic trip across the Hawpike ridge.
This was a glorious long thrash with no reversing and a friendly farmer at the end to help pump up your tyres.
Sadly, Dellow Register Chair Andrew Isherwood had to retire his original Mk1 here with back axle issues. Fortunately, Andrew was able to limp back to the Bolton Abbey campsite where his motorhome and trailer were parked.
Ellers
Ellers comes just after the former infamous Peels Wood sections and is usually a rather benign section. Not this year. It had been spiced up towards the end with a sharp 90 right up into the woods with a restart right on the turn for the higher classes. This proved a tough one, and only Dean Partington, Charlie Merson, and Iain Daniels went clean amongst the restarters. Most of those who didn’t have a restart had troubles here as well, and only Simon Knight in his Mk2 Dellow running in Class 5 went clear.
The lunch halt was a few miles up the road, with some excellent cuisine on offer.
Norton Selwood had to wait a while for his lunch as his Beetle started to misfire. The problem was soon diagnosed. The linkage to the nearside carburettor on the flat four had become disconnected, soon remedied with the help of a 6mm nut from John Ramsden’s toolbox.
Sword Point
The Sword Point sections are in a wood with some very substantial trees to hit for the unwary. The first one had a tree rooty restart at the six, which proved tricky. However, some of the saloons and sports cars in the lower classes found the lower reaches slippery, and there were quite a few 10s.
The second Sword Point section had a deeply rutted straight track leading to the summit.
This wasn’t a problem for those that had the ground clearance and the power, but the problem was getting to the track, through the tight turns around the trees after the start line. Brian Colman (Dutton Phaeton) was one of many that found the turns impossibly tight so he couldn’t get to the track and dropped eight. This was a shame as Brian was leading the event after Ellers, having only dropped two after the difficult restart.
Seans Wood
The first of two sections in Seans Wood had a steep rise immediately after the start line, effectively making it a restart and there were a number of failures, including a couple in 7 and 8 who had to start a little further up.
The second section in the woods had a restart for all classes which was cleaned by all but one competitor.
Brimham Lodge
A Yorkshire Dales staple this is very much a weather dependant section on muddy grass and with this years dry conditions only challenged a couple of competitors.
Highfield Farm Special Test
West Wood
Only a few miles from the finish there were two sections at West Wood, the first only for solo motorcycles.
A problem for some on the second hill was the turn off the road with the section start on a steep bank that was effectively a challenging restart.
For those that got going there were some tight turns amongst the trees, but very little gradient until the short, sharp bank at the end where it was very easy to pick up a three.
The Finish
Back at Patley Bridge, the sun was still shining as competitors signed off and packed up to go home. Despite the dry conditions, the new deviations and restarts had made it quite a tough trial, especially for full-bodied cars in the lower classes, where the many tight turns and ground clearance issues produced some high scores but hopefully not too much damage. So well done to Sam Holmes for getting his Class 4 Beetle into the top 10.
Now the most northerly Classic Trial on the calendar, the Yorkshire Dales has its own unique character, held at an ideal date, to give visiting competitors a wonderful opportunity to see Yorkshire at its best.
Finally a special mention to all the marshals and officials who were unfailingly friendly and helpful.
Still Under Construction so keep checking back for more
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