A reminder and...

Summary of the 05/06 season....

Round Two:     "Group B Mania..."

O/A Results.   Conditions: Mainly dry & clear, muddy in places.
 

Oliver’s disappointment was to be expected… but do not underestimate yourself young Sir. A finish within the time limit, the correct route taken, gaining just one fail in 65kms… good job done.
It’s difficult for me to offer any tips right now, Oh, except that I’ve been enjoying this sport for just about three times your age. And still I have trouble writing down the correct GS on a score card!!

Anyway, a refreshing change was that Orgs. Keep the “back ‘an forth” link roads a sensible width & it’s a winning idea. Me thinks we might just see a little more of that style.

A strong performance from the crew with the posh accent ensured a top podium step for them with the reverberating Mini crew only 90 metres behind! An additional 20 metres further back, round one winner’s pocketed the Bronze. Rather close at the head of the Challenge then, this indeed follows on to the Nov class where a solid 6^th place & class win from the Falconer crew means “Lunchbox” now goes equal with round one class winner’s Glover/Wood. 

The Route: For a change, this is not as straightforward as normal due to the nature of the event! Our particular route then… With six “stages” on offer we could choose the order of visitation. From the RetroAuto start venue we headed for short “Radnor”  loop N of The Wrekin finishing just above Upper Longwood. This sect three vital CB’s so we were busy already. Next for us was “Sweet Lamb” but at the junc just after the Evenwood ford we cut to polish off a “super special link” which took in Kenley the fearsome flat straight from Harley to Kenley Common & a returning NE to Kenley. A link back to Evenwood & the finish of “Sweet Lamb” just E of Acton Burnell. N to “Langdale” with the std loop past Cantlop Bank/Upper Cound to bag a further two CB’s. “Grizedale” began due S and allowed crew’s to sample Lower Chatwell before finishing @ Gretton. The final “Dalby” took in the classic lanes around Chatwell & the Lawley h/pin’s to finish our event on the Roman road just E of Leebotwood. Lovely drop of beer @ the Dorrington venue was followed by a sausage & chip menu… sorted.

Class Winners: Bentley/Bentley, Falconer/Falconer

Round Six:   "139 Revisited..."

Shirt sleeves weather...                What was that toothpaste ad?           Not sure what this is...   

O/A Results.    Conditions: Messy...
 

To our embarrassment it took Pete & I three attempts to find the yellow road directly outside the M54 service station. And then things picked up a little!
Karl E & his entourage always deliver the goods and Round Six was no exception, a varied route combined with a few rather mucky lanes combined to make this a rather nice recipe. Well done indeed.
O’Dowd Bros now creep ahead of the rest in the Nov class whilst the olde stagers take the lead for now at least. Mr Karl has not given up I assure you…

The Route: Again, two sections, two score cards, this time the first CB appearing just W of the junc @ 770 100. Burlington Ford & Blymhill Common showed us the way around Brineton & the very quick but narrow yellow travelling SE produced yet another CB. Crossing the A5, the orgs saw us make good use of any lane just wide enough for a bicycle as we travelled as far E as Chillington & Ackbury Heath. Dropping South now & after skirting Codsall, & an awkward CB under the power lines in sq 8504 we found ourselves approaching OS138 an the soon to be explained event title! “139 re-visited” indeed, a total of nine 138/139 cross overs were to follow! Pleased with my decision to join maps, (always do anyway!) we then visited the control in/out and after a quick plot the route flowed S through the Bratch, Smestow & Swindon. The innocuous 200 meter black spot situated in the centre of Enville golf course (!) caught out the main crew on the night but, as in Little Britain, was they bovvered!?

The CafeOK, once again our finish venue looked after us all well. In fact the Craick on Friday night was, for Pete & I the icing on a well earned slice of cake.
Good luck with the op my man; in fact... you will be sorted out by the time you read this…

Class Winners: Ellis/Jarman, O'Dowd/O'Dowd.

Round Seven:    "Along the straight & narrows..."

O/A Results.    Conditions: Clear but greasy.
 

After a slightly different slant on proceedings, (WSSCClub navscat) the previous Wednesday, our surprising podium warmed Anth & I up for this important event. The first of the dropped score scenario’s came into play (7 from 9) so even though I planned to end up Twelfth & deny Mr Ellis points… it all went wrong!! On the face of it the plotting was a simple affair, most leaving the New’putt car park just wondering a little… No worries though, our Bentley team laid on a little belter, very well done all. Anth stays top then, with a couple of leap frogs just down the order. O’Dowd Bros up the class front… (Do I recall Dad O’Dowd mentioning to them prior to the season that he would fund a works S1 light pod for the Quattro if they win??!!)  

The Route: Section 1, the first of three resembled one of the class Germany stages on Colin 5 with it’s fast straights & square bends! Six code boards later we found ourselves near Cheswardine & as North as the NE circus has travelled for a fair while.
Sect 2 offered excellent lanes & navigation, the driver just having to be careful as conditions were far from poifect. Having handed in our score card in exchange for another, the final section near Howle then conveyed us NW once more, taking in sq 6625 (does anyone know why this quite famous village is not actually named on the map?? Answers on a…)
Remembering to travel longest we visited Stoke on Tern, & the NE approach into Ollerton. A loop through Little Bolas to finish of @ Peplow allowed navs to check the refs on the way to Longdon & a good helping of sausage an chips!

Round Eight: Friday February 17^th   The NE camp moves to 137 for a rare visit (this season at least!) to ye olde Craven Arms. The Taylor clan normally brew up a fair concoction… be there.

Daft fact file: Jane T has now notched up 30 events. Strangely enough, if you add that to Jon’s total it then tallies to his exact current age! Karl E goes 60 up on Round Eight while your scribe makes the big Nine-0 next…  Jeez.

Class Winners: Bunch/Clayton,  O'Dowd/O'Dowd.

Round Eight:    " A to B to A "

Class act...Nice 'and brake... 

         O/A Results.    Conditions: Clear & greasy.

The Taylor’s greeted us with customary smiles all round, but most of us knew that the eve would not be all that straightforward!
A few crew changes, necessary due to a few missing regulars (see below) meant that no one was quite sure how things would turn out…
But, a confident Barker/Ellis stormed ahead with an equally confident pair of Falconer’s taking the class win. 

The Route: The orgs mentioned that they had wanted to give this idea a go for quite a while… glad they decided to!

After understanding the additional instructions (never an easy task for your scribe) the assembled crews (depleted a little due to illness and/or scrutineering for an event the very next morn) meandered a little way N on the A49. Effectively we would be skirting this A road on the West whilst travelling as far N as Meole Brace (!) then staying East of it whilst journeying back South to our old favourite… Sun @ Corfton. Plenty of loops then, Wistanstow, Bushmoor then away up to Brook Ho & (unfortunately) straight on at the Womerton h/pin. Woolstaston & Walkmills followed popping us onto 126, a short A49 link then Chatford & on N to Bayston Hill. The sneaky no go “loop” just on Northing 09 messed us about a bit then South to sample Condover & Great Ryton. The remaining sections took in Longnor & the nightmare roman road down through Hollyhurst. 

So… the challenge facts are: After Round Nine, to take the o/a class win, Andy F must come home 2^nd o/a with the O’Dowds non starting or… win outright with the Quattro Bros doing no better than 9^th !!
As for myself… well, second place on Round Eight would have given me a fighting chance on Round Nine but, not to be I’m afraid. Slightly longer but simpler odds then… If Anth doesn’t show up I will have to win the event & hence take the c/s by 1 point!! I DON’T THINK SO…  more to the point, I can still very easily lose the class win as well. Plenty of crews in hovering distance to sort that one out. Should be quite an eve down Morville way.

Three into one...   Xperience...

Class Winners: Bentley/Bentley,  Falconer/Falconer.

Round Nine: 

"Round & Round the Acton like a Navscat Crew, a Codeboard, a Reference...   you know what to do"  (!!) 

        O/A Results.    Conditions: Clear & greasy.

And that as they say… is the end of that. Yet another good season finishes on high with a massive showing & a great event. Nick, Julie & Dan take the prize for coolest orgs of the season. Card playing in between marking sessions! So, with the Challenge all but sorted it was up to Anth E to just make the start & the O’Dowd Bros to more or less do the same. And then it was up to your scribe to take a reasonable position & with it the class win. Not! Mr. Clayton… come on down, well done to you Sir. 

The Route: Just the taster, SS1 popped us through The Lye & Harpswood and on across the top through Lightwood & Middleton Baggot. Prior to the sect finish we travelled through the not as map s-bend sequence in sq 6292 where the inevitable two CB’s awaited! On to Morville to collect score card 2 and, having plotted the route we could jump back into it at Muckley. Off up to Bourton & Presthope where we descended the eerie lane down to Hughley. A run due W taking in Broome showed evidence of the previous weekend’s snowy deposit & just how much still remained bonnet height as it had drifted up across the Lawley area. South to Plaish & a plentiful supply of CB’s to finish of through Longville & Brockton. Great event with the trade mark Darkin easy to see but nasty to plot code boards. Good stuff.

Class Winners: Bunch/Clayton,  O'Dowd/O'Dowd.