Weardale Navigational Rally 2008

Welcome to the 2008 Weardale Navigational Rally organised by Durham Automobile Club Ltd.

The route will feature some of the classic road rally roads of the past over well-surfaced roads. The 90 mile route is therefore not hard on cars and standard production cars are suitable. The event is open to any car complying with the MSA technical specifications.

In line with the Tyneside Motor Sports Group Navigational Championship requirements this event will run under a National B Permit, a Clubman licence is therefore not acceptable.

The instructions this year will be easier for all classes, with the Expert and Non-Expert classes getting the same instructions, and the Newcomer and Historic classes getting simpler instructions, being a combination of marked maps and straightforward navigation of grid references, gridlines, spot heights, and tulips.

The event will start in West Auckland and finish in Stanhope WMC, Stanhope (92/998391) where there will be food available.

If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me for further information, and I look forward to seeing as many people as I can on the night.

Please not if the minimum number of entries is not received by the closing date the event will be cancelled, so get your entries in on time

Finally!!

If you are not able to take part in the Rally but are free on the 8th any help with marshalling would be greatly appreciated.

Click here to download the Regulations for the event

Gordon Dundee (Clerk of the Course). gordon@dundee.fsworld.co.uk

Lindsay Burnip (Chief Marshal) lindsay@durhamautoclub.org.uk

DURHAM DALES CLASSIC RALLY 2007

Well it all started at one committee meeting to which I agreed to navigate with Tony, I wondered what I had let myself in for by the reaction of everyone, then I wondered why Neil was not doing it?????

The Regularity autotest at Park Wall opened my eyes with my passenger ride being hairy to say the least….’oh bugger’ I thought what have I done.

The day arrived and following a Saturday being thrown round the kit car at Donington BTRDA autotest the thought of doing it all again seemed a bit un-appealing!

The car got through scrutineering ok, and then we signed on and got some quality bacon butties….nice.

So sat in the line for the first test at Wilson art, we had drummed the test into our heads and were ready for the day….5-4-3-2-1 and we were off. The handbrake was not really to Tony’s liking, but the test was very open and it did not really hurt us that much. Screeeeech…..and over the line we were. Time card Filled in and consult the road book for the next test site.

After a 9 mile drive we arrived at Wakerfield. A blast down a road, with three chicanes in them and two code boards. The Chicanes were dealt with by Tony and the code boards sorted we charged to the end of the test. Brilliant….all clear.

Next up was a short stint to Streatlam camp, one of Tony’s favourites. We were to carry out three tests here and while learning the tests could hear the Brooms behind us as Graham was claiming his 1 second victory over his dad.

Test 1 at Streatlam was simple, and was learned while in the queue waiting to go. With myself ready in backup to keep him right we did the test, the fairly dry surface and the larger rear tyres were hampering the handbrake a bit, but again the tests were not tight enough to slow us and the handbrake worked enough to get us round.

Test 2 was some simple loops on the bottom pad, and then a healthy blast around the perimeter road, with some finely placed cones and code board to pick up. The fence posts were passing fairly quickly but it was ok as they were on his side!!!!!!

Test 3 was in the field to left as you enter Streatlam. Again this was the width of a road, and with the code board noted we proceeded to the big loop, good job I pointed out it was anti clockwise as Tony admitted he would have gone clockwise. While doing this he was busy pulling the handbrake on and somehow I ended up looking at the time keeper from my passenger window……..she should be in front of us, the car was set on the right path and we completed the test. Oh bugger, he that glint in his eye……..Wey I love Streatlam me man…….

Out of Streatlam turn right and a quick blast to Glaxo, it was only 2.5 miles away, and this was to do the regularity autotest, as apparently it was a PR sensitive location and did not want the tyre screeching engine revving usual. A gentle pace was set and timed, with some check times noted, then back in line for the second run. Off the start and there seemed to be a glitch with the stopwatch, but then it was fine. We decided to get a bit early towards the finish, so Tony would have to slow rather than speed up. The target time was told and Tony was driving watching it, and we thought we had hit it exact, but Pete said 1:33 so we were 1 second out, that must have been due to that glitch on the start, but 1 second was not bad.

Tom then gave us our start time for the regularity, and we made tracks to get there, 6 miles in 15 mins we had to do to get to the start. We had 3 mins to spare so gave us time to sort the vivid office. So we counted down and off we went. The first regularity I have done, nothing like pressure then. It was going well, and we seemed to be getting it right, we did the time controls ok, but then half way round we realised that we had to look out for code boards, and were fairly confident that we had not passed any. We were working our way to the end of the regularity, 18 miles into the 20, and then we passed a sign which I had not had chance to read and was busy checking times, we quickly realised that we should have gone right there, and promptly turned around…a cheeky reverse flick and back to it. BUGGER, we had last 1m 20secs and Tony was driving with all he had to get the time back, but the time control was earlier than we thought, and almost skidded past it. Maximum penalty we were going to get for that, and after getting past the foreign camper vans and things. I was livid with myself, really miffed at it, Tony just said not to worry about it, and we carried on, but truth be told I was very angry with myself, but just had to put it down to experience.

So after beating myself up during the 16 mile stint back to Streatlam we focused on the job in hand. Upon arrival at Streatlam I opened the test diagram, and Tony’s eyes lit up, it was the three test areas from earlier but all at once. Oh bugger I thought given his overzealous use of the handbrake earlier. Tony memorised the first stint with me being called in to call the second and third areas, the first section went fine, recorded the code boards and onto the last two. These went well as well, and the trick was to get the test right even if it took a few seconds longer. Tony was shouting where, but I showed him the trusty finger to which he followed.

We had heard the Graham had developed a problem at the end of the regularity, and was out; it appears that the support for the spring had sheared and caused it to collapse. It now became apparent why Roger walked the dog the night before and took a hacksaw.

Finishing at Streatlam it was a left out of the camp and a short trip down the road to Wackerfield. This was the test this morning but run in reverse, I reminded him of the slippy bits were, and pointed out the code boards then we were set. First Chicane ok, and second, then up to the third and Tony turned, but the car never and chinned a big sausage roll hay bail square on, it rolled over and then we carried on to the finish. I suppose it made it a bit wider for everyone else.

By now we were very hungry and luckily it was back to Wilson art for lunch. Tony wanted to look at the handbrake, so I went and got the butties in again, and upon my return we opted for smaller tyres pumped up high. The burger was welcome nourishment, and we were ready for the afternoon. (It was about 2:15pm at this point

The next test was only up the road at Frank’s factory flooring, but was a bobby dazzler! It was probably ½ mile long, and had a very genius manoeuvre up a ramp, and down again, but you had to loop a cone at the top to come back down, it was about 7 – 9 feet drop.

There had been a change in map so Tom educated everyone to this, and then we watched everyone do the test, the main highlights were the ramp, most people opted for the safe three point turn, a few managed the handbrake and round in one. The cheer in the car as we did it in one was great, but nearly forgot where I was in shouting the course. A very nice Mini Cooper blew two tyres at the same point, which was odd as nobody else suffered it. We did collect a cone on our travels but was worth it just purely for the buzz of the course.

Once finished at Franks we hit the road once again and followed the road book to the next venue which was in the direction of Chilton. These were at two separate venues, but owned by the same company.

They were simple tests, and the reverse flicks helped save time, and were completed penalty free. Then onto test two of Hydram which looked like spaghetti junction, we quickly established a technique to get it right, by giving the cones numbers, which worked a treat.

Consulting the road book again we headed to Park Wall farm on the A68 near Tow Law. This turned out to be a mini stage really, and the diagram did not really match the road, so it was grit my teeth and prey. It was enjoyable and was just a good job that Tony knew the place as I did not have a clue going from the diagram….but phew be popped out the other side unscathed!! We were met by Kev and Jan, who informed us the lady in the Mini was being sick, at least Tony’s driving was not that bad. We got our start time for the start of the regularity and departed.

We lined up with the other competitors ready to set off at our dedicated time. Determined to do a better job this time we set up a good system, and were doing well. Coming towards the end of the regularity we had a right turn at a give way. I told Tony to get there early in case we did have to give way. Just as we were about to pull out a car appeared over the crest who was going a bit quick in our eyes, a second earlier things would have been a bit different, but the call to go early paid off as the time control was just around the corner. We lost 6 seconds and were very happy with that over 16 miles.

We were now drawing to the final stages of the day, and headed back to Park wall Farm for a run through the opposite way. Again the diagram did not really match, so it was ah case of driving it as seen. The code boards were noted and Tony was on a mission, the last section of the test we were doing just over 70mph, and I could feel the car slightly fishtailing…. Oh no I thought but nothing to worry about, and we stop astride the line. Apparently the fastest on that stretch was 85 mph in a lotus sunbeam.

A quick 7 mile dash to Seagraves near Bishop Auckland. A good blast around some skips, and a scary dash towards a brick wall at one point, and that was that test negotiated successfully.

The last test was to Wilson art which was the start venue, and a reversal of the lunch time test. We drummed it in our heads and then went for it. A clear run and finished. We were Knackered.

The car was loaded and everyone headed to the Hotel for a well earned Sunday lunch (at 7pm) and was the icing on the cake, a nice sit down meal and a good bit of crack.

The results were done and that was the day concluded.

I must say that as a competitor the day was brilliant, and did not appreciate the shear organisation that has gone into it, all the organisers and marshals deserve a massive pat on the back, that day was one of the best days motorsport I have done. I just can’t wait for next year.

Thanks everyone….and you Tony.

Bravely navigated and written by Mark Thornton

Download the event results.

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