Morning Mist Rally 1997

Powerush Rally 1997

Even the great Mike Biss & Cath Woodman couldn't keep a fail off their timecards on SCCoN's Poxihen Rally. They did however set startling times, and won the event by a comfortable margin. Ian Mepham/Martin Smith placed second, also with only one fail, but a somewhat higher penalty. Class awards went to Sarah Harmer/Sean Gadsby (Semi-Experts'), Damian Conway/Ben Conway (Novices') and Keith Pitcher/Richard Cave (Beginners').

With fails falling to every crew for a while it looked like Semi Experts Harmer/Gadsby would be the winners. They were one of only two crews to find the 'PP' codeboard immediately after the petrol halt, and having successfully negotiated Knettishall Airfield correctly in the first half, they were fail-free up to STC35. Here they picked up a fail and fell back into the clutches of the experts.

Biss/Woodman stamped their authority on the first half - only dropping time on Knettishall, despite Simon Tebbutt's combination of tough twisty lanes and non-trivial navigation. The route itself wended its way east across the bottom of map 134, heading for the unused territory on map 156. Destination was the Withersdale white. The tarmac white didn't challenge too many people, only taking odd minutes off the Semi-Experts and Novices. The section immediately after it did though. Faced with a choice of routes, accurately defined with hindsight, navigator panic set in. Almost half the field failed to correctly solve the navigation, and as a result a fail slipped onto their timecards.

After a longish (but welcome) time recovery/transport section the competitors found themselves at the entrance to Knettishall, with a suspiciously large envelope to open...

The envelope did not actually contain pace notes, but an enlarged map with the required route drawn onto it. Even with the map half the field missed a manned PC and let another fail creep onto their timecards. For the record local experts Dave Taylor/Jim Bowie set the best time only dropping two minutes. Ian Mepham/Martin Smith lead a gaggle of crews on 3 minutes, this bunch including Biss/Woodman and former Preston Rally organisers Tony Michael/Paul Barrett.

After few more miles of route the Petrol half was reached (a welcome relief for those with small tanks as it had been a 90 mile first 'half'). With only three crews fail free the standings were:

1 Biss/Woodman                 3
2 Mepham/Smith                 4
3 Harmer/Gadsby               24
4 Paul Wright/Mark Goodman  1f 4
5 Michael/Barrett           1f 9

With only 50 miles in the shorter second half it looked like it was over for many crews. Turning out of petrol many people missed the first slot off the dual carriageway A11(T). This proved fatal as one there were no other turnings for three miles, and two there was a codeboard on the slip road. Only two crews actually saw the codeboard (Michael/Barrett and Harmer/Gadsby), although over breakfast many people claimed to have taken the correct slot. This was where Harmer/Gadsby were catapulted into the lead, Michael/Barrett having been caught out previously at Withersdale.

The second half kept the pace high, and Tebbutt, with the help of the OS, delivered the coup de gras just before STC34. The white heading south from 156/240 872 has for some reason been coloured yellow. As the said white is more grass than track finding it proved somewhat difficult for many. With more navigation requiring accurate plotting allowing Biss/Woodman into the lead it was all over.

At the finish John Harmer/Pat Gadsby were waiting to greet Sarah/Sean (John/Pat having retired early on from the Greenleaves). With John/Pat using the familiar Maestro, Sarah had to struggle with Sean's Nova, and they did deservedly well considering she had difficulty even reaching the peddles and Sean is usually a driver! Roll on the Phoenix in September!

PRAR