 Nightwatchman Rally 1996 |  Alnite Rally 1997 |
Nightwatchman Rally 1996 | Alnite Rally 1997 |
The story of the night was fog. The thick nasty stuff that covers up junctions and bends, not just the thin stuff that makes the lights glare annoyingly. Other tales include CoC John Upham's Volvo getting stuck on the Houndsgreen white causing a re-route and the domination of the Semi-Experts by Chriss Pratt/Nick Arden.
The first Novices, Pat Delaney/John Stringer, put up a very good show as well. They came in ahead of the first Experts, Richard McLachlan/Eddie Clough. But for one codeboard Delaney/Stringer could have been second overall! Also mentionable was Alan Mepham's run in Ian (his son)'s Golf GTi. Apparently it was Ian's Christmas gift to his father (which included his usual navigator Martin Smith!).
The route was very compact, not straying much more than 10 miles from Reading, but taking the twistiest lanes in the area. Along the way it included the very icy ford at Bucklesbury, which saw many of the front wheel drive crews struggling to get out.
Pos Cl Driver/Navigator Car Pen MTC1 NTC2 JK AA S TC3 Y JL TJ TC4 Z A TC5 TC6 N H RTC7 RY K TC8 D H T W TC9 Z DL ST ET TC10 L LJ TC11 SM TC12a MTC12b NTC13 W TC14 X TC15 TC16 PO TC17 TC18 DD D TC19 EN TC20 J K TC21 LO Z TC22 MNTC23 R T TC24 TO TC25 HO TC26 MI ST TC27 MI EE RO TC28 AA TC29 TC30 OX TC31* MO TC32 TC33 XT TC34 NA ZO TC35a MTC35b TT TC36 HP OJ PR TC37 TD TC38 MP TC39 MD TC40*(R) WE TC41 KT ME TC42 ER TC43 HA TI TC44 YK TC45 JD EX DR TC46 LD MTC47 Total 1 M 1 Andy Juniper/Dean Taylor Sunbeam 6 1 2 3 6 2 M 2 Mike Biss/Cath Woodman Nova 15 2 1 2 2 1 2 3 1 1 15 3 M 3 Stuart Wood/Paul Waterton Sierra Est 4x4 17 1 1 1 4 3 1 1 1 2 2 17 4 M 4 Alan Mepham/Martin Smith Golf GTi 29 2 1 1 3 2 1 5 2 2 5 1 1 1 2 29 5 S 1 Chris Pratt/Nick Ardern 205 GTi 31 3 1 3 3 4 4 2 2 1 1 3 1 2 1 31 6 N 1 Pat Delaney/John Stringer 309 GTi 32 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 20 1 1 32 7 E 1 Richard McLachlan/Eddie Clough Escort 41 1 2 2 2 4 20 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 41 8 M 5 Colin Rodger/Sue Speller 205 GTi 48 1 20 1 3 2 20 1 48 9 M 6 Les Parsons/Roger Davidson Sierra 61 2 3 20 3 2 1 1 11 1 1 1 7 2 4 1 1 61 10 S 2 Rob Jacobs/Anthony Preston Astra 83 2 2 1 3 3 20 1 2 1 1 2 2 2 1 4 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 20 2 1 4 83 11 S 3 Ian Young/Tony Brooks Astra 84 4 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 4 20 2 4 9 2 3 3 1 5 5 5 1 2 1 84 12 S 4 Alan Wakeman/Ian Perry 205 GTi 95 2 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 2 2 3 3 20 2 2 3 8 1 5 4 2 2 1 2 1 20 95 13 B 1 Alan Wood/Phil Wood Cavalier 4x4 119 3 1 1 2 2 5 5 1 1 4 20 4 2 1 3 1 1 20 2 12 20 1 2 1 1 3 119 14 E 2 Ben Jefferis/Tom Jefferis Golf 122 1 2 1 1 2 1 3 20 1 2 1 6 14 1 1 4 5 1 5 2 20 20 8 122 15 S 5 Barbara Carter/Peter Barnard Corrolla 425 1 3 1 2 2 7 20 1 3 1 6 3 20 5 3 20 1 2 20 20 1 20 1 20 20 1 20 1 2 20 6 4 2 20 4 1 1 1 4 20 1 2 1 6 20 20 1 3 20 1 20 20 425 16 S 6 Ian Harrison/Rob Watson XR3i 1F 45 F+8 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 3 3 20 1F 45 17 M 7 Ian Orford/Bob Jones Charade 1F 91 1 1 2 20 4 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 1 1 20 20 F+10 1F 91 18 E 3 Neil Lewis/Bob Muttram Fulvia 1F 161 1 1 4 2 1 1 1 20 1 7 7 1 4 1 1 1 1 3 3 1 4 1 1 4 4 2 20 20 20 20 F 3 1F 161 19 S 7 Gordon Milbank/Paul Sharp Escort 1F 188 2 1 3 20 8 3 2 5 1 4 1 2 20 3 3 2 2 5 1 1 1 20 15 4 3 2 5 8 20 20 F 1 1F 188 20 S 8 Dave Bushby/Roger McKenzie Escort 1F 249 20 10 1 2 5 4 20 3 4 1 2 8 1 1 1 20 F 20 20 4 2 1 1 20 3 2 4 5 4 3 3 1 4 20 20 3 3 3 1F 249 21 S 9 Mike Hurst/Simon Gudgeon Civic 5F 273 3 20 1 2 3 3 3 6 2 2 20 3 20 2 1 3 3 2 2 2 4 3 8 6 5 4 20 F F 20 20 F 20 F 20 20 20 F 5F 273 22 S10 Steve Penrose/Alan Askew Astra 6F 220 4 3 3 4 2 3 4 4 8 F 20 20 F 20 20 12 2 1 1 4 4 8 8 20 20 5 F 20 F F F 6F 220 23 B 2 Paul Andrews/John Hawthorntwaite Escort 10F 416 2 8 1 F 20 2 7 F 20 20 F F 4 F+12 3 1 20 20 F 20 20 20 F 20 20 F 1 8 3 20 4 3 2 6 1 20 F 20 20 3 20 7 6 20 20 F 1 3 10F 416 24 S11 'Chin'/Chris Scudder Astra 12F 495 1 5 2 3 5 6 6 20 F 9 20 F F 20 F 3 20 F 20 F 20 20 F 20 20 5 7 2 2 20 3 2 2 20 F F 20 F 20 4 2 5 20 20 20 F 20 1 20 20 20 F 20 12F 495 25 N 2 Mark Greenwood/Alan Beard Astra 13F 608 20 1 20 2 2 F+2 9 4 20 4 2 F 3 3 6 20 3 4 20 20 F F 20 20 20 F 20 F 20 F 2 20 20 F+8 20 F 20 20 F 4 20 5 20 20 1 20 20 2 F 20 20 1 F 20 20 20 F 20 13F 608 26 N 3 Dave Perrelet/Keith Payne 205 GTi 18F 383 20 4 20 5 20 F+9 8 20 F F 20 F+3 20 F F 20 F F F F F 1 1 20 2 20 2 2 1 20 3 3 2 4 1 20 20 F+9 20 20 20 F 20 18F 383
