RTV EVENT REVIEW - Sunday 10th February - Cannock Chase
Its Sunday, it’s 7.00am, it’s frosty, very
cold, and of all the things to do on a morning like this, we’re off
to Cannock Chase
! (If you’re wondering why we set off so early, we
have a 40 year old Series 2a, and therefore it takes a while for us
to drive to any destination! Indeed, we think we’ve earned a trophy
just to arrive at a trial!!) But it was worth it, the venue was
great.
Mike Hayes and Richard Smith had laid the course out, and what a course! Very challenging, and different, with long sections and gates that were cleverly placed near to trees, so they were not always easy to see. Therefore, you really needed to walk and memorize the sections, and a navigator was a definite advantage!
Good fun had by all on section 5, which was where a whole part of the forest had been felled, and it looked like a wilderness, with no land marks to help you. Just a case of picking your way through and avoiding the raised tree stumps. I don’t think any of us had experienced a section quite like this before. On section 6 there were a few surprises when very few could get grip on the soft soil.
In general, the whole course proved that the obvious driving line
was not always the best line to take, and we all had many
opportunities to be creative with the
driving line. It turned out to
b
e a cracking day. Fantastic weather, beautiful surroundings, and as
usual, good fun had by all. Good to see the usual crowd there, and
especially nice to see some new faces too.
Congratulations to Steve, John and Kevin who won each of the categories. We’d all agreed at the Drivers’ Briefing in January, to pay a premium for the use of the Forestry Commission ‘Special Events Area’, and I think it’s fair to say that most people were wondering if it would be worth the extra cost. In our opinion, and I think most people felt the same that it was definitely worth it. It was a great day, something a bit different, and certainly good practice for events such as the Baskerville Challenge and Eastnor.
Dave, Jo & Tom Perks + ‘HILDA’ (The 2A)
Photograph Gallery by Matt Griffiths (Now updated to include laying out at Eastnor)