• RTV 2011 League Results - Updated Dec
  
• RTV 2010 League Results
• RTV 2009 League Results
• RTV 2008 League Results
• MROC Supplementary RTV Regulations - PLEASE READ!

Here we are again. The last, and probably most important event of the RTV calendar. It's at Newmans, the winner of each section is crowned.

A brisk and breezy start to the day, can't believe this time last year we were in almost a foot of snow.

You could tell from the first couple of motors that arrived that today was going to be like no other, with the thought of that ever nearing crown of the championship weighing over head, the banter was thick and fast. But closest of all was between Mike Hayes and my self. With only 2 points between us, I knew there was no room for error. And knowing Mike as i do, his ability to cope under pressure worried me a little.

Not so close for Carl O'Connor and Nick Brinsdon, but still Carl had to try a little. Tim Kemp had already got the leaf crown in the bag just by turning up and Sam Miller for being the only girlie at every event. ( good commitment Sam).

With both myself and Mike getting a six and using a shunt in exactly the same place on the first section and both getting a clear in the second i was praying for Mike to make a mistake, then BINGO!! He clipped the eight gate. At this point it wasn’t a silent sigh of relief, more of a jump and shout moment!!. But in Mikes defense, every other motor to attempt this section had come to the same result, just clipping the gate on the rear near side quarter panel. But i had a plan. Gently drop the nose through the eight and stop! HA HA i got the point between us i needed.

The next section was one of those that needed thought, As Tim being first off, managed to install temporary air conditioning, with the help from a low slung branch. Winding through trees, over humped mounds and up a very steep bank with an equally steep slope the other side, our newest member Niel Brotherton showed us all that every green oval is more than capable on the tuff stuff. His freelander 1 with no modifications and road tyres making light work of anything in its path.

So we are on the legendary section eight of the day, and those of you who have been to newmans no, its always a bit different. Today meaning driving the whole section in reverse... great fun.

I have to admit, by now i thought the championship was mine. Until it was pointed out to me that we had to have a drive off. So Dave Perks and Ben Benson went off to put another section together.

So. With neither of us allowed to walk the section before hand, it was down to a flip of a coin to see who went first. I won the toss so i was first. Mike was directed to the top of the field out of view and ear shot, i went for it only to fail at the nine gate, oops. Then it was Mikes turn. All i had to hope for was it was a tight nine. But Mike made it a whole two meter s further and beat me with an eight. Well done Mike Hayes the better man won this time. Next year will be mine.

Dave Chesters won the swb coil on the day, Carl Oconnor was over all champion.

Tim Kemp won on the day as well as over all swb leaf.

And i won lwb coil on the day, with Mike Hayes winning the over all championship.

I'd like to thank Tony O'Connor and Dave Perks for setting out. A fantastic end to the season and cant wait to kick things off again next year.

Hope you all have a great Christmas and a happy new year..
Foot off the gas for now!!
Carl Gazeley

Saturday morning arrived on a sunny Wagtail farm, to be greeted by an equally sunny Nick Brinsdon.
A quick cuppa and straight to the point. First section we laid out got us both quite excited at the task of making a fun but tricky day.
After driving this particular section a number of times, with constant tweaking of canes we finally got it. There was no mistake, this was a section that was going to need thought on the day. With a tight turn through the seven, and exact positioning between a tree and perfectly placed stump, we both new we were feeling like little devils!!.
The rest of the day was no different. The next section we really wanted to include the tunnel. But the only way we could was driving it from 1 direction, which made our job a little more difficult to create a finish. Faced with a near virticle slope to our left, the only way was right. So another tight turn on full lock with a hub finish.
The next four sections were to follow the same way, using the land we had around to create some very interesting sections.
Sunday morning.
Happy smiling faces. (not for long we joked). As the first section was walked the look of confusion became a common one. The section caught out a few people just where we had planned it to. But with Carl O'Conner making it to the one gate closely followed by Ben Benson, gave others the proof it could be done but needed a bit more thought. However section two was catching a few unlucky ones out early. The fun continued through out the day with a few clears, ones and a nine ( Ben Benson ).
The last section of the day, had a steep decent followed by a steep slippery climb with a dip through the two for a hub finish. An absolute stunning drive from one of our recent members Paul Muir, just missing out on a clear with a one. Not as much can be said for some of our regular rtvers ( Simon Griffiths ).
Over all a great day out and a huge success.
Carl O'Conner came 1st in swb coil, Tim Kemp 1st swb leaf and Paul Muir 1st lwb coil. Well done Paul.
Foot off the gas for now!  

White water rafting!

Saturday, it’s myself and Carl O'Connor's turn to lay out. We get stuck in straight away to the first section, only needing a few cane corrections.

Section two however needed a lot more thought and planning. I had a go first having no trouble at all, Carl lines up for a go, OOPS!! Needs a bit more thinking, and with a few more cane corrections we both nail it.

Having spent far too much time planning only section two of the day we move on and try to hurry things up, that was a bad move. As I attemped what looked like a small muddy puddle, it turned out to be a lot deeper than we both thought. Needing recovery and being trapped in the car and unable to open the doors,  I thought I'd have a quick sandwich whilst Carl was attaching the tow strap. After pulling me out,  Carl decided to have a go, (it didn't look that bad). My turn to recover Carl. Maybe it’s easier from the other side? Nope!! Don’t worry Carl I still have the strap attached.

The next few sections went fine with very little cane corrections, however the last but one section of the day evened out the score, Carl with 4 recovery’s and me with 5. All eight sections layed out to perfection and all perfectly drivable.(even if it does rain in June).

Famous last words I told my self on Sunday morning, absolutely bucketing down.

On arrival to site I was pleased the rain hadn’t dampened anyones spirits as there were already a few eager drivers waiting to sign on.
Everyone wass ready to go so I got the morning drivers briefing out the way and off we go.

Section 1 was off to a great start, with only a few drivers having a silly driving line out the 10 gate (Ben Benson).

Section 2 on the other hand needed some conversation. By this point it hadn’t stopped raining since the early hours of the morning and a slight side slope would have been too slippery after a few cars had been through. So, we all decided to make a route through some trees, so we got our friendly tree surgeon busy loping a few branches. Right,  we were ready to have our first guinea pig, I mean driver (Tony O’Connor). We all agreed as the look on Tony’s face and smell of fear coming from every gap in his landy that the start needed to be moved. But where? After more discussion we came up with a start. It seemed that this section has a few people stumped, or in Simon Griffiths case, sat at a rather an unfriendly angle, again a familiar smell of fear, but all was fine after a winch recovery. Eventually Richard Smith made it all the way to the 4 gate.

By this point we are already half way through the day, so we hurried things along to Section 3, much better as the majority of cars made it as far as the 2 gate.

With Section 4 being more successful, with a clear from Sam Miller and a few 1s, the decision was made for the trial to end slightly short at only 4 sections.

Even after a long day of rain, rain and more rain people were still in good spirits.

• Tony O’Conner won 1st SWB coil
• Simon Griffiths 1st SWB leaf 
• And after  a very close battle with himself, Mike Hayes 1st LWB coil.

So that’s all for now, and I hope to see you all back again at Buildwas in July.

Foot off the gas for now.

Carl Gazeley
RTV Secretary.

 

Hello everyone, my name is Carl Gazeley. I will be taking over the role as RTV Secretary from Mike Hayes as of May this year.
For those of you who don't recognise the name, I am the small guy in the big range rover with the exhuberant driving style (as the dents show).
Mike has done a fantastic job as RTV Secretery of the the last four years, but as Mike has said previously, health issues have taken their toll and it's time for a change. As Mike was the reason for my choice of Land Rover,  it seemed only right to follow in his shoes. And as the big fella himself assures me, he will never be too far away to give a gentle point in the right direction as he is taking on the role of press and publicity.
So here i am, hope i can continue the success of RTV as Mike has.

Foot off the gas for now!!

Carl Gazeley. 

Ok, I'm sure I'm not only one who woke up on Sunday morning in a little bit of a panic, did or didn't I put the clocks back!.
Looks like its going to be a nice day today so made sure i didn't forget my sun glasses.
Pack up the range rover, wake up the neighbours and straight to the petrol station (v8's eh).
A quick meet and greet with the O'Connors then off we go.
Arrival to site, very impressed with the turn out.( even if the majority were 90's ).
The usual banter, '' How many end caps we loosing today, Carl'',  '' which panel are we re-shaping today Dan?''.
After walking, discussing and driving a few sections I thought to my self ''it's all about choosing the right line'', and then, I go and forget all together where I am supposed to be heading. Never mind,  head for the muddy bit and give the throttle a good stamping (it helps with drowning out the laughter... Mr Messer).
All together another very enjoyable day out with a brilliant bunch of people, and equally well laid out sections.
Tim Kemp gave a stunning performance and won (swb leaf), Carl O'Connor gave us all a shock with a tame victory (swb coil) (usually ending with dad Tony O'Connor shaking his head) and my self with a superb standard of driving (even if it was only between two) (lwb coil).
But i did leave site with all my end caps in tacked and still attached, which is a first.
Look forward to seeing you all soon.

Foot off the gas for now!!

Carl Gazeley. 

Dear All,

I have decided it is time to stand down from the role of RTV SECRETARY

During my 4 years in the role, I can honestly say I have enjoyed every minute, and we have some really good fun together in the mud, but that's another story!!! Too much of a good thing can be harmful to your health, or so I am told. An old back injury is now taking it's toll and as I think about approaching an age which is meant to be associated with a thing called "maturity", I cannot continue to ignore it. The effect of this injury is that I lose feeling in my legs and generally suffer from being on my feet all day organising the RTV Trials. It is time for a change, so if you are interested, I invite you to step forward and take an opportunity to join the MROC committee, run the RTV section, and have a say in how the club business is handled.

The Chairman, John Messer has made it known that he has recently been unable to give his full attention to PRESS & PUBLICITY. This is an important role for the club, to maintain links with the press, promote the club, our members, and our activities, alongside the Website and the Journal. The committee has supported my offer to take on a less physical job, by succeeding John in the PRESS & PUBLICITY role after Easter.

This means that the RTV Trial on Saturday, 23rd April 2011 will be my last as RTV SECRETARY.

The job is not a difficult one, ideally it just needs someone who is keen and organised, with a reasonable level of RTV experience. I am still on the committee and will be around for support. I also still intend to show you lot how to "clear" a tight section in a big old Rangie from time to time. However, there will no more MROC RTV Trials beyond Easter unless a suitable candidate steps forward.

Call or email me if you are interested
Best regards,

Mike Hayes
07734 599 399 

They can be collected at MROC events or if you would like one sent to you please send me your details including your membership number. I will also require from you a stamped addressed envelope size 254X178mm (cost of posting at 1st March is £1.11 but may rise in near future).

Glyn Phillips
Membership Secretary 

As a milky, winter sun rose over the windswept and ice-bound quarry, high on the embankment above the village of Avon Dassett, I wondered how many brave souls would venture out to test their Land Rovers at this site, well-known for biting bits off their precious motors on jagged rocks, and then spitting them out into puddles of muddy slurry.

I didn’t need to be concerned. The regular die-hard band of MROC RTV trailers came rumbling over the hill one by one, 15 in all, with their progress only interrupted by a locked gate and a missing padlock key. A phone call and half an hour later, the gate was open and we all burst in as if the doors at Harrods had just opened on the first day of the January sales, where the first shoppers got the best opportunity to find 20 free gold bars hidden around the store!

As it turned out, I think the frozen mud must have buried all the gold bars. I didn’t find a single one, and nobody else admitted to finding one either.

As my “MUDMAX” Rangie was due for MOT testing within 5 days, I had planned to be sensible and just set-up the event, act as a marshal for a few sections, and then make a quiet exit. In the end, after a few nudges from people who should really know better, I couldn’t resist…..

Steve Smith and Dave Chesters laid the sections out the day before. Steve likes long sections. I had forgotten this vital fact, so I soon wished I had brought a quad bike or a pack horse instead of walking the sections in the usual way. As the day unfolded, and the sun got a little higher in the sky, melting the top inch or so off the icy mud, conditions didn’t improve at all. Just brilliant!!!

By lunch time we were all walking round like Weebles. (Do you remember Weebles? The ones that wobble but cant fall down?). With about a bucket-full of mud attached to each boot, everyone looked a bit silly on foot and even sillier behind the wheel. Joking apart, everyone had a cracking day out and all drove home with their motors still in one piece….. Errr……. all except MUDMAX that is.

Whilst correcting tyre pressures for the journey home, it was pointed out to me that thick, smelly EP90 gear oil was seeping out of the crack in the front axle differential pan. Mmmmm…. I thought I’d hit a hidden rock a bit hard earlier on, when I kissed the steering wheel. A gentle drive home with several stops to check for not too much heat build-up in the diff would get me back ok, but I hadn’t banked on the strange electrical fault. It went like this:

Upon safe arrival at home in the dark, I switched the headlights off, but they stayed on!!! I switched off the ignition off and removed the key, but the engine continued running!!! I switched the lights off again and the lights stayed on, but the engine stalled!!! Whatever I did, the lights stayed on, so I pulled the battery leads off and went in for a bath and some dinner. In the end, all that caused the drama was a bit of gunge inside the light switch, cured with a cotton bud, dipped in WD40. Easy, peasy, one two threesy!

On Friday morning, I welded and painted the cracked diff pan and jet-washed the mud from under and over the motor. It sailed through the MOT with the tester’s compliments. Not bad for a motor with 306,000 miles on the clock eh?

Can’t wait for the next trial.

Mike Hayes