The Curse of setting up
Will the curse of the annual CCV trial at North Ormsby strike again?
When setting up for this trial over the last few years, the same thing always seems to happen to Richard and I. Something will break on the Land Rover that we happen to be using on the day. In 2011 we squashed the roll cage. The following year we broke the gearbox. Then in 2013 a four-pin front diff went, while last year it was a radiator and electrics.
This year we thought we would test our 88-in competition Series I, hoping it would be robust enough to take our setting out the course. We started by marking out the 12 sections, beginnning in the far corner of the quarry and working our way inwards.
By 3pm this task was complete and all that was left to do was to drive and tweak the different sections. We also needed to find the missing lump hammer Rich had mislaid on our travels. He had done most of the morning’s driving but now it was my turn to drive the newly-set sections.
After the first section and a couple of attempts at trying to get over a mound, I lost all drive to the back wheels. As the workshop was only 15 minutes away, we went off to diagnose the problem. The back axle was stripped and the diff was broken. A new one was purchased and we patched it back up ready for an early start on the Sunday morning.
Having arrived at the quarry for 08.00am, we set about driving the 12 sections again while doing final checks. Our 88-in Series I managed all of this with no breakages. There were just a couple of bits where it bellied out because of the small tyres and then my Mitsubishi would tow it off. On the day there were 11 entries, although that would drop to 10 after lunch as Nathan Pearson popped his front tyre and then had to leave.
Section one had seen some really mixed scores. Jon Evison with his new quick ratio box, made it to 11 gate before a sneaky cross-axle caught him out. Jon Hopper and his 80 leafer got all the way down to gate 1.
Section 3 and 4 were the only sections of the day that the event’s eventual winner, Tom Stubbins, did not clear, picking up three and two penalty points to finish the day with five. Tony found our missing lump hammer there.
Sections 5 and 6 provided a real test of power as both had some pretty good climbs up the quarry face to the finish at the top. The V8powered motors did pretty well here, of course.
Section 7 saw the only roll of the day with Steve Turnbull breaking his duck at last. Maybe he had eaten too much for lunch and wanted a lie down.
With Tom Stubbins way out in the front, it was the battle for second place that kept the spectators excited, with Tony Moore, Jon Evison and Jim Bradford fighting it out on every section.
Section 10 caused me a red face moment after I stopped Steve for going around it the wrong way; only later did I realise we had put the 7 and 8 gates in the wrong place.
The last remaining sections carried on around the base of the quarry with everyone except Tom Stubbins dropping points. At the finish Tom was overall winner on 5, Tony 2nd on 33, with Jim and Jon tied on 37.