By Barry Lindsay
The July club night was the 2nd Autotest of the year and in new field at Longpark, Scaleby. After some wet weather the event looking doubtfull but after touring the farm the night before, it was agreed that the newly cut silage field was the firmest.
14 entrants arrived and we please to see 5 new competitors and also was good to see others coming back for their 2nd event, along with the ‘regulars’!
Again we had two different tests running side by side one manned by Michael Lindsay the other by Caroline Lodge, with Ian Robinson getting folk organised to keep it running and also doing a bit of navigating.
Test 1 Barry was quickest with 1m 27 ahead of John on 1m 28 then Neil V & Nigel on 1m 31 followed by new competitor Pete Docker on 1m 34.
Test two was a rerun with Barry again quickest despite trying a different driving style on 1m27. Another newcomer Jason Docker was just behind in 1m 28 ahead of Neil T on 1m 29 getting to grips with the improvements made to the handling of the Corsa. Neil V got 1m 30 then John on 1m 33.
Test three Barry had been first to run and had the advantage of the lightest navigator with young Zach Varah! Quickest with 59 seconds. John hurled the big Mazda round to get 1m00 followed by Neil V (also with Zach!) 1m01 then James Neve on his 2nd event along with Pete and Geoffrey on 1m 03. Martin Allonby & Grant McCleary wrong tested here.
Test 4 was a rerun but was also to see trouble strike the Diahatsu club car, when the radiator burst, but everyone finished the run.
Barry got 58 seconds ahead of Neil V on 1m00. Pete and John on 1m02 then James on 1m03. Martin Allonby and Gary Greer wrong tested.
With the sun starting to get lower in the sky and down to one club car we would only be able to run tests 5 & 6. This was back on the site of 1 & 2 but this also caught out a few following old marks! Nigel was quickest with 1m19 ahead of John on 1m21 then Barry on 1m22, Neil V on 1m26 then Neil T on 1m27. Eight of the remaining crews wrong tested?
Test 6 the sun had dropped Neil T and Barry were quickest with 1m22 then Nigel on 1m24. John, Pete and Geoffery got 1m 25. Neil V, Shaun & Martin Allonby and Gary Greer wrong tested.
Results
1st Barry Lindsay 7m 35
2nd John Ross 7m 49
3rd Neil Thomlinson 7m 57
4th Nigel Harkness 8m 02
5th Peter Docker 8m 35
6th Neil Varah 8m 51
= Jason Docker 8m 51
8th Geoffrey Harkness 8m 52
9th James Neve 9m 14
10th Grant McCleary 9m 25
11th Shaun Allonby 9m 39
12th Phil Jobson 10m 06
13th Martin Allonby 10m 37
14th Gary Greer 10m 41