Author: Spadeadam Motor Club

Autotest Championship Final 2016

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Autotest Championship 2016, Final Positions

1st Barry Lindsay                 67pts

2nd Nigel Harkness              50pts

3rd Kenton Pattison              38pts

4th Andrew Graham            34pts   (24 Rd Car)

5th Helen Harkness             31pts

6th John Ross                        28pts

7th John Holliday                 23pts   (Rd Car)

8th Jamie Stuart                   22pts   (Rd Car)

9th Martin Davis                  20pts

10th George Edminson      18pts    (Rd Car)

11th Jonathan Fowler        15pts

12th Richard Clark             15pts

13th John Barber                11pts       

14th Geoffrey Harkness    6pts   (Rd Car)

15th Nic Fowler                  6pts

16th Neil Thomlinson       4pts

17th Mark Talbot             4pts    (Rd Car)

18th Andy Thomson       4pts

19th Drew McClean        3pts    (Rd Car)

20th Allan Faulder         2pts

21st Chris Hunter           2pts

22nd Mandy Talbot        1pt

23rd William Cheesbrough        1pt

24th Simon Jobson     (Rd Car)      1pt

25th Phil Jobson                           1pt

26th Kieron Stynes       (Rd Car)     1pt

 

#HeavyFootEmptyHead

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By Kenton Pattison

After the #Saxobeast’s debut at the Peth, I wasn’t looking forward to the long wait till the New Year’s Eve autotest. When Barry Lindsay came up with the idea of doing the Northern Dales Classic Trophy event up at Weardale in mid November, it sounded perfect; single venue, 16 tests and you didn’t need a MOT or insurance, etc. Plus I was easily swayed by the fact that if I wasn’t competing, I’d have been marshaling – it’s warmer in a car. The week leading up to the event, all the weather forecasters were talking about was the snow, snow and more snow. Barry was also kind enough to offer the services of his trailer and Helen Harkness had agreed to navigate, so early Sunday morning, we set off up towards Alston hoping that we could get through all the snow drifts. In the end, there wasn’t a flake to be seen on the road and after a slight detour to the wrong quarry, we turned into the actual venue, a large disused cement works.

The first test of the day was scrutineering. As the Saxo didn’t actually have an MOT, I was a little worried that we’d fall at the first hurdle. So we pulled up with the passenger side window next to the scrutineer and asks “what the craic?”. He asked what car number we were, then walked round the back of the car to driver’s side window, and said go to signing on! Feeling hard done by that scrutineering wasn’t as stringent as we thought it should be, as he was walking away Helen felt the need to shout that we had a spill kit in the boot. However, I was hoping that it wouldn’t inspire him to be more thorough, so I headed off to signing on. We signed our lives away, picked up our number 13 sticker and the test diagrams. Continue reading →

Rally Results (December 2016)

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Hero Stages at Weeton (Missed from Dec Newsletter)
Tim Finch finished 4th Overall (3rd in class), Darren Martin & Pete Johnston were 7th Overall (5th in class). Jamie Martin & Kyle Gass were 16th Overall (10th in class). Martin Steel retired the fiesta St with alternator failure

Grizedale Stages
Barry Lindsay & Caroline Lodge finished 18th Overall (3rd in class) in the 206. Darren Martin & Dan Hurst finished 19th Overall (14th in class) in the Evo9, James Coxon navigated Mark Shaw in the Sunbeam to 24th Overall (4th in class).

Christmas Stages
Annual Christmas visit to Croft for the Christmas Stages. Geoffrey Harkness & Caroline Lodge finished 41st (8th in class), Nigel & Helen Harkness were 44th (11th in class).

Grizedale Stages 2016

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By Barry Lindsay

The final round of the SG Petch ANECCC championship. Three Spadeadam crews would do battle on the icy stages in Grizedale and Broughton moor forests. Barry Lindsay & Caroline Lodge were seeded at 30 and out to make the finish of a torrid season which had seen retirements on four out of the last five events. At 35 Darren Martin had his Evo9 but Dan Hurst was replacing Martin Steele for this one. Mark Shaw & James Coxon always go well in Grizedale in the Sunbeam and they were at 37.

Cold temperatures for a few nights before meant that patches of ice had got well frozen but just in places.

After the usual rally start in the middle of Coniston it was straight to two runs through Broughton Moor with cars slotted in at 30 seconds.

SS1 Darren & Dan were quickest of the Spadeadam crews with 3m10, 1 second ahead of Barry & Caroline then Mark & James on 3m17. For the second run Darren & Dan were again quickest with 3m06. Mark & James improved to 3m11 but Barry & Caroline we held up after catching the 30second ahead car and having to force a way past half in the frozen ditch. The time of 3m12 nothing could be done about but at least 5-10 seconds were lost. Continue reading →

Autumn Autoest – The Peth 2016

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By Barry Lindsay

For the October Autotest we managed to get the use of the Peth wood yard for the day. The venue had been used on the Blue Streak with favourable reports and turned out to be another great autotest. Land owners took up the offer of the SMC club car so became a close contest between those two also. With a surface of smooth concrete polished withwagons  turning  on it along with a layer of gritty dust what more could we ask for!

Test got under way with some very close times over the Targa layout, Andrew Graham & Nigel Harkness were quickest with 51sec closely followed by Barry Lindsay, Martin Davis, John Holliday, Jamie Stuart & Richard Clark all on 52sec.

Test 2 was a repeat and now with a clean line Barry got 45sec, Nigel 49sec, Andrew G, Martin Davis and landowner Alan Faulder quickly adapting to the club car to all get 50sec. Another newcomer William Cheesbrough picked up a wrong test.

Test 3, basically the other way round but seamed more complicated. Barry got 53sec, Andrew, Nigel, John H all got 58sec.

Test 4, the repeat. Kenton Pattison debuting his #saxobeast finally got a clean run having hit cones on the previous tests. Fastest with 52sec saw the fightback begin. Barry getting 53sec, Andrew on 56sec then Helen Harkness & Nigel on 57sec.

Test 5 Kenton was quickest with 51sec, Barry on 54sec, Andrew on 56 then Helen on 57sec.

Test 6 Kenton got 49sec, Barry 51sec, Andrew 56sec and again Helen on 57sec.

Test 7 was getting more complicated. Kenton got 1m08, William Cheesbrough got 1m13, Richard C & Andrew  got  1m14  then  Landowners Alan and Andy Thomson both got 1m15. There were wrong tests for Barry (Who’s navigator nephew Graham still argue’s they were right!), Martin, John Barber, and John Ross also got wrong tests.

Test 8 but now everyone had studied the diagram abit more. Andrew & Nigel both getting 1m14, Martin on 1m15, John H on 1m16. Richard C picked up a wrong test on this run.

Test 9 Kenton & Barry were both in fight back mode getting 1m29, Richard got 1m33, John R, Andrew & John H on 1m35. While Helen picked up a wrong test, her first for a very long time, (blame the navigator all drivers do!)

Test 10 Barry got 1m 27, Kenton on 1m29, Richard on 1m30 Andrew 1m32, John H 1m33. Alan, Nigel & Helen got wrong tests

Test 11 Barry got 1m09, John H got 1m11, Nigel got 1m12 then Kenton and Andy T on 1m13.

Final test Kenton got 1m09, Helen, Nigel, John H got 1m10 then Barry on 1m11.

Results

1st  Barry Lindsay           13m  19sec

2nd  Andrew Graham    13m  27sec (1st Rd Car)

3rd   Kenton Pattison     13m 40sec

4th  John Holliday       13m 51sec (2nd Road Car)

5th Jamie Stuart           14m 09sec (3rd Road car)

6th   Nigel Harkness      14m 15sec

7th  Richard Clark         14m 15sec  (4th Road Car)

8th Martin Davis           14m 40sec

9th  Andy Thomson      14m 41sec

10th  Helen Harkness 14m 43sec

11th  Alan Falder         14m 59sec

12th  John Ross            15m 03sec

13th  John Barber       15m 05sec

14th  William Cheesbrough 15m 27sec

Autotest Championship Points Top 5

1st Barry Lindsay    57pts                   Road Car Class

2nd Nigel Harkness 43pts                   1st John  Holliday  17pts

3rd Helen Harkness 26pts                   2nd Richard Clark  15pts

4th John Ross             24pts                     3rd Andrew Graham 12pts

5th Kenton Pattison 23pts

Rally Results (November 2016)

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Malton
Barry Lindsay & Caroline Lodge had a troubled day with engine mount breaking on SS1 limping to service after SS3 but retired with a broken driveshaft.

Rally Wales
Carl & Rob Tuer had the Ex works MG out for the first time this year. Were leading the class going into the final stage but went off and retired unable to get back to the road.
Fredrik Ahlin finished a troubled rally using super rally but was 46th OA 24th in class.

Pokerstars
New member Julius Dene navigated his way to 30th OA 10th in class.

Autumn Autotest – The Peth

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Results from the event, report will be next month.

Results

1st  Barry Lindsay           13m 19sec

2nd Andrew Graham   13m 27sec (1st Rd Car)

3rd  Kenton Pattison  13m 40sec

4th  John Holliday      13m 51sec  (2nd Road Car)

5th  Jamie Stuart   14m 09sec (3rd Road car)

6th Nigel Harkness   14m 15sec (4th Road Car)

7th Richard Clark  14m 15sec

8th Martin Davis      14m 40sec

9th Andy Thomson         14m 41sec

10th Helen Harkness         14m 43sec

11th Alan Falder               14m 59sec

12th  John Ross                 15m 03sec

13th  John Barber              15m 05sec

14th William Cheesbrough 15m 27sec

Autotest Championship Points Top 10

1st Barry Lindsay 57pts

2nd Nigel Harkness 43pts

3rd Helen Harkness  26pts

4th John Ross 24pts

5th Kenton Pattison  23pts

6th Andreww Graham 22pts

7th Martin Davis           20pts

8th John Holliday      17pts (1st Road Car)

9th Richard Clark        15pts (2nd Road Car)

10th Jon Fowler       15pts

Rally Results (October 2016)

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Trackrod
Caroline Lodge with Kim Gray finished 23rd in the Historic Cup section of the Trackrod. 2nd in class despite pushing the car to the final MTC

Cheviot
Martin Wilkinson finished  5th OA  (2nd in  class)  in  his  Mk2  Escort.  Barry & Michael Lindsay were  13th OA  (2nd in  class),  Nigel &  Helen Harkness were 29th O/A (5th in class)

Mull
Caroline Lodge finished 21st Overall 1st in class navigating for Jimmy Hall

Run To The Sea 2016

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When it came to organising this year’s run, we realised that we didn’t have that many options left. We could go back up north, in a similar area to last year, or we could head south to the “Costa del Cumbria”, however our probable route south had already been used on the “Summer Run”. Right, we’ll have to do some lateral thinking to get out to the coast.

So, on a grey Sunday morning a small band of travellers set off from Dobbies Garden Centre and headed out towards Welton, up onto the Caldbeck fells where we could down onto the Solway basin. Then down past the end of Bassenthwaite, through Cockermouth, past M-Sport. Continue reading →

The Blue Streak Targa 2016

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By Nic Fowler

On the warm up to this event dad and I did a couple of autotests at Longpark and Pirelli car park. I enjoyed the driving and even managed to set one or two good times. By the time we arrived at this event, I started to get the idea of how to read the map, although I wasn’t sure about the timing and the time cards but dad said “don’t worry it be reet”
After scruitneering at C&C Barnett, Townfoot we went to signing on where I actually had to sign my life away!!

Helen and team gave me a folder loaded full of paper which we took back to the car and started to look through. With hindsight I should have made my notes clearer. Continue reading →