Swalesmoor • Camel Event.

Saturday morning I arrived at the Swalesmoor site to find
Robert and Sue setting out. They already had one section
done which involved a lot of driving through ponds. David
turned up shortly after me which made four of us to set out
the rest. David and Sue went off to set out some tasks so me
and Robert loaded the motor up with some "kit" and begun
setting out a long RTV style section but the type which
doesn't bend bumpers!!! when a new face rolled up. He was
not a member at the time but I asked if he was coming on
the Sunday to have a drive. He said that he wasn't sure
because he had just got his motor on the road, but I think that
I persuaded him by telling him about the day membership
scheme!!!

By now the "April showers" were coming thick and fast and
we had to keep running for cover.
I told David and Sue that I had prepared my motor for a CCV
trial but they said that all our other members would turn up
for a trial and although some of the tasks look puzzling, so
do trials sections without socks!!!

Sunday morning I arrived at Swalesmoor early and helped
Robert put socks on the tasks which we had set out before
getting our motors ready for scrutineering. Our future
member turned up and I asked if he was entering, he said no
so I asked if he would like to navigate for someone, he said
yes so I sent him to see Robert in the 90 or lan in the 101.
Penny rolled up to navigate for me and Colin navigated for
Nigel. We had a good turn out of marshals but it was a shame
about the turnout of only five motors. It was decided to all go
round in one group.

The first task was to hitch up a small trailer, tow it from a
garage, reverse it into another garage then reverse it back
into the first garage - against the clock!!!

Task 2 was a trials section but it had to be driven
backwards!!, it included a large boggy pond in the bottom
and as we were walking the section I slipped and got the
bottom of my overall's wet, we never made it that far in the
motor!!                                       

Task 3 was to pull a dead motor out of a garage, into the
garage next to it and then back again. The dead motor had
a "live" driver to apply steering and brakes but other than this
you were on your own.... one team member in the 86" had a
breakage - she broke a fingernail whilst unhitching the tow
rope - ouch!!!

Task 4 - another trials section but driven forwards this time -
everyone got a clear but then the navigator had to drive the
same section but everyone did well.

Task 5 - transport a wheel across a ravine without it touching
the ground. This was a timed event and so after planning it
through we decided to go for it... Penny ran to the opposite
side of the ravine with the wire rope and pulley rope, she
attached the wire rope to David's motor which was to act as
a fixed anchor at one side and I attached the other end to our
motor and then slowly reversed to tighten the rope. I hitched
the wheel on and Penny pulled it across the ravine and then
I pulled it back, we un-hitched everything and crossed the
finish in good time.

Task 6 - the River Crossing - get your motor from one side of
a "river" to the other using only two planks and six small
pallets We had just started to put down the planks when the
heavens opened - this was almost a real river crossing!"
Robert went after us and had a ripping time when he split his
trousers stretching to move a pallet. The 101 went last due
to it's weight but lan did well and crossed with ease even
thought there's nothing to hold on to on a 101 and the tyres
are a little wider on such narrow planks!!!

The rain cleared and we did two more RTV sections - one with

a wheel change in the middle !!!

Although everyone was a little apprehensive at the beginning
of the day, we all really enjoyed the event and it made a
change from CCV trials. Thanks to all the marshals, setter's
out and spectators for making it such a great day.

Keith Normanton.

"The Skip"

Nineteen ninety three was the year when it all started. Being
poor, skint, no dosh and so on, this is the year that Simon
Parkin (my wonderful brother) introduced me to the
legendary "Pennine Landrover Club" as a navigator for
Bedrock 1. The first two and a half years were not too bad on
the pocket, I only bought a cheap old long wheelbase pickup
and spent as much again putting it on the road. After that it
only cost me fifty quid per week to run the awesome V81 had
put under the bonnet, but it was worth it to see the backend
overtake the front on every roundabout we came across.

Then came the time to leave the navigator's seat of Bedrock
1 and move on to better things (or so I thought). This was my
first big mistake.

I obtained this old series II multicoloured skip from the good
old boys from the USA. It came at no extra cost with air
conditioning, warped head, bent chassis and buckled wheel.
Apart from that it was ok. So one afternoon roughly about
2.15 we started (Simon and I) armed with sledgehammers, a
welder and half a gallon of paint. By something like three
o'clock we had something looking like a landrover again. This
is where I made my second big mistake. I took this now green
skip and put this lovely V8 under the hood. I have to admit,
this engine was gooood!!! You know the type runs, pull and
sounds better than sex (and lasts longer), anyway back to
the story..... After three months of hard work we created

Bedrock 2.

Bedrock 2's first event was Crossbills three day 1996. After
pitching the tent in the pouring rain (I should have realised
then god was trying to tell me something). The time had come
to take the new improved series II Bedrock 2 off the trailer. I
sat in the driver's seat quite relieved that she started first time
as a crowd of people gathered just to see if the old skip would
actually move, and yes she did...... for about six yards until the

back diff fell to bits. ( the diff being one of Simon's
recon's!!) By this time I was thinking of taking up trainspotting
or bird watching. Cursing and swearing I managed to borrow
a spare diff and a few lads helped to fit it, in all the rain of
course. Just as things were beginning to look up, all the
electric's went!!!. This little hick-up took about half a day to
fix (but that's another story).                   

Sunday arrived and the rain had actually stopped when
we headed for the hills, and yes the skip did manage to
complete the trial. I came fifth in my class (ok there were only
five in the class!!) but who cares I had heaps of FUN. Sunday
night arrived and we managed to get through scrutineering
again. (I came round from the shock about half an hour later).
So there we were all systems go as they say, at the start line
looking at the red light and for some strange reason I thought
if I were at home I'd be watching yet another James Bond
movie on the tele. Just then the flashing amber light brought
me back to reality. Counting down from five, four,
three....(why is it that you always need a pee when you're on
the line?) Two, one and away. Holy S*** we were absolutely
flying, well we were tramming on a bit actually at a quite
respectable pace (for a skip that is). We were just starting to
feel ok about this, when we realised that we should have gone
round something and not over the top. (cheers Gareth) It was
not surprising really that I had just ripped the engine off it's
mountings, bent the oil plate and lost the fan belt. After that
the gooood V8 lasted about 250 yards. There it stood on all
it's glory KNACKERED. Totally and completely past it's sell
by date. But all was not lost, at least I didn't have to walk back.
Out of the darkness came a half pint with a big floppy hat on
a tractor (which was older than my granddad). He must have
only been about seven years old, but he offered to tow myself
and the skip back to the camp site. Luckily for my bruised
ego there were no cameras and only a few people around.

That was it, my three day event was well and truly over.
Looking on the bright side at least I didn't get wet on the
Monday.

Since the eventful three days at Crosshills I've done one trial
and two comp's in the skip and I'm just fitting my fourth engine
(but who's counting?). I really do think that God is trying to
tell me something, but like most of you..... Who cares 'cos I'm
only in it for the FUN.

ANDY PARKIN.

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