LLANGOLLEN 99

We arrived at the camp site on Thursday afternoon after clocking up

just 94 miles, not before I'd managed to lose the front propshaft gaiter

at 60mph.

The weather was overcast and windy when we arrived.

Nigel had requested some high flat ground with a wall for protection

but John Nelson told us that was where the Marquee was going!, so

we had to move round the corner, away from the noise of the

Marquee.

Friday morning the toilet wagon turned up pulling a large tri-axle trailer.
The driver dropped 4 toilets at the top of the field then drove down the
field to drop three more off, that was when the fun started. It ended up
with John and Steven towing the truck & trailer with their motors but
this didn't work. The driver had to drop his trailer, John towed the truck
back onto the track and Mark Crossley towed the trailer up the field.
After dinner we went up into the quarry to set some sections for the
RTV. On our first section we used a long pond so i had a chance to try
out my newly repaired wellies.

The next section was right at the top of the quarry so I nipped out to
the cafe to use the phone meeting Colin and Nigel as they arrived.
Tea time, so Colin and the rest of the gang set up the camp shelter for
the fire making sure our fire tray was kept off the grass with lumps of
wood as requested by John Nelson.

Penny and her friend arrived at 9.30 which meant Penny had to put up
her tent by the using the headlamps from her van.

Saturday and a good turn out for the RTV... 7 motors', once we had 60
plus motors at Tong. On our water section the water was hub deep
plus 4" of sediment, I'd nearly lost a welly in it when setting it out. It
caught out some of the drivers, one being the overall winner with 2
points, Paul with his 86" with road tyres.
Phil Read had to change the front hub bearings so his wife could enter
the trial. Steven had to change a front spring and adjust his steering.
Dave Pinner got a flat on the CCV and Dave Rogers got a fiat on the
RTV but this turned out to be bad fitting of the tyre onto the rim. Peter
Heaton asked me if I had a S3 track rod end, I said yes but it'll cost

you ££?? When Peter found out he could do the trial without a front
bumper he soon had his front bumper off.

Saturday night we watched the bungee run in the marquee using John
Nelsons motor as an anchor. Even the spectators weren't safe as one
of the competitors veered off course sending them down like skittles
OUCH!

Sunday morning and we decide to take a spare tyre with us on the
CCV in case we get a puncture. Our first section was a hill start then a
left turn, my motor leant to the left then dropped into a deep gully, !
couldn't turn my steering quick enough.
On another section we set off to go up a small bank, I put my foot
down to go up the bank but my carburettor said "no way" and died.
Robert pointed out that my accelerator pedal looked too short, we
found a standard one which was 3" longer so at lunch time I borrowed
Penny's vice to straighten mine out.

On another section ! didn't turn quick enough, we ended up leant over
a lot with Penny shouting STOP! We sat there balancing with my
shaking foot on the brake pedal until someone got a rope onto my roll
cage to stop us from rolling. Thank you to the recovery team.

On Sunday night on the way back from the cafe after phoning home

we were watching the comp on top of a large pile of gravel, I was just

sliding down one side when I heard a large

BANG,.. RATTLED .,BANG,..,i shouted "what's happened?" Keith and

Robert said one had done a full forward roll and landed back onto its

wheels and drove it out of the way ,off the course. They ail seemed to

be OK although one of them had lost his glasses. We all had a look for

them but all we could find were bits of lights all over the track.

Sunday night round the camp fire Colin said "we're not taking any

wood home with us"; so we piled it all onto the fire, drank loads of

beer, Nigel told some good jokes and we all had a good time sat round

the fire. I finally crawled into my tent at 4am

In the morning I picked up 3 full sacks of beer cans and Colin did the

same.

We had a whale of a time.

Keith Normanton (108)

LLANGOLLEN 99

High on a mountain top in North Wales was the venue for this
years August Bank Holiday bash at Llangollen.
With one eye on the rising temperature gauge and the other on
the suicidal sheep we made it up the long drag to the top of the
Horseshoe Pass and turned down the Sane to the site around
lunchtime on the Saturday.

We were greeted by the welcoming committee who didn't waste
any time in relieving us of our camping money. That done we
went to set up camp. With all the best level pieces of land gone
we had to pitch the tent on a gentle slope and then toss for who
slept high or Sow, We ended up camping next to "camp scouse"
so with all our valuables safely locked away (sorry, cheap
stereotypical scouse joke. "did someone say stereo La") we went
to check out the site and because S was Clerk of the Course see
what land we had available for the Comp course.

We soon found John Nelson who together with Ian Bartram was
sketching out ideas for the comp. Back to the trailer load up with
sticks and then spent the rest of the afternoon stick bashing until
there were no more sticks left to bash. Called it a day and then
headed back to camp, but not before we'd stumbled across one
esteemed Pennine member emerging from one of the blue
lagoons hidden deep in one of the quarry holes after a spot of
bathing 'au nature!'. (Try to imagine Ursula Andress in that
James Bond film except with a beard and driving a series 2)

After s quick wash and change we headed down into Llangollen
to sample some native Welsh cooking courtesy of the local curry
house. Returned to the site and went to join the few in the beer
tent being kept amused by the bungee pull. Plenty of grass
stained backsides, flying bodies and near misses. Later it was
back to Mutts new bargain gazebo ("why's it a bargain Mutt?"
"cos its knackered" ??) for late night beer talk i.e. gibberish and
nonsense.

Sunday was spent stick bashing ail day, right up until the start of
the night comp. Thanks to John for all his help in setting up and
thanks to ...err no-one else for their contribution.
As the first motors left the start, the high parts of the course were
enveloped in low cloud which made it even more fun for the
drivers.

lan Bartram was first away and came back to say it might be a
good idea to put out some hazard markers on the slight hump
halfway down the long straight which ran the full length of the
site. What was a gentle incline at setting out speed took on ski
jump proportions at the sort of speeds the motors were reaching
on this stretch of the course.

Whilst walking back to the start after replacing some sticks and
arrows on one part of the course we heard the familiar bark of a
V8 at full revs followed by CRASH... CRASH... CRASH. A motor
had hit the hump full belt and gone end over end. We went
running to the scene where both the occupants were out and
OK. One of the guys seemed more concerned about finding his
glasses which had flown off his nose. The driver was proud
enough to admit that he'd chosen to ignore his navigators shouts
for him to slow down, and only had himself to blame. Looking at
his car it will be a while before he races again.
The rest of the evening went without incident and ended with Ian
Bartram giving me a ride round on his buggy to close the course.
Brilliant! I want one.

The following morning saw the competitors eager to get started
even beating the marshals to their posts. Mid morning and
another end over end in exactly the same spot. Once again the
driver admitted he was going too fast for the jump. Another bent
car, but both crew were OK This part of the course was fast
becoming the place to spectate and quite a crowd had gathered,
little did they know they weren't to be disappointed.
Back at the start the driver from the mornings roll was obviously
in some pain, I asked if he'd like someone to take him to hospital
to get checked over, he agreed he should go as he was in some
considerable pain from his chest. My partner Tracy kindly offered

to take him to the nearest hospital in Wrexham, we figured he'd
be in good hands as she's a member of our local Search and
Rescue Team. Whilst Graham Miles was giving our patient a
final check over and at the same time giving Tracy directions to
the Hospital a message came back over the radio another motor
had end over ended. This was all we needed right now. The
course was closed immediately and we dashed to he scene. The
racer that rolled was probably the worst state I've ever seen after
a roll. The impact had sheared the roll cage tubing in two places,
not on the welds as you'd expect but just clean breaks in the
tube. The chassis was broken and bent and not a straight panel
remained on the car. It's a credit to whoever built the cage that
the crew walked away in one piece and unscathed, (check out
the pictures of the vehicle in Land Rover World Magazine)
As Clerk of the Course I was now becoming increasingly
concerned for the safety of the drivers and was considering re-
routing the course round the jump. I asked a few of the drivers
for their opinion and they all agreed there was nothing wrong
with the course "they're trying to be heroes" was one drivers
opinion, "we all know it's there, if they don't slow down its their
problem" So with that S decided to leave things as they were.
Maybe the forlorn and sorry state of the roll-over convinced the
drivers to slow down because the rest of the day past off without
incident.

As the last motors were finishing Tracy returned from the
hospital, our man was given a clean bill of health and was just
suffering from severe bruising across his chest from his harness.
With everybody done and dusted all that remained was to clear
up ail the sticks and dish out the prizes.

Thanks to John Nelson for helping setting out, to the
marshals, the competitors, NORC timekeeping team, and to
the NORC and Pennine guys who helped bring in the sticks
after we'd finished.

Kev Baldwin

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