Wye Valley Auto Club Combined Percy Chadney/Classic Series Trial 29th Oct 2006
report by Chris Gardiner
Results
Cillit Bang! Wye Valley's double event on Sunday 29th Oct. at Bowley Court Bodenham, combining the Percy Chadney Trial with the final round of the Classic series, turned out to be a real winner.
The "two in to one" or "buy one get one free" as our Club Sec. would probably see it -(sorry Trev'!) Was due to a venue problem for the ‘Chadney' which should have run a fortnight ago. This presented the Club with a challenge to mark out a trial that would cater for the full spectrum .Three routes were set out the day before with the "middle" one doubling as the alternative for the 'Chadney and the hard route for the Classic, and with ten sections, four times round, I think it's fair to say the format worked and the event ran well.
With a combined entry of over 70 the going was a little slower than usual and at a couple of sections the bikes "backed up" a little but the weather was kind and there was always plenty to talk about so it didn't seem to matter. A well placed start card on section five gave everyone waiting a grandstand view of the action and any time queuing here passed quickly. With very tight turns and several steep drop-offs, not to mention the extremely slippery bank on the way in, there was quite a bit to watch and this gave those in the queue some good entertainment . Quite a few marks were lost here, including some rather undignified 5's on the drop-in, (!) but full marks to the observer for keeping the section flowing very smoothly.
Six and seven followed , the fast flowing rocky stream certainly testing man, machine and waterproof sock! Championship riders took on the huge slabs right underneath the waterfall whilst the whites and yellows had their equally demanding routes just a little down stream. These were two good sections that proved popular with both rider and spectator.
Anyone mastering the steep bank on the expert's route in section two did well, especially later on when the mud dragged up, and the intermediate route also proved extremely tricky towards the end.
Not too many problems with section three , probably because it was one of only two totally dry sections, but it did demand some "point and shoot" accuracy with all classes having to contend with a very steep climb and a tight turn at the top of it.
Every section was laid out to present as many different kinds of challenges as possible from muddy ditches to steep banks and rock steps and I think it would be fair to say that everyone, whatever their ability, had a damn good day out judging by the comments at the end , thank you, feedback is always appreciated. There were unfortunately a few retirements, and a couple of breakdowns among the older machinery, commiserations to those concerned.
Thanks to all that took part, both Classic and Chadney entries, I know for quite a few it was a first time visit to this venue, hopefully we'll see you all back again next time.
(Work is now in progress for the overall results for the Classic series and these will appear on this website and hopefully in T&MX news very soon. With luck we will be able to notify the award winners by post or telephone as well.)