Selby and District Motor Club              Three Swans Road Rally 24/25th June 2006

 

Report by the Clerk-of-the-Course.

 

Having perhaps over-used the lanes in the Wolds on map 106 in recent years we felt a change of scene would be refreshing for 2006. The route was largely influenced by start and finish venues. TBM Cutters Ltd. offered their premises near Holme-on-Spalding-Moor, and being much impressed by the hospitality offered at last year's finish, the Royal Oak in Hirst Courtney, a route to the south seemed appropriate. There were some excellent rallying lanes to be found on maps 111 and 112, but these had to be linked with some Transports on A roads.

 

The first competitive sections to STC10, on 106, were familiar territory around Bubwith and North Duffield. The top crews dropped a couple of minutes here and there, while Rogers and Ogram (Car 1, Mitsubishi Lancer) remained penalty free. Following a Transport through Goole, the route moved to the loop of treacherous bumpy roads south of Swinefleet, where plenty of caution boards and the occasional arrow were encountered. Despite the long grass on one of the whites, this was found cleanable by some (cars 1,3,5,9,15). Regrettably the local Beverley MC crew of Beumont and Petch (car 4), usually highly placed finishers, retired and their form thus goes unrecorded. Further Transport followed southwards through Crowle.

 

The rationale for the Regularity (with secret IRTC location), on grounds of the condition of the road, had been made clear to competitors and this was generally accepted. Most crews dropped a handful of seconds through being either early or late here. A further Standard lead west onto map 111, the navigation here taking the form of a rather tedious and rambling essay which took most crews a little time to decipher. At the fuel halt in Thorne, Green and Gibbins (car 2, Seat Ibeza) where ahead by just seconds.

 

The shorter second leg used a complex of twisty lanes and whites in the north east corner of 111, a succession of four short Standard sections taking its toll of penalties on all. Robinson and Wheeldon (car 3, Subaru Impreza) emerged with the advantage, which proved to be the deciding factor in their eventual win. After a short Transport to clear the east coast railway line at Moss, an unpleasant white was used to avoid the built-up areas, then a marked-map handout gave navigators a break as the route threaded its way onto 105 and a further 6 route check boards on grassy triangles in the final competitive.

 

Cars were arriving at the finish by 3.30 am, breakfasts consumed, and awards administered by 5.30.  Our thanks go out to all competitors and marshals and a fuller list of acknowledgements is shown.

                                                                                                John Thornton     25.06.2006

 

 

Thanks and Acknowledgements.

 

Thanks to all named officials and marshals, and also to the following helpers:

 

David Coggins	PR work and pre-event printing of route cards
Colin Barnes	photography and awards preparation
Ralph Jackson, John Riley, Neil Carmen	Results team
Jason Turner and TBM Cutters Ltd.	Sponsorship and start venue
Staff of the Royal Oak, Hirst Courtney	breakfasts and finish venue
Tim Elcock and Andy Ford	setting up the code boards
Paul Scaife and David Cobley	…picking them up afterwards
David Wilson	advice on route, maps 111 and 112
Jon Neale	further printing, including time cards
David Lynch and Victoria Gill	further PR and press relations

 

and thanks to everyone else who has helped out in any way.

 

Award winners.

 

First Overall                 Guy Robinson   Charles Wheeldon                    Subaru Impreza                                              

First Master                  Adrian Green    Ian Gibbins                               Seat Ibeza                   

Second Master             Tim Rogers       Mike Ogram                             Mitsubishi Lancer                                           

First Expert                  Malcolm Holdsworth Richard Holdsworth         Honda Civic

Second Expert              David Howell   Stephen Taylor             Opel Manta                                        

First Novice                 Paul Reaney     Bill Parkin                                 Peug. 106                    

Second Novice Jonny Erlandson Ross O'Brien              Peug. 106 rally

 

Last Novice                  Richard Leonard           Jean Leonard                Skoda Felicia