Post by Roadrunner on Mar 12, 2023 21:23:47 GMT
This weekend it was one of the highlights of the year, the VSCC Measham Rally. This year it was held in the Herefordshire/ Shropshire/ Welsh Borders area again. Competing cars have to plot and navigate the route from a set of given clues, passing through a series of time checks (TCs) en-route. Cars are set off from rally HQ at one minute intervals and have to find and pass through each TC in the correct order, from the right direction and at the right time. Penalty points are earned from getting any of that wrong, so it is a test for car, driver and navigator; especially when you consider that the rally takes place overnight. The first car leaves Rally HQ at 20:31 and the last TC closes at 07:07 the following morning. The route included some high ground on the Long Mynd and drivers had to cope with snow, sleat, rain, floods and generally poor road conditions- all this with vintage machinery, 1920s lighting and charging systems and in many cases, absolutely no roof or weather protection.
I was part of one of the TC marshal teams, marking each car's score sheet when (if...) it passed through our TC. Working on three TCs, my colleague and I travelled on to the next TC each time the course closing car passed through to close that section. Wisely, we chose to leave my Benz at Rally HQ and take his Defender 90.
It all started before then though, with signing on, bacon rolls and scruitineering and general fettling of the cars at Rally HQ earlier in the evening. This is also when the driver and navigator begin to plot their route before setting off.
Soon, the first cars are ready for their allotted time to leave
Not much time for photography when cars arrive, but here is one from the wee small hours and another from the last TC as dawn was breaking
The TC on the Long Mynd had to cope with sideways blowing snow. One of my TCs was at the foot of the hill and that was challenging enough. Reports came in of cars hitting floods and drowning thier electrics and a couple having to be pulled out of muddy ditches. Some navigators didn't find all the TCs. Stood in the quiet of the middle of nowhere Shropshire countryside we would hear the unmistakable sound of an approaching Bentley 4.5, (audible from quite some distance...) only to hear it fading away again as it took a wrong turn and missed 'our' stretch of road.
Back at Rally HQ tales of the night's events were shared over a last bacon roll before we all dispersed to our much-needed homes and beds. The best night out of the year.
I was part of one of the TC marshal teams, marking each car's score sheet when (if...) it passed through our TC. Working on three TCs, my colleague and I travelled on to the next TC each time the course closing car passed through to close that section. Wisely, we chose to leave my Benz at Rally HQ and take his Defender 90.
It all started before then though, with signing on, bacon rolls and scruitineering and general fettling of the cars at Rally HQ earlier in the evening. This is also when the driver and navigator begin to plot their route before setting off.
Soon, the first cars are ready for their allotted time to leave
Not much time for photography when cars arrive, but here is one from the wee small hours and another from the last TC as dawn was breaking
The TC on the Long Mynd had to cope with sideways blowing snow. One of my TCs was at the foot of the hill and that was challenging enough. Reports came in of cars hitting floods and drowning thier electrics and a couple having to be pulled out of muddy ditches. Some navigators didn't find all the TCs. Stood in the quiet of the middle of nowhere Shropshire countryside we would hear the unmistakable sound of an approaching Bentley 4.5, (audible from quite some distance...) only to hear it fading away again as it took a wrong turn and missed 'our' stretch of road.
Back at Rally HQ tales of the night's events were shared over a last bacon roll before we all dispersed to our much-needed homes and beds. The best night out of the year.