Woodpecker Stages 1st September 2007

Well I was lucky enough to be asked again to go with Andrew Bowen in his Escort G3 for the woodpecker and seems it is Andrew's local event and an event close to me I was really looking forward to it.
Having competed on the Woodpecker last year with Liz and over the past few years before that helping my husband run Haye Park I had some knowledge of the stages.
As usual we stay up at a campsite with some of the organisers Benjey & co at Orelton. It is quite central to Mr Bowen's place, and the event headquarters not to mention the stage that martin helps run.

So on the Thursday we make our way up with me arranging to call into Andrews to get all my info I needed as time Andrew filled in the forms and had all info sent to him (all I will say is never again leave it to the navigator Ha!! Ha !!).. Anyway we arrive up at the campsite and I give Andrew a ring and arrange to meet him to collect my bits.. As usual he is never where he says he will be so after finally meeting him we have a quick chat leave him some more of my sponsor stickers as he managed to have a little off on the Neath Valley Stages and damage parts of the car where my stickers were (but all I will say is I was not responsible for that off as I wasn't sat with him for that event) ..

Enough said on that we arrange that Andrew will ring me when he is on his way for Scruitineering on the Friday which is at Ludlow Racecourse and I think not too bad it isn't that far for Mr B but as usual he is still tinkering with the car right up to the Friday (nothing new there though!!)...I decide to make my way up to the Racecourse on the Friday with Angela who is coming to help Martin and look after my son Luke, we have a look around while we are there and I wait for Andrew to turn up .. Have a quick chat with Steve & Mark who are in their Saxo and looking forward to the event and a few other faces I know and then as I look around here he comes trundling up in the car to the Trailer Area to meet me at last, I am now getting a little excited and really looking forward to the rally,

We set off to Noise pass that then on to collect out door plates, numbers etc then make our way to the Scruitineering Tent to be faced with the usual cheeky Cornish guy John Cooper after the usual hug I escape

Just behind us in the queue is Bob Morgan & Adie Williams from my neck of the woods we have a little chat to them then get called in for Scruitineering well apart from the indicator not working on the back passenger side the car sailed through time for signing on so we park up and go and get signed on and I collect our info and start time.

Once all done Andrew and myself arrange what time to meet in the morning and we make our separate ways as he is going back to just give the car a once over..

So I make my way back to the caravan and start altering the notes and reading up on everything that I hadn't already received. Early night but as usual I never sleep well before an event anyway.

Alarm clock goes off and I make my way up to Ludlow Racecourse to meet up with Andrew, Carol, Tiny & Rambo who is servicing for us..A few checks on any last minute amendments and to check our start time our time being 9.49 out of MC1.We set off for the 1st stage which is Bringewood which has had to be shortened due to weather conditions prior to the event damaging the stage so we drove over a mile into the stage and the total length of the stage was just over a mile long but never mind these things happen. We arrive at the start to join a rather long queue "great" 1st stage and already a hold up so out we get and stretch our legs for a bit the car in front co-driver was the ever charming Neil Dashfield who I had a brief chat to before eventually it is time to get buckled up helmets on and ready to rock & roll!!!

This time Andrew has made sure that the Camera is working as I did not want a repeat of Swansea Bay no footage.... He switches camera on we roll up to the Arrival control then on the Start line

5,4,3,2,1 Go!! Off we set I seem to get straight into the notes right from the start and before I had time to blink the stage finish was there we did that stage in a 2.08 .. Next stage was High Vinnals 8.76 miles long which was just over the road from SS1 exit, we had management before the start in the Forestry there were Tiny and Rambo waiting again another slight hold up but once again we start to get ready to do the stage as we approach the start of the stage there is Martin, Luke, Angela, Paul & Sally all waving SS2 was being run by my motorclub so had a lot of friends on this stage looking out for me..

5,4,3,2,1 Go!! As we set off I call notes 4L over junction then the next couple of notes and for some silly reason mistake the junctions thinking I had called them too early and lose my place for a second (one which I will I kick myself for as I was right 1st time round) I pick up on notes and we are hitting some places with the dust hanging but it didn't cause too much of an issue we approach the Spectator area in the stage and my friend Mike Summerfield is doing the commentating for the rally and I did get told he said quite a bit about me ( so thanks Mike) !!

At one point we hit 6th gear with the car flat out and then go through one hairpin with Andrew as usual waving to his fans (he normally says did you see so & so and I'm like I was reading the notes I haven't got time to look and wave!) A few more hairpins and we seem to go into one a bit too fast, stalled on another and then again we seem to go into another a bit too hard with Mr Bowen telling himself off we get to the finish with me thinking that it was my fault but he did say no it was him (Maybe it had something to do with the fact he knows the stages just a little too well!! ha ha) we finished that stage in a 9.37. Then we make our way to Stage 3 Wigmore 1 3.27 miles long this time no hold ups and before we know it we are off 5,4,3,2,1 Go again a good stage and at this point not really knowing how we are doing only that I know Andrew is pushing really hard as this event is really important to him..

We complete that stage in a 3.45 . One more stage before Service is Hopton 4.27 miles long which is being run by a lot of people Andrew knows and also the Stage commander was Pete Hennis a good friend of mine so after getting his attention having a quick chat we are ready again

5,4,3,2,1 Go!! We are going well with Andrew as usual driving 1st class and on it, we come down to a hairpin through some metal gate posts then another tight turn through some more posts just only missing the second set making our way up a hill then round to the right and down the car doesn't seem right and as we attempt to go right the car just seems to go straight at this point realising there was something wrong with the trees heading towards us Mr B manages to get the car to turn for us to end up opposite side on a bank and the end our rally ...the Steering ball joint had broke looking back on the In car camera Andrew is really struggling to steer the car just before we end up slightly off the track.. So after letting Tiny & Rambo know we meet them they get another one and after we have watched the rest of the rally and the stage is closed the lads come in and they change it and we manage to drive back to Service to meet up with everyone else. Not really how we had planned for the rally to go but at the end of the day that's rallying.. The only consolation is that it never broke when we were flat out in 6th, as it could have been a very nasty accident indeed..

Once back I go and get some results from HQ to only find out that after SS1 we were 28th O/A and 3rd in class then after SS2 we had moved upto 20th O/A and 1st in class and after SS3 we had moved up to 15th overall and still leading our class by 18 seconds but like I said that’s rallying and even though we didn't finish the rally I was still smiling after enjoying the morning's rallying that I had done. I would just like to thank Andrew for asking me again I do always have a big smile when I get the chance to sit with him.. (Even though he has had his own back on me as i sound like a squeaky country bumpkin on the in car camera which he has had delight in taking the pee out of me)

I am hoping that soon I can get a link for some in car footage so watch this space.

As for my next event and last for this season I will be competing on the Cambrian Stages based up in Llandudno and once again am lucky enough to sit with Andrew for this one (As his text said Accommodation booked, get entry in and happy birthday) well what else can a woman want for her birthday apart from I did ask him to make sure my pressie was big and wrapped!!

Yes, that weekend I will be celebrating my birthday so really looking forward to the event and after celebrations with a few others that also have birthdays that weekend..
So watch this page for my next report.

Kaz

Many thanks to my good friends Simon Clarke and Julian Jones for the use of their Photographs.