Les Brock Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Did we have a good day....errrr....no ! It WAS going well, few punches in the bag, special stage 2 done, another punch then.... lets do this one !, got about 20 foot and dropped into a huge hole with the consistany of half set jelly,up to the bottom of the doors solid in front and no grip to the rear and solid bank(Simex dig really well in sand don't they), rig up the front winch and moved several trees around but not accually moving the vechicle at all try the same to the rear, and we again moved several trees but did'nt move an inch, got every strop we had out and went onto the jib of an ARV in to pond and........ yes we still did'nt move, re jig...double line...errrr.....still did'nt move.... High lift out, an hours digging (mainly by pigster, as it was pi@@ing it down and I could not see a bluddy thig through my specs.. ) re jig better line Kittygripper did we move err...NO !, KIttygripper .....mulllerrred....errrr...understatment two and a half hours/three hours had now passed, and it was still lashing it down one competiter stopped and tried a single line and no movement, he had to carry on as he was one of the front runners in the standred class, so no problems there he was in the running Several others stopped and just left us to it, yes its a competition, but they could at least have offered when asked to spare a few mins....could'nt they !....I'll remember next time when its you ! still justice prevailled for at least one of them Adrian and Pete turned up and with both winches double lined we managed to get out.... around 4 hours in all by the time we found the waffles....... so off we went two more punches.....now stuck with water half way up the doors, both lockers in and nothing slipped off the centre ruts into the tracks made by the tanks and we were going nowhere, rear winch burnt out, Les up to his groin in water, Pigster laughing, as his comment that looks wet, giving me the impression he wanted to carry on driving this one.. Half an hour to go...Marshall recovery and retired, otherwise by time we would have got out, time penalties would have meant a score of nowt !... Still we never broke anything on the truck we were stuck to long ! .....well until I clean underneath and see what we bent... So thanks to.... Fi and Lisa for feeding me so well Richard to Biatching Adrian and Pete for pulling me out Simon for the Front hocky sticks Half of the sellers from Sodbury for the light lenses (and Adrian and mark 90 for getting them) Neil for a superb series and long may it continue and finally my wife for not complaining when I emptied the bank after every event... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeryDisco Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 I had a lovely time, I hardly missed the bonfire at all. Lisa and I got VeryDamp though, I think it may have been all the excitement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_s Posted November 7, 2005 Share Posted November 7, 2005 Les- got some good pictures of you (i think) in your second 'predicament'. I'll let you know when I post them on my picture site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robhybrid Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 I had a great day out and I belive my crawler box proved its self again to be ideal where there is a large amount of winch assist needed. The sandy soil at Slab gave unbelievable grip compared to the clay that I am used to, I consider myself lucky not to have broken any half shafts or cv joints. Out of the 50 possible punches I would be interested to know how many were not used at all. I belive there must have been some where in the region of 10 punches that were not used at all. At least 4 punches that I saw late in the day had not seen a single competitor attempt them but I belive 3 of them were obtainable had I an extra 2 hours to try them. I am sure that some punches were placed deliberately to see if people were cheating as I could not see how it could possibly be attained without putting my vehicle on its side to get at them. This year I have been very impressed with the organisation of the 6 events and now I am left wondering how I can earn enough to enter all 8? of next years rounds. Anybody want to pay me for some tuition Ed seems to do alright out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
najw Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Rob Graph of punch achievment shows how punches were used. How does this fit in with your experience? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white90 Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Very good write up Les sorry to hear of your stuckness at Minstead Last year we were stuck with Nicks Rangie in the river and lots of other competitors just looked and left us to it one team even saying we're not going to help we are out to win this. but a call on the CB to Paul W and Simon P saw them arrive and rescue the rangie then they carried on to win the event. the fuggers who didn't help didn't win which made my day. and if I ever see them stuck anywhere again a I will take a whole 5mins out of my day to sit watch an offer no assistance unless athey ask for it to which I'll say bugga off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robhybrid Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 RobGraph of punch achievment shows how punches were used. How does this fit in with your experience? I have to admit to muttering to myself several times through the series that some punches seemed to have been set up by a narrower su**** owner , I will be replacing both front wings before next year The graph is impressive I think it shows a reasonable balance of both difficult and not quite so difficult punches. My guess of 10 punches not used was actually 7 although there is another 1 which had only 1 competitor achive it. I do think that having some punches just out of reach is a good thing to push the serious competitors to their limit and show all the doubters that this is a serious non suit wearing challenge. Please dont take any of my crititism as negative because I would like to think of it as constructive. I would be very interested to see the graphs for the other 5 rounds too. These graphs would make an exellent visual display/talking point at the prezentation dinner dance. Well done and thanks for your dedication with the exellent organisation of this series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
najw Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Definitely not taken as criticsm Rob, I think your overview of our tactic pretty much sums it up. We do ensure that there is a Defender sized route to all the punches, sometimes we even measure it or take out small trees where necessary. Looking at the routes used to get to the punches afterwards it is clear that many drivers don't look for the planned route and simply bulldoze their way in making it much easier than it was supposed to be for the following drivers. I can't see there is much we can do to stop this other than bunting the route to every punch which would be restrictive and very time comsuming. As organiser I feel a duty to provide value for money and if anyone was back at Parc Ferme at 2:00pm with all the punches I would be disappointed. Therefore we try to push you the extra yard to give you something to go for, particular on a flat site like Slab where you haven't got the big hills for winching. Glad you enjoyed it, will try and do the punch graphs next year but they are time consuming - although interesting from both organiser and competitor point of view Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robhybrid Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 I was one of the ones at Slab that buldosed through the small trees to get to punch 17 or 18 then a rr folowed me through with ease. I am certanly glad that I have built the front and underneath of my touck tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8CAMEL Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 I was one of the ones at Slab that buldosed through the small trees to get to punch 17 or 18 then a rr folowed me through with ease.I am certanly glad that I have built the front and underneath of my touck tough. i thought looking for alternative ways of getting to the punch was part of the challenge. Bulldozing a new route is sometimes the only way for us little leaf sprung series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
najw Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 I don't disagree, my point was that as organisers we do make sure there is a route, even if its not the most direct B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divster Posted November 8, 2005 Author Share Posted November 8, 2005 Neil, I will add Trev and my thanks also for a fantastic series. You will definately see us next year, (I personally can't wait). We spent all of Sunday laughing and joking and went home with a smile from ear to ear on both our faces (a complete opposite to Slindon). We also learnt that we can perform well despite having large hangovers and that I drive better when relaxed and without as much right foot. Damage report: new windscreen required, new door mirror, winch needs rebuild (brake slipping), brakes require attention. All in all, not too bad. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_s Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Hi Divster, I seem to only have taken pictures of you, got a good'un of Trevor hanging off the side while you were at an interesting angle in a bog! Will post soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Brock Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Neil, I'll check on the map when I get home but no-one would have got to the one we were stuck at, there were no tracks in front of us and we were there for 4 hours ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Turner Posted November 8, 2005 Share Posted November 8, 2005 Hello Neil, A big thanks for all your hard work in giving me and everbody on this forum a very entertaining series, i for one am already looking forward to next years, Next year put me down for the whole series, as this year i missed out on Gainsbrough, Well done to Ed, you can't fault his commitment, hopefully I will have learnt something about how to make a Hibrid last allday Once again thanks Neil, look forward to seeing you all next year B) Now to start the build plans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigster Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 build plans - -you mean repair/rebuild plans... . Les - - Great fun had being your winch biatch... and luckily it was less damaging this time round - apart from the fact that your rear winch gave up the ghost. I would say I would do it again, but as you are biatching next year (that'll get you fit) I probably will not get the chance too. As it happens I will be back with Adrian for the whole serious (bar one - on a honeymoon at the time) and also a few others like the wolf challenge. so next year busy busy busy - looking forward to it all - just need to break the news to the other half.. Oh yes,,, Cheers to Richard - who tried to help us. We were bellied big time so no wonder she didn't move, the axle was about a foot under sand. Cheers to AWDC for organising a top series. Can you make the Drivers run around next year instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D9OSV Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Hello, Intresting to hear your veiws on wot happened to Simon and Chris. Word is that they got proper stuck in a section for two hrs broke both winches and then the organsiers closed the section??????? Giving them only 100 points as consolation? The same as one punch Seems like a tough/Sh*t desicion for Simon and crew. You don't close a section when the championship leaders have just lost two hrs..... You leave open to make it fair. If others want to DNF for a score that is up to them. Giving everyone a DNF score then after is just crazy. Or you stop the event to allow them time to repair (Iknow this is not possible at this event) Or you leave the section open and give all teams a clear warning. Seems a shame to have so many questions after what has been a good two horse title fight. Seems, should i say this?...........Not a little odd? Comments??????????? Jim:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Jim, I have a question. Do you really enjoy offroading? Have you ever thought of making and starring in a film about it, or being interviewed on camera giving your views? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robhybrid Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Hello,Intresting to hear your veiws on wot happened to Simon and Chris. Word is that they got proper stuck in a section for two hrs broke both winches and then the organsiers closed the section??????? Giving them only 100 points as consolation? The same as one punch Seems like a tough/Sh*t desicion for Simon and crew. You don't close a section when the championship leaders have just lost two hrs..... You leave open to make it fair. If others want to DNF for a score that is up to them. Giving everyone a DNF score then after is just crazy. Or you stop the event to allow them time to repair (Iknow this is not possible at this event) Or you leave the section open and give all teams a clear warning. Seems a shame to have so many questions after what has been a good two horse title fight. Seems, should i say this?...........Not a little odd? Comments??????????? Jim:rolleyes: I thought that the 2 that had entered the special stage got more than 100 points and that everyone else that did not get to go on the stage got 100 points I am sure niel will give a correction and possibly an explination later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D9OSV Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Jim,I have a question. Do you really enjoy offroading? Have you ever thought of making and starring in a film about it, or being interviewed on camera giving your views? Oh God forgot you'd seen that Thats going to haunt me for eternity........ How you doing any way? *THREAD HiJACK* Got to give you a call Pm me your number Speak soon Jim Ps: If that film ever gets out on the net i'm finished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honitonhobbit Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Oh God forgot you'd seen that Thats going to haunt me for eternity........ Who you doing any way? *THREAD HiJACK* Got to give you a call Pm me your number Speak soon Jim Ps: If that film ever gets out on the net i'm finished How will I ever forget it - your words of wisdom were so wise! Bren has agreed to send me a copy so that the world can share in your thoughts! THREAD HI-JACK OVER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
najw Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 The facts regarding the closure of 1 Special Section are as follows... The first competitor (Simon Madgwick) into SS1 only made half the course in the allotted 15 minutes during which time both his winches died. A second competitor (Peter Herrington) who stated that he only intended to tackle the first three gates (of 10) was started on the section so he could also help Simon out backwards. When it became clear that no-one was going to get any further than halfway round the course and recovery from that point was likely to take in excess of an hour it seemed foolish from my point of view to allow anyone else in and I took the decision to cancel the stage. Given that Simon lost over an hour and a half and Peter lost an hour it was necessary to recompense them in some way for their efforts so they were awarded the points they earned on the stage (200 in the case of SImon, 150 in the case of Peter). All other competitors were awarded a nominal 100 points in lieu of the closure of the stage. I discussed this with both of the competitors concerned and they were happy with that decision. I also explained at the prize giving what had happened and no-one there complained that it was unfair. Fortunately Simon was able to get both winches working again and went on to achieve a 9th place. This was the first time all year that there have been problems and we underestimated the effect of the torrential rain the week before on the terrain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D9OSV Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Give Simon a call I'm sure you have his number, if not pm me. Just sad to see the series (which everyone loved) finish in this manner. Until the next year dear boy. Is it true your doing 8 rounds next year? Thats a bloody big comittment for competitors. Been told that 6 count, is that correct? Do you have sites or are you in need? Thank you for clearing up the bit about the section, these rumours we hear are terriable Makes you wonder WHY we listen All the best Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WINCHMONKEY1 Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 Just to clear things up from the inside of Team Madgwick B) Simon and i lost the front winch motor in the ss which came back later in the day but could only manage 20 foot pulls before it over heated again and was useless. The rear winch cable came detached from the eyelet which fixes it to the drum, we managed to bodge it back on but could not trust it on a heavy pull as it came off again twice again during the afternoon. Its just a shame it had to happen the way it did. If we had turned up 10 mins later for the ss who knows what would have happened. But then this is what we all do we push and push untill somethng breaks. Simons car had been faultless all year and the one time it did let us down was the worst time it could have. But on the other hand i really dont think that 9th place on a winch challenge, with no winches is too bad. We had Ed worried!! And we showed that you dont need 60k's worth of ibex to be up there pushing for the lead. So it going to be up to one of you lot to really push him next year as Simon and i will not be able to do the whole series as a team, Simon has other comitments and ive got my new car on the way (which i will be entering so watch out). I must say that the overall series was really good, everybody was friendly, the sites were great. Looking foward to doing a couple next year. Chris Morris The brains behind Team Madgwick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
najw Posted November 9, 2005 Share Posted November 9, 2005 you may have come 9th in the event but you won Modified class for the series, I don't think that is anyhting to be sniffed at I believe the whole thing about challenge is luck and strategy... actually that's the whole thing about off-roading and you have still come out on top of 45 other entries. Look forward to your participation next year Chris See you at Prizegiving Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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