Galashiels, and the MSA

Second item first... I've been invited onto the MSA Off Road committee.

The MSA is

"recognised as the sole motor sport governing body for the United Kingdom by the world governing body, the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA).

As the governing body, the MSA is responsible for the governance and administration of all major forms of motor sports in the UK."

In practice, this means I will need to go down to the MSA's offices three times a year (the offices are five miles from Heathrow airport, so there's no difficulty in getting down.) We'll reserve judgement on the interaction between my informal style and the MSAs panchant for shirts and ties, however the role does place me at the centre of Cross Country motorsports here in the UK.

Refering to Galashiels: I was down there on Sunday with Tom, Tony & Martyn, and we have put in the third crossing.

----------- blurb -----------------
Galashiels.

The last round of the SCCC is upon us, and the event promises to be a cracker.

A small team of hard-working enthusiasts has been down and put in the final crossing, opening up the first field for use again - giving us a course in excess of 5 miles! (and the whole route has been driven - in a ladened Discovery, on road tyres)

Starting close to the service area, the first half mile is old-school: diving through a bomb-hole almost immediately after the start line, the course weaves through the whins, before curling up and around to plunge through a gate and into the Rig'n'Furrow field. A large loop to the left then nip round the back of the watertank to the top-right corner of the field, a loop back to cross a culvert and then into the Valley Field. Slip anti-clockwise round the pond and swoop around the Wall Of Death. A grapple handfull of steering wheel as you slide round and hurtle up to take on the Dips: ram it into overdrive and power down into the dip, feel the suspension bottom out as you ride up the far side. Throw the car into the nick at the back of the field, then haul it round to head back to the dips for a fast exit towards the quarry.

Choose your line: high or low... the center is so *not* an option.

Stand on the brakes before swinging around the quarry, then arrow out the far track. Hairpin around the Lonesome Pine and charge back up the field into an open right hander through the trees. Swing round the power poles and open up to the long run beside the old golf course...
be beware of the furrows: keep to the racing line or face a very rough ride!

The route disappears into the trees, hairpins, and then ejects you into the openness of Blaikie's Hill. Out through the gate opposite, and nip through the bracken to pick up the old track. Pull right at the next gate and down a step to the hairpin at post 12 where you pick
up the track again. A powerblast round (but watch for the hole, you *will* go air-born of you hit it at speed), then full-on towards the old forest.

Loop out to the right and head back, driving around the rocks, not over them!

Drop back into the Valley Field and hard right then sweep left to take the gate back into the Rig'n'Furrow field. Right again to a wide and lazy corner down to the far end of the field before looping back up to cross above the spring. A rolling drive down to the first wooden
bridge, through the next gate, and left to the second bridge. Now it's just a series of shallow climbs back towards the finish.

----------- /blurb -----------------

It should be a great end to the year!

SCCC 2010 meeting

I'm organising a meeting for the main movers'n'shakers in the Scottish Cross Country Championship.

I've already booked the dates with the MSA (well, the Cross Country Committee within the MSA)

My agenda is:
1) Officials: CofC; Chief Marshal; club reps; stewards

2) Dates & venues:
* SCCC Round 1: 14 March. New Galloway (maybe - the owner got upset at some of the road conditions back in August)
* SCCC Round 2: 18 April. Fife
* SCCC Round 3: 15/16 May. Drumclog
* SCCC Round 4: 20 June. Coulport
(Perthshire Hill Rally: 9/10 July)
* SCCC Round 5: 21/22 August. Bathgate
* SCCC Round 6: 12 September: TBC
* SCCC Round 7: 18 October: Galashils
(Borders Hill Rally: 27/28 November)

3) Thoughts from the Field:
* Team entries (2 drivers, 1 car, 1 position)
* More weekend events, fewer one-day events
* Joint events with NORC/AWDC/etc (such as Drumclog or Forrest Lodge)
* Rescue/Recovery.... plus doctor? (for the likes of Dan L./John C.)
* ??

4) Alterations to the SSRs

5) Registering the events in the MSA calendar

6) AOCB

So much has happened

Why the long hiatus? Lots of reasons.

The Perthshire took over my life for a while.... a long while. It was a learning experience, and I've learnt that I'm not a good event organiser. I'm good at encouraging people, and supporting them. I'm pretty good at designing courses. I'm not bad at drawing maps.... but organising stuff? no.... I just have stress breakdowns instead.

Drumclog was also a low-point, professionally speaking: I lost the rag with some competitors, and almost walked away from the whole scene.

Running the Perthshire was saved by Andy: he took over and kept everything on-track.
The event happened: it took some slightly underhand manouvering; some pretty blunt prodding; a bit of outright bribary; and a lot of self-sponsorship..... but it happened.

For a while, the BCCC was going to renege on the agreement I had with them, but that was averted (I was asked to keep shtum on that, and I am doing so)

The night-comp at Bathgate happened... though there was an attempt to move it to a more day-oriented event: so that wouldn't be a night-comp then?
There were several slightly hairy moments where people were getting stuck left, right, and center... and then John blew the bogie time out the water: 7'45" for a bogie time of 8'30" (why do I always react badly when he demands something from me?)

The Borders Hill Rally is now being oreganised, but not my be... by Rupert from Castle Rescue.

The Dunbar comp has been cancelled for the second year in a row. I think we need a new site for September - one not held hostage to rain & delayed harvests.

More Perthshire stuff

Yesterday was 167 miles around Perthsire - some good meetings, some not so good.
None specifically bad, which is always a bonus.

Tonight has been creating maps & writing contracts... and failing to make phone calls.

The high's and lows of planning events

Life, it seems, is fractal: things repeat & reflect on both a micro- and macro-scale.

For example, I've been having huge issues trying to sort out land for the Perthshire Hill Rally: defra have passed some concerns on one farm; and npower's wind-farm has taken out an entire farm (one which was pretty central role in the event too!)

Thinks were looking bleak.

But now I've got three new contacts to speak to... some new bits of land to look at, and maybe the rabbit can be pulled out of the hat :)

SCCC Round 1 results

Round 1: Forrest Estate - Dumfries & Galloway

Drivers Name	Comp Number	Lap 1	Lap 2	Lap 3	Lap 4	Lap 5	Lap 6	Lap 7	Total Time
Colin Gould	34	00:11:52	00:12:51	00:11:15	00:11:35	00:11:18	00:11:13	00:11:02	01:21:06
Brian Carlin	10	00:12:11	00:11:58	00:11:32	00:11:16	00:12:10	00:12:09	00:12:14	01:23:30
David Bartlett	22	00:12:43	00:12:41	00:11:39	00:11:47	00:12:02	00:12:09	00:12:33	01:25:34
Tony Rae	11	00:13:08	00:12:30	00:12:00	00:12:27	00:12:12	00:12:06	00:12:10	01:26:33
Malcolm Millar	21	00:14:44	00:11:52	00:11:56	00:11:57	00:12:17	00:12:03	00:11:59	01:26:48
Robin Vance	35	00:12:47	00:12:35	00:13:21	00:12:29	00:12:42	00:13:01	00:12:31	01:29:26
Stu Howe	4	00:13:56	00:13:29	00:12:53	00:12:55	00:12:32	00:12:47	00:12:30	01:31:02
Peter Baird	19	00:13:32	00:13:36	00:12:54	00:12:55	00:13:01	00:12:56	00:12:50	01:31:44
Euron Williams	25	00:13:11	00:13:11	00:12:40	00:12:46	00:13:40	00:13:38	00:22:26	01:41:32
Billy Phillips	2	00:30:00	00:12:54	00:13:18	00:13:49	00:14:14	00:13:45	00:14:24	01:52:24
Lee Bartlett	5	00:30:00	00:12:39	00:11:49	00:11:25	00:11:37	00:11:27	00:30:00	01:58:57
Dan Lofthouse	13	00:30:00	00:10:30	00:10:33	00:10:11	00:09:59	Engine troubles		DNF
Brian Hilditch	7	00:30:00	00:13:50	00:30:00	Broken Gearbox				DNF
David Mitchell	6	00:16:28	00:30:00	Parked in a ditch					DNF
Johnny Drysdale	3	00:22:40	Engine troubles						DNF
David Drysdale	18	00:30:00	Parked in a ditch						DNF
Robert Law	16	00:30:00	Broken Gearbox						DNF
Colin Stevenson	37	Gearbox problems							DNF
Double Driven
John Cockburn & Greg McLeod	-	00:12:43	00:11:18	00:11:34	00:10:23	00:11:17	00:10:25	00:12:56	01:20:36
Paul Myers & Matt Morgan	-	00:35:12	00:12:46	00:30:00	Parked in the trees				DNF

 

Scurrelous rumours and mis-factual information

Fact 1: The Perthshire Hill Rally is still on: I am talking to land owners and planning options and juggling costs. I do not want to be the man who killed the event... it will run!

Fact 2: I (on behalf of the Scottish Hill Rally) have been talking to Selwyn about the BCCC and the Hill Rallies. There will be a Hill Rally, and I am working on backup plans
(edit: Borders Hill Rally)

Fact 3: SHRC and BCCC can work together. This is what the position is, as far as I am aware:
BCCC are going to provide a gap in the BCCC calendar so that drivers who wish to enter the Perthshire have a free rein, and do not feel constrained to committing to enter due to a BCCC round before-hand (basically, nothing from the BCCC round at the beginning of June until the end of July.)

To confirm our (my) position vis-a-vis the Borders:

I would prefer a straight Scottish Borders Hill Rally, as we normally run: multiple stages, at most driven twice without alteration; distinct "stage miles", "road miles" (though there is no public highway road miles); service.... using timecards, roadbooks, and strict time-keeping... and no distinction between Hill Rally drivers and BCCC drivers.

This would be the simplest interpretation of the concept "The July round at Castle O'er has been dropped from the BCCC calendar to be replaced by the Borders Hill Rally"

What I believe we have on offer is a compromise from there:

The event will be a Hill Rally, run to Hill Rally timing. BCCC will buy into the event.
The BCCC competitors would drive fewer stages... but still something in the order of 60 miles.
The Hill Rally entrants (either non BCCC people paying the standard fee, or BCCC people who "upgrade" at their own cost) will drive more stages... in the order of 90 miles

SHRC will set up the event such that a BCCC driver can return to service after every lap (noting that the "super-rally" rules would give them a maximum for the stage missed, but keep them in the event)

This is a public note - for the record...

oh.... POODLES!

The paperwork I sent to the manager of a quarry, so he could make supportive noises to his bosses, so we could use it for motorsports.... has not arrived - a month after I posted it too.

Buggerit.

I'll need to reassemble to documentation, and the CD, and post it again... actually, I may bloody DRIVE there and hand it in personally!

But this pretty much kills off the chance of getting the ground for April :(

Perthshire Hill Rally and landowners, take 2

Well, another 100 miles on the clock (I wonder, should I get paid for this?)... I've a friend of a friend who's going to talk to a few of his friends (who are land-owners) and see about the Hill Rally coming onto their land... and therefor giving me an introduction.

Also spoken to another land owner, and clarified what bit of their hillside we can use, and which bit (most of it) we can't.... but I'm getting some firm possibilities coming together now.

I need to really get some definites sorted pronto, so I can define a price for the entry fee.

(PS: Can I go back to Comps please? they're so much easier :chuckle: )

Perthshire Hill Rally and landowners

One of the hardest parts about organising the Perthshire Hill Rally is organising the route.

Like any true Rally, the event is Multi Stage.... and as the Hill Rally is on hillsides.... it's multi-farm.
This means that I need to rent land of multiple owners, and ensure that all of them are happy with what we are doing.

On Saturday I went to see most of them.... and the news was not the most wonderful:

• Andrew needs a year out: there are sections of his hill that need time to recover
• Donald has windfarms going up, so the third of his farm that he puts livestock on whist we race on the other two-thirds is part of the wind farm, so he's having to put stock onto the bit we normally use... and the field we use for servicing is out of commission too... so a no-go there at all.
• James was happy to see us, and even has a bit more hillside we can use... so that's a big score there!
• John wants to put the relationship he has with the Hill Rally onto a more formal footing, now that his friend has stopped running the event. One of the tasks we need to do is go over the route, and look at repairing stuff.
• Magnus has moved house... I discovered this when I turned up at his old house... Oops.

I've had an offer from someone to give me an introduction to some places he knows, who may well be ammenable... but that's for later :)

The Forestry people seem happy for us to continue, and have even given a tacit nod to some plans for alternate routes I want to forge through the landscape :)

So it's all go on that front too :grin:

BCCC & SHRC

I've had a good, and productive, series of chats with Selwyn about the BCCC taking results from the Borders Hill Rally as one of the rounds of the BCCC.

We've not reached any definite firm decision yet, however one of the conditions I wanted was to have clear space around the Perthshire Hill Rally (normally there is a BCCC round just before the Hill Rally, and closing date for our entries is before the BCCC event.... you see the problem) - well, there will be a clear space of several weeks either side of the Perthshire, do drivers can enter, and have plenty of time to do repairs before the next round of the BCCC in September... YIPEE!!

Watch this space for developments on the Borders: we can do something, but it will have to be run as a Hill Rally, not a Comp Safari.

SCCC Round 1

Sunday 15th March, 2009

Round one of the SCCC is at the invitation of one of our competitors: we have been offered access to this well known rally site.

The plan is to restrict ourselves to about 5 miles... of tracks, fire-breaks, water-splashes, and foundation roads.

This promises to be a very exciting opening round of the championship.

Camping is available: proper hard standing to boot!

Regs are available from the me, or downloadable from http://docs.google.com/View?docid=df8ssf5n_16q4m8p&hl=en_GB and the times and locations are available from http://docs.google.com/View?docid=df8ssf5n_45c6mxx9gp&hl=en_GB

SHRC AGM

The SHRC AGM has been, and gone.

Ian Sykes has basically retired - to spend time with his family & mentor his grandson as he comes up through the world of motorsports (apparently he's very good on a kart).
We've managed to persuade him to stay on as President (but it took a LOT of persuading!)

Now I've notes and stuff to write up.

SLROC Committee meeting.

I went to the SLROC committee meeting last night.
I'm in that weird position where I'm the club member who organises some of their events, but I'm not allowed to be on the SLROC committee as I'm on the committee of another Cross-Country Motorsports club (conflict of interest, you see)

Anyway... I updated everyone on the latest Scottish Cross Country Championship events:

1. Round 1 (15 March): Forrest estate.
   • A 5 to 6 mile route planned , using tracks, unmade tracks, water splashes & quarries
   • I was there with the Lombard Rally: VERY fast! we will need to work to keep our speeds down to 30mph max average.
   • BCCC would love it :)
2. Round 2 (19 April): Not known yet.
   • I've been given a lead to the Quarry at Lassodie (near Kelty), which I'm following - but it needs lots of paperwork :sad:.
3. Round 3 (16/17 May): Drumclog.
   • Booked.
   • Discussions on a route have started.
4. Round 4 (21 June): Coulport
   • I'm leaving that one to other people, like I did last year.
5. Round 5 (22/23 August): Bathgate
   • Confirmed :)
6. Round 6 (20 September): Probably Innerwick
   • Dates issue: clashes with SORC's Wheels in the Wood - I'll let you know more when I know more
7. Round 7 (18 October): Galashiels
   • Booked :)

So things are moving a-pace, and looking good.
Hope to have increased attendance figures this year.

MSA Clerks & Stewards Seminar

A useful meeting...
The first half was pretty much the same as the previous few - not a problem, always good to know I've not forgotten anything :)

The afternoon breakout session was by discipline. If I'd not pulled the SCCC Championship Co-Ordinator out of the Rally group (he's a CofC for the some of the tarmac rallies), there would have been just myself and the MSA bloke!

As it was, we had a good bleather about the SCCC regs, and ensured that we were going along the right lines. It was good, as he gave us a few suggestions and alterations to make... which can only improve the way we run the events

The joys of old cars

OK, so at 15 years, my Disco is not really OLD, but it's definitely been around long enough for people to learn most of the foibles and delicate bits.

One thing that happens to pretty much ever mk I Discovery is that you get "Disco Door": you unlock the car, but one of the doors won't open: you need to hold the 'Lock' button up for the door to unlock.

You ask your garage - "£100-£150 repair" What?

What's wrong? a wee circular spring has broken. You can by them off ebay... for a fiver!

I've just replaced the one in the drivers door: remove the trim panels; remove the glass and frame; delve deep into the door to remove the lock... 30 seconds to replace the spring (I have a wee tool to help, after the last time I did three doors)... two and a half hours work!

A storm in a mug

Oh, politics.... why does it have to rear it's ugly head in clubs?

I was phoned by Kilty, asking me about a posting on the MadLandy forum:

Hot off the press from last nights BCCCCCCC Dinner

The July round at Castle O'er has been dropped from the BCCC calendar to be replaced by.....................................wait for it

The Borders Hill Rally, which will make up the last round in November.

Idea is that this will leave a big empty space in July, so we can all do the Scottish Hill Rally.

John Cockburn made the announcement dressed in traditional Clan McMuddy tartan, tears running down his cheeks at the joyous news that someone else was getting the beers in.

Sad to see Castle O'er disappear as it was my favorite venue in the BCCC but I've done the Borders a couple of times and it's even better.

So long as Marches keep the Hill Rally format and don't dumb it down to comp safari, all should be good. Plus will expose more folk to the hill rallies and hopefully increase interest there.

There was vague talk of increasing the entry fee to cover the hill rally which isn't good news, but miles = money with the Forestry Commission as we already know.

This was news to me (and as I'm part of the group that runs the Borders Hill Rally, I should have known!), so I phoned around... which resulted in the following comment to the above post:

Let me introduce myself, non of this secretive `handle' names, if you going to talk about a subject that is not directly yours then use a full name - just my own thought on forums. I am Ian Sykes, President of the Scottish Hill Rally Club

I don't normally look or reply but I received emails, texts and calls about someones posting, so I joined just to respond.
I will not enter into discussion after this via forum, please email me, emails on the club's/event's website.

The open message by John Cockburn (at the BCCC diner) was on behalf of Selwyn Kendrick and the BCCC. John heads up (so I Understand) the newly formed National A Drivers association.

1 It was not intended as an announcement but a heads up that this proposal was being discussed.

2 Marches 4x4 is not the organiser of the Scottish Hill Rallies, never have been. They used to host their own hill rallies in Wales and the UK's only Baja.

3 Currently the Scottish Hill Rally Club, is the only club to succesfully host hill rallies (sometimes a struggle granted) we took over the hill rallies in Scotland 3 years ago and there has been one or more every year since 1996 (except F&M year)

4 The idea which I support but the club's committee has to ratify, is that we host the Scottish Borders Hill Rally, as our event under our jurisdiction and control. BUT it also acts as a round of the BCCC, I understand their last round.

5 The details (and the Devil is always in the detail) are yet to be agreed and a contract signed. Things like BCCC don't need navigators but you will in the Borders, vehicle class/group to amalgamate or ??. Entry fee, the cost of a hill rally is high, simply because it's a round of BCCC does not magically make it cheaper to host. Confirmed high entry numbers, as always, helps spread costs and thus reduce entry fees.

6 There will be a National B (Clubman's entry).

7 Logistically there will be a maximum number of entries, my hunch is that will be 55 to 60. Because that's all the infrastructure can cope with.

To sign off, I am all for this, I think it helps clear the July Perthshire (original) Scottish Hill rally from BCCC clashes and should increase the numbers and thus viability of both events.

Look up the web site for ACCURATE, RELIABLE INFORMATION. if its not there then don't believe it, email or call me of another committee member.
Oh and new mobile phone site at shrc.scottishhillrally.co.uk or hill-rallies.ubik.net

regards to all, hope to see you in 2009 and may it be better than the end of 2008

So, after my palpitations have stopped, and my hackles have dropped, and I'm being sensible again, this is where we're at:

1. The idea has merit, and should be investigated
2. Marches and SHRC need to work out what's an immutable need for them, and what they are happy to move on.
3. Marches and SHRC need to get together and work out an agreement that both are happy with
4. We need to do it ASAP, so that fixture lists can be altered, and competitors have a chance to alter their own plans.

Experience from the SCCC has shown that if the clubs can pull together, both can benefit: Before the SCCC, SLROC was running comps, and pulling half-a-dozen entries an event. The SCCC now regularly pulls in 15+ drivers per event, and there will be more next year.

If SHRC and Marches can work together, then why can't they show the same improvements?

This IS beneficial, we just need to work at it....

Finding ground....

I'm still looking for ground for the first round of the SCCC.
It's in March, and traditionally has a large turnout. For this reason, we like to hold it in a quarry, bing, or other working site: it's hard for 30 land rovers to make a mess of a site when bulldozers and diggers are pulling stuff out the ground, and lorries are running around the roads :)

So far I've looked at 4 places, and rejected all of them.

I've got a couple of site over Glasgow way I want people to go look at, and a couple up in Fife. Kilty is going to look at a place up Dundee-way.

I have a possible backup site, but it's really not ideal: the laps would be under a mile long; parking is very restricted; and access is over an active railway line (with all the problems THAT brings)

The hunt is still on....

2009 SCCC regs are now in final draft

The Standing Supplementary Regulations for the 2009 season of the Scottish Cross Country Championship are now in Final Draft - I just need to verify the list of invited clubs and we can send them off to the Motor Sports Assocciation... yippee!