12 Car Rally -12^th January 2001

This event, aimed at novices, started from Maidstone Services on the M20. Seven crews started and seven finished with no tying for places - which was nice.
From Maidstone Services crews ran south-east to the edge of map 188 (the only map required) then south to Kingswood and west to Abbey Wood where TC1 was located, though someone had swiped the control board before marshals arrived to man the control. This section, defined by map references, caused several crews to incur time penalties and some wrong directions into the control.
TC1 to TC2 navigation was a 'chopped trace' - four pieces marked A B C and D. From TC1 the route skirted south of Kingswood, then south, via Jubilee Corner, to cross the A274 at Pinkhorn Farm, looping back towards the 274 at Moatenden. TC2 was located just before the main road.
The third section, to TC3, used a circular 'herringbone' with which most crews had little difficulty once they realised that the first junction was the only crossroads. In effect this means that the route must start from one side of the crossroads and then only the direction around the herringbone needs working out. On the whole this section caused little difficulty as it was very slackly timed. The route went across the 274 to Hearnden Green, then northwest, back across the 274 to Farthing Green and northwest again to Lamb's Cross and so to TC3 at the south side of Boughton Monchelsea Place deer park.
Spot heights determined the route from TC3 to TC5, with TC4 being located only four and a half miles after TC3. The route ran north to the B2163, then west and south via the 'yellow' to the A229 and back up to Boughton Bottom (TC4). Via Rabbit's Cross and Cross-at-Hand, south to Clapper Farm and northwest to Underling Green, then B2079 north to Stile Bridge the crews arrived at TC5 southwest of  Underling Green. With five route-checks (codeboards) this double-section caused difficulty for many crews and, with hindsight, perhaps the defining spot heights were a little too distantly spaced. I have learnt a lesson.
The final section took competitors south-west to Claygate, then south to Bennett's Farm, west to Pearson's Green, south-west to Castle Hill and north to TC6 over the railway bridge at Park Farm, via a loop around Mile Oak and Catt's Place. The navigation consisted of avoiding grid lines and whole, or part, grid squares - this can be time consuming to plot and one crew scraped home with 1 minute to spare.
The finish was at the Woolpack Inn at Benover where we were made most welcome - especially so as they had no prior warning. Oops. I think the general consensus was of a good route marred by a couple of overly difficult bits of navigation.

1^st Lynne Buddle/Clive Buddle       1 minute
2^nd Mark Dawson/Daren Hall         4 minutes
3^rd Keith Young/Penny Young       4 fails  28 minutes
4^th Nick Budibent/Dave Schruers   5 fails  26 minutes
5^th Chris Scudder/ lyn Slowly         7 fails  18 minutes
6^th Mick Rose/Chris Rose               8 fails    8 minutes
7^th Craig McGurk/Lee Bushbridge 10 fails 42 minutes

Congratulations to Lynne and Clive on their first win, and to the novices who all made it to the finish unscathed.

Rob Liddiard

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