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Mighty Mark 'n' Dynamo Daren Marshal in the Mud.
Chin had asked previously if I would be Equipment Officer, a grand title for someone who stuffs their boot full of stakes and codeboards and delivers them to the start. I accepted but the rear hatch area of the Puma would mean making everything fit in, difficult. Nevertheless, it did all fit and upon arrival at the Kent Gliding Club, it would be surgically extricated from the car. Ian Crocker didn't believe it all came out of my Puma. Daren arrived at the start a little later having been picked up from The Great Danes Hotel by my Dad who would be helping on an early TC and getting back into bed at a sensible time. We all signed on, the sector marshals took their relevant bundles of TC boards and codeboards and the clock ticked on towards 11pm, the first car start time. At about 22.30, Daren and I set off for our first control, TC 2 where the first car was due at 23.04. This first short section produced some lateness for some, possibly the white out of the start was driven too cautiously, and a number of crews missed the passage check on a long way round triangle that needed the handbrake. At about 23.45, Arduous Andy and Vivacious Vivien came through to close the course up to that point. We then did the Frank (Daren's expression, i.e., Frank Bough = off) to our next control, TC 19 where the first car was due at 00.54. We arrived with about 30 minutes in hand, which would give us time for a cuppa and a sarny. It was on a 90 left with no layby in which to park but a nice wide grass verge. Easy then. 'It's a bit soft', Daren shouted back as he walked in front of me. Too late, I was following and the wheels started to spin. I tried to keep the momentum going and get through the soft bit but that didn't work. I quickly shoved it into reverse and sprayed mud out the front. Oh bugger, we'd better get out before anyone came by who might see us and spread the word that we were stuck! Whilst I collected pieces of wood to wedge under the tyres, Daren tried getting the car out, to no avail. Hammering wood in under the tyres didn't do anything either as by now the front wheels were deep enough into the mud, so as to make it like driving up a kerb without a run up. No choice but to ring Andy to see if he had a rope, which he did. The cars came through for their times and signatures and Andy followed behind to close the course. His little Corolla has seen some action in it's life so this would be no problem, and it wasn't. Once out we could see the depth we were in and realised that there was no way we would ever drive out of there without help, at least not until the Summer! All this excitement meant that we would be pushing it to get to our third TC for 02.55. Course opening had just been through when we arrived, we heard the Golf driving away from the end of the road and shortly after Daren's mobile rang with Chris Scudder asking if we were OK. A quick coffee was had before first car and soon after, the competitors came though, a little more spread out by now and no Clubmans who were cutting this TC. Andy and Viv followed through again and we set off for our last TC, 47. At 05.05 the first car came through pretty much on time. The top crews all came through at more or less minute intervals. Then there would be a gap and a few more would arrive. By now, we didn't know who was last on the road and so sat back in the car for 15 minutes with the heater on. Another couple of cars who were now OTL came through. Not long to wait for Elcomb we thought. Back into the Puma for quick shut-eye. At about 06.30, this red Corolla came wrong direction into our control and parked up next to us. We weren't asleep, just pretending! That was it, back to the Great Danes to get Daren's car, a quick look at the results, d then off home to bed. 'Muddy out there was it?', I kept hearing. What would we do without mobile phones?, probably keep a secret for at least an hour, that's what. Once again, we were lucky with the weather, it wasn't too cold and there was virtually no wind and we had both had a fun night. Same again next year minus the prat in the the other Corolla who thought he could outsmart and outrun plod. I don't know the full story but he had no road tax and got nicked, serves him right, but the sport can well do without the negative publicity that something like this can bring. And I'm sure that Chin could have done without it as well, even though the old bill ought to be out nicking real criminals probably breaking into the houses of people who are out all night helping to run a legal, licensed and approved road rally. Mark Dawson |
