Results

Event: 19-Apr-2015

Note: BPLD = Best Performance by a Lady Driver, BPYD = Best Performance by a Young Driver, Max = Maximum penalty for incomplete test(s), DNF = Did Not Finish

Report

The Motor Club Autotest season took off at Caldale Camp last Sunday with two new devious tests set to challenge competitors. The first test was to be run twice but the second was required as two laps run back to back. Surprisingly very few 'wrong route' penalties were awarded and no penalties for striking course markers.

Of the event entrants it fell to Iain Spence to be tail-end-Charlie as he struggled manfully with his Renault Clio. An absence of an effective handbrake compounded his problems with resulted final position.

In seventh slot was Johnnie MacKay at the helm of his MGZR. As usual his progress was rapid and looked to see him in podium territory until the double trick test which saw him pick up sixty wrong route penalty points and seventh.

Steven Tait fielded the Corsa he shared with his father. Expected to be a podium contender, Steven set off flat out, half way around test on, however, under a moment of extreme duress, the car broke a tyre bead with a suitably loud report. Steven continued to the finish line on three wheels but the accrued time penalties doomed him to sixth slot.

Colin McAllister once again was at the wheel of his rapid Mazda MX5 in which he enters as a standard road car with hood up and as a special (for which there is a time penalty) with the hood down. Colin was giving the poor Mazda the beans with no pity as the afternoon progressed. In the final analysis the addition of the 'Special' penalties was enough to leave the car with hood up in fourth slot and the special in fifth.

The first of the podium positions went to Alan Tait who, once again, demonstrated that smooth consistent, fault free drives always get results - in this case, third place.

Andrew Moar had dusted off the 'old faithful' Subaru Justy for the afternoons challenge. He was sharing, on this occasion, with Club first timer Adam Eddington. Adam's competition history not being known he would be forgiven for the usual rookie mistakes. Not so! His pace and handling were top notch, his penalty free progress resulted in a well deserved second place.

Whether or not Andrew Moar was shocked by Adam's progress was not clear. He pulled out all the stops and systematically topped the time for all tests beating Adam by nineteen seconds therefore winning the event outright.

With this exciting start to the 2015 season it remains to be seen what the second round on 3rd May at Caldale provides

JMS