With dry sections the leaders contested the win on the Catswood sections where the slippery Sapseds Big Surprise proved the deciding hill. Dean Partington actually cleaned this beast but fell out of contention when he was one of many to go the wrong way after the restart on Mini Hoskin.

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Alf was fearsome not Delightful!

After all the recent snowy trials Stoud & DMC had arranged fine weather for The Mechanics as Sam Holmes led the field away from the well organised start in Stonehouse. Sam's hopes of another Class 4 win were soon dashed when, like all but one competitor in the lower classes, he failed the fearsome restart on Alf's Delight. The one who succeeded was Ian Moss in his Imp, now running on approved 13 inch wheels. Ian was to continue his form throughout the day, challenging for the overall lead and eventually finishing third overall.

About half the Class 7 & 8's managed to get away from the restart. They didn't include Brian Partridge who had a rear upright break on his Ridge Cannon. Aaron Haizelden retired soon after, worried about the oil pressure of his Cosworth engined Escort.

Into Catswood

After some delightful traditional sections the route entered Catswood from the top, where three observed sections and a Special Test awaited. Sapseds Big Surprise is a slippery, muddy climb between the trees. Only Dean Partington, in his DP Wasp, could clean this difficult section. Dave Wall (Dellow Mk1), Tony Underhill (Triumph Special) and Mike Chatwin (DP Wasp) all came close, but couldn't quite make it past the one marker. Ian Moss showed his mastery of the conditions, the only car outside of Class Eight to get a two.

Climbing to the top of Catswood Mini Hoskin awaited. This had a sting in the tail, a restart followed by an immediate 90 left up a steep bank. Unfortunately this deviation wasn't obvious too most of the entry and around 70% went straight on, dropping four marks in the process. Dean Partington was the big loser here, taking him out of contention for the overall win.

Greenway Lane

After the traditional sections at the picturesque King Charles Lane and Bulls Cross the route descended Greenway Lane to the sections on private land half way down. These didn't have any significant impact on the results but the news is the main track has been repaired and hopefully will be back in action as a section soon ¹.

The Finish

After some extended Green Laning and another Special Test there was just Bulls Bank and Viaduct to come. These passed without impacting the results and the last competitor signed off at Minchinghampton Golf Club before 5pm, where many realised their mistake by not planning to eat here as the food looked first class.

Congratulations to Dave Wall for proving a Dellow can still win a one day classic trial. It was a shame about the confusion on the route at Mini Hoskin. Lets hope it didn't spoil too many people's enjoyment of another well organised Stroud event.

Footnote:-

1. A reliable source informs me that the Greenway Lane track is unlikely to return as a section in the near future.