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Nuit Blanche - 29th
October 2005
Report by Leslie Mabon
If a faulty ignition system and a herd of black cows couldn’t stop
Jamie Seth and Iain Craven, then there wasn’t much chance of a
simple tie-breaker beating them either. Even though Iain’s
unconventional plotting technique (memorising the route in his head
and only marking on a handful of time controls) meant that he had to
borrow Oly McCollum’s map for the tie-breaker, he was still able to
add up a series of spot heights quicker than rival Gordon Reid,
clinching Nuit Blanche victory for the Edinburgh University crew.
Less than three hours before, by contrast, electrical problems
prevented Jamie from switching his engine off to fill up with
petrol, and the pair were preparing to head back to Edinburgh before
a deftly-placed hammer allowed them to tank up and start the rally.
In total, eighteen cars tackled Ewan Leeming’s ninety-mile route,
starting on the familiar yellows around Raceland before winding
south and finishing with a flat-out blast along farm tracks to Oxton.
Alongside the usual October hazards of wet leaves and badgers racing
into hibernation, Nuit Blanche crews had to deal with the threat of
black cows on the last farm section. “There are black cows on the
last section! They’re actually black cows,” remarked the Clerk of
the Course, as if brown cows or Friesians would have been
significantly less dangerous. Fortunately, the near-miss with the
opening car scared the cows into retreat, and all the cars made it
to the finish in Oxton Village Hall, where an unfeasible amount of
food prepared by Mrs. Leeming and Miss Brown awaited.
Cows and food aside, there was actually a rally taking place on
Saturday evening. Jamie Seth and Iain Craven took the overall win in
the Peugeot 306 Cabriolet, with Charlie Brown and Gordon Reid
finishing in second place and winning the Open Class trophy. Making
his Non-Expert debut, Jason Ferry produced a superb performance to
navigate Derek McLean’s Rover 420i home almost half an hour ahead of
its nearest rivals, whereas James Stewart guided Ian Munro to Novice
Class victory on a rare appearance in the passenger seat.
Building on the success of their last event, Ulsterman Rob Gallagher
and the Isle of Man’s Amy Jones entered the Rallyschool category in
the spectacular Seat Ibiza Cupra. Such was the speed of Rob’s
heavily-tuned yellow Exocet Missile that the duo were able to blast
into most time controls several minutes early, startling the
marshals and earning themselves numerous penalties in the process.
Nevertheless, the crew seemed to have great fun as they tore up East
Lothian’s tarmac, and Rob even managed to keep his exhaust in one
piece. In fact, the only damage sustained to any vehicle during the
course of the evening was to the Chief Marshal’s Fiat Cinquecento,
after the he hit a duck at 75 mph whilst putting out codes and bent
his front right wing as a result.
Okay, so no wrecked vehicles at the finish, no serious protests from
any of the crews and no hungry marshals. We think that makes a rally
a success, don’t you agree? Another superb event from Ewan,
especially seeing as he wasn’t in his house for the two weeks before
the events. Special thanks must go to the catering team at Oxton
Village Hall, for a buffet that puts five star hotels to shame
(Leslie used to work in one, and can confirm this), and to the
marshals for doing a flawless job. After the disappointment of the
Nuit Blanche cancellation earlier in the year, this is a great
turnaround for EUMSC.
Nuit Blanche 2005 - Results
Open Class
1. Jamie Seth/Iain Craven (Peugeot 306 Cabriolet) 0.00 (after
tie-break),
2. Charlie Brown/Gordon Reid (Honda Civic) 0.00,
3. Alan Cowan/Lock Horsburgh (Fiat Brava) 5.00,
4. Michael Craigs/Euan Brodie (VW Polo) 24.00,
5. Dave Brown/Joel Haylock (Alfa 146) 30.00,
6. Charles Brown/Neil Turner (VW Lupo) 45.00.
Non-Expert
7. Derek McLean/Jason Ferry (Rover 420) 30.00,
8. Barry Rice/Alan Maxwell (Peugeot 205 GTi) 59.00,
9. Shiona Rothon/Andrew Brougham (Subaru Impreza) 60.00;
Novice
10. Ian Munro/James Stewart (Ford Fiesta) 49.00,
11. Jon Huffer/Peter Humphrey (Ford Fiesta) 50.00,
12. Gavin Gray/Andrew Gray (Citroen C5) 62.00,
13. Steven Campbell/Tasha George (Ford Focus ST170) 63.00.
Rallyschool
14. Rob Gallagher/Amy Jones (Seat Ibiza Cupra) 161.00.
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Updated 2
November 2005
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