14-11-2023, 09:31 PM
Thanks to all for encouraging responses and interest.
Mike, LCES are recreating parts of the routes on Fri 5 and Sat 6 April.
In response to Chris Garner, the first factor to note is the odd use of the routes. North was day 1, South day 2. However due to some unexpected activities in Bala, day3 was also South. Days 4 and 5 thus took the Northern route.
Poppe had problems heating on first attempt at Bwlch y Groes. Day 2 he had problems after the “watersplash” at Beulah. Day three saw him being reported as running excellently. It was day four’s attempt to ascend Bwlch y Groes that ended the trial. Cars were indeed carefully observed to stop fuelling, or plug changing for which further penalty points were awarded. The second man in each car was an observer, not a team member. Mr Lightbody was Poppe’s observer, and was given a special award for his heroism in pushing the Seven up Bwlch y Groes on its last attempt.
Penalty points could be given for all sorts of activities, and sometimes lead to vigorous debates in the evenings. The Gwynn team did their sums and correctly calculated that the penalties given for having a team car with spares and help would be far outweighed by the overall performance. If Poppe had fuel level problems in his scuttle tank on day one, it is perhaps odd that he did not reckon that marks lost for topping up would be significantly fewer than those lost for poor time, stopping to let the observer out to push, and stopping again at the summit to take the observer back on board.
Many thanks, an ever, to Austin Harris for having put together such a magnificent resource. Sadly he had major problems with open access to the site, so additional comments have long since had to stop. Some of us have gathered a lot of further information about images, maybe we should put together a complementary site adding info relating to the Austin/LAT image archive.
And finally, putting together the dates for two days in April is very much open to suggestions.
Mike, LCES are recreating parts of the routes on Fri 5 and Sat 6 April.
In response to Chris Garner, the first factor to note is the odd use of the routes. North was day 1, South day 2. However due to some unexpected activities in Bala, day3 was also South. Days 4 and 5 thus took the Northern route.
Poppe had problems heating on first attempt at Bwlch y Groes. Day 2 he had problems after the “watersplash” at Beulah. Day three saw him being reported as running excellently. It was day four’s attempt to ascend Bwlch y Groes that ended the trial. Cars were indeed carefully observed to stop fuelling, or plug changing for which further penalty points were awarded. The second man in each car was an observer, not a team member. Mr Lightbody was Poppe’s observer, and was given a special award for his heroism in pushing the Seven up Bwlch y Groes on its last attempt.
Penalty points could be given for all sorts of activities, and sometimes lead to vigorous debates in the evenings. The Gwynn team did their sums and correctly calculated that the penalties given for having a team car with spares and help would be far outweighed by the overall performance. If Poppe had fuel level problems in his scuttle tank on day one, it is perhaps odd that he did not reckon that marks lost for topping up would be significantly fewer than those lost for poor time, stopping to let the observer out to push, and stopping again at the summit to take the observer back on board.
Many thanks, an ever, to Austin Harris for having put together such a magnificent resource. Sadly he had major problems with open access to the site, so additional comments have long since had to stop. Some of us have gathered a lot of further information about images, maybe we should put together a complementary site adding info relating to the Austin/LAT image archive.
And finally, putting together the dates for two days in April is very much open to suggestions.