Northampton VMCC Navigation Trial 2018
A report from Malcolm Bridges on the event:
After enjoying last years Northampton
Navigation Run I decided to do it again this year and after talking
to Mick Leach he said he would join me.
So Sunday morning 2nd Sept at 06.30 I led us to the start at Earls
Barton, a distance of just over 60 miles which took us around 1 hr
40 mins, the uneventful journey was made slightly difficult by the
low early morning bright sun. I made a slight detour at Mears Ashby
to show Mick a memorial to the mid-air collision during WW2 of 2
USAF Flying Fortress's which was one of the checkpoints last year.
Being one of the first to arrive allowed us some time to speak to
Trevor Pinfold who organised the event, Mick recognised him from a
previous National Rally. He told us he had based this event on
the Welsh Rally format. After refreshments of the supplied
tea/coffee and bacon/sausage baps we read through the questions for
the required 'Late Classic' 14 checkpoints. I had planned to
visit from the 30 given to select from and hoped my route notes
would work. I had arranged for a friend of mine who now lives
locally to meet us, he had dusted down his 1977 Suzuki GT500 bought
new from Jacksons in Waterloo Street, Burton. He decided to
follow us round. Also there was a workmate of Mick's from
Wellingborough accompanied by his wife, he on a modern Honda and she
on a modern Kawasaki. They were off out on their own run.
So the run began with 29 other riders in perfect weather and
conditions. Apart from the 14 checkpoints already mentioned we
had 3 compulsory checkpoints where at each we had to answer 6
'motorcycle related' general knowledge questions. I got a
total of 12 and could have had a further 2 if my recall had been
better. The high point of the run was passing the Welland Viaduct, a
3/4 mile long railway bridge across the valley of the River Welland. The low point was a road closure on the A427. After speaking to the
'sentry' posted by Northants Council an alternative route was
devised from his mobile phone and Google maps. Unfortunately
it got mixed in my head but eventually I got us on track again.
Talking to another rider at the end he had given up trying to get
around the closure and had suffered a further two other blockages so
we got off light. We arrived safely back to Earls Barton in the
allotted time and had covered 112 miles and after returning our
answer sheets we were given a commemorative beer mat. Both
Mick and myself won an award.
The return journey home was a re-run of the journey down, Sywell,
Brixworth, South Kilworth and round Lutterworth to pick up the A5 at
Magna Park and onto the A444. Malcolm.
Mick and Malcolm with their bikes in front of the Welland
viaduct.
Malcolm
and Mick (1st and 2nd from left) with their awards presented at
Northants Section AGM. Well done lads.