AHRMA VINTAGE TRIALS CASPER 2007
Posted by Tony Down at 11/11/2007 8:04 AM 
Categories: Rocky Mountain Trials, AHRMA, RV'ing, Vintage Trials
Categories: Rocky Mountain Trials, AHRMA, RV'ing, Vintage Trials
AHRMA VINTAGE TRIALS CASPER 2007
All set and actually leave on time! The run towards Trinidad is relatively uneventful until the
top end of New Mexico where the thunderstorms are massing. After the first downpour…. Guess
what? ….. yes, the wipers fail AGAIN! Now this is no longer funny and with the black mushrooms
ahead and night moving in the border crossing through the storms into Colorado looks a little
foolhardy. Decision: night stop at the refueling point.
50 miles extra today, but at least its not raining, so good progress and only encounter a few
showers in the Cheyenne area and arrive in clouds of dust at our reserved berth in Casper. The
bus looks like it has just finished Paris-Dakar! So out with the air line to make it look like a luxury
coach again. A standard Friday night with steaks, stories and much drinking. Saturday a nice
leisurely start and all the usual chatting pre event. Finally the morning event is over and the
Vintage Team take to the hills.
Section 1 has a multitude of lines but I find one to my liking and sail through this hazard for
three easy cleans. Section 2 is down in the river and despite a good ride I take a dab. No3 has
some slippery rocks whichever way you go and it takes another dumb dab which is not helping
the cause. Shine on section 4 with three great cleans and no problem with 5 either on the uphill
mud. Section 6 had a difficult wiggle to the mud exit but 3 more cleans here and over to 7 which
looked a lot harder than it rode. Section 8 was on an adverse bank but enough grip for three
more cleans. 9 was the “gimmee” of the loop in sloppy 6” mud and no problems here. Back to the
start area and a twister up above the coach. Again this rode easier than it looked and 3 more
cleans are in the book.
Day 1 Section 11
Down through the start area and a simple splash around in the river before a tricky little uphill
exit which I could not quite get right on any of the loops and overall this hazard cost me 4 marks.
Section 12 (you always get your money’s worth at Casper) was in the concrete jungle and this
year had a very ambitious step for the 2 line. I cleaned it once but it robbed me of 2 more on the
other loops. Finish loop 1 for a score of 4 which in reality could have been a clean card.
A Big Step for the 2 Line Section 12
Don coming out of the River
Loop 2 starts well enough but just when I have Section 2 in the bag I clout a small rock in the
river and the wheel stops but I don’t and go headlong in the water with feet still on the rests…..
this is very similar to Chehalis me thinks? Sail through everything else and finish the loop on 7
which should have been a 1. Loop 3 goes the same way but now I have dab on the entry to
section 2 then make the rest look easy! 3 through 10 all clean and finish with dumb dabs on 11
and 12 for a total of 14 for the day on what should have been a 3-4 point day! CRAP another
one for Ginder!!!!!
river and the wheel stops but I don’t and go headlong in the water with feet still on the rests…..
this is very similar to Chehalis me thinks? Sail through everything else and finish the loop on 7
which should have been a 1. Loop 3 goes the same way but now I have dab on the entry to
section 2 then make the rest look easy! 3 through 10 all clean and finish with dumb dabs on 11
and 12 for a total of 14 for the day on what should have been a 3-4 point day! CRAP another
one for Ginder!!!!!
Saturday night and the “bring and eat Barbie” and in this case I’m sold on Bob Carpenter’s wine.
Brenda’s turkey was off the plate before the first “gobble, gobble” was heard. Back to the bus for
some serious drinking!
Day 2 Section 1
DAY 2….. got to beat the Ginder!!!!! Well off we go again with a major self inflicted headache.
Section1 is right by the coach…. A drop and turn into the river, climb up the bank, wriggle through
the trees and down again, turn across the adverse to the exit. Nicely done for the clean, and
onto Section 2. A classic Scottish style section up the river through the rocks, simple turn and
straight run back to the checker….. all good and away to 3. A couple of tight dry turns through
the trees then a springy root/branch to get over and another wiggle to the exit. The springy
branch sure is springy and whips the chain off an unsuspecting Greeves! Through without
problem and on to those mud sections which should be good for ME.
Section 4 drops into the river and then has an uphill turn to the left onto the upper bank, well
a real “Horlicks” here and the first 2 of the day is lost &*^%! Section 5 is more to my liking with
another river to cross followed by a steep uphill out of the river, but by taking a high line in the
bushes a very neat approach line is available and Steed is through for a redeeming clean. 6
should have been easy for me but the dumb dab is played like the infernal joker. Up to 7 which
should have been even easier but another is lost on the approach to the turn. Well this is getting
annoying and I’m not enjoying myself! No 8 and again after a good entry another dumb dab…
%^&*!!!
Section 10 "My Favorite"
Ride across the hills to 9 which is very simple and no dumb mistakes here. 10 is a classic bread
and butter land of my birth section and I sail through to my personal delight. Back to the river for
a near repeat of yesterday’s No 11 with an extra turn and an extra exit option. Take a spectator’s
advice and pay the penalty and get stuck on the top of the log for an ensuing 3! 12 is the reverse
of yesterday and I manage to get cross threaded in the tunnel and lose yet another 1. What a
dreadful loop? 9 points of the dumbest kind and that has blown the day for me. Loop 2 is much
better with only 2 single dabs which was about right as I needed both of them. Well with a better
frame of mind after the reasonable second loop I set off hoping for sections to have cut up but no,
they stay the same so I’m up against it already.
Dan Straka making a welcome return.... must have enjoyed it he bought a CUB!
Back to No 1 and I manage to stall the motor on the first downhill on what I would consider an
easy section.%^&*!!!! 2 &3 are OK but a ridiculous turn out of the river has me in a panic 3 on
section 4, BRILLIANT! 5,6,7,8,9 and 10 all clean but the duty dab on 11 and a clean on 12 wrap
up a dismal ride against strong competition. Just can’t ride like that with these boys…. They are
too damn good!
Fred returns after "The Crash"
Seems Casper and me are not having a love affair this year. That’s 3 years at this event and I’m
getting worse each year despite it being one of my favorites, oh well, 2 firsts next year!
getting worse each year despite it being one of my favorites, oh well, 2 firsts next year!
So was has that done for the Championship? Well not much in my case. Bob now has 5 wins
and a second to my 3 wins 2 seconds 2 thirds and a fourth…errrrh! Well it looks good on paper
with me on 129 to Bob’s 116 but of course there is the scale back factor which puts me on 105,
corrected score.
and a second to my 3 wins 2 seconds 2 thirds and a fourth…errrrh! Well it looks good on paper
with me on 129 to Bob’s 116 but of course there is the scale back factor which puts me on 105,
corrected score.
The run home starts with me deep in thought and Brenda deep in sleep as her hangover is not
going away. Just before Cheyenne it starts raining again and of course the avid reader of the
journal will assume what is about to happen. ……. To save any more time yes, the bloody things
go AGAIN. Into Flying J refuel, water and dump and tighten down those wipers again! Back on
the road and all is well until we approach Denver where the thunderstorms are now having a
field day! Well at least Colorado drivers slow down in the wet unlike the AZ loons so wiperless
once more I steer the Andrea Gail through “The Perfect Storm” and some hours later in the dark
we pull into Walmart Trinidad.
Well holiday Monday and we drive home with just the wipers to repair, which by RV standards
is quite amazing.
Back home the RV goes in to play Monaco’s game of setting 20ft/lbs but we don’t even make it
to the break off loading before the arm shears off! They order a new set and it duly arrives.
The bus goes in to have everything fitted and it appears they have sent the entire assembly
including new arms and blades. Tuesday it’s in and Wednesday we go and collect it and they
have even washed the coach at NO CHARGE! ….. time will tell.
Tony Down, dogs and a very busy Photographer Brenda
If you were there then YOU are on film!
www.trialsphoto.com
Tony,
I think you have a great site very interesting with a splash of humor.
I hope anyone that is into this sport will enjoy it as much as I did.
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