The 3rd event on the Nokian Tyre BC TSD Championship 2000 ran this last weekend on Vancouver Island. The Nokian Tyre Midnight 2000 is an all night TSD rally which is noted for its variable conditions, with this year being no exception.

     Starting from Nanaimo, the 1st Regularity posed no problems for the more experienced teams despite the twists and turns but the newest team failed to even show at the start.

     Then disaster struck. After the pre-run last weekend, maintenance crews had completely removed a bridge right at the start of the transit to Regularity 2. Everyone, entrants and control crews alike, had to transit back to the highway and then convoy via public roads to the start point for Regularity 4, a trip of almost 2 hours. Happily the missing team rejoined us there and the time was just right so that everyone could leave exactly on the times listed in their route books.

     Car 3, with Scott Elliott and Adrian Gunton, a novice team on their first Championship event, was having some major trouble with their lights and steadily lost ground from here on in while Car 1, with Jim Martin and John Kisela, an unlimited team from Washington, steadfastly stayed in there getting zeros, with a single one for some variety. Their controlled pace came to a stop in Regularity 7 though.

     A thick bank of cloud moved in and while this is not normally a problem, when you are at the elevation level of this regularity, it becomes fog. Thick, horrible fog. With only a single one against them to the end of Regularity 6, Car 1 racked up an amazing 12 points (over 2 controls) in the first 12 km of Regularity 7 due to the fog. Car 2, with Ken Kwong driving with Chi Tsang, an experienced novice team, were similarly handicapped and wracked up 104 points at those first two controls. Car 3 didn't have any bright lights so didn't notice the difference. Car 4, Geir Opdahl with Shane Anderson, a novice team which had never even done a novice event, maintained a steady pace throughout even this bad section. Afterwards, the unfortunately missing bridge did not allow us to run Regularity 8 but we managed to salvage Regularity 3.

     At the MGM Restaurant in Nanaimo the winners were quickly announced since the transit back had allowed the organizers to complete scoring en route.

     First overall was the team from Seattle (Car 1), Jim Martin and John Kisela, with only 13 points over 21 controls scored. They were each awarded a lovely commemorative plaque. They were also 1st in class, being the only ones in their class.

     The only other class represented was Novice, and 1st was handily taken by a Vancouver team (Car 2), Ken Kwong and Chi Tsang, with 237 points. 2nd in Novice was taken by the totally new team from Victoria (Car 4), with Geir Opdahl and Shane Anderson, with 1152 points.

    The organizers would like to thank all who came out to run, those who came to help, and particularly Nokian Tyre and Subaru Specialty Motors for their ongoing generous support of this terrific sport here in British Columbia.

Bart
Adrienne
Co-organizers