The new date for Minehead's Exmoor Clouds meant it would be restarting the 2019 season after the summer break, and it would be doing so with a revamped event that included a fresh organising team and several new sections. The inclusion of old North Devon Exmoor favourites Floyds Bank and Cross Lane, along with a new hill at Southernwood meant the extra mileage in the trip out to Brendon was a popular choice with the competitors. The organisers successfully steered the event away from having a reputation as a rough trial, and this was evident in the result, with 4 cars from 4 classes being separated by only 4 points. Provisional overall winner was Dave Haizelden in his Class 5 Scimitar, beating Ray & Hannah Ferguson and their Liege on Special Test Times, with 10 points apiece. Two points adrift on 12 was Dean Partington, who stole the show in Class 8, beating Paul Merson into 2nd place by 26 points. A further 2 points behind was Matt Facey, hauling his Class 3 BMW into 4th overall on only 14 points. Paul Watson had a stellar drive in his BMW Z3 to drop only 18 points and take his first class win in Class 5 on a previously unseen event. James Shallcross & Mike Greenwood had been out with the T-Cut and polish over the summer, and James steered his shiny 205 to 6th overall, dropping just 26 points.
On 2 wheels, it was current Pouncy champion Kathy Martin who took overall honours with a clean sheet, besting John Bone on special test times. Martin Keswick was best on 3 wheels, ahead of longstanding outfit crew Ian Burton & Gary O' Shaughnessy, out for a ride on Geoff Westcott's CCM.
Special mention must also go to Stuart Highwood and passenger Neil Jones. Having had problems with their SS1 at the start, they unhitched the tow car and went out to marshal a section, before returning to the trailer park and making the long journey back to Kent.
The event was well received, with many of the regulars commenting on the improvements over previous years. This will hopefully continue into next year's event, where we may see the return of an old favourite! |