To honour the memory of Dale Shaw and to support his daughter Jo, Michelle transported the Austin 7 Club’s race car (known as “The Trevor Cole Car”) that was built by Dale to be on display for the 30th Dale Shaw Memorial OST at the Rob Roy Hill Climb venue.
Michael gave Michelle advance notice that we she may be needed to compete as a navigator, so she arrived early for briefing and was paired with a man who was returning to the sport; his name… Michael! Together Michelle and Michael competed in all sections.
Jo had pegged 10 challenging and fun sections, making good use of the terrain. There were many wombat holes to contend with and the angled land tested the cars traction abilities. Some great “rooster tails” were generated in the mud. Michelle was pleased that she selected clothes that were appropriate for the conditions, she was covered in mud splatter from head to toe and described herself as a “brown bear”.
Michael was very good at remembering each section, so Michelle felt she wasn’t really needed as a navigator and just held on for the ride. The trials car had quite good suspension so it wasn’t bone jarring over the bumps but the angle of the roll cage handle was not ideal for Michelle’s height and arm length. This left her a little sore at the end of the day but no major damage. The team finished with a mid-field score and Michael was pleased with his results after a long time away from the sport. Michelle plans to passenger for Michael again at the next event but hopes he will find a regular navigator who can make it to every event. This OST had 4 people doubling up to navigate for 2 drivers each.
This event had some professional photography and drone footage was taken so there should be a YouTube video available soon.
If you’re interested in becoming a passenger in OST we encourage you to head along to one of the events listed at The Austin 7 Club OST page. You will need to be a member of the club before competing, but meeting the teams is always the first step.
