HOT & FRAZZLED

Day 2 Frazzled Again

Day 3Frazzled Out

Day 1 Frazzle Begins

When entering the Australian 3 Days the name Frazzle Rock was very prominent in the promotion. Driving into the event on day 1 the penny dropped as you drove past a property called Frazzle Rock. And so it was the next three days were spent on what was a map of 5 neighbouring properties all featuring lots and lots and lots of granite boulders and vast expanses of bare rock. Unfortunately the farmland was parched and not rally capable of sustaining farming. It will rain apparently on the 7th May.

So let us start from day 1- For those who were fortunate enough to get early starts it was only 28 degrees and for those like Gayle and i who were off after 11am the mercury was rising quickly to the maximum of 33 degrees. Hot Hot Hot and when you toss in the heat reflecting of the massive bare rock areas and lack of shade it was seriously sunstroke territory.

Mind you it was still fun out there and the climatic conditions put added pressure on you to make as few mistakes as possible.

Gayle (W35AS) and Maureen (W75A) finished 3rd and 2nd respectively on day 1. Lisa Lampe in W50A was a very creditable 11th whilst Dick had a strong run in M65A to finish 5th with Dave 2 places behind. I managed a 4th place in M45AS.

Day 2 and the temperature had cooled well it had if you were early and once more Gayle and I had the benefit of a late start and once more the mercury climbed above 32. well I did say it was cooler. the terrain was much the same although a wee bit more green appeared on the map.

Maureen took outright 1st in her class with a very strong run. Gayle maintained her 3rd placing from the day before and Lisa slipped one spot. Dick and Dave reversed places with Dave 4th and Dick 9th. I dropped one spot to 5th.

The final day was a change for all as there was quite heavy fog greeting early starters as they drove out to the event. Ah yes at last an early start...

Gayle returned to the podium with a third for the day and a 3rd place overall. Maureen gave us all a scare with a 8 minute mistake however whilst she dropped back to 2nd on the day her brilliant run the day before left her with a big buffer on the rest of the field and so she finished the carnival in 1st place. Lisa had a strong run to record her carnival best with an 8th which saw her into the top 10 overall. Dave and Dick swapped roles again with Dick in 5th (6th overall) and Dave in 7th (4th overall). Well I stayed consistent with a 5th placing which meant I was 5th overall.

It was a very well run carnival and the WA volunteers did a marvellous job. It was great to have the opportunity to have a chat with 3 of the property owners after the event. They were tickled pink to witness our sport and also to see people enjoying their land.

So Easter 2012- Queensland!