Report and results from Eastern Counties Motor Club's championship event in December 1995/January 1996. A map-marking roadbook format round which required 18 from 25 sections completed on map 185.

Congratulations to Malcolm Price on winning the 1995 Langer Park, and a successive win at that, the first time we have had a back-to-back winner. After the difficulty of 1994's routecards most competitors that entered both events sang our praises for getting the level about right. As we've said before, we do not deliberately set out to make one year's event easier or more difficult than another - that's just how it turns out! This year's format seemed to work satisfactorily although the eighteen sections from twenty did not find favour with the more experienced competitors but it did achieve it's aim, by giving the less experienced a fighting chance. We must confess we are not great fans of it either as sometimes it might mean the difference between getting a clear result and tying positions but in the end we got a clear result anyway! It is probably something that will stay because of keeping faith with most entrants.

Our apologies for the number of irritating errors that crept in but the only one that really gave cause for concern was at the start of Section 19, as a result we have cancelled the first loop/Secret Selective as the rest of the routecard plots satisfactorily. We are disgruntled and will endeavour to minimise, if not eradicate them altogether, next time.

Judging by the return rate of maps and roadbooks, especially from Beginners - usually the greatest casualties of falling by the wayside, the event with 77.6%, has topped the 1993 record of 76.1%. 83 competitors from an entry of 107 (the best of the season so far) figure in the results. The roadbook is a definite winner with most competitors - only 25% opted to plot the event on the full map.

Last, but by no means least, congratulations again to Malcolm Price and all other award winners. As usual, the most detailed analyses of your comments, route/routecard solutions and breakdown of penalties were included in the posted results. That's it for now and we hope to hear from you next time around - many thanks from Geoff White and Maurice Pinner at Eastern Counties Motor Club Ltd., Frank Richer at LANGER PARK SERVICES and Dave Otridge at RALLY NAVIGATION SERVICES.

Key:
* Ever-present LANGER PARK competitor (since 1985)
+ Ever-present Championship LANGER PARK competitor (since 1987)

Classes:
M = Master
E = Expert
SE = Semi-Expert
N = Novice
B = Beginner