Run last year as a Single Venue Event Minehead Motor Club had planned to run a road trial this year. Unfortunately there were problems a few weeks before the event and the route had to be confined to the extensive Headon Woods. Tristan Barnicoat dominated the Motorcycles while Duncan Stephens had a hard fight with Charlie Merson and Stewart Green to win the cars.
Duncan Stephens won the fiftieth anniversary Exmoor Clouds Classic Trial, in his UVA Fugitve, his first in the car in only his seventh event. Stephens led the single venue woods trial at lunch which saw most of the section in a new wood complex having been the only competitor to climb up “Water Run” which was extremely steep and slippery.
The afternoon sections saw slightly drier conditions on a different loop, saw Charlie Merson and Stewart Green take the joint lead after a technical downhill hairpin that Stephens failed. With two hills left back over on the long wet Water Run and Periton with restart the three leading lights all cleaned Water Run. Periton saw a restart introduced hill up. Stephens was the only one to climb off the restart out the top of the section to win the trial overall on the final section. Green beat Merson on times to complete the podium.
The sports car class saw Keith Sanders technical skill show with a superb ten points all day in his Reliant SS1, beating Stuart Highwood in his similar car into seventh overall. Stroud drivers Gary Browning, VW Beetle, and Nick Deacon, Suzuki X90, tied on thirteen points both winning their classes.
Paul Brooks won the kit car class in eighth overall, who was also fastest on the speed test. Ryan Tonkin was struggling with an inconsistent misfire on his wifes Beetle engine in the back of his VW Buggy and could only manage ninth.
Previous years winner Nick Farmer debuted a BMW Z3 with minimal expectations, but surprised many with tenth overall in the heavy car and third in the competitive sports car class. Phil Parker won the saloon car class in his historic Escort, and Nicola Butcher the small engined Beetle class.
- Duncan Stephens, UVA Fugitive, 5
- Stewart Green, SG Grufaloe, 8
- Charlie Merson, Ford Special, 8
- Keith Sanders, Reliant SS1, 10
- Gary Browning, VW Beetle, 13
- Nick Deacon, Suzuki X90, 13
- Stuart Highwood, Reliant SS1, 15
- Paul Brooks, Marlin, 18
- Ryan Tonkin, VW Buggy, 18
- Nick Farmer, BMW Z3, 20
Duncan Stephens
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Classical Gas 