Dave Middleditch had promised a different Lands End and delivered with more sections than usual, four special tests, a handbrake test and passage checks to ensure competitors followed the correct route.
There were problems early on for some drivers. Stuart Palmer had the misfortune to suffer a broken gear lever on his Austin Seven, Sam Lindsay had a persistent gearbox leak on his rail and planned to use the recently re-acquired Marlin only to have the head gasket give way.
The Felons Oak section gets rougher and rougher as the years go on and its restart destroyed the Gold Medal hopes of around half the lower class entry.
The route to Beggars via Minehead and Porlock was the first big change. A few years ago the route bypassed the famous Porlock Hill by turning left off the A39 to Webbers Post via either an observed section or special test and rejoining the A39 on Exmoor. Recently there has been no deviation and competitors had the joy of blasting up Porlock itself. But it was all change this year.
Everyone knows there is a private Toll Road bypassing Porlock Hill but few knew there was a second toll road, the Worthy Toll Road, rising up from the village of Porlock Weir. Only failures and Class 0 cars got to experience the Worthy Toll Road itself as the main Trial branched off to the Porlockford section to join the tarmac at the finish of the toll road.
Sadly there was a medical emergency on Darracott necessitating calling the air ambulance which delayed most of the car entry. Understandably the section was cancelled and competitors were re routed down the A39 to the Pinch Hill Observed Test. This meant missing both Wargery Wood and Cutliffe Lane as it would have been very difficult for competitors to pick up the route in the maze of lanes out on the Hartland Peninsula after bypassing Darracott.
Crackington wasn’t to problematical for cars but it was tricky for the motorcycles to maintain feet up through the doctored section, especially for the many big adventure bikes that had joined the entry this year.
Competitors had been used to a short break at the Texaco Service Station before the Blue Hills Finale.
It was different this year as Lambriggan had been introduced to the route. The approach was interesting, through a stream just before the start line. The bottom part of the section was quite smooth but it became a bit rough after the restart and the rocks their toll of tyres and wheel rims.
After Blue Hills the finish was only a few miles away at The Miners Arms, Mithian where competitors were able to relax and chat at what they thought was the end of the event. Sadly a week after the event the MCC hierarchy notified organiser Dave Middleditch they were unhappy with the event and placed the blame on his shoulders. Motorsport UK became involved and at the time of writing (21 May) final results have not been published.
Links:-
- Bob Blackman reports his Lands End Trial
- Lands End Trial on the Classic Trials FB Group
- Bluehills Photos by Yellow Hound Photography
- Johnathan Layzell pictures his Lands End Trial in his well travelled MGB
- Duncan Stephens videoed some of the events more unusual cars on Crackington and trying to get round one of the hairpins on Eddys Branch Line
- John Bakers Photos from Blue Hill 2
- More of John Bakers Photos from BH2
- Rather than take his Chevy to the Levy Daniel Sauter bought it to Cornwall to pit its Stovebolt Six against the MCC’s finest
- Peter Browne put his camera to one side and rode this years event
- Yellow Hound Photography were at Barbrook, Crackington and Bluehills
- Land End OnBike Videos
- Lands End InCar Videos
- Dave Middleditch talks about the Lands End aftermath
- An update from Dave Middleditch with the Motorsport UK report
Results here when available
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