Author: classictrials

Holland in a Ford Model C

Michael goes on the Ford Y & C Model Registers Tour of Holland

In addition to his Trialling and Racing exploits Neil Bray is also a fan of pre-war Fords and has restored both a 1935 Model C and a 1937 Model Y. Neil like to give these cars a good annual work out on the Ford Y and C Registers Annual adventure, which in 2006 was a tour of Holland. Even Neil can’t drive two cars at once and I was thrilled when he asked me to join him and drive the C.

Friday 2 June 2006

Neil came picked me up in the evening to take me round to his place to collect the C. I had only driven it once before when we took the cars to The Enfield Pageant. The wandering steering was familiar to me, just like my Dellow, but the low powered engine and three speed box were all new experiences (my Dellow is a trials car with a Kent engine, Rocket Box and Escort axle).

Saturday 3 June 2006

Off at 5.30 to meet Neil at Baldock Services at 06.00. I was very concerned the C would start. It needed full choke, no throttle and all 6 volts burst strain to turn the little engine over. It took a couple of goes but away we went. Down to Harwich on the A120, with very little traffic to bother us we had time to have breakfast in a transport cafe just outside the port. Even then we were in the queue for the Stenna Discovery in good time. Stenna call it a HSS (High Speed Ship). Its a Catamaran with four gas turbines powering water jets for propulsion. A mere three and a half hours later we were driving off in the company of a dozen or more cars from the register.

Not to many problems with driving on the right and we soon got used to acknowledging the waves of the bystanders. The line got broken up when we came to the first set of traffic lights and it didn’t take long for us to get separated from Neil. We weren’t too badly off as I had printed directions to the hotel from the Internet. Neil had been depending on his Tom-Tom which had gone on the blink, so he was trying to stay on the bumper of the car in front.

All of this meant we were at the hotel in Voorschoten first. Other cars arrived in dribs and drabs but no Neil. A quick phone call revealed he was broken down in a Motorway Tunnel with no hard shoulder and finally arrived on a tow rope behind an 8hp Y. In the hotel car park it soon became obvious that the Y’s 12v Luminition had gone on the blink and had to be replaced with a conventional distributor.

Sunday 4 June 2006

Off at 08.30 for our first full day. Back to the Hook of Holland for a guided tour of The Atlantic Wall Museum, all about the defence system built by the Germans to keep us out during the 2nd World War. Then a boat trip around the canals of the Westland and a tour of a modern commercial greenhouse.

We were off in convoy at 8.30 but only got a few hundred yards up the road when Neil pulled off as the Y was not running properly. Adjustments to the points and timing with help from John and Jim ot things running properly and we were away. We had a brush with the law on the way, being urged on by a motorcycle policeman as we weren’t going fast enough on the motorway. Our hosts at the museum did us proud and I think our cars parked outside attracted a lot of attention for their museum.

In the afternoon it was off in a suitably old restored boat to tour a commercial greenhouse where they grew and packed tomatoes for supermarkets all over Europe.

Back at the hotel we checked the cars over and noticed the C’s fan belt wasn’t very tight. Further investigation revealed that the dynamo pulley was loose and about to burst through the radiator. Tightening the nut did no good and we discovered that the centre hole in the aluminium pulley had enlarged and the movement had damaged the shaft as well. Graham Miles kindly donated his spare dynamo but it had a different fixing. The only solution was to take the old and new units apart and build Grahams parts into Neil’s case. With Grahams help this was accomplished just in time for dinner.

Monday 5 June 2006

We had a long drive south today, down to the delta region to see the sea defences on the artificial island of Neeltje Jans. We didn’t start to well as we followed our part of the convoy led by John and Jim the wrong way up A4. We regrouped at the ferry across the entrance to Rotterdam harbour and it was here the problems with starting the Model C when it was hot began. We finally got it going using maximum choke but it popped and banged as it kangarooed up the road for a mile or so before it cleared its throat. Neil felt it was down on compression on one cylinder, but that didn’t account for the hot starting problem. The battery charge cut out was also playing up, the points sometimes stuck together necessitating a quick pit stop to flick them open.

Neeltje Jans was very windy but it was interesting to see the tremendous effort the Dutch have to make to keep their feet dry. The original idea had been to provide a permanent barrage to keep the sea out. However, this would have meant the water in the Delta would have changed from salt water to fresh water, changing the ecology. So the barrage at Neeltje Jans is only closed when the sea reaches a certain level.

There was a lot more traffic on the way back to the hotel with some long delays where we kept the engine running, keeping a careful eye on the water temperature. We had to switch it off on the ferry though and this time it wouldn’t start until Jim and John bump started it for us.

Back at the hotel Neil changed the points, condenser and plugs and we hoped it would be better tomorrow. First there was an early dinner before a trip in a wonderful old bus to a private museum in Schipluiden belonging to Mr van Vliet. It was mostly commercial vehicles but there were some cars and bikes as well, including a Beetle police car and a Karman Ghia.

Tuesday 6 June 2006

We checked out of our hotel as we were to spend the next two nights near Volendam. The Model C started fine in the morning, although getting it going from cold had never been a problem. Our Dutch hosts had arranged a private visit to the Ford Museum at Hillegom. This private venture is the largest collection of pre-war Fords in the world. All the exhibits were American, ranging from a 1896 Quadricycle to Bonne and Clyde style V8’s. We had a wonderfully entertaining guide and it was a thoroughly entertaining time. There was one European interloper, an Eifel, tucked away in a back room. It was available for sale and Jim and Graham had a good look at it, returning a week later to clinch the deal.

The C was running very well, or so we thought. But the engine had to be switched off for the ferry to Westzaan and absolutely refused to restart. We had plenty of help and, after an hour of swapping bits and pieces leant to us from other drivers, we found the problem was the coil. Once it was changed away we went. Although it was clear we had little compression on one of the cylinders starting was no longer a problem. One of the Dutch Model Y’s was having problems as well, with all sorts of horrible noises coming from the transmission. It was diagnosed as the UJ on the back of the gear box and a team led by Neil fell upon the poor little car to change it in the hotel car park. As the model Y has a torque tube this involves partially removing and pulling back the back axle so it wasn’t a quick job. It was done just before dinner, but a test run revealed the problem lied elsewhere, so then car went home on a truck the next day.

Wednesday 7 June 2006

Wednesday was boring. We went by bus to Amsterdam so the cars didn’t break down! While some of the group indulged in a cultural tour of the museums Neil and I concentrated on enjoying the cafe culture and Red Light district!

When we got back to the hotel we visited a sort of farm shop next door where we tagged along with a Spanish Tour group to see Cheese and Clog making, after which we bought some of each! We enjoyed our last dinner with the group, during which I said I hoped to join them again next year, perhaps in a car of my own!

Thursday 8 June 2006

After breakfast we waved the group, away. They were off to see the gardens at Appeltern and the National War and Resistance Museum before going home on Saturday. We made for the Hook of Holland as we had to collect Neil’s Capri from Manchester then next day, ready for racing at Lydden on Saturday.

Apart from un-sticking the battery regulator a few times the C behaved, although its increasing lack of compression made it down on power. We got a bit lost a few times but managed to find the Westzaanferry again and diverted by the Zandvoort racing circuit. Later we got totally lost in The Hague and finally stumbled across signs to The Hook of Holland purely by accident, arriving at the Ferry terminal about an hour and a half early. We were parked right up against the berth and got a marvellous view of the Stemma HSS Discovery approaching and berthing.

We had the buffet dinner on the boat and arrived home about ten in the evening. No rest for the wicked though as it was 4am start to Manchester in the morning. But that’s another storey!

We have been publishing stuff about Classic Trials on the Web since 1995 and always appreciate feedback. Comments, Corrections, Criticism & Concerns are all welcome. You can leave a comment to have your say here on this web site or our Social Media

Ilkley 2006

Robin Preedy won The Ilkley trial on 21st May. Falcon’s Keith and Claire Oakes won Class Seven.

Drought, what Drought!
By Claire Oakes

2006_ilkley_resultsDownload

Dave Cooks Photos

Off we go at 3am to Yorkshire for the Ilkley Classic Trial. We had just got off the M1, to take the ring road round Leeds, when the Dutton started to splutter, then stall. We thought it might be the carburettor, as it plays up in very cold conditions, but this couldn’t be the case as it was a DRY and warm night. I never knew how many roundabouts and traffic lights there were as we did a kangaroo hop to get round Leeds.

We coughed and wheezed and limped into Ilkley Rugger Club. The marshal who directed us where to park said “there’s water coming from your car, no, hang on, its petrol”! It was pumping out like a cut artery, and I’d been puffing on ciggies for the last ten miles!! Keith set to and dismantled the carburettor as he thought the float was sticking. (While I had another cig in the clubhouse to clam myself at thought of being blown up). Ian Cairns arrived to say he was lucky to be a starter too. His Marlin Roadster hydraulic clutch pipe broke, on the Friday, fluid everywhere. 

Our kick off time was 09.05. The sun had been out since dawn and it continued to shine until just before the lunch break. Then it rained & rained & rained. On the tulip route card two sections, 3 and 4, had been deleted due to the rotten weather of the past week at Browns Wood and the crossing over Dob Park Splash. 

Sections 1 & 2 Carr Side, we approached the start line sideward like a crab, as did the other trialers. This was the format of the day, a second trial getting to the start lines! Cricket scores end of the day of 155 for Reg Salway VW Golf was not alone with 21 other cars collecting triple points, we toted up 96. The star for the cars was best overall Robin Preedy VW Scorpion with 27. How did he do it? Well-done Robin. 

This is the only trial apart from the MCC. “Big Three” where we see bikes. Ian Thompson (Beta Alpa) got nil points, what a man. We had to laugh when Graham Makepiece (Honda XR) said he was annoyed with himself for dropping six on Wilson’s Wood. He should have had a look at the book Keith purchased the club; entitled “So this is Yorkshire” by Janet E. Kitchens. A compulsive read crammed full of photographs of bikes and some cars from 1910 to 1939. Men had to men and women tough as nails to endure the elements and conditions of harder trialing than today. They just got on with it and land owners joined in. No DEFA, Health & Safety, PC. The only “street cred” these lads needed to look cool was, Brylcream hair slicked back parted on top, carbolic soap and to finish the manliness was a Woodbine sticking out of the corner of their mouth. Not the pasty sickly faced tattooed baseball caps hoodies of today trying to pass themselves off as humans. 

Can`t write what these trialers got up to in the “days of yore” as I might be breaking copyright, but every steep hill or water they could find they drove up it or through it and there’s plenty of both on “Bar Tat”. No 4×4, or tractor to pull you out, but a horse or a dozen or so men. I will let you know that for solo bikers, by 1927 the penalty for zigzagging was six and wobbling or swerving badly five! Sorry, I`m digressing, back to 2006. Sections 5/6/7 Sword Point 1, 2&3. We got as far as 12 on one, told to reverse into a gateway as this was now the new start line, opposite to the gate entrance for section 2, to have a longer run up to the section (across the tarmac public road) which we did a bit better and wow got to 10. At Sword Point 3 we sat and watched Bill Foreshew, Golden Valley Special MK II, get to the eight. Keith didn’t think he could do any better, but hey, the Dutton found grip and flew up to the one! We were towed out onto a very narrow track, but still had to do a 6-point manoeuvre to clear the bank opposite, the track for it is only the depth of a car on the “T” section ends exit. Good place for spectators as all three are within a few hundred yards. 

Sections 8 & 9 Fewston 1 / 2 Our first clear on one. We straddled a tree root on 2 for eight points. 

Section 10 Peels Wood As we slowed to turn into the gate a voice shouted from a group of bikers “Do you want a passenger?” “What’s up, I said to the rider, has your passenger thrown there Teddy out of the pram?” “No, he replied, I have!” “OK, I’ll swap”, but Keith drove on into the field before his wife made more of a fool of herself. Classes “A” & eight diverted on this hill, others went straight up this year, and we reached the one, and were dragged out to exit the hill. 

Section 11 Hey Slack next to the lunch halt on Pock Stone Moor we got as far as the three. It started to rain at the break, ever the optimists we didn’t put the roof on, but after a hour or so we had to relent to the elements as the wet stuff was now coming down like stair rods and Keith’s glasses were beginning to rust. 

Section 12 Wilson’s Wood we arrived at post eleven and the Dutton sat posing on a large hump of mud for Dave Cook the photographer while we thought which was best way to reverse out. 

Sections 13/14 Brimham Lodge, the marshal told us drivers had trouble getting to the eleven. We said we would try to do better; we did, just made it to the twelve! The timed test on section 14 last year was to go slow, yes, you’ve guessed it, this year you had to go as fast as you can through the sea of mud. 

Sections 15/16 Incline 1&2 at Bruce House Farm, David Child Ford Pop was up to his oxters in mud and was towed to the start line! Guess what, he got to the twelve. We surprised ourselves with five. Incline 2 was cancelled. 

Section 17 Watergate, Colin Perryman was pleased with his BMW 2002 as it cleared the hill. He told us this hill was used for “Scrap Heap Challenge” and none of the vehicles climb it in the T.V. programme. We got to broom handle eight. 

Section 18 Cock Hill Mine, with the rain, now mist swirling around, bounced back with a dream restart and shot up the hill. When we arrived at Sections 19/20/21 Strid Wood the last 3 sections were also cancelled. So, straight to the finish for a early free meal, lovely food and warm hospitality from the organisers and helpers, but the accolade goes to the course setters on the wet day before and the marshals who stayed cheerful in such miserable conditions. The Ilkley is a delightful event and not damaging to vehicles. The only gripe from some of the competitors was the 12/ 15 psi limits. Personally I think it should have been 10 psi or, with the adverse conditions free tyre pressure, except for Robin Preedy who should have been 30 psi, only kidding Robin. We stayed at the Craiglands Hotel in Ilkley, very nice place and recommend it. 

We travelled south on the A1 & because of the heavy rain. Went wrong at a roundabout and inadvertently was now driving south on the M1. Grief, it was a nightmare like driving in a car wash! Spray every where, with side screens off, water was coming in by the buckets onto our laps, buttock clenching experience, exit to get back to “A” roads. With motorways road works, why can’t pipe be laid to move water round the country where it is needed in droughts? Or as a friend text me with this question, isn’t it a good job we have a drought, where else would we store the water? 

Cars
 Overall WinnerRobin Preedy  (VW Scorpion)27
 Class Winners
 1Nigel Sykes (Mini Moke)89
 2Richard Parker (Austin Seven)94
 3Colin Perryman (BMW 2002)106
 5Paul Clay (Austin 7/Ford Special)130
 6Richard Peck (VW Beetle)120
 7Keith Oakes (Dutton Phaeton)96
 8Boyd Webster (Ford Special)74
 Bikes
 Overall WinnerIan Thompson (Beta Alp)0
 Class Winners
 AGraham Makepiece (Hona XR)6
 CMalcom Brown (Triumph T110)41
 CombinationJohn Hind (Triumph 7T)18

We have been publishing stuff about Classic Trials on the Web since 1995 and always appreciate feedback. Comments, Corrections, Criticism & Concerns are all welcome. You can leave a comment to have your say here on this web site or our Social Media

Dellow Win on Bovey Down

Mountain is King of the Mountain

By Claire Oakes

Winning driver Peter Mountain with his winners trophy on the bonnet of his Mk1 Dellow.
2006_bovey_down_resultsDownload

27 competitors fought their way on the seven sections which included Normans Hump, Clinton, and do not laugh Hilary and Monica. It was not the first two lustrous names that took their toll, but some of the minor sections. With fine weather, hills were very dry. Two circuits in the morning and afternoon there was time to do four more hills, which gave a total of 25 climbs and one special test. 

The last hill of the day was Clinton. Normally on the Exeter Trial where the section ends, it’s a sharp right onto a flat track to exit the wood. Bovey Trail event tacked on an extra piece to make Clinton even longer. This higher part, which is a steep twisty rocky track, all day we used this track to drive down to get to the bottom of other hills, which of course with 27 cars descending all day, with hand/foot brake/ anchor and grappling hooks to slow us up, it loosened a few rocks. We joined the rest of the platoon who punctured during the day.

This was trivia compared to Eric Smith yellow Marlin, diff or gear box broke on the very first hill of the day. Steve Vincent’s Austin Special drive shaft went ping, but managed to re pair and completed the days trailing. Andrew Shepperd Bugrat retired. The headache of the day literally was Tim Whellock (brain child of the Bovey Trial) and his passenger hit a tree stump, both head butted and shattered the UVA Fugitive windscreen, ouch! 

This was on a section which should be named “Hairy Scary”. It takes you off track into a narrow taped chicane around fir trees, trying to miss stumps on the off side. Back onto the track for a restart, then just for a joke immediately left back into another fir tree chicane with stumps now on the near side. 

Other winners were: Class 1 Paul Allaway Vauxhall Astra GTE with 53 points Class 3 Nick Farmer BMW 318 nil points Class 4 Youngster Emma Robilliard VW Beetle nil points Class 7 Peter Hart Marlin 8 points, which he collected on the very last hill. I believe he stopped in the wrong place for the restart Class 8 with zero points is the other youngster Ryan Tonkin VW Buggy, had heartbreaking bad luck at being just one second slower than the overall winner off the Busted Diff Trophy to be king of the mountain. 

As an event still in its infancy it was well organised, well marshalled with superb catering. Simon Groves with his Ford Escort and Andrew Martin with his Dutton Melos would have been kids in a sweet shop at this event, as would many others. Do try and get next year to this event. I wanted to see Bovey Down sections in the daylight, as I only go hurtling up Norman & Clinton at night in the Exeter Trial. 

We made it a mini holiday travelling 200 miles and stayed Sat/Sunday night at the excellent Yeoman’s Acre Hotel, 3 miles down the road in Colyford. It was lovely to finish the day with a short drive back to the Yeoman’s Hotel to lie on the bed drinking a nice cup of char, watching the Ebdon and Dot snooker final and seeing Leicester Tigers beating Sale. Yes, it was a perfect weekend. 

We have been publishing stuff about Classic Trials on the Web since 1995 and always appreciate feedback. Comments, Corrections, Criticism & Concerns are all welcome. You can leave a comment to have your say here on this web site or our Social Media

Kyrle 2006

Ross wins at Ross

By Claire Oakes

Kyrle winner Ross Norman in the Deere Special
2006_kyrle_resultsDownload

Dave Cooks Photos

Ross Norman in his Deere Special wins the Kryle Trophy at the Ross & District Motor Club. With only 4 points lost on Ropers and the other sections were clears.

The trial set in the beautiful Forest of Dean, fine drizzle continued till the sun shone in the afternoon. Sun was too late for the later competitors and penalty points were soon racked up. As the sections turned into a mud of whipped cream The Kryle is like doing Riverton, Crackington, Tillerton, Simms and Litton Slack over & over. You certainly get your monies worth on this trial.

Retired was Dave Shurbsole with a cylinder head gasket blown, Sticker Martin shock absorbers broke, Carl Talbot suspension. Others were Steve Louks, Rick Neale and Derek Tyler. Andrew Brown who was having trouble with his Marlin on the Lands End withdrew the weekend before, must have been very disappointed not to compete.

Simon Groves had a rear puncture at Goldsmith Wood, but John Parsons could triple that here, as he had three nails in his front tyre! Ian Davis did well for the Falcon club as won the T.C. Longford Trophy. Keith Oakes & his Mrs. were there to make the numbers up & had a brilliant day out.

Well run & marshalled & the ladies at the finish prepared a delightful meal.

Claire’s Lands End

Claire and Keith Oakes took part in the Lands End in their Duttom Phaeton. Here is Claire’s report

Dry, warm and starless night made it perfect driving across the moors, no fog, thank God. The fun started for us at Michaelwood Services, when Keith found that a hose had disconnected itself from the heater, water every where. I bet Ted Holloway wished that was all that happened to him, instead of his Mini Enigma Spl falling apart a stones throw from Popham.

Felons Oak Smiles here, as I’m sure the restart has shrunk with the Vim in the wash. It was small last year but now it`s shrivelled from my big bloomers to the size of my daughters G- string. No chance of putting whole car in, perhaps it was a train buff setting out double O gauge lines.

Beggars Roost Cars were queued from the entrance to the section back to the Garage.    Ed Nickel there as a spectator now as his dynamo packed up on his VW Buggy 

A marshal said restart was higher up to try and stop 7 & 8s. News filtered down in the wait to go as far right as possible in the box. Thank you to that man who told us. As we approached the box I could see thick churned mud on the left. I shouted at Keith “go right” he did and we got away fine, just missing an over hanging branch.

Riverton Smiles left my face here, not the wait; we had that last year, but the second year of sitting behind a car, which doesn’t switch the engine OFF. Last year it was a VW, this year an orange Marlin. I have read that males unconsciously touch their bits

I think this lad was so high on testosterones by his constant vroom, vroom, the nearer we got to the section the more vrooms we had. Next year I will have a loofah ready to soak in quick drying cement to push up any offender’s exhaust pipe. Yes, I know I could have got off my butt and asked him to cease, but that would have meant getting my boots dirty! Neither navigator nor he has read the route card fully which states NO NOISE, but there again I didn’t realize how much noise I make until I saw myself on video shouting encouragement to the Dutton when driving up a section!  Thank you for getting that off my chest, onto; 

Roundswell Control. Carbon monoxide washed away by a nice hot cup of tea supplied by our son Allan who was marshalling at the control. Happy bunny again.

Crackington. Waiting at the ford at the foot of the hill we watched class 7 Andrew Browns Marlin fade & die on the climb, but a quick switch back on, he did a slick re start and he pulled away like a dream to complete the section.

Wilsey Down. Bravo to the person/s who thought of having a gazebo for the control point at Hallworthy Market top car park. This saved squeezing passed each other as control used to be just inside the café entrance 

Hoskin. We nearly got to the red restart. I do feel that yellow restart being so low down the section the Dutton doesn’t have enough time to wind up from section begins.

Bishops Wood. Our favourite hill, I think not. This hill we have never got away from the restart. We flew pass the “A” boards over the plateau track and like a swatted fly splat into the glutinous mud in the box. Keith tried to get his back wheels as high as he could but the mud held us tight. I’m sure in the past years grass was there in the box?

Blue Hills 1 Smoking wheels, but got away

Blue Hills 2. Clean pair of heels. 

Finished a great trial staying in Cornwall until Tuesday, as we celebrated our daughters birthday on Easter Monday at the Cross roads Lodge, who looked after us very well during our stay there.

We have been publishing stuff about Classic Trials on the Web since 1995 and always appreciate feedback. Comments, Corrections, Criticism & Concerns are all welcome. You can leave a comment to have your say here on this web site or our Social Media

Chris Clarke’s Lands End

Last year Chris drove in Class 0, This time he tackled the main event.

The Land End seen from a competitors viewpoint. Regular correspondent Chris Clarke reports.

Following our timekeeping problems on the Edinburgh, we decided that tyre deflating & pumping was the biggest cause of delay and made some improvements to speed up the process as far as possible, helped by useful advice on the Classical Gas message board. More importantly, we had taken advantage of the Allen, Clee Hills & March Hare events to fine tune the coffee & biscuits routine with the rigour usually associated with GP tyre changes, so even in extreme circumstances we wouldn’t miss this vital ritual. As things turned out, both these preparations proved very useful. 

Having left Michaelwood via the unofficial exit (the rebel in me enjoys this bit) we proceeded by the “great circle” route to North Petherton, completed the formalities, and tried the omelette & chips at the truck stop (recommended). Then it was off to Felons Oak and Stoney Street, which we completed without too much difficulty (at least compared with what followed). I don’t know if it’s deliberate, but all Classic trials seem to start with a couple of “warm up” sections like this, a very good idea we think and hopefully any organisers reading this agree, otherwise I expect a nasty surprise the next time. 

The night driving across Exmoor is one of the best and most distinctive parts of this event. Although we know the area well from holidays in the area, it takes on a completely different atmosphere, with the arrival (and refreshments) at the Culborne Inn one of the high points. Tempered by the thought that you’re still less than a quarter of the way through; and ordering a double Scotch probably wouldn’t go down too well at that point. 

The next section, Beggars Roost, is part of Colin’s folklore as both his father (in the 1937 event), and more recently his brother, have attempted it. The weight of family honour was resting on his shoulders as we approached, while I was just concerned that we had been told to read the failure instructions before starting. As it was we were pleased to clean the section, but not before some nervous moments in the area of the restart box. Before anyone asks why we, in class one, worry about the restart area, I must record that we very much appreciate not having to deliberately stop there and long may this dispensation continue. The flip side is that it usually consists of either a jumble of razor sharp boulders, a mirror smooth sheet of rock or a bottomless mud pit, and to get maximum advantage from the concession you seem to have to drive as fast as possible through it – quite exciting. 

The build up at Beggars was nothing compared with Riverton, where we had to wait for some time. This would not be so bad, as there was time for a chat or a nap, but explanations for the delay kept filtering back – cars stuck in impossible positions, marshals having to stop them falling over precipices, crews running out of oxygen at the section ends board, etc. Finally, it was our turn and we have to say, this is the best section we have ever attempted, the length, sharp corners, straight bits to build up speed and the feeling of satisfaction when we (very unexpectedly) arrived at the top. After that there had to be a let-down and sure enough we just ran out of grip some way up Cutcliffe Lane. We were also still very late and not sure how near to the end of the field, so we had to press on through Sutcombe, Darracot & Crackington. It was satisfying to see so many people spectating and the cheers and encouragement are much appreciated, especially as we clawed our way through the muddy restart area at Darracot. However, the worst moment of this part was at Widemouth Bay, where I ambled into the car park in second gear and nearly got stuck in the sand – could have been very embarrassing.

Lack of grip (or the skill to find it) was the problem again at Hoskins, if the spectator’s encouragement was all it took we would have continued into earth orbit at the top, as it was we stopped just short of the restart, possibly weighed down by the excellent lunch we had just eaten at the Wilsey Down Hotel. Grip was not a problem at Bishop’s Wood where the plan was to build up speed on the straight lower section and across the track, so as to clear the two ramps; and thence to the finish. As it was the straight was longer than I remembered, so the speed was very high, the view of VW bonnet as we cleared the first ramp was not very helpful as to steering and the track slopes a fair bit so we hit the next ramp too far left and just slid out of contention, straight through all the carefully placed restart markers – sorry. 

Finally Blue Hills, where we prepared by finishing the last of our refreshments at Perranporth. Last year we disappointed the spectators by taking the class 0 soft option of the old hill, but this year there was no avoiding the main event. As you descent to the start, the view of the hill opposite with ant like cars bumping over the ruts is pretty daunting, but we were encouraged by getting round the first part (Blue Hills 1), although looking at Michaels pictures there was a lot less margin than we thought at the time. 

For the second part we got started well, but the car lost speed over the bumps, the little engine just couldn’t drag it any further and we stalled before the corner. Maybe a bit more skill with the clutch would have got it going again or maybe we just need a bigger engine, but there’s always next year and having spectated here for some years, just to arrive at the top as competitors (even with some help from the friendly winch) was very satisfying.

We have been publishing stuff about Classic Trials on the Web since 1995 and always appreciate feedback. Comments, Corrections, Criticism & Concerns are all welcome. You can leave a comment to have your say here on this web site or our Social Media

Lands End 2006

Tough Event for Class Eight

Good weather, big delays at Riverton, Hoskin very tough for class 8

2006_lands_end_resultsDownload

Dave Cooks Photos

Start – Falcons Ed Nikel didn’t make the Plusha start as the dynamo on his VW Buggy failed on the way down. Ted Holloway wasn’t a great deal luckier. Ted made it to the start OK but didn’t get very far as he had a hub collapse on his Mini Special only 50 yards up the road.

Felons Oak – This short little “hill” is all about the restart, which is reckoned to be getting trickier as it gets dug out. Although it claimed quite a few casualties, all the Falcon’s got away successfully.

Stoney Street – The section, which bypasses Porlock, was reckoned to be very rough this year. Peter Mountain would certainly agree. Peter retired when the rear axle-locating pivot broke on his Dellow Mk1. This was not a Dellow friendly hill as Richard Shirley also retired here with back axle problems.

Beggars Roost – Strangely there was no restart for Class 8. Simon Groves lost his triple here when he failed to get away. Keith Oakes is down in the results as stopping but as you will see from Claire’s report he didn’t. Tony Smith didn’t get this far in his first Land End in his Austin Big 7. The engine went bang crossing Exmoor and he needed a tow from Roger Teagle in his Beetle to reach civilisation at The Culbourne Inn. We also lost Mike Telford in the night when he had to retire the “Tucker Nipper Special”, built by former clerk-of-the-course H. W. Tucker-Peake for his daughters who won a triple with this famous old car.

Riverton – There were big problems for the bikes again this year. A number of riders hit the deck and it took a lot of time for them to remount and get going. Things didn’t improve much when the cars came along and some had to wait very nearly three hours in the queue, which came close to blocking the road. 

After the debacle with the bikes the field became split when Tony Divey got stuck and there were big problems in towing the Tiking three wheeler out of the section. The thinning Dellow ranks were further depleted when Mark Worsfeld broke a half shaft on the section. Then Neil Bray claimed a baulk when he was stuck behind a car with a puncture. It had to be fixed on the hill because the recovery vehicle was down stream of the incident. This took a lot of time as the car kept rolling off the jack.

While all this was going on the lady of the manor from nearby Riverton Mill decided to walk her dog up and down the section, dishing out a verbal assault on passing competitors as she did so, claiming they were hooligans damaging her back garden and that she know nothing about the trial. The delay at Riverton was good for one competitor. Ian Moss had been having problems with his Escort sliding all over the road ever since Stoney Street. The delay gave him time to get underneath, finding a broken U bolt, which he was able to replace with the help of some of his fellow competitors.

Cutliffe Lane – The hill was reasonably dry this year but it is pretty steep and defeated.Simon Robson’s Liege. Likewise most of the class one’s and five’s failed, including Peter Manning and Barrie Parker.

Sutcombe & Darracott – Neither of these wonderful old hills were to cause many problems this year.

Crackington – Not to difficult this year.  It was pretty dry and there had been little or no doctoring. The field was really spread out by now and after the bikes came there were only four cars in an hour, presumably because of the Riverton problems. Dudley Sterry recorded a fail when he over-ran the restart line. This was to cost him The Field Trophy as he was faster than Paul Bartleman on the special tests.

Ross Nuten cleaned the restart here but suffered from fuel feed problems thereafter and finished up failing four hills. Earlier Ross was one of many to get fed up waiting in the queue for Riverton and skipped the section. Andrew Brown had been suffering from engine problems during the night and his Marlin stuttered to a brief halt before Andrew gathered everything together and did a special class 7 restart to “clean” the hill.

Warleggan – Passed without incident.

Hoskin – This fearsome Camel Vale Hill was true to form. The blues and whites had a clear run but only the best built up sufficient momentum to carry themselves up the slippery higher reaches. The problem is in the area of the class 8 re-start. The groove in the ruts is extremely slippery and polished and a lot of momentum is required to get through this area.

The poor old class 8’s really struggled and only the supermen succeeded. I witnessed both Paul Bartleman and Dudley Sterry clean the hill. They stopped way over to the left, one wheel between the ruts and the other up the bank. Some people tried the same technique the other side but the camber drew them back into the ruts and wheel spinning failure. Eric Wall got the technique right but even he slipped back into the groove and spun to a halt. The results also show that Robert Williams (Buggy) and Geoff May (Dellow) also succeeded. Falcons Neil Bray incurred his only fail of the day here and the results show Neil as winning class 8. However, this is a mistake as Dudley was faster on the special tests.

The yellows had a restart lower down. It was easier to get away, but even if you did get going it was necessary to build a lot of speed to get through the difficult area higher up. Few succeeded but some did and Roger Bricknell and Andrew Martin made it look positively easy! Mark Tooth (Beetle) and Mal Allen (Marlin) both trickled away beautifully from the yellow restart, building speed without any wheel spin. Unfortunately, both of them decided to boot it just when they reached the slippery bit, they didn’t have enough momentum to get away with it and spun to a halt.

The Front Wheel Drive Cars didn’t have a restart but this was nerveless a tough hill for them. The amazing David Haizelden just flew up, no wheel spin and the car just floating over the bumps. Paul Allaway made it as well, not so elegant and the poor little Astra was on the rev limiter but still a clean. Mike Collins tried the same but lost traction and failed just after the class 8 restart. Unluckiest crew were Alan and Ian Cundy who got almost, but not quite to the top in their Golf and failed just inches from the section ends board.

Bishops Wood

Again, this had the nasty restart where the section crosses the track. Good positioning was required. Neil Bray was delighted to get away in Primrose after his passenger, daughter Jade, shouted to him to stop high in the box. Following instructions Neil got as far forward as possible. His back wheels were almost on the line but most importantly the front ones were on the flat bit and he pulled away without any problems. Simon passenger son Matt shouted a similar instruction but Dad knew best, Simon stopped low and failed.

Blue Hills 1

There was a restart on the cobbles for all classes except 1, 2 and 5. This caused a lot of problems and even those who succeeded had a struggle. Frankly, the results are a bit doubtful here. Most people really struggled and there appears to be different interpretations of who was clean and who wasn’t. Both Neil Bray and Simon Groves were credited with success, even though its doubtful they maintained forward motion as they climbed over a huge rock! While Simon Robson had a fail when he appeared to be clean.

Blue Hills 2

The section is very short now and it’s all about the artificial bit through the cutting. Unfortunately, the bank on the outside proved to be a launching ramp and a couple of people turned over. These included Anne Whellock (Austin 7), Mark Hayward (Dellow Mk2) and a couple of chairs. Fortunately, there was no serious injury to the crews concerned but the motorcars may take a bit longer to repair. Although Anne’s Austin 7 was quite badly knocked about, she set out to drive it home on the Sunday but was defeated when it started to overheat quite badly and had to summon the recovery truck. Sadly, the preliminary results for the hill looked very strange and the MCC have gone back to the drawing board to re-look at them, which will affect the awards.

Wrap Up

On balance a good Lands End. Yes, there were the problems at Riverton and criticisms of “Mickey Mouse” restarts at Bishops Wood and Blue Hills 1. It was also a shame about the results. However, the Lands End is not an event for pot hunters, its about the experience, the emotional ups and downs as you ride or drive through the night. The children waving as you go through the villages. The satisfaction the next day when you realise what you accomplished. The organisers did a good job and we should all be grateful for their work.

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Chris Clarke’s March Hare

Chris Clarke has driven in several March Hares. This year he won Class One and kindly agreed to write a report on his trial

Is it my imagination, or are Classic trials starting earlier than they did last year? Anyway, we had to leave Bristol at the ungodly hour of 5:00am in order to reach the start on time. At this point it was snowing heavily and as we climbed through the Cotswolds, it got thicker and started to settle on the road, making both driving and the prospect of changing to the “trials” wheels & tyres when we arrived distinctly interesting. However by the time we passed Oxford it had stopped and we were able to complete our pre-event swap in dry and relatively warm conditions. As always the truck stop provided an excellent breakfast and we set of at 08:36 well fortified for the rigours ahead.

The first couple of sections could be tricky, with some deep ruts and in these circumstances, I think the FWD cars have an advantage because they tend to go where the wheels are pointing – although this still depends on the driver pointing them the right way in the first place. Anyway, we got through them without much drama and proceeded to the first special test. 

This looked completely straightforward on paper, but such are classic trials that someone had chosen to liven it up by placing “gate B” at the top of a steep grassy slope, at about the altitude of an Everest base camp. However we were encouraged by Martin Halliday’s very tidy and successful drive in the Fiat Panda and set off full of hope only to run out of grunt about ¾ of the way up the slope. It would have been possible to take the corner at the bottom faster and maybe that would have done the trick, or maybe the slope of the hill would have carried you to far from the correct course to succeed, or maybe…… 

Two sections had been set out at Eddlesborough, the first being an interesting series of ups & downs, with a tight corner between each. Regular readers of these articles will recall that last year we lost an argument with a tree here, so we felt we were justified in being prudent, but of course we eventually lost momentum and stopped frustratingly short of clearing the last steep climb. 

This year the organisers had assembled the Brickhills trials construction set slightly differently. The first section seemed to go on for ever but never got tight enough to seriously trouble the Golf, or the navigator, unlike the second, where we go to the top of one rise; became totally disoriented and by the time we had worked out the correct route managed to demolish a marker. Unfortunately, we started the post section analysis before we had got through the gully after the finish, made a complete hash of it and nearly buried the car at the bottom. 

We like to support local vendors and my only criticism of the final instructions (and this concerns food, so is serious) was that it was not clear enough that there would be refreshments available at the lunch stop. Unaware of this, we had made our own arrangements, and despite the inviting cooking smells, we knew that to return home with our better halves lovingly crafted sandwiches uneaten was asking for trouble, so we had to miss out on that one. 

The special test at Ivinghoe was the scene of a classic farce last year as we recorded what must be the “longest test time whilst avoiding a fail” on record. This year we were forewarned, as the car in front passed “line B” and then spun round and nearly through the hedge. This bought a memorable understatement from the marshal that it was “a bit tricky over there”. Onto the section where we had the pleasure of watching the Trojans attempt it, they are wonderful vehicles from a different age. We were pleased to get as far as we did on the steep bit at the start of the section, but again stopped frustratingly close to the summit. 

The last three sections were in the same wooded area used at the end of last years event and my crib sheet noted that, on that occasion, we were successful on both. I don’t know whether keeping records of this sort can invoke the “Murray Walker” factor but this year was a completely different story. On the first, we slipped sideways at one point and were trapped by a small but deadly tree root. The second was better, but, continuing the day’s pattern, we lost control and demolished the very last marker. It’s always been my belief that, if you re going to fail, it’s best to do so in a spectacular and memorable fashion, and the last section provided a good example as we chose to hit a tree right in front of the photographer. My apologies to the official who had chosen to stand in a perfectly sensible location that no-one could reasonably threaten, but even with a lower ratio gearbox, it’s hard to keep the Golf’s momentum without seriously theatrical arm twirling and eventually we just ran out of room. 

Our thanks to the officials and marshals, who worked very hard throughout the day (some seemed to be in three places at once and most had to reassemble some route markers damaged by car no 3) and had again put in a lot of effort to create the instructions, negotiate the use of land and all the 1001 other things that must be done for an event of this sort. Once again the March Hare provided an enjoyable and varied days classic trialling.

We have been publishing stuff about Classic Trials on the Web since 1995 and always appreciate feedback. Comments, Corrections, Criticism & Concerns are all welcome. You can leave a comment to have your say here on this web site or our Social Media

March Hare Trial

Duncan’s day

Duncan Welch won Falcon’s March Hare Trial dropping six marks, the same as Thomas Aldrian in his Austin 7 Special.

March Hare Winners Duncan Welch and Phillip Strickland
2006_march_hare_resultsDownload

Dave Cooks Photos

Twenty Four Crews lined up at The Watling Street Café, just of Junction nine of the M1, on 13th March. There had been 27 entries James Diffey had broken his glorious Bresica Bugatti and two of the Lieges non-started including Stephen Kenny who had a bad boot of flu and didn’t relish the long journey down from Lancashire.

It was dry again this year so there was plenty of grip. The challenge was the rutted area at the top where the lower slung cars needed to be cautious in the interest of their under sides. Ted Holloway was the only failure when he got his rear engined Mini Special sideways and wedged across the track.

No problems here and everyone went clean.

Once again the challenge of Water Tower was the muddy ruts at the bottom which were avoided by most people and again everyone went clean.

Next came a special test at Kensworth. Duncan Welch set fastest time. This was to be very important at the end of the trial as it was to decide the event.

Dry conditions meant the sections could use the full extent of Edlesborough which is not possible when it is wet. The first section explored the ups and downs through the trees at the back of the hummock with a tricky restart for classes 7 and 8. This caught out both Fred Gregory and Roger Dudley who were to battle for 2nd in class 7 all day.

The second section utilised the steep bank at the far end before going up one of the tracks through the trees, back down again before a restart and going on through the trees. The Front Wheel Drives and the Trojans had problems with the bank at the start. Thomas Aldrian stormed up in his little Austin 7 and most of the others made it OK as well, vindicating the organisers decision to re-use this route after many years. In the Class 7 battle Fred Gregory got away from the restart, but Roger Dudley failed and so did Richard Irvine in his newly completed Liege.

John Parsons had problems setting out the Brickhill sections as the ground was still cut up from the 4 x 4 boys. Both were easily on for most of the entry provided they didn’t understeer off on the tight sandy turns.

The early numbers were able to watch the action by the later numbers as this was also the lunch break. Unfortunately there were a couple of retirements here. Christopher Jones didn’t continue with his Wolesley Hornet and Keith Pettit retired with clutch problems.

Ivinghoe setup the leadership race for the second part of the trial as a number of clean sheets went by the wayside and only Jim Mountain (Dellow Mk1), John Groves (Escort) and Thomas Aldrian (Austin Seven) remained on zero.  The section was preceded by a special test and Jim Mountain presented his credentials for a win by setting the fastest time both on this one and for the two together so if he remained clean the win would be his.

Unfortunately Clerk of the Course Arnold Lane had to call off the new Ostrich Hill as the Ostrich’s were on heat! Nearby the established Hawridge Lane was there to trap the unwary. Ted Holloway failed the restart and so did roger Dudley, dropping him behind Keith Oakes and Fred Gregory in the Class 7 battle.

The lower reaches of Beetle Drive followed the route of last years Falcon’s Folly, on reaching the cross track though it continued up into the trees up a new bank discovered by Verdun Webley during the January working party and cleared with his chain saw by Mike Pearson. The bank itself was covered with leaf-mould and 7’s and 8’s had a restart just before to slow them down. Car after car failed the bank and it looked impossible until Duncan Welch came along and stormed up. This put him in an equal lead of the trial as Jim Mountain, John Groves and Thomas Aldrian all failed here.

The second section in Binghams Wood was changed only slightly from last year, complete with a tricky 7 and 8 restart on a tree root. Higher up there was a new deviation for 3 to 8 and they also had another restart right up at the summit. It was the restart on the tree root that was to prove difficult. The four leaders all succeeded and so did a delighted Fred Gregory, Peter Crawford, Roger Dudley and Keith Oakes. For the others it was curses, tyre smoke and a deeper hole for next year!

The lower reaches of the final section started by going up the bank that it went down last year. Crossing the track it then wound up a new track, created with Mike Pearson’s chain saw, sharp left and then exited alongside a disused compound. The left hander was very tight and there was an “impossible” restart here for class 8.

The left hander proved a real challenge. It was possible though and was cleaned by a varied selection of cars, starting with Steve Potter’s Trojan then Roger Dudley, Keith Oakes and Thomas Aldrian. John Groves failed to get round so there were now three cars tying for the lead on six. Along came Jim Mountain who like all the preceding class 8’s couldn’t get away from the restart. So it looked as if overall victory would go to an Austin Seven. The problem was that Duncan Welch hadn’t read the script, stopped on the line and just pulled away, turned the corner and went on to clean the hill.

This stunning performance put him in a joint lead of the trial with Thomas Aldrian on 6 marks, so it would be down to the special tests.

Back at the A5 truck stop the computerised results showed that Duncan was fasted on the special tests and won overall. Jim Mountain won class 8 for the second year. Keith Oakes won class 7, with Roger Dudley just pipping Fred Gregory for second place.

Looking Back

This was a very exciting March Hare with tremendous drama during the second half and the result decided on the last hill. Particular mention must go to Verdun Webley who assembled more than 50 marshals on the day; To Mike Pearson who worked very hard to create the new sections in Binghams Wood only to be to ill to participate on the day; To The local Herts VW Club who provided a marshalling team at Brickhill.  Thanks guys.

Overall WinnerDuncan Welch (Austin Healey SS))6
 Best FalconRoger Dudley (Marlin)
 Class Winners
 0Martin Halliday (Fiat Panda)29
 1Chris Clarke (VW Golf)32
 2Thomas Aldrian (Austin 7)6
 3John Groves (Escort)17
 5Peter Manning (MG Midget)18
 7Keith Oakes (Dutton Phaeton)12
 8Jim Mountain (Dellow Mk 1)12

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Cotswold Clouds 2006

Ian’s Imperious Imp

Local man Ian Moss won a closely fought Cotswold Clouds on special test times, tying on three with Andrew Martin and Bill Bennet Behind came Dave Haizelden, Simon Groves and Bryan Phipps all on four. The class 8’s were well out of things with their tough start line on Highwood 2. To many the moral victor was Kelly Thomas who cleaned all the hills but failed to complete the second special test properly.

2006_cotswold_clouds_resultsDownload

Stroud’s long running Cotswold Clouds rejoined the ACTC championship this year and was well and truly over-subscribed. Some of the reserves came to the start but were turned away, notably Harvey Waters who spent the day spectating after his long journey up from Cornwall. 

The route followed a well-trodden path, via a nice easy Crawley Wood, through Dursley to Crooked Mustard, or Breakhart as it was once appropriately known. The dry conditions meant there was plenty of grip and it wasn’t until Roland Panes came along at number 10 that the usual big crowd of spectators saw their first failure. 

As Andrew Brown said last year the hill is more a triumph of engineering over driving for the nimbler class eights with their high power to weight ratios and ability to chop and change direction at will. For the rest it was very important to get the line right as there is a big step on the inside off the final right-hander. For any except the class eights going that way meant certain failure. Even if you did avoid the step Crooked Mustard still demands a good power to weight ratio and Giles Greenslade was the only Beetle to go clean. In class four both Ian Moss and Bill Rosten mastered the conditions. The question was would the fragile Imps hang together? In class one the amazing Dave Haizelden humbled many “more suitable” cars as he flew up in his VW Golf. 

There was plenty of entertainment for the spectators. Harry Butcher was definitely the star of the show, getting near to vertical as he “wall of deathed” around the left hander, losing speed and nearly toppling over as he tried to repeat the performance on the following right hander, oh so nearly stopping before getting it all back together and clearing the section. 

Some of the Escorts were spectacular, throwing themselves at the section but with very little control, getting a bad line and failing in the process. Well done to Richard Hayward, Kelly Thomas, Tristan White and Simon Groves for using their brains, driving fast but smoothly, taking a good line and going clean. 

A rather dry Axe didn’t present any problems but Nailsworth Ladder certainly did. The lower classes were allowed to blast straight through so the step didn’t present any problems, apart from Stuart Deacon who broke a half-shaft, couldn’t get the end out and ended up having to change the diff, missing a couple of sections in the process.

The yellows and reds had a restart right on the step. Giles was the only big Beetle to get away and two thirds of the sevens and eights failed. Amongst the Falcon contingent Ian Davis was the only one to succeed as neither Geoff Hodge, Keith Oakes or Peter Mountain succeeded. Talking of Peter it was nice to see Mike Young, the builder of Martin Allen’s Racecorp, in the passengers seat. 

At Ham Mill the deviation was used again, with a cunningly positioned restart, right on a sharp corner where the ruts dragged the inside wheel up against a bank. This caught out even the experienced Simon Woodhall and Adrian Dommett amongst others. 

After a dry wicked Juniper came Freds Folly with another restart to catch the unwary yellows and reds. 

Merves Swerve attracted the usual hoard of spectators and with differential start lines and restarts presented a real challenge. Just getting to the restarts was a problem. As ever the start lines were such cars couldn’t really get a run at the hill. If they got away from the start OK non restarters could throw their machinery at the steep bank, leaping in the air and hoping to regain some sort of control on landing. It was all very hairy. Passengers had to hang on for dear life and Sara hit her head very hard in the back Simon Groves Escort. 

It was here some of the class 8 challengers fell by the wayside. They had a very tough re-start, positioned right on the bank and Paul Bartleman and Ian Davis lost their clean sheet. Eric Wall may have failed Nailsworth Ladder but here he was master of intelligent positioning. Stopping his Mk1 Dellow well over to the left, minimising the rise up the bank and pulling away without any wheel spin. 

The Highwood complex lay just up the road. There were two sections and two special tests and this is where the trial would be decided. The fearsome Highwood Two was where it all happened. All but one competitor lost their clean sheet. Only Kelly Thomas came out of the top to go into the overall lead of the trial. Simon Woodall was the only car to come close, dropping one in his buggy now repaired after its Clee Hills engine problems., with his Clee Hills enging problems repaired. 

Kellys lead was to be short lived as tragedy befell her on the second special test where she stalled, couldn’t restart and had to be pushed over the line, incurring a penalty of six marks and costing her overall victory. This put Ian Moss, Andrew Martin and Bill Bennet into a joint lead, all on three marks with Dave Haizelden, Simon Groves and Bryan Phipps just behind on four. It ended this way as they all cleaned an easy Climperwell and the tricky Bulls Bank restarts. It all came down to special tests times and victory went to Ian by less than a second. Kelly’s problems pushed her down into 3rd place in class three. Class honours going to Simon Groves, making a hat trick of ACTC wins for the hard charging Ely driver.

Overall WinnerIan Moss (Imp)3
 Best StroudAndrew Martin (Dutton Melos)3
 Class Winners
 1Dave Haizelden (VW Gold GTi)4
 2Bill Bennett (MG J2)3
 3Simon Groves (Escort)4
 4Bill Rosten (Imp)16
 5Stuart Roach (HRG)12
 6Giles Greenslade (VW Beetle)11
 7Bryan Phipps (Marlin)4
 8Adrian Marfell (Buggy)7

We have been publishing stuff about Classic Trials on the Web since 1995 and always appreciate feedback. Comments, Corrections, Criticism & Concerns are all welcome. You can leave a comment to have your say here on this web site or our Social Media