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Haynes Start
Underdown
Jobbles Lane
Wiscombe Special Test
Breakfast Halt
Tillerton
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Wooston Steep
Donkey Trot
Simms
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Slippery Sam
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Chris Northover
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Cold Exeter
Category: Exeter
Exeter 2024 Class 0
It was back to the old format for this year
There was a significant change to last years Class 0 event which pretty much followed the main trial, just missing out some of the rougher hills, although including Slippery Sam!
This year there was little in common with the main trial apart from the special tests, Fingle and Donkey Trot.
There were a couple of new sections. Bovey Warren was in forestry just opposite the Normans Hump/Clinton Complex and was a nice addition. Then after breakfast Butterdon was an easy section near Wooston Steep.
Donkey Trot was the challenge for the cars, only four going clear, but then there were a lot of failures in the main trial who also did the section.
Neil Bray was one of the Donkey Trot clears but failed to position his Escort correctly in the Millen Lane restart box reducing the tin count to three.
Only one of the Class 0 motorcycles finished the trial.
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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
Exeter Trial 2024
Lots of medals but a tough trial for Class Eight
After organisational issues last year the 2024 Exeter was in the safe hands of the genial Pete Batty with Pete Hart as Deputy Clerk of the Course. The team were concerned when a severe storm hit the South West a couple of days before the event, but with a bit of work all was well on the day resulting in a very successful event.
Continue reading “Exeter Trial 2024”What a Wet Exeter
Under Construction
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Smooth Running Exeter Trial
The Night started Dry but the rain set in during the early hours. The organisers were on the ball, made a few on the fly changes and the weather didn’t dampen the competitors spirits
Competitors experienced rain on the way to the start and some even got a taste of heavy snow but that cleared before the start.
Unsurprisingly with the Covid pandemic still raging there were quite a few non starters at Sparkford, there being no multiple start night run this year.
The route started with its familiar route through Yeovil to the Tarmac Section and test at Windwhistle Hill, the only section shared between the main Trial and Class 0.
After Underdown and the Musbury Control the main trial crossed the Seaton tramway tracks and ascended ascended the hill to Gatcombe, a rather innocuous section usually reserved for Class 0.
Next came Hangman’s Stone and Bovey Woods, home of Normans Hump and Clinton, the later in the safe hands of a Falcon Motor Club group led by Keith Oakes.
The teams experienced rain during setup but it was dry when the first competitors arrived. However the rain came back just after four and the section was quite muddy for later numbers.
Continue reading “Smooth Running Exeter Trial”Exeter 2015 Class 0
It was a comparatively straightforward Exeter for Class 0 this year.
21 of the 51 Starters awarded Blue Hills Tin Medals.
- Dave Cooks Exeter Photos
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- Michael’s Trial in Class 0
The weather was kind to competitors on this years Exeter, which started at the Haynes Museum for Class 0. The first competitive section wasn’t very far as it was in the car park where the first observed test was sited. With no class award at stake in Class 0 this shouldn’t have been a problem, but Dellow Register Chairman Nick Woollett lost his Tin here when he was penalised for over running a line.
Continue reading “Exeter 2015 Class 0”Exeter 2015
Time Penalties affect Results
Putting the issue of time penalties to one side this was a well organised trial, a fitting end to Tim’s Whellock and Keeling’s spell as Exeter Trial organisers. The weather was quite nice and the sections kind, apart from Simms that is, which restricted the number of Premier Awards.
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- Full Results
As competitors converged on Haynes Museum after the night run few knew of the incident on the A303 affecting John Wilton’s Trojan. Sadly Johns passenger was very poorly after the accident and at at the time of writing no more news is available.
Continue reading “Exeter 2015”Enigmatic Exeter
Smooth Running Trial, Just the Right Amount of Bite
It had been wet before the event, but was dry on the day, creating ideal conditions. There were some new ideas which worked well, although with some controversy over Run Back penalties on the timed restart. The old favourites were on form. The resurfaced sections at Normans Hump and Simms still took their toll as did a rough Tipley.
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- Exeter Trial on Retrospeed
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- Michael Leetes Exeter
Clerk of the Course Tim Whellock introduced the trial by explaining how he had revised the first part of the route to make the transition down to Bovey Woods more interesting. This started with a Special Test within the Haynes Complex. This went down well, especially with car competitors who had a rare chance to see the motorcyclists in action.
Timed Restart at Windwhistle Hill
A concept not seen for a while. Competitors were stopped on a muddy tarmac road, drove into a restart box then restarted on a light signal and given 10 seconds to clear the section ends board which wasn’t that far away. All should have been well. There were certainly plenty of marshals but the provisional results caused controversy when 25% of the entry were shown with Run Back penalties, including eventual Best in Class 1 award winner James Shallcross.
New Underdown Sections
With Meerhay no longer available it was good to have these new forestry sections near Yarcombe, close to where the A30 joins the A303. Class 0 and the main trial shared the rough downhill approach track. The Class 0 section came first, but proved too difficult for quite a few cars, causing a tailback while they reversed out. Unfortunately this prevented cars in the main trial getting to their section and a big queue built up until the Class 0 section was cancelled. The section proved nowhere near as rough as the entrance track and Bill Bennett (MG J2) was its only notable scalp, although it did prove problematic for quite a few of the Suzuki’s in Class 5
Normans Hump
Back on the agenda after a years absence the area around Normans Hump looked very different after all the logging. The surface of the track had changed as well. It wasn’t as rough and stony but there was a layer of mud to contend with. The restart was limited to Classes 3 and 6, taking its toll of both. In Class 3 only Lester Keat (Avenger) and Neil Bray in his ex Tony Underhill Escort went clear. It was a similar story in Class 6, only three of a sizeable entry reaching the summit with Courtney Yandle (Beetle) and Dean Vowden (VW Notchback) going on for Gold.
Clinton
After an easy run so far Class 8 had to restart on Clinton. Although the logging hadn’t affected the track the restart was still a test for the specials and 50% of them didn’t get away, including Dean Partington, Brian Partridge and all the Dellows apart from Eric Wall.
Waterloo
After last year there had been some improvements to the section and it didn’t have much affect on the results of this years trial. Mind you, there were a few competitors that hadn’t got this far. John Plant’s Golf had lost all its power; Barry Clarke had retired the Grotty Chummy; Tim Smith and Chris Maries were both on their way home after strut problems with their very different Toyotas; Matt & Barry Denny were trying to get back to Popham on the train to collect their trailer and pick up their Fugitive after breaking the diff; Mark Rosten-Edwards had broken his Escorts Gearbox in Bovey Woods; Colin Sumner had fuel feed problems with his Beetle…….
Stretes, Core Hill ST, Bulverton Steep and Breakfast
None of these caused any problems, especially with the restart on Bulverton Steep cancelled, although the trial lost Wheelspin Champion Dean Partington before breakfast.
The Mid Trial break was at Crealey Amusement Park, and most people thought it was a much better venue than Exeter Services. MCC President Jonathan Laver was on hand to talk too as many people as possible. Jonathan had started the event in his MGB but retired when he found a newly fitted axle had far to higher ratio.
Tillerton
Only 7 and 8 had to restart on Tillerton. The section is a bit of a shock to newcomers. It looks horrendously rough over the solid rock. But the rises and falls are not too bad and its possible to get up without risking much damage. The problem was that the rock was pretty greasy and it took a fair toll. Roger Bricknell (Vincent) and Josh Moss (Gregory) both lost their clean sheets on the slippery rock. Other notable Class 8’s to be penalised were Eric and David Wall in their Dellows and Carl Talbot in his Special.
In Class 2 Nigel Hilling lost his clean sheet in his side-valve Ford Anglia but Ben Collings romped up in his wonderful Mercedes although he was to miss the final few hills.
Fingle
Chief Official Jeremy Bennett had moved the section start way down the hill compared to usual. This didn’t have any affect on the results but certainly added to competitors enjoyment.
Wooston Steep
Only Class Eight were allowed to assault the long bank this year. All the others had to turn left before the gradient went up, albeit classes 6 and 7 had to restart.
Only five of the Class 8’s reached their section ends board, including Alex Wheeler in his ex Tony Underhill special with the former owner urging him on from the passenger seat. Alex went on to join Nick Farmer and Mike Chatwin to keep clean sheets amongst the specials.
Simms
After pasties and cake at Ilsington Village hall it was time for Simms. The hill was going to be different as the Torbay lads and the Flay family digger had put in a lot of repair work. This really paid off as they had eliminated the worst of the rough stuff without loosing the hills competitiveness. Experience pays!
It was generally reckoned that conditions became tougher as the day went on and the upper part of the hill became more and more slippery.
Class 1 – James Shallcross made a storming climb, the only FWD to reach section ends. James was one of many to pick up one of the unfortunate RB’s on Underdown and had failed Normans Hump. However, the shape of Class 1 started to change when David Haizelden lost his clean sheet failing Simms.
Class 2 – Nobody got a clean so the hill didn’t count in their results. Unfortunately the many spectators were denied the spectacle of Ben Collings Mercedes as he had driven to the finish after Wooston.
Class 3 – Three of the Front Engined RWD saloons made the climb. No surprises that Lester Keat was one of them in his Avenger, David Millar made it with his Escort but Alan Selwood provided the best spectacle for the many spectators, with flames belching from his BMW Estate.
Class 4 – There was a high success rate here, four of the eight survivors going clean with the best performance put up by Nicola Butcher who stormed up late in the gathering gloom when the hill was very slippery.
Class 5 – Only two cleans amongst the sports cars. Phil Tucker in his TR3A and a stormer by Paul Brooks in his Suzuki X90. Simms wasn’t very kind to Mike Warnes who had the prop shaft yoke break on his TR7. Fortunately Mike was carrying a spare and changed it at the bottom of the hill.
Class 6 – I hope Dean Vowden and Alan Treloar don’t mind but the star performance in this class was Courtney Yandle in his Beetle, cleaning Simms and getting a Gold at 85 years young.
Class 7 – 7 and 8 both had a restart but the three cylinder Suzuki engined Lieges of Julian Lack and Mark Endley were up to the challenge, joined only by Nick Gibb’s Marlin
Class 8 – The Specials were up to the challenge of the old hill, most of them storming up and it didn’t seem to matter where you were in the running order in this class.
Tipley
The hill was very rough and slippery this year. With a lot of failures the queue at the preceding Lenda Lane control soon built up. The organisers took the unusual step of persuading competitors who were not on for a medal to miss the hill so that it didn’t have to be cancelled.
Dave Haizelden probably wished he was amongst them as the suspension on his well prepared Golf broke on one of the rough steps and it took a while to get it out of the section. Dave wasn’t the only failure to have problems getting out and its hard to see how Tipley can remain in the event unless things change.
Slippery Sam
The field was very spread out by the time the cars came to Slippery Sam The hill has become very rough at the top and a big problem is looming here. There was plenty of grip however and it was only Class 7 that had a lot of failures, having to re-start along with the Class 8’s.
The End
With some missing Tipley the survivors all made it to The Trecarn in time for the traditional evening meal. The Windwhistle Hill RB issue hadn’t reared its head at this stage and popular opinion was that it was a good event.
The innovations at the start of the event were very welcome and Underdown was a good find. The last few hills became quite challenging for the later runners and Tipley will need some work if its to stay in the event. The organisers had put a lot of work into the event and its clear why The Exeter is so popular.
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
Action Packed Exeter
Multiple Incidents Didn’t Detract from an Excellent Exeter Trial
The weather was unseasonably mild but it had been very wet the preceding weeks and some of the sections were very sticky and Wooston Steep and Simms were particularly tough. There was no Meerhay this year and Normans Hump was replaced by neighbouring Marilyn because of logging. There were further problems during the event which resulted in several sections having to be cancelled. However, this didn’t seem to detract from a very good trial.
It was a dry, mild night as competitors left their respective starts. Unusually it was the West Country contingent that were first away, from Plusha on the A30, followed by Cirencester and Popham. The last car scheduled to leave Cirencester was Simon Woodall in his familiar VW Buggy. Unfortunately his Triple hopes were dashed as he retired soon after when the Hall Effect unit failed in his distributor and he wasn’t carrying a set of points.
The routes converged at the Haynes museum at Sparkford, although it was hard to recognise the place as its undergoing redevelopment. Scruitineering was very efficient this year, even with the extra job of checking Spill Kits. In a way the facilities for the trial were better than usual with plenty of room to park on the Kart Track and a nice big room for the control and those that wanted a midnight fry-up.
It was the best part of 55 miles to the first section in Bovey Woods, passing both the entrance and exit tracks to Meerhay, which could not be used because of access problems. Things were different in the woods as the loggers had been at work. This meant that Normans Hump was unavailable but fortunately Tim Whellock and his team know this forest very well through organising the Bovey Down Trial, and opened up an adjacent track which they called Marilyn. With loose stones and a similar gradient to Normans Hump this proved challenging, even without the restart for 6, 7 and 8. The unknown section had a significant effect on the results with many failures, including Greg Warren (Escort) and Dennis Greenslade (Mazda MX5). It was climbable though, and despite the steepness and deep ruts both Peter manning (MG Midget) and Steve Potter (Trojan Utility) went clear. Both went on to win gold medals, a significant achievement in a Trojan.
The familiar Clinton lay waiting deeper into the wood. This was unaffected by logging and there was plenty of grip this year. If Clinton had plenty of grip the upper reaches of Waterloo certainly didn’t. It appears that rain during the week had washed mud from the banks onto the track. When people stopped it was a question of a very difficult recovery or a long reverse down to use the escape road, which was also slippery. Unfortunately a very long queue soon built up and Tim Whellock had no alternative but to cancel the section.
Fortunately the next group of sections near Ottery St Mary proved unproblematic and the trial remained pretty much on time at Exeter Services Rest Halt.
It was a fine, bright day as competitors left Exeter for the second half of the trial, soon turning off the A30 to take the windy back roads to Cheriton Bishop and on to Tillerton. The section has become very rough these days, especially in the restart area which proved challenging for classes 7 & 8. When Dudley Sterry fails a re-start it has to be tough! Fingle seemed smoother than last year and attracted the usual spectators, bunched around the first two hairpins. It wasn’t a lucky hill for Mike Warnes who failed with a fuel blockage and decided to retire his TR7.
If Fingle didn’t claim many scalps that couldn’t be said for Wooston Steep which was in fine form for the restarting 7 & 8’s, defeating the majority of them. Then came Simms. The hill started out muddy at the bottom and dry at the top. However, the mud was soon carried up the hill and the huge number of spectators were entertained by car after car either failing at the big step or slowing so much the soon spun to a halt. It was climbable though, and both Phil Tucker (Triumph TR3A) and John White (Class 4 Beetle) showed that if you picked the right line it was on with a relatively low power to weight ratio.
Reversing down the slippery slope proved a problem for many and crews of several cars had heart stopping moments when they slipped sideways. Finally two ended up on their side. For Alan and Matt Bee it was mostly injured pride in their Austin Seven but it was a hospital job for Alan Spencer and John Dando in their Class Eight Parsons Special. The incident made the Daily Mail and it is to hoped there aren’t to many repercussions. Full marks to Alan and Matt for continuing the trial for a Bronze medal.
Simms had to be cancelled and the delays meant some competitors missed Tipley and Slippery Sam. In the latter case because the marshals had gone when they arrived but one or two climbed the section in any case. Slippery Sam was still live when Nick Farmer came along and tore the rear suspension away from the chassis on a rock. Fortunately he was able to ratchet strap things together enough to get to the finish.
So ended an Exeter that was probably a nightmare for the organisers but somehow proved very enjoyable for the competitors, despite all the problems. Perhaps the weather helped but Tim Whellock and his team have got the trial pretty much right and were unfortunate with the happenings on the day. It must have been very difficult to decide what to do with the results and in the end Simms was cancelled and competitors who missed Tipley and/or Slippery Sam were not penalised.
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
2011 Exeter Trial
A Tough Trial with Simms on Form
Although it was a wet night the sections themselves didn’t present to many problems to most competitors. That was to change after breakfast. Both Wooston Steep and Simms cutting the medal count. It was Class 5 that scooped the pool when it came to golds. As none of them went clear on Simms it didn’t count in their results.
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The sections didn’t trouble too many people during the wet night, although Simon Woodall might not agree after being penalised for running back on Clinton. Come the next morning things got tougher and Woosten Steep and Simms combined to reduce the medal count.
As usual classes 7 & 8 had to tackle the full hill at Wooston after a very muddy restart. This made for a difficult challenge, especially for the early numbers and very few made the summit.
Simms was next and the old hill was on form this year and less than 20 cars crested the summit although there were some spectacular attempts and broken machinery. Simon Groves gave a spirited performance before the bottom pulley cried enough and disintegrated, much to the relief of bouncer Tony Underhill who was suffering from all the tyre smoke! Brian Alexander was another who came to grief when the diff failed on his Suzuki X90.
Things were running a bit late when the later numbers got to Slippery Sam and found the marshals had gone. However, the MCC credited them with a clean so it didn’t adversely affect their results.
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
Classical Gas 