Category: Lands End

It had been very dry in the West Country prior to the Lands End. In fact it was reckoned to be some five weeks since it rained. As a result there was a lot of dust about and some of the sections were pretty rough. 

The start had been bought forward as part of the organiser’s efforts to get the event to finish at an earlier time and all the Popham starters left in daylight. Clive Booth didn’t join them as he decided not to start after a horrible vibration on the way down from Hatfield. Closer investigation revealed that the pivot bearing on the rear A frame was completely worn away, allowing the axle to move about, so Clive decided not to start, taking the Dellow Rep home to pick up the daily driver and head back West to spectate on Beggars, Crackington and Blue Hills. Clive had better luck than Peter Mountain who didn’t even make the start in his newly re-built Dellow! 

There was plenty of room at the North Petherton grouping control, where the Liege’s were all parked together, including the “old number one” machine of Peter Davis, loaned to MCC Committee man Alan Foster for the occasion. It didn’t quite have the grunt of the Foster Morgan +8, especially as the promised blower didn’t materialise and the two SU’s weren’t in the greatest tune! 

The approach road to Felon’s Oak was very dusty, a sign of things to come. There was plenty of grip, and the section wasn’t on the doctoring list, so it didn’t present to many problems. The road to Minehead wasn’t an easy one for John Parsons as the steering started to go a “bit funny” on the corners. By the time the Buggy got to Minehead it was almost un-drivable and there was a horrible noise coming from somewhere at the back. Leaving the town JP pulled into the nearest lay-by, got the jack out, and soon found that one of the inner rear wheel bearings had completely disintegrated. There was no way this could be repaired so John and Dot limped back to Minehead and were on a recovery truck back to Stoke Hammond by 4am. 

Stoney Street was very rough in the dry. It didn’t present to many problems for the cars, but all was not well for one of the crews as Mike Hayward had started to feel really poorly. Michael Leete found a convenient lay-by to stop for a while and they continued, but Mike felt worse and worse and the Beetle turned for home when the route crossed the A361, but not before failing the Beggars re-start when Michael stopped far to low in the box. 

There was a holding control at The Culbone Inn where there was some frantic work amongst the Liege community, with various clutches being adjusted. Simon Robson had to get his handbrake working before Beggars after having to hold the car on the clutch at Felon’s Oak. Simon wasn’t the only one grovelling under the car trying to fix his hand-brake in the dark as he was soon joined by Andrew Brown whose had given up on the Stoney Street startline but unlike Simon he couldn’t get his fixed and had to do the rest of his re-starts “on-the-clutch”. 

Beggars was pretty rough in the dry, with a lot of loose rocks, especially in the re-start area. Colin Perryman got a pucture here but still got away OK and went on to claim a gold. Ross Nuten was in trouble as his Dellow was using-up more brake fluid than petrol. Verdun Webley donated a litre can but this was soon used up and Ross became yet another Falcon turning for home for an early bath. 

Daylight was starting to break as the cars arrived at Riverton which didn’t present to many problems for the cars, although some of the bikes found the ruts at the top a bit deep and John Lees got a foot knocked of the peg. Simon Robson was able to dive underneath his Liege again to check the back axle, which had been leaking earlier in the trial. All was well and the crew carried on but began to slip further and further back down the field as they kept stopping to check the car. 

Sutcombe saw the end of Verdun Webley’s Lands End. The axle twisted on it’s mountings, ripping the UJ out of it’s lugs, breaking one of them in the process. Verdun and Mike Pearson dived under the car to assess the damage and it was soon apparent that it wasn’t repairable without new parts. An Easter holiday with the ladies was planned so they had to go on down to Cornwall. Phoning home Dorinda and Frances were just on their way so they diverted to pick up the stranded crew, leaving the Marlin at Sutcombe. Over the weekend Verdun made a tour of the Cornish scrap-yards and managed to find the necessary parts, stopping back at Sutcombe on the way home on Tuesday to fix the car and drive it home.

Up until now Patrick Osbourne had been going well in his nicely prepared Skoda, complete with children asleep in the back! Unfortunately the clutch suffered a bit on the Sutcombe re-start. They continued but there was another re-start to come at Darrcott and this finished the clutch completely. They managed to limp out of the section and telephoned Britannia Rescue to take them down to St Ives for their family holiday. 

Crackington had been doctored as usual, but only the class eights had to re-start. It wasn’t a formality though and Dave Nash and Neil Bray spun to a stop in the doctored bit. Team Liege had some problems here when Chris Sewell sputtered to a halt. The fuel tank outlet had fractured, but they continued with the bouncer holding things together by hand until they found a shop that sold super-glue and fixed everything back together! 

Class Eight competitors arrived at the foot of Treworld to be greeted by a friendly marshal asking them if they had read their route card! Closer examination revealed that only the yellows had to stop here, so the class eights were able to blast up without any difficulty, although at the expense of a ruined rear tyre for Dudley Sterry. 

Warleggan wasn’t too much of a problem, and neither was Hoskin, where the yellows had a much easier re-start than usual and were able to blast up. There were quite a few clean sheets when the cars arrived at Bishops Wood but this was to change on the Yellow and Red re-start. Like last year it was on the steep bank after crossing the track, but this time it was right on the steep slope, positioned so that even if cars stopped just in the box the rear wheels were still on a steep slope, which seemed to have experienced an extremely local shower of rain! This was where the MCC slimmed out the Triple list and only the real Supermen retained their clean sheets. For the record the following are now allowed to call themselves Clarke Kent :- Dudley Sterry, Tony Young, Eric Wall, Tim Whellock, Roger Bricknell and Tommy Kalber.

Action on Bluehills 2 by John Salter & John Lees

The route wound it’s way towards the coast, an ever-increasing dust cloud announcing the approach to Bluehills. No problem on “One” but “Two” was a different issue. There was an enormous amount of loose dust, rock and stone on the re-start area making it very difficult for the restarters to get away. Even if they did their problems were not over as the spinning wheels threw up huge clouds of dust that the tail wind blew past the cars so the drivers couldn’t see the corners at the top properly! 

In consequence the banks relieved a fair amount of bashing, and early runners Mike Relf (Opel Manta) and John Bennett in the immaculate class 4 Renault, did quite a bit of damage to their cars. Clive Booth was spectating here and thought the Liege’s went really well, being nimble enough to negotiate the deviation with ease. Dave Nash and Neil Bray weren’t so lucky and were unable to get away on the restart. As the cars went through so much of the loose material was blown away, but then they started to dig holes, and by the time Dave Haizelden came through as the last car it looked as though the section had been cluster bombed! 

With the dry weather and the earlier start time the event finished pretty much on time and competitors were able to “enjoy” the delights of their Newquay Hotel! Or not as the case may be as both Dave Nash/Neil Bray and Simon/Matt Robson were so disgusted by theirs they refused to stay there. Dave drove home and Simon managed to take over Brian Osbourne’s room as the MGB had broken it’s back axle. Popular opinion is that the trial itself was enjoyable and well organised. All it needs next year is some rain in the weeks before the event and to move the finish back further West!

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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

Gordano Services Bristol had the honour of seeing the first competitors away, and by far the majority wanted to start from here. Nobody really wants to arrive at Penzance nine o’clock Saturday night! As usual, there were dramas at the start, or before it in Alan Bellamy’s case. First, the oil pressure light stubbornly refused to go out on his Brasilia’s re-vamped dry sumped motor. Then the engine started to cut out with a re-occurrence of last years fuel supply problems and Alan decided to give the event a miss. He still came along to the Bristol start though, to wish his buddies well.

Fellow Falcon Verdun Webley got to the start but the B series motor in his Marlin wasn’t running properly and Neil Bray dived under the bonnet for the first of many carburettor adjustments. While all this was going on a breathless, Simon Robson arrived, but in his familiar Skoda rather than the Leige he was entered in. Simon had made a super-human effort to get the lightweight class 8 machine finished and through the SVA bureaucracy. He thought everything was ready on the afternoon of the start, but a quick run up the road revealed the back axle was up-the-shoot, so it was back to the Skoda.

Verdun wasn’t the only one with a sick Marlin. Pete and Carlie Hart’s clutch was all spongy and getting worse. Fortunately help was at hand and with John Salter’s help they managed to get it sorted out before the off.

The early runners managed to get to the holding control at Haynes Motor Museum in the dry, but later numbers weren’t so lucky and the heavens opened, so they were grateful that they weren’t locked out this time! Sugg Lane provided the usual warm up and a bit of a delay when Verdun’s Marlin refused to start at the head of the queue. There was plenty of grip here, the rain washing away any mud that was around. Remember last year when a new age traveller commune flanked the exit road? Not this time, as the farmer had constructed massive earth banks to flank the track, so there was no possibility to pull off the road!

Felon’s Oak was the only other section before a very soggy break at Minehead Rugby club, which had about an inch of water on the floor and seems to get seedier every year. The descent down the rough track just before Minehead caused problems for Derek Reynolds and Fred Mills, when the radiator on their venerable Volvo parted company with the engine, but the resourceful crew fixed things with a wire coat hanger. At Minehead competitors learned, that Stoney Street was cancelled. There had been an accident when the chief official and his wife drove their 4×4 off the track and over the steep drop to the left while setting up the section and had to be taken to hospital with some nasty injuries.

The route diverted by the foot of the section and through the winding lanes that by-pass Porlock where car competitors saw David Northover’s abandoned Yamaha leaning forlornly against a tree. John Lee’s was another biker to retire here when water got into his magneto, so it’s no triple for John this year.

Soon it was Beggars. A bit easy in recent years but not this time. Later numbers were warned by all the broken machinery, either being repaired or awaiting recovery. Some reckoned that the best part of a dozen car competitors broke their diffs or transmissions. Alan Selwood was one of the first, his standard Ford diff broke on his Escort and he set to in the forecourt of the garage at the foot of the hill to change it for one of the two spares he was carrying. Mike Hayward, who was just crawling off the re-start when his diff let go with a resounding, crack soon joined him. Neil Bray had stopped too high in the box, and failed, so he was able to tow the stricken class 7 Escort to the garage forecourt and help fit the spare Mike was carrying. Neil Plumridge, had also broken his Ford diff and soon joined them, but there was no changing it by the roadside as it was installed in the transaxle of an Imp! Likewise, it was a recovery job for Philip Mitchell who had felt the rear of his Skoda locking on corners ever since Felons Oak and the diff finally cried enough on Beggars. This is not Phillip’s lucky hill as he was excluded here last year for doing his tyres in the wrong place. At least he didn’t get caught this time, despite John West “lurking in the bushes” as one rather un-kind web community member put it!

The Beggars re-start area was certainly taking its toll. It seemed a lot rougher than recent years, all rough solid rock rather than the usual loose stuff. It certainly caught out David Alderson, running in convoy with Lee Dove, and Troll creator Peter James. The rain was coming down pretty steadily and the team were all pretty wet and cold. Lee and Peter jumped out, let their tyres down and stormed up. David stayed put behind the wheel, suffering a bit from cramp, caused by hours imprisoned in the tiny cockpit. He stormed off the line OK, stopped in the re-start box and there he stayed, the tyres finding no grip at all at 18psi. Verdun Webley lost revs on his Marlin and failed, but the Web Community Marlins of Pete Hart and Mal Allen made storming climbs, as did John Salter in his Vincent. Tony Branson wasn’t so lucky in his A series Marlin which didn’t have the horses to burn it’s way of the re-start line. Nick Wollett was giving his Dellow it’s MCC debut and failed when the clutch went on strike. He summoned the RAC to recover him, but they actually got the car going, and Nick was able to carry on for a finish.

The sun came out on the long 50-mile road run to Sutcombe. Dudley Sterry for one was glad of that, as he had been having problems during the night with his dynamo not charging below 3000 rpm. Dudley was a bit peeved, as he had only just fitted a new one. Dudley wasn’t the only one getting a bit fed up with Joe Lucas as Stuart Harrold’s brand new starter motor had gone on the blink. Stuart and Chris Phillips were relying on push starts and running only eight cars from the back were praying there would be always someone there to give them a shove.

Sutcombe was it’s usual picturesque self and was another hill with one of the fashionable “safety stop” lines at the summit. Poor Mike Hayward didn’t see it and carried on, to get a right rollicking from the chief official. Brian Osbourne broke the prop shaft on his venerable MGB at Darracott, causing a delay whilst it was recovered from the lower reaches of the hill.

Cutliffe Lane was next on the agenda. This is one of the Lands End’s tougher hills, a combination of gradient, roughness and mud conspiring to bring competitors to a halt. The rain had washed much of the mud away but this is a tough hill and there were a lot of failures, especially amongst the later numbers and Neil Bray was very disappointed to fail, especially when he found that Simon Robson had got his Skoda to the summit. Inertia was the order of the day in order to get over the rough bits half way up, the type of hill that made John Salter glad he had fitted a Fack diff in his Vincent! RAC PCT champion Barrie Parker was spectating here to see David Haizeldens impressive clean in his Golf.

Most competitors enjoyed the special test at Bude and put their trotter down to provide a show for the spectators. It was a good job you couldn’t get a “fail” as there were quite a few distinguished wrong courses, including John Salter, Allen organiser Pete Hart and Tony Branson who was also suffering from tight steering as the column bolt was catching something. Derek Reynolds had a good run in his Volvo, but at the expense of the transmission and they had no reverse gear for the remainder of the trial. They retired later with a smell of burning rubber from the their Variomatic transmission.

Crackington came and went without any drama. It was pretty tame as there was little or no doctoring, so it was a bit of a non-event, apart from it’s usual quota of punctures. If Crackington is getting easier, Treworld is getting harder. It doesn’t look any different, but it’s one of those sections that is all about the re-start and I guess that as the years go by the holes get imperceptibly deeper!

There was a hard to find diff test at the cattle market stop before the long run down the A30 to Hoskin, buried deep in the Cardinham Woods. This was the hill that sorted the men from the boys. David Thompson was clean up to now in his VW Buggy and didn’t loose his clean sheet here. Passenger Mike Pearson reported David just “let out the clutch and drove away from the re-start” and spectators said it was a similar storey when Dudley Sterry came along.

The whites and blues didn’t have to re-start but it was still a tough hill for them. Neil Bray couldn’t get his Skoda to the summit but Simon Robson proved it could be done and was still clean in yet another final outing for his Czech wonder machine! Simon and Matt were still running with Gari Jones but they had lost Peter Davis. The hastily prepared Leige had a series of problems and Peter finally gave up when the diffs lifeblood started bleeding all over the A30 and couldn’t be repaired.

Hoskin was John Salter’s Waterloo when he couldn’t re-start his Vincent but the spectators reckoned he gave up too soon. Mal Allen was successful in his Marlin. Mal and Donny were still clean and were to go on to get gold. Pete Hart saw Mal’s climb and reckoned he got it just right, trickling off the re-start without any wheel-spin and slowly increasing the revs as they built their speed. Pete broke traction and stalled when he backed-off. Tony Branson managed to creep off the line but used too much throttle to soon, lost adhesion and that was that. Stuart Harrold and Chris Phillips had to work hard in their Troll but made it OK to remain clean, but some of the other Troll’s weren’t so successful. Lee Dove trickled up but David Alderson blasted it and despite an incredible effort from Emma, and around four gear changes from David, he only managed to move a couple of car lengths.

Back on the A30 competitors were starting to get heavy eyed as they headed south-west into the sun on their way to Bluehills, where the MCC road gang had been hard at work since last year. It was difficult to see what they had done to Bluehills 1, perhaps nothing at all, but with tired eyes and a numb brain, after having been on the go for so long, it claimed a fair crop of failures. Tony Branson saw Jonathan Toulmin having a lot of trouble on the cobbles and went hell for leather around the hairpin. He crested the hump back onto the road in fine style before under-steering straight into the bank, bending the front suspension and nearly ripping off the front tie bar mounting. Verdun Webley wasn’t any luckier in his Marlin when the diff broke asunder. Verun had a spare but, having lost so much time helping Mike Hayward change his diff earlier, he had to retire.

There had been more changes to Bluehills 2. The chicane had been removed, but a lot of earth working had made the re-start area much steeper. Then the track through the gully had been narrowed and the corner made sharper. This was to catch out quite a few people, and damage a lot of cars, as it was necessary to tackle the steep narrow gully on full power and the hard walls were very un-forgiving if anything went wrong. David Heale and Simon Robson both did a lot of damage to the front of their cars when they hit the bank. At least they could keep going. Peter James went flying into the air when he hit the right hand bank and snapped a lower wishbone on landing. Neil Bray was another to go flying in the air, but his Skoda miraculously stayed in on piece on landing and he went on to clean the hill.

The end of the trial was near for the remaining wreckage. Trungle Mill was a nice easy section, a very welcome diversion after the recent excitement. Also welcome was the special test at Flambards. A simple, out and back affair over a spoil heap in a bus depot car park. This was also used as a holding control for Flambards as the section started just off quite a busy road. This is a good final hill for the Lands End, pretty straight, slippy and a fair gradient. It isn’t a formality though and can catch the un-wary as poor Neil Bray was to discover.

There just remained the run-in to the finish at Penzance, with a special test in the little car park just outside the pub. This was popular, despite being very tight and un-forgiving, with walls and railings waiting to trap the un-wary. Both the test and the pub had a nice intimate atmosphere and most competitors put on a good show for the spectators. Overall, most competitors voted this as a good Lands End Trial. The god of the weather was on the clubs side, there were no major delays and the finish arrangements were voted a major success.

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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

As usual there was plenty of Falcon support, with some interesting crew variations. Hazel was driving the MacDonald Beetle again, but with Veronica otherwise engaged; she had to be on her best behaviour as Murray was alongside in the passenger seat.  Mike Hayward was driving his hybrid Escort in its second classic, and first MCC event, with Michael Leete entwining himself around the roll bar in the back. In class one our RAC PCT champion, Matt Clarke, was enjoying his first MCC outing, passengering Ken Payne in his Golf. Ken is the owner of the Golf Nick Pollitt campaigns although I am not sure if this is the same car.

There should have been another debutante, but Verdun Webley non-started when he couldn’t get his Marlin ready in time, discovering the motor had two head gaskets. Closer examination revealed the head was warped quite badly and Verdun wisely decided to delay things until the car was right. Stuart and Andrew Cairney had a nice restful Good Friday, fitting new pistons and rings to their Imp. Firing it up just in time to drive to the start!

Is it imagination or does the Lands End start earlier every year? Anyway, it was still light when most of the Popham starters got away, ideal for the film crew from Merdian Television who were interviewing Geoff and Reg! The revellers were out at Sugg Lane, cheering and waving at the competitors, who were just praying that they wouldn’t throw the beer bottles they were holding. The route instructions for the exit route were very specific. There was to be no stopping until the main road. No fear of that as the track was lined with a new age traveller encampment. You got the feeling they would have the dogs on you for disturbing their beauty sleep.

The holes on Felons Oak are getting deeper and caused quite a bit of trouble on the re-start for a few people, including Neil Bray who had his first puncture and Tony Branson who had come all the way down from Hexham in his 1300 Marlin. Stuart failed as well, after a struggle to stay awake on the long preceding road section. Minehead Rugby Club gave a twenty-minute rest for some but it was all go for Neil Bray as he adjusted Mikes timing. The Escort had lost all its low down power after its pre-event tune-up and Mike was having a real struggle to get it away on the re-starts. 

Stoney Street came and went without drama and Beggars Roost wasn’t too much of a problem as the re-start was on a straight bit. Mike Hayward cleaned the section OK, at the cost of a puncture, but will probably be penalised for rolling back as the handbrake was slipping very badly. As always there are some amusing MCC organisational sub-issues. The road book stated that you had to deflate your tyres on the main road and threatened exclusion if you stopped on the entry track to let them down. The problem was that the main road was lined with parked cars and you had to pull off a long way before to find a space to stop. This meant a long drive on flat tyres and we all know this is a road traffic offence!

The mist came down for the fifty-mile drive over Exmoor to Simonsbath and on to the Hartland peninsula. Sutcombe and Darracott were both up to form. Classic hills in beautiful surroundings but not ones to cost anyone a triple.  That was to change on the third Hartland hill, Cutliffe Lane. This is not too difficult in the dry but it’s a different story in the wet, and for this 78th Lands End wet it was. The section starts on a gentle slope, and then it’s a sharp right hander through a gate. The gradient gets steeper and the hill rises sharply up a gully cut into the side of a wooded slope A combination of things make it difficult. Rocks, mud, gradient, they all contribute. This was a hill for the brave and the super-hero’s. Dudley climbed it of course but things were not so easy for mere mortals. You needed plenty of momentum when you got to the straight bit, which meant maximum speed through the gate. This caused problems for some. Dave Turner got his BMW off the line in fine style only to loose traction. He snicked it into second, the tyres bit and the Beemer under-steered straight into one of the gate posts, uprooting it and leaving the BMW in need of a helping hand from the recovery tractor to pull the body-work of the front wheels. The same gatepost was the downfall of Lee and Dani Dove who gave it a mighty blow with their Troll, leaving them with the task of getting the wreckage all the way back to Perth.

The trial returned to Bude for the first special test. A wiggle woggle around the cones of a deserted car park after a fight to get through the centre of town crowded with Saturday shoppers. David Heale was voted one of the most spectacular, lifting the front wheel of his Escort a foot of the ground before slowing when the passengers clip-board got stuck under the pedals. The lady concerned was Mark Hobb’s wife who complained hadn’t let her finish making a phone call! Near neighbours Stuart and Andrew were in trouble again, wrong slotting and going the wrong way around the final bollard.

The MCC had threatened to cancel Crackington if the locals doctored it too much. They responded by dumping one tractor load of slurry on the upper surface instead of the usual two. It seemed to do the trick and the hill was competitive without being impossible. It was reckoned to be rougher though and took its toll on the Falcon contingent. Geoff Jackson had a half shaft go and although Mike Pearson had a spare it was the wrong sort. He managed to find one out the back of a local garage and get down to Newquay nice and early for dinner. He was joined by Tom Goggin who retired when his clutch wouldn’t disengage.  Punctures were pretty prevalent. Matt Clarke experienced the joys of being winched up a section when Ken Payne’s Golf lost a tyre and Neil Bray had a similar fate. Mike Hayward got out of the top OK, a great achievement, as he had to do a re-start in what is far from the most suitable car. Pumping the tyres up, whilst the other Michael ran back to do some videoing, Mike found a puncture on one of the rears. Unfortunately the remaining spare was flat, leaving Michael to demonstrate his skills as a tyre mechanic before they could continue.

After Treworld competitors were promised an improvement in facilities at the rest halt. Only to find the cold, barren, windy St Kitts had been replaced by a cold, barren, windy, dirty and smelly cattle market, where you would be excluded if you were caught answering a call of nature behind the shed! The usual frenetic activity was taking place in the car park to repair some of the damage wrought by the event so far. Many competitors were repairing tyres and a local entrepreneur was trying to sell instant repair gel. Mike Hayward had found the problem with his flat spare. Mr Colway had moulded a nail in his “new” remould.

Soon the call of the West beckoned and it was onto the A30 down to Hoskin, deep in Cardinham Woods. This is another doctored section, with a mud bath halfway up, complete with yellow and red re-start. Simon Robson made a successful ascent in his Skoda but Neil Bray wasn’t so lucky. A CV joint had been growling away since Minehead and now it let go in a big way. Coasting down to the bottom Neil got Fred Gregory to tow him out of the woods so he could fit the spare. Unfortunately the special tool needed to loosen the screws was at home so Fred kindly nipped into Bude to buy him a new one. By the time he came back David Thompson had stopped and lent Neil his, so he and Marc had one each!   Suitably equipped they managed to fix the Skoda and they were soon on their way back on the A30 towards Bluehills.

The mist had gone by now and the sun was shinning on the spectators that thronged the cliffs at Bluehills. “One” seems to be getting trickier and was catching out quite a few people, including Stuart Cairney and Peter Manning who had to be saved from toppling over as he tried to wall of death his way around the corner at the top. The failures were pulled out by a bunch of marshals tugging on a rope, they included none other than MSA head honcho John Quenby, marshalling at grass roots level. The second Bluehills section had been “improved” by creating an artificial corner just after the start. This certainly spiced things up, especially for the yellow and red re-starters, as the new bit was both rough and steep. It’s sure to attract plenty of comment in Triple! Things looked a bit grim at the beginning as none of the first dozen cars got up. Then along came Mrs MacDonald to show how it should be done. The first person to climb the new hill. Mike Hayward punctured a front tyre on the track linking the two sections and then the long-suffering clutch cried enough. It was just about drivable on the road and Verdun Webley shepherded the two Michael’s to their hotel in Newquay, giving them a friendly tow up the last hill.

The survivors only had a few sections remaining. Trungle Mill was pretty easy but Flambards was quite competitive and provided a sting in the tail for many. There just remained the final special test and signing off at Penzance where there was a major disaster at the finishing hotel. They ran out of beer!

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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

The weather was pretty rough in the week preceding the event, with heavy rain and floods in the Midlands. The West country escaped lightly but the weather forecast threatened snow, and they were right! The bad weather meant that David Alderson couldn’t join the Falcon marshalling team on Crackington, as the river Ouse was threatening to break its banks at Olney. However, we had a strong presence on the hill, adding to Falcons reputation in the trials world.

    Mike and Sheila Furse were first car on the road, starting from Exeter as did Reg Taylor and Bill Rule who planned to make a week of it. Brian Alexander was our other Exeter Starter, but had to retire on the run-in to Sparkford. Brian had fitted a new gearbox since the Exe Valley and had changed the rear oil seal on the engine as a precaution. By the time he got to Taunton on the run-in the oil light was on, the Fiat had busily pumped its life-blood through the new seal, which was either faulty or the wrong size. Brian topped up with oil but, after using two gallons in five miles, had to retire for the fifth event in a row!

    Stuart and Andrew Cairney were non-starters as they couldn’t get their new carburettor set-up finished in time. Ian Davis didn’t start. Neither did Alan Bellamy in the Brasilia after a carburettor fire on the way to the start. Chris Bonnett had fitted new front wheel bearings during the week. However, by the time he got to Popham they were making quite. After soliciting a second opinion from Geoff Jackson he decided to give the event a go.

    The merging control was at the Haynes Motor Museum at Sparkford, where there was time for a coffee and browse around the bookshop. Later Falcons were greeted by Mike Pearson and Verdun Webley, who called in on their way down to Crackington to wish them luck . Simon Robson was unlucky in his quest to find a book on Tempest gearboxes, but was seen leaving with a Haynes manual for a Reliant Kitten under his arm.

    The Jolly Diner caf‚ was the venue for a late supper or early breakfast, depending on your view. Michael/Mike and Simon/Matt arrived in convoy with Neil/Marc. After scruitineering the first two crews went into the caf‚ waited twenty minutes for their meal, ate it, and still no sign of Neil. He was still in the scruitineering bay discussing Skoda’s with Alan Foster! 
Finally he arrived, the contest still undecided after ten rounds!

    Finally it was off into the night to tackle Sugg Lane and Felons Oak. Sugg Lane didn’t present any difficulty despite the usual re-start. But Felons Oak was to prove to much for Tom Goggins diff and it wilted under the strain. Tom just happened to find one amongst his spares in the boot and fixed it, but was to late to carry-on. However, he did go on down to Newquay for the week-end. Stoney Street was not to difficult, but Beggars was to catch a few, including Chris Bonnett and Michael Leete who couldn’t get his Beetle off the re-start, despite his super-low diff.

    Then it was up onto Exmoor to battle through the snow. Mike Furse was trailblazing for the cars and was quite horrified to see some of the tracks from the preceding motorcycles leading into the ditches and hedges that lined the road. Fortunately the riders all seemed to have survived to fight another day. The difficult conditions were a blessing in one way. It’s a fifty mile road section from Beggars to Sutcombe, the longest run on the trial, and normally it’s a battle to stay awake at this time of the morning. No opportunity to loose concentration and nod off this time! Sutcombe was easy enough but the weather was foul and most competitors pressed on rather than stop and socialise over a cup of tea served from one of the back doors up in the village.

    The route then followed the traditional path to Darracott, down the track to what is normally the Hobbs Choice Special Test, but not this year, it was just a geeen lane. There had been warnings of the track being very rough but it was like a motorway compared to the  ACTC trials in Devon! There were no delays at Darracott this time. The last two years have seen massive delays while competitors with broken transmissions have been dragged out. Last year it was Brian Alexander, the year before Simon Robson! The hill itself was pretty straightforward this year, with no particular problems on the restart. It seemed the rain had washed all the mud away.

    If Daracott was easy Cutliffe Lane certainly wasn’t. It was smooth enough but it was pretty slippery and grip was at a premium. Mike Furse and Jonathan Baggott were the first cars, having swapped the “lead” job back an forth so far. Mike gave it everything, but ran out of grip around three quarters of the way up. This was the storey for most of the entry. There were exceptions. Several of the West Country Escorts climbed out the top, including Bricknell Junior in his 1300cc Escort and David Heale with 5psi in the rears of his Estate, with no tubes or bolts. According to David tubes are horrible things, they just get all pinched up! I must confess I’m a bit sketchy about how Reg, Geoff and Clive got on but I believe Geoff got out the top OK. Our Skoda trio all lost their clean sheets here. Peter Mountain in particular had given his Czech wonder no mercy and his passenger, Morgan exponent John Timms, was quite amazed how it stood up to the punishment.

    The Bude Special Test was another one of these car park affairs that you reached after dodging the kamikaze Saturday shoppers. The weather was still awful, so the marshals didn’t exactly have to fight off hordes of spectators, fighting to get the autographs of their Lands End hero’s. This one rated a definite thumbs down. Come back Hobbs Choice, all is forgiven. If Bude was a bore that couldn’t be said for Crackington. Falcon’s approached the famous hill with trepidation, after all they were going to have to strut their stuff in front of their clubmates. It looked easy enough at the bottom, but then it always does. As we know the challenge comes further up when you hit the “doctored” section. Mike Furse came first. The bikes all had problems and he was now running about an hour and a quarter behind schedule. Mike nudged the Racecorp into the re-start box, stopped and let the clutch out. To no avail, the mean green machine took exception to being asked to drive into the morass, and coughed to a stop. By the time Reg came along things were easier, as there were some wheel-tracks through the clagg and he got through OK, and so did Geoff Jackson.

    Peter Mountain gave his Skoda everything but it ran out of grunt and came to a stop. By the time the “New Falconers” came along it had started to rain and believe it or not the hill became easier (according to our marshals). The other two Skoda’s got through OK. Neil with plenty to spare and Simon with a struggle. Michael Leete and Dave Nash both had re-starts. They got away OK but neither built-up enough speed and needed the help of Pete Stafford’s winch to gain the summit. Classes’ one and two had been spared the exertions of Crackington. It didn’t make much difference to Chris Bonnett as his Peugeots wheel bearings finally cried enough at the top of Trewold and he had to retire.

    After Treworld came the obligatory hours wait at the St Kitts concentration camp. I know it’s been said before but does anyone know a colder, more miserable and god forsaken place? Then it was down the A30 to Cardingham Woods for Hoskins, a steep muddy forest track with a doctored section higher up. The Yellows and Reds also had a re-start to spice things up. Mike and Sheila Furse were still path-finding at the head of the field. Their Racecorp was running really well and the only time they opened the bonnet was to give the electric’s a squirt of WD40 before the Treworld ford. They still fell foul of Hoskins and were the first Falcon to register a fail. So did all the rest, bar two notable exceptions. Peter Mountain and Neil Bray. Well-done Skoda boys, no, you didn’t have a re-start but it was still an achievement.

    Then it was another A30 run to reach Bluehills. “One” looked a bit different. The stones on the step back to the road were clear of  mud and very polished and it looked as if the track had been narrowed, or was this an illusion. Falcon competitors had to perform in front of their clubmates again. Mike, Arnold and Verdun had driven down from Crackington and were joined by Martin Shepherd, Stuart and Andrew Cairney and Mike Clarke who were out spectating. Mike Furse and Michael Leete both had problems with “One”. Mike nearly hit the bank and only just got round. Michael went too far to the left and hit a rock, to the detriment of the bodywork. Then he didn’t turn until far too late and couldn’t get round the corner.

    “Two” wasn’t to difficult this year and to the best of my knowledge all the surviving Falcon’s cleaned it OK. The real Bluehills hero’s were definitely the spectators. It was very cold at the top. A viscous wind was blowing a mixture of gravel and hail off the sea and it was extremely unpleasant. So after a few words to spectating Falcons it was off again, to Flambards or Trungle Mill, depending on your class. Trungle Mill didn’t present any problems to the blues and yellows, but Flambards was a different story for the yellows and reds and we had several failures. It rises straight from the road and there wasn’t much space to sort out the tyres at the bottom. Unfortunately the start was on a steep gradient and it was very difficult to build up the necessary speed on the polished stones.

    The final observed section was Robsons Folly. This used to be known as Trescowe Lane but after Simon drowned out in the ford for the second year the marshals have renamed the hill! The others made it OK. However, most people agree that this wind through the trees, without any appreciable gradient, has no place on the Lands End. The trial finished on the promenade at Penzance with a special test. Then it was just a case of a meal and a welcome bed before the drive home the next day. Yes a tough Lands End but a very enjoyable one. Commiseration’s to our non-starters and retirements. Well done to Geoff Jackson, Peter Mountain and Neil Bray who look like getting Silvers.

CRACKINGTON CAPERS

    We had another strong team of marshals on the Lands End, providing most of the man (and woman) power on Crackington. Andrea Lane was taking care of radio communications at the holding control. Fred and Arnold were observing on the hill while Pete, Mike and Verdun were on the winch. Pete had the dirtiest and most tiring job, dragging the cable down through nine inches of clay and kneeling down to connect it up to the towing hook. Verdun was higher up doing the un-hooking while Mike was directing the winch man who was un-sighted.

CONTINUED CRACKINGTON CAPERS

    Our team arrived on the hill before six, greeted by evidence of fresh doctoring. Several loads of wet clay had been dumped on the upper reaches. It had been smoothed over, but was still up to a foot deep in places. The course opening Frontera got stuck and Chief Official Ian Bates even thought of calling the section off, but compromised by moving the re-start down the hill and cancelling it for car classes one and two.

    Our Falconers enjoyed themselves, despite Mike Pearson having a stiff shoulder and Arnold Lane suffering a nasty nose bleed. Many of the Bikers were real maniacs, charging the clag but nearly all coming to a sticky end. Amongst the cars Pete Stafford thought the Escorts were tremendous, their hot motors screaming as they powered through. The super star was naturally Super Dud, seemingly gliding over the top of the crud on his 20 inch wheels with the blower howling. Dennis (our hero) Greenslade made it to the top in fine style, but retired soon after with around 20 degrees of negative camber on one of his wheels.

    Out team definitely had the best hill with lots of action. Nearly all the bikes failed and so did sixty of the cars. They parted tired but happy after nearly ten hours toil. Fred and Pete went home and were in the pub by eight! Mike, Verdun, Andrea and Arnold went to watch the fun at Bluehills and stayed overnight at Newquay.

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