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John Kenny was Best Motorcycle on a Tough Trial
With clubs having problems gaining permission to use Forest England land, together with local issues, it took a lot of work by Myke Pocock and his team to get this years Northern Trial off the ground. Even so they were restricted in what was available and a couple of sections had to be used twice.
Continue reading “Dean Partington wins Challenging Northern”Kathy Martin Dominates Motorcycles
Fellside Auto Club arranged for the sun to shine on and around Wigton and Bassenthwaite Lake for their Northern Trial. Kathy Martin travelled up from the South West to dominate and win the Motorcycle category with the only clean sheet.
In the cars Dean Partington and Stuart Bartlett had a day long Class Eight battle and maintained their clean sheets all day, the overall win going to Dean on test times. Continue reading “Balmy day for Northern Trial”
Rare overall win for a Class 2 Car
It looked like a Class 2 win more or less from the start of the event when Bill Bennett was the only car to clean the slippery Telfs Challenge. The overall win slipped away from him when he was penalised on one of the Special Tests and then dropped a nine on the appropriately named Big Cockup! This left the field clear for fellow Class 2 competitor David Read in his Austin Seven who finished his trial with a smooth climb of Sandale.
Nicola Butcher was second overall in her familiar Class 4 Beetle and Mark Smith third in his similar Class Six machine. There were only a couple of retirements. Kieran Bartlett whose clutch failed on his Cannon after only a couple of hills. Hal Branson got a bit further but was troubled by a grumble from his new prop shaft and a gremlin with the Marlins electronic wizardry that prevented the car from idling. Continue reading “Northern Trial”
Charlie Knifton was best car and Tony Whitehead best motorcycle but both were decided on Special Test times
Fellside AC under Clerk of the Course Myke Pocock were able to return to some of the events traditional sections after the forestry work of recent years. There was sufficient dampness to make the sections competitive and the results went down to the wire.
Kathy Martin was leading motorcycle at the foot of the last section, the infamous Sandale. Her nearest rival, Tony Whitehead cleaned it on his KTM but the six Kathy dropped left them both on eight and the trophy went to Tony as he was faster on the Special Tests.
Continue reading “Northern Trial”
Last year Buckler enthuiast Keith Thomas bounced Carl Talbot to a win in his Morris Trialsmaster. He had hoped to do the same this year with Carl in his new Buckler. Unfortunately the car wasn’t ready so Keith went into the forests to lend a hand with the event, notebook and camera in hand.
It was a Wasp one-two at Fellside AC’s Northern Trial on 21 February. Both Dean Partington and Mike Chatwin finished with five marks, victory going to Dean on test times.
As Myke Pocock would say it was a very clarty Northern Trial this year. The rain generated a lot of mud but it didn’t stop this being a low scoring trial with the leading competitors dropping very few marks.
Ride with with Orlando Harrison on Sandale
A proper Northern Trial. Mud, Snow, Good sections and a warm welcome.
Carl Talbot won The Northern Trial on 15th February in his Morris Trialsmaster with a clean sheet. Despite the weather there was more than the usual amount of grip on most of the sections. The event was closely fought between the leading Class Eight contenders. Stuart Bartlett came so close in his ex Adrian Linnecor Datsun Sunny powered Cannon, just failing to get past the one marker on Ullister Hill. Dean Partington dropped nine on the comparatively straightforward “24” which cost him the event as he was fastest on the Special Tests.
Cumbria had escaped the flooding that has bedevilled the south since Christmas. However, there was a lot of rain and high winds in the days leading up to the event and Fellside where forced cancel The Lords Seat in Winlatter Forest when the Forestry Commission condemned the access track because of a fallen tree. There were quite a few non starters and 26 motorcycles and 23 cars gathered at the excellent new start venue in Wigton for efficient and friendly scrutineering and signing on.
Julian Lack didn’t make the journey north. After spending all day rebuilding his Lieges diff the Suzuki Jimney’s gearbox cried enough on the road test.
A couple of people were having problems in the car park. Colin Perryman’s Skoda Rapide had been running perfectly in the week leading up to the event but was now reluctant to run on all four cylinders. Bernie Pugh, one of those behind the new Durham AC Classic Trial, was having problems with his Reliant Rialto and decided not to start. Not a great advert for a car that was on EBay the following day!
The ruts on Carlislegate Lane were tricky
There was no visit to Allhallows Colliery this year so the rutted Carlislegate Lane was the first section, approached by and a nice bit of green-laning which could be a future section. There was a bit of a queue for the hill which gave competitors sight of the depth of the ruts when Hal Branson grounded his Marlin.
Wythop Woods
After a long climb on forest tracks there was the usual long queue for Routens Romp, with views of Bassentwaite Lake through the trees despite the drizzle. Queues here are somewhat inevitable as competitors take well over two minutes to climb the hill, even if they go clear. There was a restart for class eight, which didn’t trouble them, followed by a muddy deviation through the trees for everyone,which wasn’t very Suzuki friendly and none of the X90’s got through the mud.
The lower reaches of Brown’s Challenge looked like a mud bath but there was plenty of grip for those that got their pressures correct. There was a deviation off the track at the end that several didn’t spot and both Charlie Knifton and Fred Mills were penalised one. Clears had to turn at the top and come back down. Michael Leete made a real mess of this and needed a tug from the Land Rover which bent the Beetles steering and drove part of a stump between the rim and tyre. The event lost two of the Yorkshire contingent here when John Bell retired his MG TB. John Rhodes also called it a day when an after market A arm spacer broke on his X90. John and passenger David Toff were able to make a temporary repair and limp home.
After a surprisingly forgiving Little Cock Up competitors exited the Wythop complex via Lothwaite Side where the Yellows and Reds had a rocky restart which caught out most of Class Seven.
Low Burthwaite Side was a nice new section
Fellside came out with a new section on the yellow road after leaving the woods. A narrow rutted track it started muddy and dried out towards top where the gradient became more severe. There were no restarts but it proved quite challenging and only Stuart Bartlett, Charlie Knifton, Carl Talbot and Dean Partington went clear. Colin Perryman didn’t make it this far as he wisely decided to give up the battle with his misfiring Skoda and went spectating for the rest of the day.
Whinlatter Forest
Back on the road the route climbed towards Whinlatter Forest where the temperature dropped and competitors were greeted by snow. The wonderful “Darling How” started proceedings here, another very long section. Its in two parts, separated by a cross track after which its rocky and rough for a while and this caught out some of the less experienced competitors.
After Sheepfold came Ullister Hill . Stuart Bartlett didn’t get past the one marker where the stone surface gives out at the top which left only Carl Talbot (Morris Trialsmaster) and Dean Partington (DP Wasp) with clean sheets. The top of Ullister Hill is very tricky as the ruts give out and its very difficult to stop the front of the car sliding sideways down the hill. This happened to Chris Maries, leaving his X90 precariously poised and it took a very special Land Rover to extricate him safely. Charlie Knifon was having problems with his Scorpion as the alternator had stopped charging so he was hoping to finish before needing to use his lights.
Carl Talbot went into the lead of the trial on the next section, the seemingly innocuous “24”, when Dean Partington got his tyre pressures totally wrong and dropped nine. It is one of these sections that demands total commitment to get around the muddy first corner and Dean was far from the only one to come to a stop on the lower to mid reaches.
Setmurthy Plantation
There was a seven mile road run before the third and last forest complex where there was no snow and Telfs Challenge awaited. This is named after the late Mike Telford whose “Tucker Nipper Special” was being driven on the event by new owner John Hunter.
The first problem here is a steep muddy right hand turn which stopped about half the entry. After this there wasn’t a great deal of gradient but the there was no hard surface under the mud and only four of the class eights went clear.
Next came The Black Hole, a wonderful straight climb through the trees with a restart for class eight. The rain must have washed away the usual mud as there was quite a lot of grip this year and about half the entry reached the summit. This is a hill you have to return back down and this caused a few problems. Mike Chatwin ripped the under guarding from his DP Wasp and Michael Leete had a root impaled between a heat exchanger and the sump guard. The Beetle was well and truly stuck as it wasn’t possible for the recovery Land Rover to get past and pull him up. There was nothing for it but to pull backwards and hope the root would break without causing to much damage. It did and Michael continued with the remains of the offending timber still wedged in place.
After the first special test came Watch Hill. The higher classes had a straight run at Upper Watch Hill while the Blues and Whites had to restart on Lower Watch Hill. Both started in an absolute quagmire and there were an awful lot of 12’s as most people couldn’t get off the start line, much to the amusement of Dave Cook who was photographing there.
Sandale was tame this year
After the second Special test only Sandale remained, with the rain stopped and the sun peaking out. The class 8’s had to restart which didn’t bother most of them and only a handful of the non re starters needed a tow. Perhaps this was fitting for the Northern’s signature hill as it had been a long day battling the conditions as well as the sections.
Back at the finish a nice meal awaited to round off the day, with the organisers having achieved the perfect result, Carl Talbot going clear and everyone else dropping points. The consensus amongst the competitors was that the organisers had got the trial pretty much perfect, a hard act to follow next year.
| Class | Driver/Car | Marks |
| Overall | Carl Talbot (Morris Trials Master) | 0 |
| 0 | Nick Smith (Marlin Roadster) | 33 |
| 1 | Peter Masters (Toyota Starlet) | 101 |
| 2 | Hamish White (Alvis 12/50 5D) | 43 |
| 4 | Michael Leete (VW Beetle) | 12 |
| 5 | David Golightly (Morton & Brett Board Racer) | 22 |
| 7 | Roger Goldthorpe (Liege) | 29 |
| 8 | Stuart Bartlett (Cannon) | 1 |
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Dean Partington won the Northern Trial with the only clean sheet. Fellow DP Wasp driver Mike Chatwin wasn’t far behind, dropping a solitary mark. Duncan Stephens was third in his Melos.
The Fellside club organised some challenging weather for their annual trip to the forests around Bassenthwaite Lake. The early morning rain turned to sunshine, but snow started falling around noon, followed by hail. This caused problems on some of the sections and Routens Romp had to be cancelled when it became difficult to get to the start. Some of the later numbers either called it a day or missed some sections after this. All this didn’t prevent plenty of smiles at the finish after what most reckoned was a grand event.
Wallowing in the slime at Allhallows Colliery
The rain was pouring down as the early numbers left the start at the “Stocksman”, clearing as they reached the first section and special test at Allhallows Colliery. This was an artificial affair, up and down some very slimy spoil heaps, with some tight corners thrown in. The right right hander after the start was to catch out the majority of the field, who understeered off for a ten. There were only six clears, Bill Bennett joining in with a select group of 7 & 8’s . Nigel Jones had problems when the rivets holding his sumpguard in place sheared and he needed to raid Colin Perryman and Michael Leete’s spares to find some replacement bolts.
Delays at The Black Hole
There was a 15 mile run to The Black Hole, the first of many forestry sections. This is a lovely hill, pretty much straight up, muddy on the lower reaches with some serious ruts where the gradient steepens in the 7 & 8 restart area. The only problem with the section is that even the cleans have to back down, with the inevitable delays. Around half the entry failed this one, mainly in the restart area. Colin Perryman’s trial came to an end hear when his BMW transmission went clunk and had quite a struggle to get recovered back to his trailer.
Snow in Whinlatter Forest
The sections came thick and fast when the event entered Whinlatter Forest. “I’m Back Darling” was a wonderful long hill. The first part was loose stones, the second loose rock! This was the end of Nigel Jones Trial as the MGF’s sump guard got pushed up onto the gearbox linkage. Nigel managed to get it going but retired after the next hill.
After Sheepfold there was a long drive through the forest. The track climbed and climbed, with magnificent views over Bassenthwaite Lake before it started snowing! Lord’s Seat was a grassy forest track with a sting in the tail, a very sharp left hand hairpin, preceded by a restart for 7 & 8. This really sorted out the higher classes, only the DP Wasps, Charles Knifton in his recently acquired, Subaru 1800 Turbo powered, VW Scorpion and Duncan Stephens in his Melos going clear.
The snow had stopped coming down out of the clouds to Ullister Hill where it was replaced by hail! This was cleanable but the final bit was a bit artificial and it was difficult to get past the one marker. Quite a few did, but not Mike Chatwin and the one mark he lost was to give the overall trial win to car builder Dean Partington.
Across the road to Hobcarton Plantation
There were two sections in the adjacent forest. Long Crag was a straight blast which didn’t trouble the leading contenders. Ladyside was a very different hill, not much gradient but some fearsome mud and ruts after the track came out between the trees. There was only one way to go clear here and that’s to drive a DP Wasp, consequently Dean Partington and Mike Chatwin were the only two to experience the exit track.
Problems in Wythop Woods
There should have been five sections in Wythop Woods but there were problems at Routen Romp. The plan was for this to be one of the events stoppers but there was chaos when a lot of cars couldn’t get to the start line. The problem was that the long entrance track was blocked by cars so everyone had to be towed up. The entire field was soon blocking the track and the section had to be cancelled. To get out those in the queue had a half mile reverse before they could turn and go to the next section. In the confusion most of class 0 and one or two of the main trial missed some or all of the sections in Wythop Woods which was a shame.
Falcons Crest and Browns Challenge were both mud baths at the bottom, almost every one floundering for an 11 and 12. Not if you were in a DP Wasp of course and Dean and Mike both blasted through for clears, as did Duncan Stephens on Browns Challenge.
Little Cockup has a real sting in the tail, exiting up a really steep bank. About half those that attempted it went clear though and Myke Pocock in particular was delighted. Chris Maries nearly made it in the heavy Suzuki for a two but this was good enough for him to win Class 5 after Stuart Bartlett was penalised on both special tests and Jonathan Toulmin missedx sections in the woods. Michael Leete choose a really bad line, stopped at the five and reversed into the same tree that he hit a a few years ago!
Louthwaite Side was the final forestry section and Dave Cook was there to take photos on the spectacular rocky hairpin. Fortunately almost everyone was able to go clear and enjoy the long exit track to the tarmac road.
Sandale, What a Hill
It was around 12 miles to Sandale, the best known section on the Northern Trial and what a hill it is. Not that steep but the mud, ruts and spectators make up for it. A northern Crackington if you know what I mean. There is a restart for 7 & 8, right at the muddiest bit where there is a sort of chicane. For the non re-starters the technique is to build your speed on the lower slopes so you are flat out by the time you get to the restart chicane. You will most likely bottom out but with luck you will have enough momentum to slide over the mud on the cars belly and pop out the top like a cork from a bottle!
Thats the theory but its not that easy and even the experienced Bill Bennett failed, perhaps aided by the fact the track of his MG is so narrow it doesn’t fit in the ruts! Perhaps Bill needs DAF as the results show Derek Reynolds cleared the section and that would have raised a cheer! For the restarts it was a question of power, something a Liege doesn’t have that much of, but despite picking up a three here Kevin Barnes was able to win the Class 7 award.
A new section at Carlislegate Lane
John & June Blakley and Alex were here and had a long day as the field was well spread out by the time they got here. There were only a couple of failures on this long muddy track but its a very nice addition to the route as it had a different character to the many forest sections.
Nice Meal at the Finish
There was a super autocross style Special Test on the way back to the finish where a super meal was available. There were many tales to tell but the consensus was that it had been a cracking trial, despite the problems and delays.
| Class | Driver/Car | Marks |
| 1st Overall | Dean Partington (DP Wasp) | 0 |
| 2nd | Mike Chatwin (DP Wasp) | 1 |
| 3rd | Duncan Stephens (Dutton Melos) | 9 |
| 0 | Keith Thomas (Buckler) | 64 |
| 1 | James Shallcross (Peugeot 205) | 34 |
| 2 | Bill Bennett (MG J2) | 26 |
| 3 | Nigel Hilling (Ford Anglia) | 61 |
| 4 | Michael Leete (VW Beetle) | 36 |
| 5 | Chria Maries (Suzuki X90) | 58 |
| 7 | Kevin Barnes (Liege) | 33 |
| 8 | Charlie Knifton (VW Scorpion) | 31 |
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
James Shallcross was best overall, dropping 11 marks in his Class 1 Peugeot 205 on an excellent, but poorly supported, Northern Trial
Despite the wet conditions there was plenty of grip on most of the sections. Fell Side had got their class Handicaps pretty much right, with only two marks separating the first three overall, representing three different classes. Michael Leete made a rare visit to the award winners circle and was second overall, dropping 12 in his familiar Beetle, followed by Nick farmer on 13 in his Cannon Alfa.
The organisers must have been very disappointed to receive only 19 entries in the main car classes, reduced to 17 starters when the field left The Stocksman in Wigton.
Wasteland
The action commenced with Jonathan and Pat Toulmin in charge of the first special test. This was on some wasteland at a venue used for a section called Oblivian on the first Northern Trial. This was immediately followed by a muddy section named A Bolivian. There were no re-starts but the higher classes had a deviation, costing Nick Farmer a valuable mark which would be significant later.
Into The Forest
Section 2 saw the first of many forestry sections, the hallmark of The Northern Trial. Despite the apparent mud on Black Hole there was quite a lot of grip and like many of the sections the ruts were not as deep as in previous years. Steve Kenny was having issues with his Liege and dropped nine before retiring a few sections later with a broken A arm and cracked axle case.
After a seven mile road run the trial entered Whinlater Forest for a concentrated batch of sections, starting with Sheepfold, which saw some high scores. John and June Blakeley were in charge here with John conducting a noise test for good measure. Roger Goldthorpe was best of the Lieges on 11 with both Julian Lack, and the shortly retiring Steve Kenny, loosing a full 12. The hill didn’t seem to suit lower powered cars as although there was plenty of grip there wasn’t a lot of run in to the initial steep slope.
Snow on the Hills
Climbing through the extensive forest, some of the overnight snow remained when cars got to Ullister Hill, to get their picture taken by Dave Cook. There was plenty of grip lower down the stoney track but the section continued when this gave out and it was muddy at the top. Only Dean Partington went clear to be the only car remaining with a clean sheet.
There were some superb views down to Bassenthwaite Lake on the way round the sections in this part of the forest, before the route retraced its steps, going back on the road for a short distance before entering Hobcarton Plantation. Everyone lost marks here but it wasn’t until Ladyside B that Dean Partington lost his clean sheet.
Dean didn’t loose any more marks until the penultimate forest section at Routens Romp, where fell Side had introduced a deviation into the trees for all, preceded by a restart for the higher classes. This was to decide the trial. Like most of the 7’s and 8’s Dean dropped nine here, while the leading (and non-restarting) lower class competitors went clear. As difficult as this section was for the higher classes Nick Farmer proved it was possible and this put him into the overall lead of the trial.
Sandale Decides the Winner
It was fitting that the final section at Sandale decided the winner of The Northern Trial. The higher classes had their usual restart in the mud. None of them could get away, costing Nick 3 marks and dropping him into third place behind James Shallcross and Michael Leete, who had made good consistent climbs all day.
All in all an excellent trial with good sections and plenty of marshals. Lets hope it will be better supported in the future.
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
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