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Tamar 2025
Class 0 Exeter
Three Days of Trialling with the MCC
For their 120th anniversary the MCC laid on a three day summer trial, named after Dick Peachey, the clubs late long term chair.
There were 95 entrries starting at The Egypt Mill in Nailsworth. 86 attempting the off road sections and nine competing in the Classic Road Trial. Day 1 encompat sections familiar to Cotswold Clouds and Allen Trial competitors before reaching Exeter University for the first nights stop.
Day 2 sections were mainly in Devon with a brief venture into Cornwall before returning to Exeter University for the second night.
Day 3 returned to Nailsworth via more sections known to Cotswold Clouds and Allen Trial.
Clerk of the Course Dave Middeditch had arranged for drivers and passengers to swap roles at Launceston half way through the event.
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Links:-
- 3 Day Trial on the Classic Trials FB Group
- All the 3 Day Trial posts on the Classic Trials FBGroup This link works in a Browser but you may struggle with it in the app
Lands End
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After a couple of years off due to Covid the Lands End Trial resumed with multiple starts and a bumper entry dominated by the 173 motorcycles at the front of the field. These were followed by 132 cars. The entry was supplemented by 39 in Class 0 which missed out a couple of the most damaging sections and 17 in the all tarmac Classic Road Trial.
The entry included a number of the new Class S for Step-though motorcycles and scooters including a large Cornish group on C90’s whose enthusiasm and commitment were infectious.
Coming on 9pm when the last finisher signed off.
The entry converged on Bridgwater Rugby Club a little later than usual and later numbers found it locked and dark so not only did they miss refreshments but also the all important toilets.
Felons Oak was the appetiser with its rocky restart difficulties enough to shatter a few Gold Medal aspirants dreams while Class 0 tackled the milder Catsash.
100 Years of Beggars Roost
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Crackington
Demanding Restart on Blue Hills 1
What many called “that silly little horseshoe” caused its usual problems this year with a tricky restart for the more competitive classes on the cobbled rise back to the road, followed by a very tight turn. Using the bank to get round this corner proved an issue for some and Lee Peck and Arnold Lane ripped their cars over. Lee had expected to debut his latest Kraken but changed to his Class 4 beetle after some last minute teething issues.
Even without a restart the cobbles and tight turn can catch the unwary as shown in the excellent InCar Video by Simon Lewis.
Into the Sun on Blue Hills 2
he sun was very low in the sky for later numbers and anyone without sunglasses was in real trouble to see where to go as they approached the left hander.
Links :-
- Lands End Trial on the Classic Trials FB Group
- All the Lands End Trial posts on the Classic Trials FB Group This link works in a Browser but you may struggle with it in the app
- Bob Blackman Blogs on his Lands End
- From Sweden to the Lands End Trial Blog
Links to Photos
- Bikes at Crackington by Donuts Photography
- Open Cars at Crackington by Donuts Photography
- Closed Cars at Crackington by Donuts Photography
- Class 0 and R at Blue Hills by Andrew Trenoweth
- Cars on Blue Hills by Andrew Trenoweth
- Motorcycles at Blue Hills by Andrew Trenoweth
- Simon Lewis Blogs on the Lands End Trial
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
Edinburgh
Writers Note – This years Edinburgh was a controversial trial. While developing this report I would be grateful for any factual additions or corrections so it is as accurate account as possible. You can make these in the comments here on this page or by any of the many other ways you can get in touch with me – Michael
This years Edinburgh Trial was heavily promoted in all the available Social Media channels, emphasising a significantly different route avoiding main roads and the inclusion of some of the challenging classic sections for more classes.
Come the day the event was beset by bad weather which particularly affected the later numbers resulting in many cancelled sections including what many regarded as the “best” ones. The second half of the event also presented a navigational challenge and many missed sections. All these issues contributed to a significant number of retirements.
A Different Start
The Ladies missed the usual Loo
Special Test was an Autotest on a Kart Track
Test diagram at the start showed the various lines lettered but unlike the other tests the lines had no letter boards when you got there, adding to the confusion.
The considerable number of wrong courses justified the dissatisfaction of many competitors.
The Finish was not COVID secure
Up until this point all the controls were in the open air so competitors concerned about COVID security could choose not to go inside at the meal stops and minimise their infection risk.
This was not so at the finish and competitors were expected to walk through a crowded bar to hand in their numbers and inform the officials they had finished. Initially those competitors that did not do this were deemed to be non-finishers but this was changed after objections.
Summary
This years Edinburgh Trial was a controversial event. It was ambitious with its routing and attempts to find new sections. Although interesting these were generally non competitive and in the case of XXX necessitated a lot of extra road mileage and a potentially damaging exit track. The trial route mainly achieved its objective of staying off main roads but at the expense of difficult navigation and many who choose to rely on the road book had difficulty following the route.
John Aley Trial
Links:-
- Rough/Tough Poll on the Classic Trials FB Group
- John Aley Trial on FB
Bovey Down 2021
Links:-
Launceston Trial
Video by Liam Hartley
Tough Chairmans Trial
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Classical Gas 