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Roger Teagle had the lowest car score but the overall award went to Dave Haizelden on Index.
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Nick dropped two marks on the first section at the new Frys Bottom location. It was a close thing though as he was chased home by no less than five competitors on three marks. Aaron Haizelden taking the second overall on test times.
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As competitors gathered at the start it was clear that with all the rain during the previous week this years Allen was going to be a muddy trial.
After leaving The Bull at Hindon the early morning Classic Lanes of Tog Hill, Bitton Lane and Big Uplands saw only a handful of competitors loose marks. A big change from the past when Big Uplands was a real terror, but the resurfacing gas changed all that.
It was Guys Hill that started to see significant marks lost, with a common restart on polished stones for Classes 4, 6, 7 and 8. The hill was as slippery as usual and wasn’t that friendly to around half of the non-restarters. Many of the Class 8’s struggled and it was the tricklers that seemed to do best. In Class Seven Dudley Sterry, Duncan Stephens and Mal Allen were the only clears. The Beetles did well, even the lower powered ones in Class four where Craig Allen and Anthony Young were successful.
Travers
Ubley Wood lay just up the track. There weren’t as many sections here this year as Pete Hart and his team had found the Fry’s Bottom Complex to add to the afternoons challenge. With all the wet weather they were very muddy and reduced clean sheets down to a handful, spread across the classes.
Ubley Woods 1 was a new one, right by the fence with the lane with a tight 90 turn into it. This was a clean/fail section and proved straightforward for all but a few.
With Tris White failing to get away from the Class Eight only restart on the sub-divided Ubley Wood 2 there was only Nick Farmer left on zero in Class Eight so overall could go to one of the lower classes.
Tony Young wasn’t going to win though, retiring when his Beetle transmission failed. There were a few others who didn’t get to the lunch halt as Daniel Bowden (BMW), Chris Maries (Suzuki GV2000) and Peter Mountain (Dellow Mk1) were all out of the event.
Burledge
After Burledge came the new Frys Bottom complex where the event was decided. All were subdivided with restarts for Yellow and Red on two of the three sections. There was a lot of mud under the trees and the sections either didn’t go out of the top or if they did very few got that far. This caused some delays at the second section which deteriorated during the day.
Nick Farmer dropped his only marks of the event on the first of the three sections, failing at the two as did Dudley Sterry (MG J2) and Aaron Haizelden (Reliant Scimitar). These were now the only three left with clean sheets. This didn’t last as Aaron and Dudley both lost one mark on Frys Bottom 2. Nick went clear here and for the remainder of the event to point another overall win.
John Walker
Returning through the water at the foot of the section competitors found Little Uplands cancelled for fear of a tree blowing down in the very high winds. That just left the glorious run up John Walker in the dusk. It did’t have any impact on the results but was glorious fun.
So ended another Allen Trial, enjoyed by all.
| Class | Driver/Car | Marks |
| Overall | Nick Farmer (VW Fugitive) | 2 |
| 1 | David Haizelden (VW Golf) | 3 |
| 2 | Bill Bennett (MG J2) | 8 |
| 3 | Matt Facey (BMW 316) | 4 |
| 4 | Craig Allen (VW Beetle) | 3 |
| 5 | Aaron Haizelden (Reliant Scimitar) | 3 |
| 6 | Andrew Rippon (VW Beetle) | 8 |
| 7 | Dudley Sterry (MG J2) | 3 |
| 8 | Tris White (Troll) | 9 |
We had possibly my worst day for a VERY long time. Guys always defeats us, Dave Haizelden recons its because I don’t carry enough weight. But this year we were struggling before we even reached the line.
Took the wrong line on Travers despite thinking about the right line even as we approached the restart. The first Ubey Wood section was a new one, right by the fence with the lane with a tight 90 turn into it. We understeered into the fence, reversed off and went up. For some reason, Stuart Harrold didn’t notice our reverse and gave us a clear!
I don’t think I let the tyres down enough on Burledge, familiarity breeding contempt here.
The new sections at Frys Bottom were a great addition to the event, I don’t know if the first one went out, but I don’t think so. A short sharp blast, starting with a 90 left off the track with a bumpy lip to stop you from getting the power on too early.
FB2 caused some delays as climbers had to return down the bottom part of the section. Much mud amongst tree roots caused some problems and a nasty camber at the top had many sliding off into a tree – hence the plethora of ones. FB3 was faily simple, wih Josh Moss in charge. If it hadn’t been so wet, I don’t thonk it would have troubled anyone. It too didn’t go out so we had to queue at the top to go back down in groups – most un Allen like.
We were finally given the boot, when the car stopped just above the landing on John-Walker with total electrical failure. Couldn’t work out what it was in the wet and dark so scrounged a lift back to the start to get the Pick-Up and went home in disgrace.
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A Dry Trial with Timing Issues
Without many of its Classic Sections the dry conditions provided plenty of grip and more than 50% of the entry came away with a medal after the breakfast timing penalties were scrapped.
The make up of the entry was interesting. With the influx of X90’s Class Five was the most popular and Class Seven was the exclusive province of Marlins and Lieges.
It was very misty as competitors left the souls M42 services at Tamworth on a misty morning. Unfortunately a motorcyclists was involved in a road accident soon after the start and taken to hospital. Several competitors stopped to help and decided not to continue with the trial.
Later numbers were held at the Carsington Water Control to control the flow into Haven Hill. They didn’t include Richard Peck, Lee Peck or Tim Cookman, who didn’t make the start. Richard’s brakes disappeared on the way to the start, the Mazda engine in Lee’s Kraken dies half a mile from home and Tim’s MX5 lost the diff on the motorway. Brian Partridge made it to Carsington but decided to head for home when his starter motor stopped working.
Haven Hill – All Classes, no restart
Without restarts or deviations Haven Hill was straightforward in the dry conditions. It was the end of Barry Redmaynes trial though. His Leige wasn’t running properly and at first he thought he had lost all his fuel. Eventually he found a fuel filter blocked with what looked like rubber particles. By then it was to late to continue and Barry retired after also finding a split bin the header tank.
Cliff Quarry – Restart for all Classes, deviation for Seven and Eight
In the dry conditions the restart wasn’t problematical, leaving the very tight turn for the higher classes as the main challenge. This isn’t easy and Dudley Sterry was one of several Class Eights to be penalised.
Haydale – Restart for all Classes
The route past the entrance to Deep Rake quarry but there was no Deep Rake or Black Harry on the agenda this year. Instead Handle was next on the agenda with Triple Editor Celia Walton in charge and a Special Test following immediately after. This is a well surfaced track and there wasn’t to much of a gradient for the restart so not too many problems.
Haydale Special Test
The A boards indicating the start of the first special test signified the end of the observed section, so no time to adjust pressures. There was an off track chicane that could have been nasty in the wet with the B boards on the exit corner, positioned so it was difficult to actually stop astride.
Calton – Restart for all except E and 0
Last year there was a big delay due to all the failures in the wet. No such problem this year in the dry.
Breakfast at Bull I’th Thorn
There was chaos and confusion at the breakfast halt. First competitors were arriving around an hour and a half early, such was the timing from Carsington. Inevitably there was not enough parking and it was fortunate there were no accidents as later cars queued on the busy main road.
Competitors were confused when the Chief Official announced they were “free to go” after taking an hours break. Some did and some waited for the scheduled time amongst much discussion about the wording on the route card which no longer said “depart at scheduled time”. The MCC made the pragmatic decision not to impose penalties here which was undoubtably the best decision under the circumstances.
John Looker was busy changing an tube split on Haven Hill and Eric Wall’s Dellow was parked without any numbers. Eric had repaired his Spare Wheel Carrier after the Lands End but it failed again, a few inches from the new repair.
Incline – Seperate Restarts for 1-5 and 6-8, No Restart for 0
After leaving the Bull I’th Thorn the route went into Buxton on the A515 and out on the A5004, passing the Old Long Hill section before turning into The Goyt Forest and joining a long queue over the reservoir dam.
This was the second year using this section so the organisers were a little more adventurous with restart positioning with separate boxes for the higher and lower classes. The yellow restart caused a few problems in Class Five and the experienced Mike Warnes didn’t get his TR7 away.
Corkscrew – 6-8 only with Restart
This twisty, narrow section was called Jenkins Chapel in the past and has a formidable reputation. However, the conditions this year hadlogh drawn its teeth and there were only a couple of failures.
New Litton Slack – No Restart
This gentle grassy slope overlooks the lost traditional Litton section and was distinguished by two things this year. First it was the only section on the trial to have no failures. Second the route instructions after exiting the track caused chaos causing many competitors to turn left at the end of the farm road rather than right where they should have gone.
Putwell – All except Class 0. No Restart on A, Restart 6-8 on B
The resurfaced sections were cleaned by all the four wheeled brigade but proved problematic the sidecars in Class D and a few of the solo motorcycles.
Hollinsclough Rest Halt
The mist had cleared and sunshine had arrived when competitors arrived for their tea and cake at Hollinsclough Village Hall for a rest halt and another discussion about timing. This was because the route instructions specified a 20 minute break but there was no penalty for early arrival or departure.
Rakes Head, Not Class 0, Restart 6-8
This short, sharp section lies just up the road from Hollinsclough Village Hall. The restart caught out quite a few, including the experienced Pete Hart (Marlin) and Peter Mountain (Dellow).
Excelsior Restart for all except 0
The restart didn’t take its usual crop of victims this year. There was a delay for later runners though after Mike Crews had the propshaft break on his TR7 and it took a while to clear the car from the section.
Moneystones – Class 0 Only with Restart
Marshalled by the outgoing Exter team of Tim Keeling and Anne and Tim Whellock this was one of two Class 0 only hills. It was very straightforward with only two failures, including the French crew of Jacques Veyer and Felicien Guillaume who are fast becoming MCC regulars.
Clough Wood
No the trial didn’t use Clough Wood as a section but the route did come down it on the way to the Clough Mine sections. There has been a lot of resurfacing and all the old ruts had gone on the part of the track that used to comprise the section. Even so it would be nice to get this one back.
Clough Mine 2 – Restart for all except 0
The first turn was tight and tricky but there was plenty of grip and outside of Class 2 where the Austin Sevens struggled there were few failures in the main field. The motorcycles in Class 0 had problems and John Plant lost his clean sheet with his X90.
Clough Mine 1 – Restart for Class 6-8
The restart was almost at the end of the section, where the gradient was at its steepest. A couple of the class eights were penalised for running back and Davod Jackson couldn’t get his FPS away. The Marlin/Liege Class 7 was more challenged with around 40% penalised and Trevor Wood (Liege) and Richard Houlgate (Marlin) lost their golds.
Dudwood 1 – 6-8 only, Restart for 7 & 8
Normally this is a muddy section, but not this year! With plenty of grip all the Classs 8’s stormed up as did most in Class 7. With their lower power to weight ratio the Class 6 Beetles all struggled and multiple National PCT champion Barry Parker scored the only clear in the class with his Toyota MR2.
Dudwood 2 – 0 to 5 Restart for all
This familiar section starts on a surfaced track, turning sharp right before winding through the trees on a mixture of sand and leaf mould. Triple contender Alan Cundy didn’t get this far, retiring after Clough Mine and limping back to the Bull I’th Thorn with hazard lights flashing.
Almost all the main trial competitor went clear but not so in Class 0 where around half failed, either failing to get away from the restart or running out of grip and stopping just afterwards.
Dudwood 3 – 0 only
The second class 0 only section was a gentle trundle round a grassy field and up a bank. It had to be treated with respect though as if you lost traction and started spinning the wheels that was it. Thats exactly what happened to some, ivluding Verdun Webley/Arnold Lane in their X90, veteran Reg Taylor in his Ford Ka and Hohn Bradshaw who lost his Blue Hills Tin in his Morgan 4/4
Dudwood Special Test
This long, glorious thrash finished the competitive part of the event and decided the Class Winners. Ubfortunatlt it also took away MCC debutant Sam Lindsays Silver when he was penalised in his ex Lee Peck Beetle.
The End
After all the early arrivals and departures at the Bull I’th Thorn for breakfast the car competitors were arriving on or after their scheduled time at the end of the trial. Inevitably there was a lot of discussion at the finish and on social media about the timing issues. When the provisional results were published most hadn’t realised their fears although there were some lateness penalties imposed for the second half of the event.
All in all an enjoyable trial. The organisers and most of the competitors wild have preferred not to have such dry conditions but even the MCC can’t control the weather.
It remains difficult to run a trial in Derbyshire and without Litton, Bamford, Haggside, Great Hucklow etc it is a very different trial to 10/15 years ago. But hey we may get Clough Wood back.
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The tough sections took their toll on the results. Only five cars cleaned all the hills with non-counting stops deciding awards in many classes. The results would be very different had the initial timing penalties not been dropped when the final results were published.
With a dry spell leading up to the trial the heavy rain on the evening of the trial was to liven up the early sections.
Failures on Felons Oak
With very distance between the R boards there was little choice of where to stop on the Felons Oak Restart, assuming of course you could sight your wheels between the lines! Everyone in Class Eight went clear but failures were prevalent as you went down the classes and by the time you got to Class One there were only four cleans. Perhaps the MCC need a rethink on making Class One do restarts, it must have been very de-motivating for newcomers to fail the first hill like this.
Chaos at County Gate
After the Crook Horn Hill Special Test there came the usual run over the wilds of Exmoor on a clear night, with none of the usual fog or horizontal snow to liven things up this year.
The idea of the County Gate Control is to regulate the flow into Barbrook to reduce congestion. Its a sound principle, but unfortunately the execution didn’t work out so well. It took well over a minute for the officials to process each competitor. This caused a considerable queue to build up and later competitors lost well over half an hour waiting for a signature.
The other sections during the hours of darkness passed without too much drama and didn’t have any significant effect on the results
Cutliffe Lane was Rough
After a string of gentle sections things changed at Cutliffe Lane. There were no restarts and Classes One and Two only had to reach the A Boards. No matter, this was a tough hill, rough as well. Eric Wall had his Dellows spare wheel carrier break away, forcing his first retirement in more than 40 years of MCC trialling.
The hill wasn’t friendly to rear engined cars, unless you were a member of the Butcher family. Nicola and Harry were the only cleans, in classes four and six respectively. They were to go on to class awards although in Harry’s case after battling with three punctures and initially falling victim to time penalties before they were all cancelled.
After such a rough hill Darracott didn’t present many problems with its new surface eliminating the steps up to the concrete slabs on the corners.
Doctored Crackington
The locals had spiced up Crackington with a fair amount of clag dumped in the area where Class Eight had their restart. Getting away was tricky and around half were penalised, including Dudley Sterry, running his MG J2 in Class Eight instead of Seven as he has been doing on ACTC events recently. Brian Partridge (Ridge Cannon), Mike Pearson (Dellow Rep) were amongst others that didn’t succeed.
The other classes had a straight run through the clag but it still took its toll, especially in the well supported Class Five where around half spun to a halt.
Warleggan followed the Wilsey Down Rest Halt, where those that arrived early enough had breakfast. This is a very rough section with a restart for classes seven and eight where Brian Partridge was penalised for running back again. It was a tough hill for the Marlin dominated Class Seven, who had already lost about a quarter of their number through retirements, and only 50% of the remainder were to get away.
New Section in Laneskin Woods
After a special test came the new section in Laneskin Woods. It was straight and not too rough, but it was very muddy and this was what stopped many competitors, especially in the lower classes where only a handful of cars went clean.
Hoskin was Tough
Cardinham Woods was only a few miles away, where Hoskin was to be the biggest challenge of the trial. Six, Seven and Eight had a restart but the other classes were denied a straight run by a tapped off chicane. This prevented the lower classes taking a full blooded run at the steep bit which certainly took its toll and all the Front Wheel Drives failed and received non counting stops. Classes Three and Four each had only one clear, Lester Keat and Nicola Butcher respectively. Three Class fives came out of the top and Alan Bee proved that power isn’t everything by coaxing his Austin Seven to the summit in Class Two along with Adrian Dommett in his Wolsley Hornet.
The re-starters had a tough challenge and nobody in Classes Six or Seven succeeded so they benefited from a non counting stop. It was cleanable though, as Nick Farmer and Josh Moss proved.
Bishops Wood Restarts
After the usual Special Test the Bishops Wood section lay just up the track. This had the usual two restarts situated around the cross track. One to Six had theirs on a loose surface leading up to the track, with the box located so it was possible to get the front wheels well onto the track itself. It was a challenge, but an achievable one, and around half got away OK.
Seven and Eight had a tougher job, their box was on the steep polished paving after the track. This was a tough one, only Rob Haworth (Liege) and Mac Taylor (Marlin) getting away. Class Eight found it difficult as as well with only four successes.
Blue Hills
The tricky horseshoe that is Blue Hills One had tough tyre pressure limits and a restart for Six, Seven and Eight. There had also been a local rain shower, well downpour, that left the track leading to the restart area flooded, ensuring tyres were wet and muddy for the difficult bit!
With a straight run through most in the lower classes went clear, apart from Class Five that is where many of the big Suzukis struggled a bit. The restart really sorted out the higher classes. Only Harry Butcher got away in Class Six along with a mere four of the Seven’s. Class Eights did a bit better but even they only had a 50% success rate.
After that BH2 was a bit of an anti climax to finish off the sections, leaving just the run back up for signing off at Fraddon to finish the event.
Timing Issues
The provisional results had lateness penalties applied and this had a considerable impact on the awards. By the time the finals were issued these had been scrapped on technicalities.
All in all a tough Lands End with some very rough sections and long queues for the later numbers. The timing issues were controversial and in the main didn’t go down very well with competitors. Clerk of the Course Bill Rosten was much in evidence throughout the trial, looking at what was going on and talking to competitors. He has a lot to think about but I’m sure he will be looking to address the issues.
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After a relatively easy Exeter things where 21 Tins were awarded things toughened up on the Lands End and only two cars went clean. The difficult sections came towards the end of the trial where Silver Lead Mine and Bishops Wood took their toll.
Links:-
Through the Night
12 Motorcycles and 36 Cars left the start at Bridgwater for the first section at Catsash, with a restart this year. Like most of the sections during the night it didn’t stop many but they were all long and enjoyable. There was some concern if the delays at County Gate (see main trial report) would result in time penalties, but these were confined to the main trial.
Slippery Sherwood
Come the dawn Sherwood was slippery at the start with a big hole further up. This caught out Nev Bowers on his first Lands End in his Suzuki X90 and John Turner lost his tin with his only fail on the event.
Hackmarsh was a new Section
Hackmarsh was a new section, approached down the track the main trial use to get to Darracott. The junction was where the Hobbs Choice Special Test used to be, Class 0 going straight on where the main trial went left. It was a very nice section, categorised as 8 for roughness in the route card. There were a lot of small loose rocks but it wasn’t to bad if you took things steadily. A couple of lower slung cars struggled and needed a tow but most competitors really enjoyed the section.
Laneskin was Cancelled
After a welcome breakfast at Wilsey Down things toughened up at Cardinham. The new section in Laneskin Wood was cancelled after early numbers got stuck on the upper reaches and the Chief Official decided to halt proceedings to keep the event running on time. The Laneskin Junction Special test ran though, this was very tight and the experienced Mike Oakins (Liege) and Vic Lockley (VW Beetle) were both penalised, costing mike his Tin.
Tape Touched at Silver Lead Mine
There was only one section in Cardinham woods this year, the familiar Silver Lead Mine with a chicane just after the start defined by tape. Up until now a lot of cars still had clean sheets but this changed with a whole host of penalties for either stopping on the chicane or touching the tape.
Bishops Wood was Tough
Bishops Wood was to prove the toughest challenge on the trial. It wasn’t rough but the final part of the section was quite muddy and only eight cars carried sufficient momentum to reach the section ends board.
Alternative Blue Hills
Only Blue Hills remained, with a choice of the old tarmac hill with a restart on the sharp left hander or a run up with the new section but leaving out the artificial bit at the top. The choices were about equal and as it turned out the Old Hill restart was probably more difficult than the rough track. There were quite a few failures on both but fortunately nobody was denied a tin by making the wrong decision.
ts all Over!
All that was left was the long road run back up to signing off at the Fraddon Premier Inn. No results of course, they took a few days to come through when they showed just how tough the final part of the trial was for Class 0. Only David Richards in his Liege ad Michael Leete in his Beetle were clean with a further 11 Copper’s awarded.
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Lee Peck won the March Hare Trail in his Kraken with the only clean sheet
After a year off the March Hare returned for 2015 in ideal trialling weather. It had been wet in the week leading up to the event, but it was dry on the day and the rain would hold off until the journey home!
There were three non-starters so 32 cars lined up for the start near Redbourne. There was a nice mix of cars and crews with a fair sprinkling of comparative newcomers, with some about to enjoy their first Classic Trial.
The Start
After a year off the March Hare returned for 2015 in ideal trialling weather. It had been wet in the week leading up to the event, but it was dry on the day and the rain would hold off until the journey home!
There were three non-starters so 32 cars lined up for the start near Redbourne. There was a nice mix of cars and crews with a fair sprinkling of comparative newcomers, with some about to enjoy their first Classic Trial.
Classic Sections
The early sections were centred about the BOAT’s to the south east of Luton Airport. Some of these were very wet, but pretty straightforward, although there were quite a few penalties on Norton Street Lane after sliding into the restart boards. Barry Redmayne became the first of three retirements in his Class Eight Liege when the diff cried enough on the way to the first section.
Kensworth
After a special test came section seven. This started downhill, so competitors could build speed to traverse the mud at the bottom of the hill so they could reach the stony but slippery track. The leading contenders didn’t have any problems, but around a third of the entry stopped, either on the turn onto the track or higher up on the track itself.
Section eight took its toll of all but seven of the clean sheets. There was a restart for 3 – 8 but many never got that far, spinning to a halt on the long left hand bend leading to the straight track. Those that stayed and watched the following competitor could see the problem was cutting the corner too tightly, where not only was the gradient at its steepest but there was a friendly tree root waiting for the unwary.
Having got to the R boards there was not only the challenge of restarting, but also to find grip on the higher reaches, where Richard Houlgate, Richard Irvine and David Jackson spun out. They were joined by John Plant and David Hunt in their Suzuki X90’s with impressive climbs. The only cleans were a handful of 7’s and 8’s together with Emma Robilliard in her 1300 Beetle who made the section look very easy!
Ivinghoe
There were four sections and a special test at Ivinghoe, not the same place the March Hare has used the last couple of years as there was a motorcycle event taking place there. So this year the hills were across the road at Falcons PCT venue. The leading contenders did well here but most had a problem on either hill 10 or hill 12, all except Lee Peck in his Kraken in Class Eight and Liege Owners Club Chairman Mark Endley in his Class Seven Liege who were now the only two remaining clean.
The two Rickman Rangers were having a problem run. Lee Sample had his diff let go on the last Ivinghoe Hill. Fortunately he had a spare and the crew set out to do the change with the help of Matt and Simon Robson in the other Ranger. This was Matt’s first run in the ex-Verdun Webley car and they struggled to keep the car running on four cylinders throughout the event.
The Rangers weren’t the only ones with mechanical problems at Ivinghoe, Nicholas Saddler had a Golf driveshaft break on the first section. This is an ex – Kevin Lindsay car, as was the Marlin driven by Nick Scott. Kevin was driving the Class Six Beetle that he acquired from Nick Cross who originally acquired it from Adrian Marfell. Nick himself was passengering for Reg Taylor!
Hawridge Lane
The water has had its effect on the councils resurfacing and the lane has deteriorated back to a nice trials hill. Falcon didn’t risk a restart here for fear recovery would take too much time, so most of the entry went clean. It wasn’t FWD or Suzuki X90 friendly though and a few needed a tow, including veterans Reg Taylor (Ford Ka) and Cliff Morrell (Peugeot 205).
The final section was just across the road. Another BOAT that water erosion makes more competitive every year. Clerk of the Course Arnold Lane had drained some of the water the week before but there was still a fair amount flooding the first 50 yards of the track. Further up the hill Peter Mountain had a restart waiting. This was to decide the trial when Mark Endley failed to get away. That would give Lee Peck an overall win if he could succeed, he did and won the March Hare Trial in his self constructed Kraken.
Hill Farm certainly shattered a few dreams as Emma Robilliard and Peter Hanman were both on one but failed to get away from the restart. This gave Jim Mountain (Dellow) second place on the one mark he lost at Ivingoe and David Jackson third with the two marks lost at Kenilworth and one at Ivinghoe.
The Finish
The trial wasn’t over for Cliff Morrell who had another puncture on Hill Farm. He tried to limp to the finish but it wasn’t possible and had to get a lift back to the Markyate Truck Stop to get his trailer.
So it was a well earned victory for Lee Peck who has developed his Kraken with its largely Mazda running gear into an impressive trials car. If you like the look of the car Lee will be happy to build you one! For the large number of inexperienced crews in the field it proved a challenging but non-damaging event and there were a lot of happy faces at the finish.
| Class | Driver/Car | Marks |
| Overall | Lee Peck (Kraken) | 0 |
| 1 | Reg Taylor (Ford Ka) | 43 |
| 4 | Emma Robilliard (VW Beetle) | 7 |
| 5 | John Plant (Suzuki X90) | 25 |
| 6 | Kevin Lindsay (VW Beetle) | 22 |
| 7 | Richard Houlgate (Marlin) | 5 |
| 8 | Jim Mountain (Dellow Mk1) | 1 |
It was a comparatively straightforward Exeter for Class 0 this year.
21 of the 51 Starters awarded Blue Hills Tin Medals.
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”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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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”Bill Bennett was one of three clean sheets across three different classes.
Pete Hart and his team got The Allen Trial just right again, the established team attracting a full entry and providing a great days sport. Guys Hill and the Ubley Complex proved the greatest challenge and eliminated the higher classes from the results. Bill Bennett took the win with faster test times than Nick Cleal and Keith Sanders.
Gentle Introduction
Just up the road from the start Tog Hill provided its usual gentle introduction on a fine day for winter trialling, warm and mild but wet underfoot!
Once again Bitton Lane proved a bogey hill for sports cars. Of the eight Suzuki X90’s in Class Five only Brian Brown and Nick Deacon got off the restart without penalty. The open tops in Class Six struggled as well, neither Alan Wear (BMW Z3) or John Guy (Toyota MR2) having any more success.
Classic Sections
Guys Hill has a formidable reputation and as this year was to prove its thoroughly deserved. The slippery surface is made even more challenging by the tree roots crossing the track, oozing sap as a lubricant to spinning wheels. Classes 1,2,3 and 5 were the lucky ones, the others had to restart!
The section wasn’t that easy for the non re-starters and only David Haizelden, Nick Cleal, Bill Bennett, Mike Wall and Keith Sanders reached the summit.
Those watching reckon Tony Young made the climb of the day, successfully restarting his Class Four Beetle to go clear, a feat only achieved by Josh Moss, Ben Johnson and Carl Talbot.
The rocky track at Travers, on the way up to the Ubley Woods sections, took its toll across the classes but all the leading contenders went clear.
Muddy Sections and Blinding Sun at Ubley Woods
There were four sections in the Ubley Woods complex where the mist had finally given way to a sunny day. There was a lot of mud though with some restarts for classes seven and eight.
It was the restart on Ubley Woods Four that did for the aspirations of Josh Moss and Carl Talbot, the only class eights that had remained clean to that point. It was possible to go clean though as Nick Farmer proved.
So there were only three sheets as competitors arrived at the Chew Valley lake rest halt. Nick Cleal (Peugeot 205), Bill Bennett (MG J2) and Keith Sanders (Reliant Scimitar). None of the remaining observed sections should be stoppers for experienced competitors so the remaining Special Test was going to be decisive. The position after the first one in Ubley was Nick 28.1, Bill 28.4 and Keith 32.0
Tubbys Torment Test at Burledge Decides the Trial
Although Burledge is now normally closed to motorised vehicles Pete Hart has retained its use for The Allen Trial.
Before the section came the Tubbys Torment Special Test. Although it had the usual format it needed special attention as line B was slippery and there was a nasty step. Keith Sanders was fastest of the three clean sheets on 18.7. It wasn’t quick enough to overtake Bill Bennett though. His time of 20.3 put him 0.2 seconds in front of Nick Cleal. All he had to do now was to stay clean and he would win the trial overall.
The Burledge section was just up the track where the restart was the challenge. This only impacted on class 7 where Dudley Sterry lost the win when he had clutch issues and pulled away before the flag dropped. Burledge aslo saw the demise of both the BMW’s in Class 3, both Sarah Holden and Martyn Copplestone breaking their transmissions.
More Classic Sections
With Big Uplands inaccessible all the classes attempted Little Uplands which didn’t present any problems. Neither did Mill Le which left only John Walker to finish the trial. This long section didn’t claim many failures but provided its usual delightful finale to another enjoyable Allen Trial.
| Class | Driver/Car | Marks |
| Overall | Bill Bennett (MG J2) | 0 |
| 1 | Nick Cleal (Peugeot 205) | 0 |
| 2 | John Bell (MG TB) | 3 |
| 3 | Phillip Thomas (Ford Escort) | 2 |
| 4 | Tony Young (VW Beetle) | 4 |
| 5 | Keith Sanders (Reliant Scimitar SS1) | 0 |
| 6 | Andrew Rippon (VW Beetle) | 4 |
| 7 | Murray Montgomery Smith (Marlin) | 6 |
| 8 | Josh Moss (Gregory Special) | 5 |
Added 10 December 2014
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Golds hard to come by on surprisingly competitive Edinburgh.
With most of the events signature sections gone the organisers were saved by the weather on this years Edinburgh Trial. Several months of dry weather ended with a deluge on the early hours of Saturday morning, enlivening the conditions and making Calton and Excelsior particularly competitive.
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Starting out from the soulless M42 Services the 194 starters, with surprisingly few in Classes 1 and 2, diverted along the route amendment up the A38 to the outskirts of Derby before entering Ashbourne on the A52 instead of the usual A515. This confused some of the navigators as they didn’t pick the correct place to re-enter the original route card.
Carsington Water
Robin Barlow was in charge here with a radio link to the first section. With ample parking he was able to despatch competitors according to the number queuing on the road before the access track.
Haven Hill
Veteran Reg Taylor was on the start line on the first section. He managed to remain dry for main trial competitors but had to don his wet weather gear as the Class 0 competitors appeared. With no restart this year and a bone dry section everyone went clear.
Cliff Quarry
It was still dark when the first competitors arrived at Cliff Quarry and later numbers had to cope with the rain that started to fall around 6am. Everyone had to do a restart with the higher classes having to deviate around a tricky corner which was particularly Marlin unfriendly, seven of them failing, including father and son Tony and Hal Branson. Most of the non-deviators in the main trial went clean but the experienced Greg Warren was a notable exception.
The restart area wasn’t very muddy, despite the rain, but it still took numerous class 0 scalps including the two French competitors who produced a very nice Video of their adventure.
Going back to Marlins. Kevin Lindsay was having fuel problems with MGB engined car. He couldn’t fix them and had to retire.
Deep Rake (Class 0 only)
Dawn had broken for competitors in Class 0 when they arrived at Deep Rake where Ford Pop stalwarts Nigel Hilling and David Child were in charge of a compact section, with a restart on some loose stones.
This proved challenging for the less experienced and around a third couldn’t get away. These included Lee Sample who found the clutch wouldn’t bite properly on his Rickman Ranger, which has had a new engine since the Lands End.. He adjusted it after the hill and it didn’t give any more trouble. The trial was notable for the number of restarts for Class 0, with no less than seven on the schedule
Deep Rake Observed Test
This followed the familiar route although there was no water splash this year. Not just because of the dry summer but also because the hole had been filled in. There was a delay towards the end of the trial as a local claiming to be the Land Owner arrived saying the club didn’t have his permission to use the land. Fortunately the MCC officials sorted the situation to allow the trial to continue but it remains to be seen if there are any repercussions.
There were very few penalties on the test but they included the two French competitors, maybe the hadn’t yet come to terms with an MCC route card!
Black Harry
Still within the Deep Rake Quarry complex Black Harry had Trojan stalwarts John Wilton and Steve Potter in charge. They didn’t trouble the MCC results team and this was the second section on of the trial without any failures.
Haydale
Triple Editor Celia Walton was in charge here and had needed her wet weather gear as she had caught the worst of the rain during the sections opening hours. Everyone had to restart but outside of Class 0 there were few penalties.
Calton
With the rain and a restart for everyone competitors knew this was going to be one of the events significant challenges. The deep ruts on the upper reaches have long gone but there is something special about getting away on polished limestone in the wet!
Nobody in Classes 1 or 2 got away from the restart. The Suzuki’s in Class 5 didn’t fare well. Neither did many Marlins or Lieges or in Class 7. These included Julian Lack who had only put his engine back in the car just before the event but had the distributor module come loose just as he was trying to pull away.
Unfortunately many of the failures had problems backing up for a second try and a long queue built up. When it was getting close to getting back to the main road the Chief Official decided to cancel the hill for Class 0 who went straight to breakfast at the Bull I Thorn.
Incline (Classes 0 to 5 only)
The rain had eased when the field went through Buxton, out on the A5004 towards Whalley Bridge, passing the former Old Long Hill section before turning off into the Goyt Forest for a new section called Incline. It was a smoothish forest section. The gradient wasn’t too severe but it kept rising and levelling out which caught out the unwary. Other than Classes 1 and 2 where nobody went clear it only caught out a few in the main trial but Steve Kingstone lost his Gold in his MG Midget.
The section was a challenge for Class 0 and Nev Bowers failed his first hill here. This was the last section for Jacques Veyer in his AHS as he ran out of time and found the following sections closed when he arrived. His colleague Denis Sautery had retired his BMW with a holed tank at breakfast.
Corkscrew (Classes 6,7 and 8 only)
The higher classes tackled the former Jenkins Chapel, reintroduced after many years. Competitors either loved or hated this narrow rocky track but most were appreciative of the section after loosing so many of the other traditional hills.
Alan Spencer was the only class 8 to stop but the section took its toll in 7 and 8 including Matt Facey who had entered his BMW saloon in Class 7 for more of a challenge!
“New” Litton Slack
Competitors could only take sad glances to the left at the “real” section as they tackled the gentle grassy slope of the former escape road which had plenty of grip despite the earlier rain.
Putwell (not for Class 0)
There were the usual two sections. Putwell A was rough again, but there was no restart. Higher up the track came the resurfaced Putwell B with a restart for 6,7 and 8.
The section didn’t have much impact on the results this year although Mike Pearson had to retire when his Dellows alternator failed. The message went back down the section to those waiting and Emma Wall kindly donated her spare so Mike could get to his hotel in Buxton for the evening.
Rakes Head (not for Class 0)
This little section was just up the road from the tea and cake stop at Hollinsclough Village Hall. Classes 6,7 and 8 had to restart. This proved challenging for 6 and 7 but those challenging for premier awards all went clear.
Excelsior
Everyone had to restart and with the box on a sharp corner on slippery limestone rock it was going to be a challenge.
The section certainly took its toll on the score sheet especially in 5, 6 and 7. It was interesting that not only did everyone in Class 4 go clear but they all maintained their clean sheets at this stage of the trial.
This was probably the most challenging section of the trial for Class 0 who had to restart like everyone else. Only three cars (Michael Leete – Beetle, Chris Adney – Morgan and Vic Lockley – Beetle) went clean, leaving Vic and Michael with the only clean sheets. Failing the restart was unfortunate for Neil Bray as it cost him a Tri0 award.
Moneystones (Class 0 only)
Exeter Trial Secretary Tim Keeling was marshalling the start and there was a stony restart to tackle further up the slope. It was dry and most avoided the holes but they still caught out Brian Osborne in his MGB and Vic Lockley who said goodbye to his Blue Hills Tin.
Clough Mine 1 (not for Class 0)
Passing the entrance to the former Clough Wood track the lower classes had a straight run but the higher classes has a restart towards the top. The non-re-starters didn’t have problems but getting away from the box was a problem and the 6,7 results were decimated. It also caught out some of the class eights and Russell Clarke (Troll) and Barry Redmayne in his 4 cylinder Suzuki engined Leige, which now sports SU Carburation, lost their chance of gold.
Dudwood 1 (6,7 and 8 only. No restart)
Nobody in Class Six succeeded and only Dudley Sterry in Class 7 reached the summit. It wasn’t that easy in Class 8 where Simon Oates (Triumph Torum), Brian Partridge (Ridge Cannon) and Bill Moffatt (Troll) all said goodbye to Gold.
Several cars in the lower classes also attempted Dudwood 1. This attracted a WR penalty, presumably meaning wrong route. This counted as a section failure and both David Golightly (Ford Morton & Brett) and Kevin Sharp (Suzuki X90) lost their chances of Gold.
Dudwood 2 (1,2,3,4 and 5 only. No restart)
Previously a Class 0 hill this section started in the farmyard this turned into another run through the trees with the surface turning very loose before the top. This proved a bit much for most in Class 5. Aaron Homewood lost his gold here in his venerable Skoda but the three Beetles in Class 4 went clear and were clean as they went to the final observed test.
Dudwood 3 (Class 0 only)
This new section turned out to be a grassy slope which turned out to be dry with plenty of grip and everyone went clean.
Dudwood Observed Test
After a stop astride and reverse this turned into a long blast along a farm track, an enjoyable way to end the competitive part of the trial. Enjoyable that is unless you were John Arrowsmith (Class 4 Beetle) or Dave Wall (Dellow) who were penalised and lost their gold’s here.
The Finish
Leaving the farm track competitors passed the Cliff Quarry section (Hill 2) on the way to the finish back at Bull I Thorn. Popular opinion was that the organisers had done a grand job to make use of the sections that were available to them. As it stands from the provisional results it looks like Car Triples will go to Dick Bolt and Emma Wall, both in Escorts. Hans Viertel (Beetle) Matt Facey BMW Z3 and Stuart Roach (HRG)
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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