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With Easter so late this year Clerk of the Course Bill Rosten caught the nice weather for his first event. With only subtle changes the event ran smoothly although enforcement of the timing regulations caught out a few established competitors.
Nigel Hilling paws the air in Stan on the way to the Class Two award (Picture by Dave Cook)
Plusha was definitely the place to start on this years event, with 96 cars, nearly two thirds of the entry, choosing the first starting point, many of the more northerly competitors choosing to trailer down to the West Country. It wasn’t long before they were on their way back up the A30 for the night run to the Bridgwater accumulation control where Dean Vowden lost his Class Six award when he was penalised for late arrival.
Penalties at Felons Oak and Crook Horn
The first section was the familiar Felons Oak, a nice opener, but the last section on this years event for the venerable Courtney Yandle, who retired his Class Six Beetle after stopping here.
The Crook Horn Special Test was very disappointing for John Wilton in, or should I say on, his Trojan, penalised ORL and loosing his Gold. No such mistake by Nigel Hilling who went on to the Class Two Award, returning to trials after a years enforced break in his 100E engined upright Ford Anglia. Roger Vanstone (Suzuki X90) was another to loose his Gold here. A couple of competitors were penalised for stopping at the flying finish line, including the father and son duo of Peter and James Mountain in their Mk1 Dellow.
Time Issues at Barbrook
A trip over the wilds of Exmoor preceded a holding control at County Gate to regulate arrival at Barbrook where there was a penalty for early arrival. A number of competitors fell foul of this, including Lee Peck in his his Kracken. This was unfortunate as Lee would otherwise have won Gold, which would have been a great ad for the Kracken which he has put into production.
Neither Beggars nor the other sections before the Wilsey Down rest halt caused problems for most although Darracott was cancelled after Ivan Sharrock had the misfortune to turn over in his HRG, the good news was the crew were OK.
Warleggan Restart wasn’t easy
Warleggan came after the break. The higher classes had to restart and this took its toll on the medals, either for not pulling away or in the case of Steve Glasson and Linden Alcock who were penalised for not stopping in their Dellow Mk2’s. None of the three German crews got this far which was a shame considering all the way they had come.
Into Cardinham Woods and Lady Vale which had a restart with a very narrow box, where Paul Brooks lost his gold in his X90. Hoskin was next, in the same complex, with different restarts according to class. These boxes were narrow as well but the marshals must have been lenient as they didn’t record as many fails as was feared.
Bishops Wood
The Bishops Wood test saw Dave Wall loose his gold when he over ran the line as did Trevor Wood in his Suzuki powered Leige.
The Bishops Wood section was just up the track, with a restart after the cross track for the higher clases and just before for the lower category cars. This wasn’t a problem for most but Ian Musgrove in his X90 said goodbye to his gold here. The higher class restart was definitely not Marlin friendly, confirmed by Harry Bounden who lost his gold when he was judged not to have got away.
Blue Hills
Only the two sections at Blue Hills remained where neither Nick Farmer or Neal Vile could cope with the tight corner in their UVA Fugitives, nor could Mike Tucker’s X 90. BH2 had its usual big crowd enjoying the spectacle and saw a handful of competitors loose their golds.
All that remained was the 19 mile run back up the A30 to the finish where a handful of competitors were penalised for late arrival.
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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
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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.
Stuart and Kieran Bartlett are a picture of concentration as they restart their Cannon in the slime of Sandale on their way to second overall (Picture by Mark Milne)
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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With the wet weather and floods over the winter holiday some competitors were concerned that the Exeter would run.
Come the day there were few weather related problems although a wet and stormy night made things unpleasant for motorcyclists and those in open cars. As it happened some of the sections were easier than usual as all the rain washed away the mud covering the rocks.
The spectators are dressed for the wet weather as they watch the marshals direct Tim Dutton as he reverses after failing Simms (Picture by Peter Mallon)
It was dry as the first competitors left Haynes after completing the first Observed Test. Although the test itself was popular the queue for the preceding time control was chaotic. Many had problems getting to the line on time as their way was blocked by those that had got there early. Bill Moffatt didn’t get that far as his Troll developed engine problems at scruitineering.
Problems getting to the first section
Classic Canes was the first section, a new one to the trial. The section itself wasn’t a big problem but the muddy entrance track was. A queue back to the road soon built up so competitors couldn’t get to the start of the section. Quite a few were penalised, as either missing or stopping, including a high proportion of the Suzuki X90’s in Class Five. Most of these received the same penalty on the following section Underdown and it will be interesting to discover if this was a coincidence.
Few failures in Bovey Woods
After the Musbury Control the route crossed the Seaton Tramway and climbed Harepath Hill before turning off the A3052 into Bovey Woods, where Normans Hump and Clinton awaited. It was raining heavily by now. Perhaps the rain washed the mud away as these familiar old sections didn’t take their usual quota of scalps.
The woods caused problems for some though. Kevin Lindsay’s Marlin lost most of its B series power and the crew decided not to continue. The experienced Phillip Mitchell (Skoda) and Barry Clarke (Grotty Chummy) also retired here. Mark Endley cleanedboth sections at the expense of a holed sump and had to be towed out of the woods by Julian Lack, 2013’s only car triple winner.
Waterloo was just down the road and although there was plenty of grip the old hill took a few prisoners, particularly in Classes One and Five.
The Rain Eases Up for Breakfast
The heavy rain started to ease as the event approached its breakfast break via Stretes and Bulverton Steep. Neither were a problem but the experienced Brian Alexander was penalised for not stopping on the Bulverton restart.
Breakfast was at Crealey Park, with a reasonable amount of room to spread out in the restaurant and dry out.
Most Clear Tillerton
Classes Seven and Eight had their usual restart but even with this there were only a couple of fails there was so much grip.
Fingle was next and it is noticeable how rough this is becoming. Again there were only a couple of failures and surprisingly one of those was Lester Keat in his normally very effective Avenger. Derek Reynolds came to a halt in a dramatic way, riding the bank in the process and very fortunate to keep the car on four wheels.
Wooston had some Bite
Wooston had its usual handicap system. 1 -7 turned sharp sharp left just before the steep gradient kicked in. 6 & 7 had the challenge of a restart just before the turn. Class 8 didn’t have to restart but they did have to tackle the full hill.
Any hill that stops Dean Partington must be a tough one and he was joined by most of the Class Eights who took on the steep gradient. It was possible though and Dave Wall (Dellow), Nick Farmer (Fugitive), Dudley Sterry (MG J2) and David Jackson (FPS) reached the summit. Lee Peck had to retire his Kracken here when the MX5 diff mounting broke. However, Lee was pleased with the car up till them and had started constructing a second car.
Although 1 -7 didn’t tackle the full hill the muddy left hand corner claimed many scalps and in Class 4 only Hans Viertel and Aaron Homewood were unpenalised.
Plenty of Grip on Simms
Considered the Exeters signature hill, Simms was thronged as usual by enthusiastic spectators, urging competitors to the top. Early numbers found there was a a lot of grip, although this diminished as successive cars dragged mud from the approach track onto the section.
With all the grip some cars were really motoring and one spectator had the misfortune to break his nose when it came in contact with a stone kicked up by James Shallcross’s Peugeot. This emphasised the need for the safety measure of the stop line at the summit and several competitors were excluded for failing to obey it.
There were a couple of notable breakages. Mark Rosten-Edwards had the transmission fail on the Imp, handed down by Dad, and new Lands End Clerk of the Course Bill Rosten. Adrian Dommett had the propshaft fail on his Wolsley Hornet but no problems for his twin Julian in his side valve Dellow.
It was interesting that apart from Class One at least one car in every class made the summit and there were a couple of very happy Suzuki X90 drivers at the finish.
Punctures on Tipley
Tipley was approached via a holding control where Nick Farmer drafted his spill kit into action when he found a cracked sump on his Fugitive’s Vauxhall Red Top. Clean so far, and with only two hills remaining, Nick drained the oil and used rapid setting epoxy provided by Lee Sample/Simon Robson to stem the flow. This was successful and Nick went on to Gold.
The repairs to Tipley may have made the section smother but the sharp edges on the concrete took its toil on tyres. Nigel Jones was one of this affected, using his second spare wheel and was in real trouble when he got another puncture on Slippery Sam.
Slippery Sam is another Exeter Hill that is getting really rough. The restart for the higher classes was the real problem though and Dudley Sterry was penalised for running back, loosing his gold in the process.
Finish and Evening Festivities
The only disappointment at the Trecarn was that the only two Triple Winners in 2013were not presented with their awards during the evening do. That was a shame as it would have been nice to give them a well deserved round of applause. However the function was well attended and gave competitors the chance to exchange experiences. For motorcyclist and those in open cars the overriding memory was getting very wet during the night. For others it was Simms where the conditions allowed many to make their first climb of the famous hill. If indeed this is Tim Whellocks last Exeter as Clerk of the Course he went out on a high.
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Duncan Stephens was one of nine clean sheets across five classes.
With dry conditions it was predictable that the Allen was going to see clean sheets, but the way they were spread across the classes showed Pete Hart and his team had got the event right. Josh Moss was second overall in his Gregory Special.
Duncan Stephens not only won the trial in his Dutton Melos but was kind enough to come back down Burledge and tow a stricken vehicle to keep the trial on the move (Picture by Calvin Talbot from Cstartworks)
With the Cross House closed it meant the Allen Team had to find a new start venue, coming up with The Bull Inn at Hinton which proved a popular choice. It did confuse one or two though, who had problems finding the route to Tog Hill, but all was well and everyone cleared this nice starter hill.
Traditional Hills
Bitton Lane didn’t have tyre pressure limits for its restart on polished stones. It didn’t cause many problems apart from Class Five, where four of the seven didn’t get away. Everyone had to restart on Little Uplands which proved tough on Class One, where only Dave Haizelden (Golf) and Nick Cleal (Peugeot 205) got off the line.
As ever Guys Hill was a tough challenge for Classes Seven and Eight where they had their usual restart on a mixture of polished stones and tree roots. This left only Duncan Stephens, Andrew Rippon, Mal Allen and Murray Montgomery-Smith clean in Class Seven and Josh Moss, Dudley Sterry, Mike Chatwin, Charlie Knifton, Carl Talbot and Russell Clarke in Class Eight.
Ubley Woods Sections
After a tree rooty Travers competitors tackled four sections and a special test at Bristols Ubley Woods venue. Although muddy there was nowhere near the usual amount of clag and things flowed smoothly. The Class Eight restart on Ubley Woods Four sorted the red category out and only Josh Moss (Gregory Special) and Carl Talbot (Morris Trialsmaster) were clean going to lunch. They were joined by another eight clean sheets, including the Model T based Board Racer of David Golightly.
Burledge
There were four traditional hills after lunch, starting with Burledge. This had been closed to motorised traffic following last years event. However, Pete Hart and his team had worked a miracle and got permission for the hill to be open for the event.
The second special Test took place on the way to the section. With so many clean sheets this was going to be decisive in determining the results. Carl Talbot was fastest here and coupled with his time on the Ubley Woods test was in overall lead of the trial.
Burledge started just up the track, beginning where the old section finished before the ruts were filled in! It was all about stopping in the right place at the restart. About 25% of the entry didn’t, although it didn’t trouble the leading contenders.
Mill Lane was enjoyable but not too problematical, although David Golightly retired his wonderful car here. This was a shame as David had his clutch fail on the VSCC’s Cotswold Trial on Saturday. Undeterred he returned home to Grimsby to make a repair. An exercise that involved removing both the gearbox and back axle, returning to Bristol on Sunday morning.
Big Uplands
Only class eight had the pleasure of tackling Big Uplands as water erosion had created some deep gulleys. It was a tough one, even for the specials, and decided the result of the trial when Carl Talbot failed at the seven, putting Duncan Stephens in the lead of the trial.
John Walker
The Allen’s finale was the wonderful John Walker, tackled in the dusk for later numbers as there were a few delays extracting those unfortunate to puncture.
With all the clean sheets there were a lot of hopefuls at the finish. After the ST times were taken into account it was Duncan Stephens (Dutton Melos) who emerged the winner, followed by Josh Moss (Gregory Special) and John White (1300 Beetle). Everyone enjoyed the trial which was a credit to the effort and experience of Pete Hart and his team from the Bristol Club.
Class
Driver/Car
Marks
Overall
Duncan Stephens (Dutton Melos)
0
1
David Haizelden (Golf GTi)
0
2
Bill Bennett (MG J2)
5
3
Phillip Thomas (Ford Escort)
22
4
John White (VW Beetle)
0
5
Keith Sanders (Reliant Scimitar SS1)
0
6
Gary Browning (VW Beetle)
4
7
Andrew Rippon (VW Baja)
0
8
Josh Moss (Gregory Special)
0
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With two sections cancelled, and a returning Litton Slack attempted only by the higher classes, this years Edinburgh was a concentrated affair.
It wasn’t easy though, Excelsior in particular taking its toll on Triples.
Graham Whiting fettling his Skoda at the breakfast halt. Sadly this was to be Grahams last trial as shortly afterwards he lost his brave fight with cancer.
It was a fine night when competitors gathered at Tamworth Motorway Services. There was bad news for those in the main trial who were told Bamford was cancelled due to an exposed electricity cable. This left very few “traditional” hills for those in the lower classes who would not be attempting Litton Slack.
Lost Golds at the Cliff Quarry Deviation
The first challenge came early on at Cliff Quarry, with a restart for everyone. That wasn’t the main problem though, that was a truly horrible deviation for the higher classes. This really challenged their steering lock and such luminary’s as Dean Partington, Nick Farmer, Dudley Sterry and Eric Wall all lost their clean sheets here.
Putwell Repaired
After the Black Harry complex came Putwell. The rumour was that Putwell B had received the attention of the Derbyshire road gang. Putwell A was as rough as ever but Putwell B was a bit different, as smooth as the M1! Never mind a couple of years of water erosion and it will be competitive again.
Litton Slack Only for Some
There were two Litton Slacks in the route card. New Litton Slack for Classes 0 to 5 and old Litton Slack for 6, 7 and 8. The section for the Lower Classes could hardly be described as Litton Slack, its just a smooth grassy track, with very little gradient, running along the top of the valley.
The real Litton Slack was a challenge for the higher classes and nobody in 6 or 7 reached the summit. It was a challenge for Class 8 as well and the experienced Dean Partington, Nick Farmer, Dudley Sterry and Eric Wall were the only drivers to go clean. Unfortunately for this quartet they had all flailed Cliff Quarry.
Slippery Stones
Calton and Excelsior are both traditional hills with re-starts on polished stones for everyone except Class 0. They failed more than 50% each and sadly Nicola Butcher lost her triple on Excelsior when all the class fours except James Arrowsmith and Hans Viertel failed to get away.
Motorcyclists to Hospital
The abbreviated Edinburgh finished with Clough Mine and Dudwood. Neither are “classic” sections and Dudwood was cancelled after two of the motorcyclists hurt themselves and required medical attention .
Class 0 had a very similar trial, minus most of the restarts and a couple of the rougher hills, substituted by some gentler stuff.
Triple for Julian
When the provisional results were published it looked as if there wouldn’t be any triples. However, after some time they were amended with particular reference to Classes seven and eight on Litton Slack which meant Julian Lack was awarded a Triple.
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James Shallcross won a closely contested Ilkley Trial in his Peugeot 205, with the top six coming from four different classes.
John Bell took over the C of C role from Stan Peel and continued to improve the route and sections. Unfortunately the event will be remembered by controversy at scruitineering, an issue that will have to resolved if the event is to continue.
Dragging water up the section after fording the small stream Class 5 winner Chris Maries tackles Hawpike 1 in his Suzuki X90 while overall winner James Shallcross waits his turn in his Peugeot 205
After many years moulding the Ilkley into an ACTC event Stan Peel handed over Clerk of the Course duties to John Bell. During his custody of the event Stan had changed the event from a series of PCT sections into a real Classic Trial, albeit still betraying its PCT legacy. John had some route authorisation issues which denied access to some traditional sections. His hard work payed off though and the way he used the restarts meant the overall winner could have come from anywhere in the field.
Scruitineering was a strange affair
With John Blakeley in charge, assisted by June and Alex, the formal part of car scruitineering went smoothly. However competitors then had to endure further scrutiny by a local official who found fault with by far the majority of visiting cars. Visitors had been forewarned this would happen, and assured it would be resolved, which it was. However, this will need sorting if the event is to continue.
Changes at Hawpike
It was dry when cars arrived at the familiar Hawpike 1. John Bell had introduced a restart on grass towards the end of the section and the majority didn’t get away. A few performance markers were laid down here. James Shallcross went clear, as did Julian Lack (Liege) and Chris Maries (Suzuki), the only clears in their respective classes.
Section 2 was a new one at Hawpike Farm before the long track over the moor to the Special test where there was a compressor available for competitors to pump up afterwards. Barry and Graham Redmayne weren’t able to take advantage of this facility having retired their Liege with a sick Suzuki engine.
Strid was a Stopper
Strid Wood was just down the road from Bolton Abbey for the usual two sections. Both stopped all the four wheeled brigade. Nobody could get over the huge step halfway up the Strid Wood 1 gully which has dug out very deep before the slab. Strid Wood 2 was very muddy and the lower classes struggled to get to the top track. Outside of Class 8 only Julian Lack got to spitting distance of section end, scoring a two.
Problems at Peels
Later numbers were delayed at Peels Wood 1 where Class 8 deviated left before attempting the very steep bank. Only Mike Chatwin was able to surmount this obstacle with Carl Talbot next best dropping six. Some of the less competitive cars in the lower classes had problems getting to the start of the section but the section itself didn’t produce to many problems for those that didn’t have to deviate.
Restart at Wilsons Wood
Wilsons Wood is an interesting section in a nice setting. Its all about a tight, near hairpin, left-hander with a restart for Class Four and above. The restart area has really dug out over the years but there is plenty of grip. It wasn’t Suzuki X90 friendly but Chris Maries continued his good day and joined Nigel Jones in his Mazda MX5 as the only class fives to get away.
Brimham Lodge was Difficult
The club had repositioned the burger van to the farmyard near Brimham Lodge so there was opportunity to get some hot food and drink to counteract the cold wind. The section is grassy and quite damp. The corner just before the steep bank was pretty slippy and the challenge was to get round without under-steering into the trees. Outside of Class Eight only three cars succeeded, James Shallcross (Peugeot 205), David Golightly (Ford Model A) and Julian Lack (Liege). All were to head their class at the end of the event.
Coppy was Rough
With no Incline on the agenda Patley Bridge was bypassed on the way to Coppy alongside Gouthwaite Reservoir. There isn’t much gradient here, the section is all about picking your way over some very greasy rocks. This is the roughest section on the trial, in the opinion of some to rough, but in fairness to IDMC its nowhere near as rough as Putwell or Tipley.
The 7’s and 8’s had a restart and Liam Rafferty was the only class eight to get away. The six Mike Chatwin dropped put his score up to twelve, one more than James Shallcross who went clear here. Julian Lack also went clear and was now overall leader of the trial with only six marks lost.
The section took its toll on tyres and Nigel Jones ripped the sidewalls out of both rears on the way to going clear. Nigel continued but was to break the MX5’s diff on the next section.
New exit track from Longside Wood
This was the third year the Ilkley has used Longside Wood, a long, steepening track through a Bluebell Wood. In previous years clears have had to come back down but John Bell had secured the use of an exit track for those lucky enough to reach the summit. The track was a lot drier this year and most competitors got to the twisty steep bit at the top, many for the first time. Few in the lower classes managed to get through this part of the hill so hats off to Jonathan Toulmin who stormed out the top in his X90.
Rain at Watergate
It had started to drizzle by the time the later numbers arrived at Watergate 1, another excellent Ilkley Hill. 6, 7 & 8 all had a restart but there was plenty of grip. It is a bit rough though and despite not having to restart many in the lower classes were defeated by the greasy rocks. Michael Leete conquered the rocky part but running almost at the back fell foul of the grassy bit at the top which had become very greasy now it was raining.
Peels Wood 2 Cancelled
The rain had turned the approach to Peels Wood 2 into a quagmire and the section had to be cancelled when some of the later numbers couldn’t get to the start, even with the help of a Land Rover tow. Charlotte Arrowsmith had retired her 1600 Beetle with a variety of small issues that made the car difficult to drive.
Julian lost his win at Sword Point
There were two sections at Sword Point. The first had a remarkable amount of grip this year and very few didn’t make the tight right hand turn onto the exit track at the summit.
Sword Point 2 weaves amongst some pine trees and is all about a leaf mouldy restart on a left hand bend for all but class 0. Most got away OK but Julian Lack was judged to have failed and his hopes of an overall win slipped away.
Dob Park Watersplash returns
Browns Wood was the last section, which was nice as it was approached through the Dob Park Watersplash. The restart on this nice little section was quite tight but it was nice to see it return to the event.
Back at the Finish
So the 2013 Ilkley saw James Shallcross take an overall win in his Class 1 Peugeot 205 with Mike Chatwin 2nd in his DP Wasp followed by a disappointed Julian Lack in his Liege. John Bell is to be congratulated on getting a spread of classes in the top 10. It will be interesting to see how the Ilkley evolves in the future.
Class
Driver/Class
Marks
Overall Winner
James Shallcross (Peugeot 205)
11
0
Odgie Danaan (Austin 7)
32
1
Dave Oliver (Peugeot 205)
38
2
David Golightly (Ford Model A)
19
4
Michael Leete (VW Beetle)
33
5
Chris Maries (Suzuki X90)
31
6
Adrian Tucker-Peake (MGF)
31
7
Julian Lack (Liege)
13
8
Mike Chatwin (DP Wasp)
12
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Cold and Dry Conditions but delays for the later numbers
Despite Easter being early this year the Lands End was run in pleasant conditions. This meant some of the sections were very dry and dusty, even Crackington which wasn’t the same section without the usual doctoring.
Dave Cook pictures Greg Warren on a very unfamiliar un-doctored Crackington.
The restart was in its usual place and the holes were quite deep. There was a lot of grip, perhaps too much for some, and this seemingly innocuous section claimed 38 scalps this year. These included both Steve Potter and John Wilton in their Trojans and the equally experienced Dennis Greenslade (MX5) and Bill Bennett (MG J2).
The section and the rough exit track were too much for Marc Shafer and Tomas Pordzik, who had come across from Bonn in Germany in BMW 318 and Peugeot 305 respectively, and they both retired.
Problems on Beggars
The Crook Horn Special Test was on tarmac with a flying finish. Eventual Best in Class Six Dean Vowden was penalised for over running a line in his Notchback but otherwise this substitute for the nearby section was uneventful for most. It was getting cold now and there was still snow under the hedges on the twisty minor roads leading back to the A39 and a long chilly wait at the Barbrook control.
Beggars Roost has not been very competitive since the restart was dropped, until this year. The big problem was getting away from the start line on some very loose stones. This caused a lot of fails, including Lester Keat and Greg Warren in their class three machines.
Hangmans Hill
With no Rodneys Revenge the inclusion of the real lane at Hangmans Hill was very welcome. New to the Lands End this long section had a restart for all classes. There was more than enough grip in the bone dry conditions so there was little impact on the results. This could have been very different had it been wet. There was more than an hours wait for the later numbers but the queue was in a sunken lane so there was plenty of time to look at the primrose growing in the grassy banks.
Cutliffe Lane and Sutcombe were very Dry
Neither of these well established hills had real teeth list year although Cutliffe Lane took its toll of the less experienced who weren’t going flat out through the gate at the bottom.
Changes on Darracott and Crackington
Both of these famous old hills had their teeth drawn this year. Darracott had the section ends before starting the famous hairpins, which were sporting recent concrete repairs. Although competitors still had the enjoyment of the hairpins it wasn’t the same with them being on the exit track.
After the control on the sands at Widemouth Bay Crackington addded to the disappointment Easing off the line down by the ford competitors built their speed to assault the deep ruts in the fresh mud dumped in trailer loads towards the summit. Only this year there was no mud and without this doctoring the hill had no impact on the results. Lets hope the muck returns next year.
Warleggan
The rest halt at the Wilsey Down cattle market was very welcome. Many competitors taking the opportunity to repair the many punctures incurred on the sharp rocks.
Later numbers had a long wait in the sunshine for their attempt at this rocky section. With no restart the lower classes had a relatively trouble free run. Not so for the yellows and reds who had a tricky restart. This took its toll on medal aspirations, particularly in Class six where Harry Butcher was the last to loose his clean sheet and a gold medal.
Cardingham Woods
Entering the woods from the top it was along way down to the first section, Lady Vale, the only section shared with Class 0. This is a very artificial affair, all about a tight restart, marked out with tape. It always seems a shame that something a bit more natural can’t be found in this complex.
Following the track along the river came Hoskin. Long and steep with different restarts for the lower and higher classes. Most found the necessary grip but the section is a power sapper and many of the cars with a low power to weight ratio failed. This was a particular issue in Class 2 where the gradient proved to much for the Trojans of Steve Potter and John Wilton and Nigel Hilling’s 1171 Anglia.
Bishopwood
Later runners slipped further behind schedule in a long queue on the A30 which was closed near Bodmin. Arriving at the woods the special test came first. Not too much of a problem unless you were Greg Warren who was penalised for over running the line.
The following section is all about the restarts where it crossed the main track. The higher classes had to stop in their usual place, on cobbles, after the cross track. The Blues and Whites had theirs lower down on a loose surface, leading up to the cross track. Positioning was everything and it was essential to stop low down to stand any chance. Many didn’t and paid the price, Alan Selwood, Michael Leete, Paul Allaway and Sam Thompson all loosing their chances of a Gold Medal here. Both of the Trojans failed and one just avoided overturning into the trees.
Blue Hills
Unlike Crackington Blue Hills 1 hadn’t escaped the doctor and there was a veritable lake round the horse-shoe to wet the tyres before the cobbled exit back onto the road. The higher classes had to restart here and this cost Brain Partridge / Lee Peck their Gold Medal in Brians familiar Cannon.
Bluehills 2 may be the MCC’s showcase section but the modifications for this year weren’t universally popular. A vertical stone wall now lines the deviation. This has the benefit of removing the banking, which could act as a launching ramp for spectacular acrobatics However, it has made the track very tight and narrow and a lot of cars scrapped against it, blinded by the setting sun.
Finish and Reflections
There was just a 20 mile run to the finish remaining. Time to reflect on another Lands End. It was surprisingly dry, considering the wet winter. This had made some of the sections easier than usual, compensated by a tricky Beggars and some difficult restarts. The finish at a Brewers Fayre, mixing with families out for lunch, was a questionable finale to an otherwise excellent event. The Lands End isn’t for everyone. Its a trial bigger than the sections and is above all an adventure. A battle of emotional highs and lows, tiredness, fatigue and a feeling of achievement just reaching the finish. Long may it continue.
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Liam Rafferty won a dry March Hare, setting the fastest test times from the five clean sheets.
With a break in the wet weather the sections were very dry and there were five clean sheets. Three were Class Eight, dominated by the very welcome contingent that came down from Derbyshire. In Class Five former March Hare winner Keith Pettit went clean as did multiple PCT and Sporting Trials Champion Dave Oliver in Class One.
Alan Oakes drops the flag and Liam Rafferty eases his DP Cannon off the restart at Binghams Warren to win The March Hare Trial
Unlike last year when the event was run in a blizzard this years March Hare enjoyed fine weather. This posed problems for the organisers as some of the sections were very dry necessitating toughening up some of the restarts, in what proved an unsuccessful attempt to get a result on the hills.
The first couple of sections were a gentle introduction to classic trialling for the several competitors who were competing in their first event. This was to change when they had problems in finding Chalk Hill. The problem was that there were no marshals on Dead Woman’s Lane and many missed the turning off the track after the intended section ends.
The Chalk Hill Restart was Difficult
After a glorious couple of miles of greenlaning Chalk Hill presented a different challenge to recent years. The muddy deviations off the track aren’t presently accessible. However, water erosion has created a gulley and a judiciously placed restart made the section competitive. Around half the entry lost their clean sheets here. These included Nigel Jones, debuting his newly acquired MX5. The other byways east of Luton Airport challenged some of those trying the sport for the first time but didn’t impact on the head of the field.
There was a Special Test and Two sections on private land alongside the Thameslink line, within sight of Luton Airport. The ST was to be very important at the end of the day, Dean Partington narrowly setting fastest time just ahead of Liam Rafferty in his Dean constructed DP Cannon.
The first of the two observed sections was relatively straightforward, but even so former March Hare winner Andy Curtis dropped 7 in his VW Buggy.
The second Copt Hall section had tight turns up the railway embankment used by the former Dunstable branch line. Unfortunately one of the turns was too tight for both the Trojans and the four X90’s, duly noted by the Clerk of the Course as a problem to be fixed for next year. Class 8 had a restart on the steepest part of the bank. Mike Pearson was to regret not letting his tyres down and couldn’t find enough grip to get his Dellow Rep away.
Binghams Wood
Beetle Drive is one of the toughest March Hare sections and was to have a big impact on the results. In Class one Dave Oliver was the only FWD to clear the steep bank and maintain his clean sheet. Both the Trojans did well but Steve Potter couldn’t quite clear the summit. John Wilton did that tiny bit better to get over the top to huge cheers from everyone in the wood.
Classes 7 and 8 had a restart before the final bank. This stopped all of Class 7, Mark Endley getting the furthest in his Liege which had broken its new front mudguards earlier in the event.
Charlie Knifton just failed to get to section ends but Liam Rafferty, Dean Partington and Stuart Bartlett (in the Datsun Sunny powered, ex Adiran Linnecor, Cannon) all went clean.
Webleys Wobble was more straightforward but still claimed a few scalps including Geoff Hodge (RDT), Graham Redmayne (Liege) and Tony Christie (Dellow Mk2) who all failed the Class 8 restart.
Kensworth reduces the Clean Sheets
The Kensworth Special Test, marshalled by the Herts VW Club, was a super affair, uphill around a barn. Liam Rafferty was on fire, posting 8.56 in his DP Cannon, more than two seconds faster than Dean Partington. Mark Wills (Marlin) and Andy Curtis (VW Buggy) were the only other cars under 10 seconds.
The first observed section at Kensworth was a pure PCT affair, on a steep grassy bank which tested competitors trickling skills.
A few hundred yards away the second one was very different, all about a “tree rooty” restart for classes 3 to 8. This proved too difficult for locals Michael Leete (VW Beetle) and Peter Manning (MG Midget), both loosing their clean sheets here. This left five drivers on zero. Dave Oliver (Peugeot 205), Keith Pettit (AH Sprite), Liam Rafferty (DP Cannon), Dean Partington (DP Wasp) and Stuart Bartlett (Cannon).
New for last year the sections here had been changed following the lessons learned. Coombe Hole was completely new and really long, but being dry was much easier than anticipated and cleaned by everyone.
Coombe Bottom started differently to last year but finished up the same steep track with a Class 8 restart which caught out Charlie Knifton in his Subaru powered Scorpion.
Hawridge Lane and Hill Farm
Simon Robson had positioned the Hill Farm class 3 to 8 restart in the toughest place he could find to negate the dry conditions. In class five it caught out both Peter Manning in his Midget and Chis Maries who has reverted to an X90 after experimenting with a FWD RAV4.
Back to Binghams
Back at Binghams the field had two different sections to those attempted in the morning. Falcons Folly had its usual tree rooty restart for 6, 7 and 8 but it wasn’t on form this year, catching only Tony Christie in Ross Nutens Dellow Mk2 in class 8, Harry Bounden in his Class 7 Marlin and both Adrian Tucker-Peake (MGF) and Reg Taylor (Beetle) in Class 6.
The final section, Binghams Warren, is all about a very tight hairpin towards the end, with a restart for class 8 right on the apex. Although half the entry failed the section all the leading contenders managed to get round the bend OK.
Back at The Finish
The organisers were pleased that everyone returned to the finish with no retirements. It was certainly an experience for the several drivers who had never competed in a Classic trial. Hopefully they will have enjoyed their day and will come back to the hills soon.
Class
Driver/Car
Marks
Overall
Liam Rafferty (DP Cannon)
0
Best Falcon
Mike Pearson (Dellow Rep)
9
1
Dave Oliver (Peugeot 205)
0
2
Steve Potter (Trojan)
14
4
Michael Leete (VW Beetle)
12
5
Keith Pettit (AH Sprite)
0
6
Adrian Tucker Peake (MGF)
18
7
Mark Endley (Liege)
8
8
Dean Partington (DP Wasp)
0
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Smooth Running Trial, Just the Right Amount of Bite
It had been wet before the event, but was dry on the day, creating ideal conditions. There were some new ideas which worked well, although with some controversy over Run Back penalties on the timed restart. The old favourites were on form. The resurfaced sections at Normans Hump and Simms still took their toll as did a rough Tipley.
Mike Pearson getting out of shape as he fights a loosing battle with the rough steps of Tipley. (Picture by Brian J Rees)
Clerk of the Course Tim Whellock introduced the trial by explaining how he had revised the first part of the route to make the transition down to Bovey Woods more interesting. This started with a Special Test within the Haynes Complex. This went down well, especially with car competitors who had a rare chance to see the motorcyclists in action.
Timed Restart at Windwhistle Hill
A concept not seen for a while. Competitors were stopped on a muddy tarmac road, drove into a restart box then restarted on a light signal and given 10 seconds to clear the section ends board which wasn’t that far away. All should have been well. There were certainly plenty of marshals but the provisional results caused controversy when 25% of the entry were shown with Run Back penalties, including eventual Best in Class 1 award winner James Shallcross.
New Underdown Sections
With Meerhay no longer available it was good to have these new forestry sections near Yarcombe, close to where the A30 joins the A303. Class 0 and the main trial shared the rough downhill approach track. The Class 0 section came first, but proved too difficult for quite a few cars, causing a tailback while they reversed out. Unfortunately this prevented cars in the main trial getting to their section and a big queue built up until the Class 0 section was cancelled. The section proved nowhere near as rough as the entrance track and Bill Bennett (MG J2) was its only notable scalp, although it did prove problematic for quite a few of the Suzuki’s in Class 5
Normans Hump
Back on the agenda after a years absence the area around Normans Hump looked very different after all the logging. The surface of the track had changed as well. It wasn’t as rough and stony but there was a layer of mud to contend with. The restart was limited to Classes 3 and 6, taking its toll of both. In Class 3 only Lester Keat (Avenger) and Neil Bray in his ex Tony Underhill Escort went clear. It was a similar story in Class 6, only three of a sizeable entry reaching the summit with Courtney Yandle (Beetle) and Dean Vowden (VW Notchback) going on for Gold.
Clinton
After an easy run so far Class 8 had to restart on Clinton. Although the logging hadn’t affected the track the restart was still a test for the specials and 50% of them didn’t get away, including Dean Partington, Brian Partridge and all the Dellows apart from Eric Wall.
Waterloo
After last year there had been some improvements to the section and it didn’t have much affect on the results of this years trial. Mind you, there were a few competitors that hadn’t got this far. John Plant’s Golf had lost all its power; Barry Clarke had retired the Grotty Chummy; Tim Smith and Chris Maries were both on their way home after strut problems with their very different Toyotas; Matt & Barry Denny were trying to get back to Popham on the train to collect their trailer and pick up their Fugitive after breaking the diff; Mark Rosten-Edwards had broken his Escorts Gearbox in Bovey Woods; Colin Sumner had fuel feed problems with his Beetle…….
Stretes, Core Hill ST, Bulverton Steep and Breakfast
None of these caused any problems, especially with the restart on Bulverton Steep cancelled, although the trial lost Wheelspin Champion Dean Partington before breakfast.
The Mid Trial break was at Crealey Amusement Park, and most people thought it was a much better venue than Exeter Services. MCC President Jonathan Laver was on hand to talk too as many people as possible. Jonathan had started the event in his MGB but retired when he found a newly fitted axle had far to higher ratio.
Tillerton
Only 7 and 8 had to restart on Tillerton. The section is a bit of a shock to newcomers. It looks horrendously rough over the solid rock. But the rises and falls are not too bad and its possible to get up without risking much damage. The problem was that the rock was pretty greasy and it took a fair toll. Roger Bricknell (Vincent) and Josh Moss (Gregory) both lost their clean sheets on the slippery rock. Other notable Class 8’s to be penalised were Eric and David Wall in their Dellows and Carl Talbot in his Special.
In Class 2 Nigel Hilling lost his clean sheet in his side-valve Ford Anglia but Ben Collings romped up in his wonderful Mercedes although he was to miss the final few hills.
Fingle
Chief Official Jeremy Bennett had moved the section start way down the hill compared to usual. This didn’t have any affect on the results but certainly added to competitors enjoyment.
Wooston Steep
Only Class Eight were allowed to assault the long bank this year. All the others had to turn left before the gradient went up, albeit classes 6 and 7 had to restart.
Only five of the Class 8’s reached their section ends board, including Alex Wheeler in his ex Tony Underhill special with the former owner urging him on from the passenger seat. Alex went on to join Nick Farmer and Mike Chatwin to keep clean sheets amongst the specials.
Simms
After pasties and cake at Ilsington Village hall it was time for Simms. The hill was going to be different as the Torbay lads and the Flay family digger had put in a lot of repair work. This really paid off as they had eliminated the worst of the rough stuff without loosing the hills competitiveness. Experience pays!
It was generally reckoned that conditions became tougher as the day went on and the upper part of the hill became more and more slippery.
Class 1 – James Shallcross made a storming climb, the only FWD to reach section ends. James was one of many to pick up one of the unfortunate RB’s on Underdown and had failed Normans Hump. However, the shape of Class 1 started to change when David Haizelden lost his clean sheet failing Simms.
Class 2 – Nobody got a clean so the hill didn’t count in their results. Unfortunately the many spectators were denied the spectacle of Ben Collings Mercedes as he had driven to the finish after Wooston.
Class 3 – Three of the Front Engined RWD saloons made the climb. No surprises that Lester Keat was one of them in his Avenger, David Millar made it with his Escort but Alan Selwood provided the best spectacle for the many spectators, with flames belching from his BMW Estate.
Class 4 – There was a high success rate here, four of the eight survivors going clean with the best performance put up by Nicola Butcher who stormed up late in the gathering gloom when the hill was very slippery.
Class 5 – Only two cleans amongst the sports cars. Phil Tucker in his TR3A and a stormer by Paul Brooks in his Suzuki X90. Simms wasn’t very kind to Mike Warnes who had the prop shaft yoke break on his TR7. Fortunately Mike was carrying a spare and changed it at the bottom of the hill.
Class 6 – I hope Dean Vowden and Alan Treloar don’t mind but the star performance in this class was Courtney Yandle in his Beetle, cleaning Simms and getting a Gold at 85 years young.
Class 7 – 7 and 8 both had a restart but the three cylinder Suzuki engined Lieges of Julian Lack and Mark Endley were up to the challenge, joined only by Nick Gibb’s Marlin
Class 8 – The Specials were up to the challenge of the old hill, most of them storming up and it didn’t seem to matter where you were in the running order in this class.
Tipley
The hill was very rough and slippery this year. With a lot of failures the queue at the preceding Lenda Lane control soon built up. The organisers took the unusual step of persuading competitors who were not on for a medal to miss the hill so that it didn’t have to be cancelled.
Dave Haizelden probably wished he was amongst them as the suspension on his well prepared Golf broke on one of the rough steps and it took a while to get it out of the section. Dave wasn’t the only failure to have problems getting out and its hard to see how Tipley can remain in the event unless things change.
Slippery Sam
The field was very spread out by the time the cars came to Slippery Sam The hill has become very rough at the top and a big problem is looming here. There was plenty of grip however and it was only Class 7 that had a lot of failures, having to re-start along with the Class 8’s.
The End
With some missing Tipley the survivors all made it to The Trecarn in time for the traditional evening meal. The Windwhistle Hill RB issue hadn’t reared its head at this stage and popular opinion was that it was a good event.
The innovations at the start of the event were very welcome and Underdown was a good find. The last few hills became quite challenging for the later runners and Tipley will need some work if its to stay in the event. The organisers had put a lot of work into the event and its clear why The Exeter is so popular.
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Classical Gas 