Classical Gas

Excellent Edinburgh

Once again we had a huge participation in the Edinburgh. Nineteen of the entry had at least one Falcon crew member, We ran a hill and Tom Goggin was assistant Clerk of the Course. Falcon members were pretty successful to and it looks like we will have nine golds.

**It was agreat Edinburgh. A successful one for Falcon to. We won nine of the 31 Gold medals in the car class. One of them was won by Michael Leete in his class four debut, seen here on Putwell 2.**

THE OVERNIGHT RUN

All of the Falcon crews started from Toddington, the first away, well before midnight on a nice evening. There had been quite a bit of rain earlier in the week and the marshals at the start were full of cheer, telling tales of washed out sections!

We had a couple of non-starters. Mike Furse didn’t take part because illness in the family and in the event Alan Bellamy didn’t turn up with either the Brasilia or his type 3 Fastback, otherwise we were all present and correct. Scruitineering at Toddington was quite a simple affair, seemingly consisting of checking the car was the same colour as stated on the MOT certificate! Then it was off for a couple of hours drive up the A5 to Atherstone for yet more scruitineering, this time for eligibility. There was a big Falcon audience when Neil Bray pulled into the car wash, sorry scruitineereing bay, for what we all thought was going to be another battle. But Alan Foster just shrugged his shoulders and waved the Skoda through for John West to check. This was quite painless and Neil and Marc were soon back on the A5 again.

A SECTION IN THE DARK

On and on up the A5 drove the Falcons. Through Brownhills and up to Cannock Chase. If the route had gone much further West it would have reached the Mersey! Finally it turned North up the A515 through Ashbourne to Agnes Meadow which everyone would attempt in the dark.

Fred Gregory hit trouble on the approach track when his Dutton coughed and died. Fred and Pete Staffod had been noticing the lights getting dimmer and dimmer and now it wouldn’t re-start. Fortunately help was at hand and a host of Falcons gave him a backward push to bump start. Once away Fred found that the alternator would only charge at high revs, so he kept them up for the rest of the event!

The hill itself didn’t present any problems, providing a nice gentle warm up for what was to come! Then it was back through Ashborne and South down the A511 to Hatton for breakfast. But not before an hour and a half’s kip in a lay-by for most people, as early arrival was penalised and the time schedule was pretty slack.

BREAKFAST AT THE SALT BOX

Breakfast was up to standard for those that had time to eat it. Colin Stephens had work to do on his car. The Dutton special had been running badly for some time and Colin solicited the opinion of his clubmates at the Salt Box. Popular opinion was that the coil was at fault and one was procured from the dark recesses of someone’s toolbox. It was soon cable tied into place by Dave Nash and the Dutton fired up OK. Luck wasn’t on Colin’s side though, because twenty miles up the road she conked out again. This time Colin diagnosed the carb was at fault and being one of Mr Ford’s more grotty ones decided not to attempt fixing it but to find a replacement. This was located in a nearby scrapyard. But all this took time and Colin and Kevin missed out some sections, rejoining the route at Bamford and going on to enjoy the rest of the hills.

HEARTBREAK ON LITTON SLACK

Clough Wood didn’t present any problems so it was on to Litton with the dew still on the ground. The descent down to the start was as hairy as ever. Even Mike Furse in his Four Wheel drive was nervous. All our Dellow inspired class eight’s made the top in fine style, and so did Dave Nash and Fred Gregory. Peter and Christine Manning weren’t so lucky in their Midget, they didn’t build enough road speed and as Peter said it was a case of “so near and yet so far”. The Skoda’s in class four both cleaned it OK and so did Neil Birkett in Murray MacDonald’s Beetle. Michael Leete and Mike Hayward fluffed on the line when Michael didn’t get the rev’s up enough on his new 1300 engine. The marshal let him have another go though and he stormed to the top.

Our other class four’s weren’t so lucky. Brian Alexander didn’t make the top and neither did Stuart and Andrew Cairney in their Imp when a drive shaft bolt broke and the dreaded donuts burst asunder. Being a good Imp man Stuart had a spare and they were able to carry on. Brian Alexander couldn’t get his Fiat out of the top, despite the bouncing efforts of the third generation of the Alexander family. Neither could Peter Mountain in possibly his last drive in his Skoda. Peter left the line in fine style but the wheels were spinning to much. Peter didn’t ease off and came to a halt, tyres smoking, by the trees where the gradient increases so deceptively.

THE ROUTE DIVIDES

The route divided at the next section. Classes seven and eight tackled Lymer Rake, a long rocky section that has not been used on the Edinburgh for many years. All the Falcon’s got to the top OK but not completely intact, as Reg Taylor suffered a puncture and broke the bracket holding one of the rear wings. This was certainly one tough section and everyone didn’t make it, including Simon Woodall in his two ponit something VW Bitza.

Instead of tackling LymerRake the oyther classes forked right and went up Swan Rake, not so steep but certainly rocky and giving Neil Bray his first puncture of the day. Then it was off to Corkscrew or Bareleg, depending on your class and the special test on Old Long Hill before the Marquiss.

THE MAQUIS IMPROVES

The holding control at The Marquis of Granby been a nightmare in recent years. Competitors pushing, shoving and almost coming to blows as they staked their claim to get to the head of the line. It was certainly different this year. The MCC committee were there in strength, leading from the front and organising competitors in tidy lines to ensure we left in the order we arrived. There was a certain amount of fettling going on. Mike Pearson had lost a shock absorber bolt and was searching for a replacement. He found that the ones securing Murray’s lead ballet inside his bumper were just the right size and the Beetle’s ballast was held by two fastenings instead of three for the rest of the event.

Neil and Marc made the fatal mistake of repairing their punctured tyre . As soon as other competitors saw they had a bead breaker a crew formed so they could strip their tyres from the rims as well! Fred Gregory missed the entertainment. He and Pete Stafford were too busy getting lost up on the hilltops when they missed the turning at the Anchor Inn and didn’t realise their mistake till they were nearly back in Toddington!

BAMFORD BECKONS

After a commendably short wait it was off to Bamford. This is a section that seems to get rougher as it gets easier. The concrete steps were totally exposed, with no loose material covering them at all, so their was grip a plenty. All the Falcon’s cleaned the section OK but Bamford being Bamford their were drama’s. Neil Bray got another puncture but got out of the top OK, thanks to his tyres being bolted to the rims, otherwise the wheel would have spun inside the tyre. Dave Nash entertained the spectators with a clean amidst huge clouds of smoke when the oil pressure sender came out, spraying hot oil over the exhaust. Dave was at the top pondering what to do when a young spectator came running up with the missing part and he was able to continue. It wasn’t a bed of roses though as the Skeetle was getting a bit short of cogs to swap as it steadfastly refused too find second or reverse.

Keith Pettit had the prop shaft on his A35 break. Inevitably the car ran back down the hill until the prop shaft dug in and it was stuck, blocking the hill for quite a while. David Thompson stormed to the top in his buggy and was still clean on his first Classic. The only local casualty as far as I can ascertain was Jonathan Baggot who tried to slow trickle his Marlin at walking pace and found the old hill is a lot steeper than it looks!

The bridges over Ladybower reservoir were being repaired and it took sometime to get to Haggside. Experienced competitors were ready for the re-start, cunningly hidden just around the first hairpin, so the MCC didn’t claim to many Falcon scalps with this one. So it was back through the roadworks and past the Marquis to Great Hucklow. The roadbook issued before the start had not raised any fears for the lower classes. We were to have a straight climb, leaving the hard men in class eight to storm the bank. The route amendments issued at The Salt Box were to change that, we all had to climb the bank.

HORROR AT HUCKLOW

The Cambridge boys all got up OK, so did Clive and Mike. Stuart Cairney and Brian Alexander weren’t so lucky in their Imp and Fiat respectively. You needed big wheels and plenty of ground clearance for this one! The section started in the usual place. It was a bit muddier than usual and one or two people did have a bit of a problem getting away from the line. However, if you managed this OK it didn’t look to bad at all, not to much gradient and not to rough. As with Haggside the problem lay unseen around the corner. The normal exit onto the road was coned off, the route dived sharply to the left around a solid post, and up the bank of the cutting. It’s very steep muddy, rocky with deep ruts, otherwise it’s not to bad! It wouldn’t be to difficult if you could take a run at it but Laurie Knight, Tom Goggin et al are getting cunning in their old age, they needed something to slow down the gold rush on what is traditionally the MCC’s easiest event. So their was a re-start about ten yard’s before the deviation.

Stuart and Brian both tried to build their speed but weren’t going fast enough to drag the bottom of their low slung machines over the boulders. Their class four colleagues in The New Falconers Team were waiting in the queue, out of sight of the drama. They knew about it though as a spectating Dave Turner (former Boris the Beetle and Citeron AX man) was delighting in telling the waiting drivers how long it had been since the last clean! It was s**t or bust for Michael in his “new” Beetle, the b*****d was going up there or break in the process. Michael and Mike approached the re-start slowly and stopped with the front wheels just inside the box. The marshal dropped the flag. 4500 on the rev counter, dump the clutch, remember the Lords prayer and hang on.

The Yellow Beetle flew up the track, Michael turned the wheel to go up the bank and the car understeered straight on towards the trees. It was all or nothing. He kept his foot flat to the floor, the front wheels gripped just in time, found the ruts and the car was drawn around the corner and onto the bank, foot still flat on the floor, wheels spinning, six thousand how many on the clock? It shot out of the section like a champagne cork. Skilful stuff this Classic Trials driving!

Although all this ws taking place out of the sight of the other New Falconers they could here what was happening. Running in a team the real competition is not to fail a section one of your team-mates has climbed, especially if he is now in the same class as you. Honour was at stake, and was satisfied, Neil, Simon and Fred all cleaned Hucklow as well. Neil Birkett wasn’t so lucky in Murray’s Beetle. Despite Murray’s advise he went to far into the box and didn’t build enough speed, so it was the humiliation of the escape road for JAZ.

THE END IS NIGH

The event was drawing to a close now, but we had some good stuff to come. Jacobs Ladder was included for the first time in my Edinburgh career. It’s a long narrow section, a bit rocky but not too difficult. It’s approached through a lovely little village and up a very narrow track, the problem comes if a breakdown has to be retrieved. The MCC had tied to cater for this by having a holding control before the village to prevent queues blocking off access to peoples houses. This seemed successful and competitors appreciated having a go at such a nice section. It didn’t cause Falcon’s to many problems, although Simon picked up a puncture.

DISASTER AT DEEP RAKE

Then it was off to the quarry for the Deep Rake special test. This was a “start with front wheels on line A, stop with all four wheels in box B, drive in your own time to stop on line C” affair. It was quite a nice blast, including a hairpin and a deep puddle. However, box B was not very big and it was tricky to know if you had all four wheels in or not. This caught out quite a few people, including Peter Manning and Neil Bray who lost his gold.The Putwell’s rounded off the day and it was back to Buxton, more or less on time, thanks to good planning by the organisers and hard work by the marshals. As usual a substantial group of Falcons met up in the pub in the marketplace for an evening meal. Is it that the music gets louder and the youngsters younger or are we getting old? Who knows, who cares, it was an Excellent Edinburgh.

1998_edinburgh_results Download

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

Bellamy’s Brasilia Blues

This update on Alan Bellamy’s Brasilia was prompted by a family outing to Bug Jam at Santa Pod this summer. We were walking from our car to the track side when the junior member of the family announced “look there’s a Skoder Nash”. Ignorant boy, it wasn’t “a” Skoder Nash it was “the” Skeetle, don’t they teach them anything at school these days?

What we didn’t notice at first was the car behind, Alan’s rare Brasilia, looking very normal beside Dave’s creation and all the other wild rides nestling in the Bedfordshire countryside. It’s quite a few month’s since Alan finished the rebuild and all has not gone smoothly. The first event was the Lands End, when the Brasilia started to run roughly on the way to Popham. Alan stopped to tinker and the so and so absolutely refused to fire up again. Suspecting fuel starvation Alan squirted some jungle juice directly down its throat(s) and turned the motor over. It duly spat the fuel back out of the carbs and the wiring caught fire. The Brasilia was on the retired list before reaching the start!

Once the wiring was remedied the original problem had to be fixed and it was an interesting one. If the Brasilia was left overnight it would fire up and run OK for a while, then cough and die, defying all attempts to re-start. However, if it was left a while it started quite readily again. But would only run a short while before repeating the whole ghastly sequence. Finally Alan found the problem. Have you guessed? That’s right, there was a piece of paper in the brand spanking new petrol tank. It got sucked over the tank outlet, starving the engine of fuel. However, as the petrol pump stopped sucking the paper would eventually float away, allowing the motor to start again. Boy oh boy!

Anyway, the tank problem was all sorted out in time for the Manx Classic, so it was off on the Steam Packet to the Isle of Man. It started well, but half way through the event the engine started a terrible knock which Alan finally diagnosed as a small end on the way out. He retired and limped home, with Dave Nash in close attendance in case the Brasilia expired on the motorway. Surprisingly things didn’t get any worse, but the noise continued, and Alan prepared to rip the motor apart as soon as he got home. No sooner he taken the silencer off when it clanked and rattled as he put it down. You’ve guessed, the “small end” was a loose baffle. Nearly as bad as when I retired from the Edinburgh with loose wheel-nuts!

This was soon sorted and off went entries for the Testing Trial and The Edinburgh. During the Testing Trial the gearbox started to lock up and Alan discovered that there is terrible play in the diff that needs investigating. Meanwhile the linkage to one of the carbs broke and couldn’t be mended on the spot. Alan set the tick-over up high on the offender and drove home using the other carb!

No time to fix the diff before the Edinburgh. But look out for Alan as he will be driving his familiar Type 3 Fastback. As my friend Rowland Derry used to say when things were not going so well “it’s good here in’it”.

Alan’s new tank came from a VW part’s outlet in Venezuela. This guy can supply practically any Brasilia part except the front wings. The phone bills not to much of a problem, as Alan uses E-Mail to contact him, at the cost of a local call. It’s just as well that Alan found him. Just imagine the reaction of your local VW dealership if you went in “got a tank for a Brasilia squire”.

XMY 238 An Early Kit Car?

Peter Mountains Morgan has an interesting history. It’s a rare example of a car sold as rolling chassis by the Malvern factory. It was bought by a gentleman called Bert Range for £350. He completed the build and went on to use it for Racing and Rallying.

Bert Range in XMY 238 at Silverstone in 1952

Bert range at the rest halt on the Coronation Rally. He is on the right with the flasks of coffee.

IN 1951 THE MORGAN COMPANY FOUND THEMSELVES IN TROUBLE WITH THEIR BODY BUILDERS and were not able to complete cars. Because they had all the supplies of chassis, engines, gearbox’s etc, they put an advertisement in the motoring press to the effect that if anyone had the facilities to complete a car they would supply the parts as a kit without any purchase tax.

Bert Range took up their offer and built his car at his business premises at Kings Cross in London where he ran a fleet of lorries. It took him about six months, working in the evenings, to make the bodywork and fit all the parts. He then had it professionally sprayed in British Racing Green with Black wings.

Originally it was supposed to be a two seater but as he had two small children Bert decided to forgo one of the two spare wheels and extend the body backwards so as to provide a reasonable seat for them. When his car was finished Bert took his car back to Malvern. The works were surprised he had made it into a four seater but were pleased at the quality of his work.

Bert was on the committee of the Cemian Motor Club at the time and was later to become it’s chairman. Cemian were one of the “Eight Clubs” who promoted racing at Silverstone. On 7 June 1952 they ran a race meeting using the reorganised Club Circuit of 1.608 miles. Two Morgan Plus 4’s were entered, Bert’s and A. R. Morton’s of the 750 Motor Club. In the one-hour high-speed trial for 1501-3000 cc cars Bert was one of only four cars to complete the required thirty-two laps (51.46 miles), the others being a supercharged Alfa Romeo, a 2.5 litre Riley and a similarly engined Healey. Bert finished his day by finishing fourth in a five lap handicap race.

Peter Mountain – Cars I Have Owned

This piece was conceived about a year ago, when I first saw Peter Mountain’s Morgan. I had often admired his well-prepared Skoda and knew he was re-building a Dellow, but when I saw that Morgan I just had to know more about car and driver.

Peter on Crackington in his Morgan in the 1990 Lands End

Peter’s first car was a 1937 Austin Ten, which he bought for the proverbial fifteen quid. It was a horrible thing, in terrible condition. Foot flat on the floor it would reach fifty but the reality was you actually daren’t drive it over forty, it was so un-stable! An Armstrong Siddeley Lanchester was next. It had a Wilson pre-selector gear box, the same as was used in the ERA’s. It had six cylinder’s and hydraulic tappets but like the Austin Ten it didn’t last very long and followed it to the local scrap yard. Then came a series of Escorts and an ex Evening Standard Minivan before the Morgan arrived.

Peter acquired XMY 238 in 1968, after seeing an ad in the Exchange and Mart. He was running around in the Minivan and had planed to use the Morgan as his regular road car. However, although the car looked nice it was quite evil. It had lived a hard life, everything was worn out, to the extent that Peter had to change the engine the next day. Once this was done Peter used it regularly for a year or two, driving it on the road and competing in trials and sprint’s, before acquiring a company car, whereupon XMY 238 disappeared into the garage for a quick two week chassis change! The old one had become rather rusty, a common fate for the early cars, as the steel used for the chassis was pretty appalling and they didn’t last very long. A brand spanking new frame was obtained from Malvern Link for the princely sum of £65. Just one small thing, the two weeks expanded rather, into an eleven year re-build!

As you can imagine, the car has had many alterations and modifications over the years. It now has cycle type front wings (acquired from the same source as Dudley Sterry’s), disc brakes, a modified TR4 engine, radial tyres,15 inch wheels and numerous chassis modifications. Some of these changes offend the purest members of the Morgan club, but they were quite normal modifications in the late sixties and early seventies, around the time that Plus Four production ceased. However, they do mean that this old car is quite fast on the road and is well able to hold it’s own in modern traffic.

Peter got into trials when he drove by Milk Hall Farm on the way home from a Veteran Car run a couple of years before. He saw something interesting was going on and went in to have a look. He got chatting to Mike Furse, who talked him into doing an MCC trial, and the rest is history! Peter used the Morgan in PCT’s, Classic’s and Sprints for several years, before and after the re-build. In the early 90’s he did all three of the MCC events one year. But the hill’s were getting rougher and he was concerned about the way the underside was getting knocked about. Peter particularly remembers the ruts on Waterloo. Smash, smash, smash. The cross member is still banana shaped after the experience! The problem is that the suspension movement is so limited.

The car is raised an inch and a half at the front and two inches at the back, but it has so much overhang at the back that the tail is still extremely vulnerable. The final straw came when the diff and the gearbox broke on Bamford. The diff wasn’t to much of a problem but the Morgan uses the same Moss gearbox as an XK120. Bits are very hard to find and are very expensive when you do locate them. Peter managed to find another box but it had a high bottom gear that was not suitable for trials. This prompted him to decide that the Classic’s were now to rough for such an old lady and he bought a Skoda.

The Morgan still comes out for selected PCT’s and the occasional autotest when it is driven with great verve! Future plans for the car include hill climbs and Peter rather fancies the Manx Classic. However XMY 238 will need another engine, as the present one is now very tired .

Before we leave Morgans it’s interesting to hear that Peter was responsible for introducing Rob Wells, the well-known Morgan racer and London dealer, to trialling. They went to the same school so they go back a long way. Peter has team managed the Morgan team at some of the long distance relay races, including the 24 hour event at Snetterton which they won, only to be disqualified afterwards. Rob and Peter have shared quite a few motorsport experiences, including driving a Beetle on the Lands End. Then they shared a left hand drive Plus 4 for a couple of years. This was a Fiat engined car that they built up from a pile of bits.

There have been two Skoda’s. The first was an Orange one, acquired in 1993 and used by James as a road car. It was then turned into a trials machine, but was totally gutless with it’s standard engine. They got hold of a rally prepared motor and de-tuned it a bit but the cam is still a bit hairy. Later the mechanical’s were moved into another shell that forms the basis of the current car. The gearbox has broken a couple of times but otherwise Peter reckons it’s pretty robust. Over the time he has had the Skoda he has developed the it considerably. He’s removed the anti-roll bar to give a bit more suspension movement at the front and there are some hush-hush tweaks at the swing axle end back end. Recently the car engine has been de-tuned even more in search of more torque. It’s fitted with a 40 DCOE Weber that now has quite small chokes to make it more tractable.

Peter has had his Dellow for about two years. He doesn’t know much about the history of this particular car. It’s a Mk 1 chassis, no 35, and was already fitted with a brand new 1600 Crossflow. Theoretically it was practically ready to run but Peter wasn’t happy with a lot of the workmanship and decided to give it a compete re-build. According to the MCC programs it was last trialled in 1986. It was also used in speed events, for the purpose of which it had the main cross tube cut out, so the engine could be set lower in the frame. So the first thing Peter did was to replace it, as the chassis was a bit flexible to say the least!

Full Chat – Peter autotesting XMY at a Falcon autotest at Upper Caldecote in the summer of 1998

Derek Fleming’s Primrose

Our birthday run re-united original “Falconer” team member Derek Fleming with his old trials car Primrose. Derek and his fellow team members, Tucker and Ron Warren were a very successful combination, winning the MCC team award on several occasions.

“Trials Specials” were very much all round machines. Like most drivers Derek used to go autocrossing in the summer.

THE STORY OF PRIMROSE IS QUITE FASCINATING. Back in the 60’s Derek was in the motor trade when Tucker talked him into competing in the Lands End with a brand new Minx. A look underneath afterwards showed Derek how unsuitable this particular car was for trialling! The poor old petrol tank and underside were looking decidedly second-hand after their battering on the Cornish rocks.

Derek on Simms in 1954. He was awarded a second.

While looking at the damage to the Minx Derek found out a pal had smashed up his XK 120. He acquired the wreck, but the only usable bit was the bonnet. Derek had often talked about building a trials special but had never actually got round to starting it. Then one day he came back from lunch to find his mechanics had propped up the XK bonnet and laid out four wheels and an axle round it, and that’s how Primrose started. It isn’t just the bonnet that makes the old car so distinctive. Derek also built her with independent front suspension which was very unusual at the time.

The parts came from a Standard 10. Primrose is very well made. The wings are beautifully finished with rolled wired edges. The rear lights are another nice feature. When Derek finished the car the chassis stuck out from the body a bit so he wanted to set the rear lights back. The delectable looking housings are in fact cut down oil filter canister cylinders! Another nice touch is the rear number plate. It looks frightfully low and vulnerable. Until you realise it is hinged, rising out of harms way when the ruts come along.

In between the Hillman and Primrose Derek campaigned a two seater Ford. Seen here on Darracott in 1956

How did the car get its name? Originally Derek entered it as a Ford special. Having built the car in his spare time his wife had been left on her own a lot. They were looking forward to spending time together on the events, but when the first one came along his wife wasn’t at all thrilled. It was a cold Lands End, and the car didn’t have a heater yet. But when the day dawned and they were going down all those narrow Cornish lanes all the Primroses were out in the hedges. The Secretary of the event, Jack Davis must have heard them talking about it because although Derek entered the next event as a “Ford Special” the Secretary put “Primrose” on the entry list and the name stuck.

When Derek was building the car people often asked him what colour he was going to paint it. Something exciting like British Racing Green? No “nothing gaudy” said Derek “just plain old yellow and black” So when he finished it he had to paint it yellow and black. Derek is delighted that Primrose is still active, so many other specials were left to languish under a tree and rust away. Although Derek still owns her Primrose has been on loan to Neil Bray for many years. Neil fitted a modern cross flow engine and a roll bar, using the old car on the classics for many years before going class four with a Skoda on some events to avoid the re-starts!

The barbecue after the run gave Derek and Ron Warren the opportunity to reminisce about their competition career. Derek won the Guy Fawkes in Primrose one year and also the Badderely on the Lands End a number of times.

The Falconers after Tucker had started to campaign an Anglia Estate while the “Tucker-MG” was re-built. In fact he never drove his special again. In the centre is Ron Warren with his Dellow

Ron remembers when you had to register as a triple contender. Ron got three first class awards one year but no triple because he hadn’t registered. Reggie Marrions was Club Captain and stood no nonsense, rules are rules. Then Ron recalled one Exeter when the engine of his Dellow cried enough and he took it to a local garage. The mechanics fell on the car and quickly removed the engine. They had to fit a new piston and four exchange con-rods. Ron missed a section by about ten minutes but went on to do the rest of the trial.

Tucker looking on while Derek is presented with the Vice-Presidents trophy.

Ron and Derek talked about another Falcon members special “The Lawford”. This was a real fly-weight that challenged Derek in Primrose on one Guy Fawkes. It was built by Mike Lawrence and “Lawford” came from “The Lawrence-Ford Special”. They were both clean on the sections but Derek was quicker on the special tests. He reckoned it was all down to his gear ratios Mike had a box from and “eight” while Derek’s was from a “ten”. It was super to see car and builder reunited again. Derek certainly enjoyed himself. Who knows we may yet see him on another Lands End.

These days Primrose is looked after by Neil Bray. Here pictured taking good care of the old car!

Manx Trial

Clive Booth and John Allsop fixing a pucture.

Best Overall (0 points) Roger Bricknell (Vincent MPH)
Class 0 (19) John Quenby (MG TC)
1 (11) Terry Coventry (Citroen AX)
2 (0) Barry Clarke (Austin Grotty Chummy)
3 (0) Paul Bartleman (Ford Escort)
4 (0) Richard Peck (VW Beetle)
6 (5) John Sargeant (VW Beetle)
7 (5) Bob Saunders (Imp)
8 (0) Brian Cope (The Peugeot Shuttle)

1998_manx_results_route Download

Kyrle win for Adrian Dommett

Five Falcons took part in the Ross clubs end of term frolic in the Forest of Dean. It had been raining heavily during the week and the hills were in prime condition. It was mainly sunny on the day, but there were a few showers. These made the running order important and affected the results quite a bit, catching David Alderson while he was waiting for Water Works, and he couldn’t get up the bank on to the main track. If he had David would have been the overall winner. However, we had the consolation of a well-earned class win by Neil Bray, after numerous punctures.

Neil Bray stuffs his Skoda into Simon Robsons wall on Deep Dean 2

Neil Bray’s first challenge was to get his Skoda through scruitineering and with John West in charge this was no mean feat! It’s John who advised Dave Nash that the Skeetle was a class eight, even though it complies with the rules for seven and there are some far more extreme motors in the class. (Yes I know this is supposed to be an event report, but your favourite column has to keep it’s reputation for controversy and have a little stir now and again. Perhaps we could have some letters on the subject!)

Once we were underway there was a long road run to the first group of hills, starting with Burnbrae, which had a diversion for blue and white. Even so it was no walk over and Murray MacDoanld couldn’ t negotiate the slippery hairpin. Simon Robson got round OK and cleaned the hill, his celebrations echoing through the trees! Neil made it, as did Frank Burton’s Skoda, but Giles Greenslade’s was the only successful Beetle.

Andrews Alley was a few hundred yards up the track. This steep and muddy horror defeated most of the lower classes but was cleaned by the competitive six, seven and eight’s. The dreaded Jill was next on the route card. Fortunately for mere mortals logging operations had made it inaccessible, to be replaced by a milder affair called Jackson. This wasn’t a pussycat though, long, muddy and rutted, you really needed to keep the power hard on, there wasn’t any fear of going off course, the ruts saw to that! Simon ran out of puff and grip by the four but the other Falcons cleaned it OK.

Then it was across the road to a special test marshalled by Simon Harris, who has competed on some of our PCT’s in a Golf GTi. Pludds was next, a steep rocky slope that defeated Murray and Neil. Simon made up for his Jackson’s debacle with a clean and so did Michael, despite a re-start, from which Mike Hayward bounced the Beetle away in fine style.

The next group of sections lay at the end of a couple of miles of well-made forest road. It was easy to imagine Colin McRae blasting down here in a glorious four wheel drift. Dream it had to be as the spoil sport organisers had imposed a 15 mph speed limit! Neither Snompers nor Tomlin Splash troubled any of the Falcons, although Simon was docked six on the latter, presumably because he stopped! It’s now down to our Mr Robson to convince the organisers that he ground to a halt after the section ends board. If he does he will take the second in class award away from Matthew Sharratt.

The half way halt at Wenchford picnic area saw some frantic work to put a new tube in one of Michael Leete’s tyres, punctured on the second special test. It was left to Neil to complete the job and as a result the pair left the stop near the back of the field. They were to drop further behind when one of Neils tubeless tyres left the rim on the slippery track up to Cuddleigh Bank and the bag jack kept slipping out from under the Skoda. The section itself was pretty horrific, very steep and slippery and only climbed by a couple of competitors, including our own David Alderson. David then proceeded to make the only successful climb of Lambswell to lead the trial. This was a really difficult ascent through the trees. It was very muddy and rutted but unfortunately not that steep at the bottom, allowing cars to build up a fair bit of speed. The problem was that there were some frightful bumps about half way up. They threw a couple of the faster motors out of the ruts and into the trees, including Murray MacDonald, to the detriment of the Beetles bodywork.

By now the later numbers were seeing some rain and this caused a major problem at Water Works as it made the lower part pretty impossible. It trapped David Alderson, he couldn’t get up the first bank, dropping twelve, which cost him the trial. Lane End came next, appropriately named as is at the end of a long muddy lane. The route card said that the hill had reverted to the original three-hairpin climb on ruts and rocks. This was academic for many competitors as the first corner was very tight and muddy and they under-steered straight on into the trees. David got round OK, and went on to clean the hill, but the rest of the Falcons failed at the twelve and Neil Bray picked up another puncture in the process. The inflatable jack got another fit of the sulks, so Michael Leete’s trolley jack was pressed into service again. By the time things were sorted out the other competitors had gone by and the two Falcon crews were running last on the road.

There was a sizeable delay at High Garlic and this gave Neil and Marc the opportunity to put tubes into the two dead tubeless tyres. The hill is another long, straight climb through the trees, with some nice deep ruts to keep you on the straight and narrow. Last year Murray had problems at the start and his Beetle slipped sideways to fail before the proper hill began. He did a bit better this year, but couldn’t make the summit and had to reverse down. The other Falcons did better and scored cleans.

Deep Dean’s one and two provided the finale. “Two” is the one with the hairpin at the end with Simon Robson’s wall ready to trap the unwary. The hairpin was pretty slippery and it was hard to stop the car under-steering in the mud. It was possible to get round as David and Murray proved. Neil gave the Skoda everything as usual but to no avail. The front wheels skated over the mire and Neil and Marc powered the Czech wonder into Robsons wall. Then it was back to Ross on Wye to sign off and head for home. An enjoyable event, pretty well organised, tough but not as fearsome as its reputation. Congratulations to Neil Bray on winning class four and commiseration’s to David Alderson on the win slipping away at Water Works. But as David himself says, class eight is very competitive and I am sure Adrian Dommett thoroughly deserved his victory.

Kyrle Trophy (6 marks lost) – Adrian Dommett (Ford 100E s/c)
Classes 1 + 2 (53) – David Haizelden (VW Golf GTi)
3 (41) – Paul Bartleman (Escort Estate)
4 + 5 (52) – Neil Bray (Skoda)
6 (17) – Nigel Allen (VW Beetle)
7 (11) – Roger Bricknell (Vincent MPH)
8 (11) – Mick Workman (Golden Valley Special)

1998_kyrle_results_route Download

11 April 1998 – Lands End Trial

There was a high rate of Falcon attrition on the Lands End, with nearly half of us non-starting or retiring. Those who made it to the end thought it was an enjoyable event. A little tougher than the last few years, with some rugged road conditions over Exmoor to add to the challenge.At this stage all the results are not to hand, but it looks as if Neil Bray, Peter Mountain and Geoff Jackson were best Falcons with Silvers.

Neil Bray about to assult Crackington in front of his Falcon clubmates who were marshalling the hill. The yellow Beetle behind looks familiar!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Peter Mountain rounding the top bend on Bluehills 2

CRACKINGTON CAPERS

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

CONTINUED CRACKINGTON CAPERS

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

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

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

Arnold Lane chatting to Neil Bray at Bluehills. Arnold had spent most of the day marshalling on Crackington with Andrea and the rest of the Falcon team.

1998_lands_end_results Download

Exe Valley Trial 1998

Overall victory went to Dudley Sterry in his venerable MG J2. Murray MacDonald won his class on a wet and exciting, Exe Valley. Brian Alexander had the misfortune to break his gearbox on the last section.

**Falcons and Fiats awaiting the Death Destruction Derby. Sorry! Exe Valley Trial.**

Best Overall Dudley Sterry MG J2 – 5
Class
1 David Hazelden (Golf) – 16
3 David Heale (Escort) – 11
4 Murray MacDonald (VW 1302) – 9
5 Dennis Greenslade (Reliant) – 20
6 Gary Browning (VW Beetle) – 24
7 Roger Bricknell (Vincent) – 6
8 Adrian Dommet (100E Special) – 7

1998_exe_valley_results_route Download

It was a was an early start, and a long drive down the M5, for Murray and Hazel MacDonald and Michael Leete/Mike Hayward in their VW Beetles, to the start at the Halfway House Inn near Cullompton in Devon. It wasn’t so far for the third Falcon, as Fiat enthusiast Brian Alexander only lives a few miles up the road.

Brian’s wasn’t the only Fiat taking part. Alongside him there were two more Fiat 850’s, not a coincidence though. One was Brian’s spare car, the other the one he used at Brickhill, and still in PCT trim. Brian had lent the car to a neighbour for the day, in thanks for helping out with preparation of his Fiat fleet. The third Fiat also had an Alexander connection as Brian was its previous owner.

Just down the road from the start was an hours delay at the start of Section three. Yes I did say section three, as the first two were cancelled. It was to be one of those mornings. There was another hours delay at second hill and then it was on for a near two hour wait at sections five and six which were then cancelled while Nigel Allen’s passenger was helicoptered out with a suspected broken leg! So, it was gone two o’clock when the Falcon trio got to the third observed section which was number seven! There had been problems though. Murray had punctured getting out of the cancelled section and Brian was struggling with his Fiats gear selection.

Sections seven and eight were pegged out in a slimy wood. The first one was easy enough for Murray and Brian but as Michael is in class six he had an alternative route through a deep water filled hole, followed by a steep muddy bank which he couldn’t negotiate. The following section twisted around though the trees, then darted up a steep bank. Murray did very well here and got up to the four, taking the class lead in front of Giles (son of our hero) Greenslade.

The next section wasn’t really a hill it was a River! From the start all you could see was a marshal standing on the opposite bank and pointing up-stream. It started out OK, but it wasn’t long before the water actually got into Murray’s car so that tells you how deep it was! After 50 yards we re back on dry land. All the Falcons and Brian’s collection of Fiats made it OK but a few competitors didn’t, and ground to a halt with wet bottom’s. Great stuff.

Westacott was originally to have been a special test but was changed to an observed section at the last moment. It wasn’t difficult and the whole entry cleaned it. This was followed by Iron Mill, another muddy track with deep ruts, and a re-start which caught out quite a few cars. These included Brian, who was now getting very concerned about his gearbox, although the rest of the Italian collection was doing just fine.

Kennels was entirely different, a muddy wind through the trees with a tricky re-start. Michael and Brian didn’t get much beyond the first corner but Murray showed the way. He got of the re-start OK but not much further and dropped five. Along came Giles Greenslade who got to the four, putting him level with Murray again.

Bidgood Lane turned out to be the hill they call Port Lane on the Exmoor Clouds. This is a really fantastic section. It starts in the village and looks innocuous. Once you get going it soon changes character, getting steeper, muddier and more rutted. It’s very, very long and it takes a fair old time to get to the top and even longer to reverse back down again! All the class eight’s cleaned it, and so did Murray and Giles. Michael nearly made it but didn’t attack the last step with sufficient momentum and ground to a halt. He was very disappointed but didn’t feel so bad when the results showed that our hero himself had also failed at the two marker.

The final observed section was called Doddiscombe. There’s a bridge over a stream just after the start. The blues and whites were allowed to use it but the others, including Michael, had to go through the stream and up the bank the other side. The early number and the super-heroes didn’t have to much of a problem, but it wasn’t so easy for mere mortals running at the back of the field. Michael and Mike looked at the obstacle was some trepidation but decided to give it a go. Down the steep slope went the Beetle. Into the stream, then boot it and try to get all the yellow perils 50 bhp into action. Up the other side it shot. It slowed, Mike bounced, the wheels span, the Beetle clawed its way up, it was just going to make it. No, it stopped, keep the power on, bounce, sway, anything, everything. It was to no avail. The car had slipped sideways and dug its way into some soft soil up to its axles, so deep it was only just possible to open the door.

Crew and Marshals tried everything to extricate the car to no avail. They couldn’t push it out forwards and it wouldn’t go out backwards either. After ten minutes or so it was still stuck and the official in charge of the hill came down to see what was up. It was Tim Wheelock! He rapidly sized up the situation and departed. Presumably to fetch a JCB so he could bury car and driver! No, he soon returned with extra help and the Beetle was eased back into the stream to do a 3 point turn. After some persuasion it was then coaxed back out the way it came. Michael was very grateful and henceforth Tim Wheelock will be called “a very nice man” in this column!

That was nearly it. Just a funny regularity section to end the day. But it wasn’t very funny for Brian as his Fiats transmission finally called enough. Murray, Giles and Matthew Sharratt had equal scores on the hills and the regularity section but Murray and Hazel got the class with a fast tome in the special test. Then it was off for the long drive home. The Beds and Herts crews getting back around mid-night. Definitely an adventure.

Ian Davis won Falcons Mini Classic

an Davis put in the best performance on the Mini Classic at Edlesborough on 8 March. Ian was one of three drivers still clean when the rain came down. This made conditions so bad that the event was cut back to only two rounds. The result being decided on the special test times.

**We had two Racecorp LA’s taking part. Including this one driven by Martin and Henry Allen**

ohn Parsons and Mike Pearson chose Edlesborough for their mini-classic, only two weeks after the same team had run the RAC/BTRDA qualifier at Brickhill. The event was to some extent experimental, the idea being to create a “Classic” trial feel to a single venue trial, escaping all the complications of insurance and route authorisation. They were rewarded with an entry of 27, including quite a few cars we had not seen before.

Ian Davis bought along his VW Buggy. Yes, this is the same Ian Davis that was featured in Classical Gas a few months ago. Martin and Henry Allen were sharing a familiar car, the Mike Young built Racecorp, the brother to the Steve Boakes constructed car now owned by Mike Furse. I think Mike must have been instrumental in the next two entries. Keith and Margaret Oakes in their Buckler and Gary and Lucy Booth in their Buckler Mk 6. It was also nice to see Keith Pettit in his Austin A35 with 1275’s of BMC engine under the lid.

Quite a few of the cars were to be double driven, casing a problem if you were not able to see the sections in advance. This was solved by making the cars normal driver run first. The theory being that the “guest” had the handicap of an unfamiliar vehicle. The first section started in the field, twisting through the gate before going up the nearest path through the trees. Simon Robson was the first car, attacking the hill in his usual style, despite a having a very heavy cold. Simon got half way up before slipping back into the trees to the detriment of one of the rear door panels. This caused JP to re-route the section, giving Simon another run. It was still tricky and only eight cars went clean.

Hill two was not too difficult if you could follow the route, which was confusing, despite Mark Chilver’s efforts on point duty. It was nice of Mark to marshal while Sharon passengerd Robin Howard in his familiar Marlin. It was here that Sharon and Mark rolled their Imp while reversing down a hill a few years ago.

The next section gave us a taste of re-starts. Placed in different positions according to the class. By now the dew had gone and there was plenty of grip, although the line had been cunningly positioned and could catch the unwary. Then it was back down the hill to the start of the marathon hill four, twisting its way through the wood at the bottom before going up the gully and descending into the trees for a final assault on one of the steep banks. This was a nice section, not difficult, just fun to drive.

Finally came a special test where Chris Bonnett’s Peugeot expired when some of the front suspension came adrift, causing the drive shaft to pull out. Chris retired but was able to get the car mobile so he could drive it home.

At the end of the first round there were three clean sheets. Ian Davis in the Buggy, Fred Gregory with his Dutton Melos, sporting a new engine since its outing on the Cotswold Clouds and Henry Allen in the Racecorp. There were quite a few clean sheets on the second round, especially as we now knew where to go on hill two.

During lunch JP and Mike Pearson changed the hills ready for a planned three rounds in the afternoon. It was not to be, as no sooner had we started than the rain came down, making conditions so hairy that John had to bring proceedings to a premature halt. The special test times were used to resolve things between the three clean sheets. Overall honours going to Ian Davis. Fred Gregory, Murray MacDonald and Tom Goggin won their classes and Henry Allen came second in the well-supported class seven.

It was a shame about the rain but that’s always a risk, especially at Edlesborough. Lets hope the club perseveres and develops the concept.

	Yorkshire Dales… on Yorkshire Dales Win for Julian…
	Yorkshire Dales… on James Wins Ilkley
	Wet Allen Trial… on Allen Trial 2024 A win for Pau…
	Wow I won an award i… on Dean Cleans Clee
	avrahombodi1987 on Yorkshire Dales

Please help spread the word and share this on your Social Media:

Please help spread the word and share this on your Social Media:

Please help spread the word and share this on your Social Media:

Please help spread the word and share this on your Social Media:

Please help spread the word and share this on your Social Media:

Please help spread the word and share this on your Social Media:

Please help spread the word and share this on your Social Media:

Please help spread the word and share this on your Social Media:

Please help spread the word and share this on your Social Media:

Please help spread the word and share this on your Social Media: