The Start
38 crews gathered at The Watling Street Café, just of Junction nine of the M1, on 9th March to do battle with Falcon’s March Hare Classic Trial. Organisers John Parsons, Mike Pearson, David Sheffield and Arnold Lane had attracted a nice mix of experienced competitors, newcomers and some cars that aren’t usually seen on the usual Classic events. The event had taken another major step forward, dropping some of the sections on private land and adding another four byway sections.
Half Moon Lane
Byway – Starts with deep, muddy water which gets carried up the hill where there was a slippery re-start for 7 & 8. The section was run the other way round this year
Competitors hardly had the chance to get their engines warm before arriving at the start of the first section, marshalled by the Herts VW Club.
The water caught out quite a few competitors who didn’t give it enough respect. John Rowland and Peter Manning coughed to a stop in Citroen and Midget respectively. Richard Tompkins was running the 1040 lump in his Imp but was in trouble even before the start of this first section. The car had been running fine on the road but as soon as it ventured onto the entrance track it popped and banged to a stop. Richard got the motor fired up and set of through the water but fuel starvation soon set in and the crew were stuck with a stationary Imp in the middle of the water and needed a tractor tow to get out! Fred Gregory was another to stop right in the middle of the water and needed the assistance of the tractor.
As cars went through the section they drew water up the hill, making the re-start area slipperier for the higher numbers and catching out quite a few of the restarting classes seven and eight’s, including Matt Robson who rolled back before re-starting. Geoff Hodge didn’t get away cleanly either; Geoff was having his first run in the ex-Reg Taylor RDT Special. The hill wasn’t very friendly to Reg as Clive Booth also failed in the Reg Taylor/Geoff Jackson built Dellow Replica.
Half Moon Lane saw the first retirement of the day when Dennis Beale heard all sorts of terrible noises from his transmission. Closer investigation revealed a split gaiter, letting all the mud and water in, and the crew wisely retired rather than risk further damage.
Nortonstreet Lane
Byway, long straight climb on loose stones with the left hand rut getting deeper towards the summit, Classes 1&2 have a straight run through, 3 to 8 had two re-starts, the second where the ruts were at the deepest
The section wasn’t too difficult this year as it is well drained and was bone dry. The second restart had plenty of grip but was tricky if you didn’t have the car positioned correctly. It was possible to straddle the line without the wheels in the ruts. However, you soon slid back into them, as Keith Pettit found out when the rear wheels of his Frogeye Sprite went sideways into the ruts while the front wheels stayed out. Keith needed all his skill on the throttle to get his crabbing car past the section end boards but he just made it.
The Owen’s weren’t so lucky. Owen Turner failing in his K series engined Imp and so did Owen Briggs in the VR6 engined Whinney special, which was giving some electrical trouble, a bit of a disaster with electronic fuel injection!
Whitehall Lane
Byway – Tree Lined Lane with a very good surface now the council have resurfaced it and removed the fallen trees
It was out with the foot-pumps here as there was a 20-psi minimum pressure to mitigate against the councils new surface, which is now rather better than the neighbouring M1! Mike Hayward was running a simple downhill special test before a nice gentle observed section. Andy Curtis really flew through the special test, breaking the 10-second barrier and setting a time more than two seconds faster than Owen Turner in his Rally prepared Imp.
Duncan Weaver and Paul Meyting were in a bit of trouble with their Morris Minor at the end of the section but managed to get going again although they were destined not to finish.
Cress Bed Lane
Byway – A straight, stony, tree lined gully with a re-start for classes 3 to 8
There were no problems on Andy Clarke’s re-start on this nice little section, which has been the opener on the last two March Hares.
Richard Tompkins was back in the fray after his problems at Half Moon Lane. The recovery tractor had towed the Imp out of the section but Richard soon stuttered to a stop again on the exit track. Michael Leete towed them out to the tarmac road where Richard found the problem. His new electronic fuel pump had very flexible rubber mountings. This caused the pump to move about on the rough stuff whereby it stopped working. Richard fixed the pump solidly to the bulkhead and all was well for the remainder of the trial!
Water Tower Lane
Byway, just across the road from Cress Beds. Starts with a very Muddy, rutted, waterlogged track, leading onto a gradient through a tree lined gully with a re-start for classes 3 to 8
It was a good job there had been a bit of a delay at Half Moon Lane as Chief Official Arnold Lane had found the exit blocked by a load of Mountain Bikers parked cars which needed bouncing out of the way before proceedings could start. Once things got going start-line marshal Stuart Cairney watched with amusement as competitors tried to get into the correct rut ready for their assault on the waterlogged first part of the section. This caught out quite a few competitors, including Keith Pettit who needed the help of the recovery vehicle.
The mud and the re-start weren’t very Imp friendly and Richard Tompkins, Ed Nikel and Owen turner all suffered on the mud and the re-start. Jason Crowley was another one to struggle, his Fugitive being more at home off-road racing where it is allowed rather larger wheels and tyres! Jason was one of the many competitors attracted to the March Hare by the extensive Internet publicity.
Offley Rise
Byway, track along a field edge, with a very muddy exit road alongside a farm
This was the first time this section had been used and the organisers had the start half way up the hill after the tricky bumps just as the track leaves the road. Reg Taylor was in charge to see both his creations, driven by Geoff Hodge and Clive Booth, make a clear run, as did the rest of the entry. There were problems though as John Rowland got his clean at the expense of a puncture and needed help form his fellow competitors to lift the car out of the ruts to change the wheel.
Brickhill
Two sections on Private Land. The first was a trip through the trees followed by a steep climb just after a corner on deep sand with a re-start for 7 & 8. The second section went up the sandy gully where the ruts were quite deep, followed by a steep gradient with a re-start for 7 & 8
The two Brickhill sections caused problems for quite a few competitors in the lower classes. Quite a few didn’t survive the run through the trees where Jason Crowley had problems in getting his long wheelbase Fugitive around some of the corners. Ted Holloway struggled in his Sierra as well, first straddling a fallen tree then falling foul of the deep sand. This was also the downfall of Patrick Osbourne who lost his clean sheet in his smart green Skoda.
JP and the Herts VW Club, who had dashed across from their early morning stint at Half Moon Lane, marshalled Brickhill. John had spent hours laying out the sections on the Saturday, only to find all his work destroyed by some bikers by the time he arrived on the Sunday. Fortunately, Brickhill was the designated lunch-halt so competitors enjoyed the fare from Tom Goggins chuck wagon while JP hurriedly re-marked the sections.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to do justice to marking the second section, causing one or two drivers to be confused with the route. There were problems for a few lower down though as the sandy gully did require a full blooded assault and some of the less experienced drivers couldn’t get through. Colin Sumner did well to get the low-slung Morgan through the ruts only to drop a one right at the end to loose his clean sheet. Ed Nikel also failed at the one marker and sadly, this was the end of his trial, as he had to retire with a badly slipping clutch.
Ivinghoe
Special Test and Section on Private Land. The section was all about a tricky restart on a grassy bank.
Andy Curtis flew through the special test again but was just piped on time by Jason Crowley and Owen Briggs who set the fastest time.
On the observed section, the re-start was cunningly placed and it was necessary to get the positioning absolutely correct. Most of the competitors that went deep got away cleanly but those that stopped early struggled.
Edlesborough Hill
Two sections on Private Land – The first started in the field, going through the gate and through the trees before diverting into the bomb hole with a re-start for 7 and 8. The second section was all about a tight right hander on a steeply rinsing gradient, again with a re-start for 7 & 8
There was plenty of grip on the notorious Edlesborough surface as the wind had dried out any surface moisture. It wasn’t possible to see much from the start so Falcon regulars were at an advantage in knowing what was round the first corner! A few of the lower classes were caught out by the surface on the lower reaches and failed the first section.
Reg Taylor was in charge of the second section and saw Geoff Hodge fail to get away from the re-start in his old RDT Special, as did last years winner Ross Nuten in his Dellow who lost his clean sheet.
John Barber 1 & 2
Two sections marked out on private land at Kensworth under the control of Robin Howard. The second went up the gravel track before diverting through the muddy patch over by the fence
The first section was all on grass. Although it looked straightforward, there was a sharp left hander under some trees whose shade retained the surface moisture. This defeated all the FWD cars apart from Andrew Burt and a few in the other classes as well.
From the start, competitors couldn’t see how slippery the upper reaches of the second section were. Many soon found out and spun to a stop, including Katy Tucker-Peake who had gone very well during the morning but hit problems with grass surface at Ivinghoe and Kensworth. John Looker was to drop his only marks of the day here. John and Keith Vipond had been going well up to now, enjoying their day despite loosing their windscreen when a stone came up from a passing car and having to keep the engine running as the dynamo was charging the battery properly because of regulator problems.
Hawridge Lane
County Road – Downhill entrance road, the section started just before a mud hole, followed by a rising gradient through a tree lined gully with a restart for classes 3 to 8
This was another section that became more and more slippery as the day went on, as successive cars drew water up the hill. Andy Clarke’s re-start was sited just where the track formed a vee. Again, strategy was everything. Competitors who straddled the vee with the car level fared best, those who went either one side or the other hit trouble and the restart caught out a number of distinguished drivers, including Fred Gregory, Matt Robson, Peter Morley, Ross Nuten and Owen Briggs.
Simon Groves had to retire here with terminal fuel problems, as although the car would run when level, the petrol pump wouldn’t supply the carburettor on any sort of slope. The trial had also lost Duncan Weaver by now as he had given up the battle with his over-heating Morris Minor and gone straight to the finish after Kensworth.
Hill Farm
County Road – Tree Lined Track that had been used on the March Hare back in the 50’s
With no restart and an easy start line, Hill Farm was a nice gentle end to proceedings that was cleaned by all the survivors. The run in to the finish was not without drama for Gary Booth whose Buckler cried enough at the days exertions and spluttered to a halt in Berkhamstead and was towed to the finish by Michael Leete with the help of other competitors.
The Finish
The field were a bit spread out at the end but quite few crews stayed on to sample the transport café fare at the finish where the quantity and price of the food certainly put the local Little Chef to shame.
Andy Curtis was the well-deserved winner on special test times from the five clean sheets. Andy was the only clean run in class eight and had some really fast special test times. Katy T-P won class one, representing the third generation of the famous trials family, which have done so much for Falcon, MCC and the ACTC for many more years than most of us can remember.
John Bell won class three with a clean sheet which was really nice as John has supported the March Hare ever since it returned to a road trial. Peter Thompson was second, only dropping 11 in a good run. Colin Perryman had to retire last year but made up for it this time with a clean sheet in class four. Michael Leete was second in class after another clean run but was slower on the timed sections.
Colin Sumner only lost 5 marks in class five to run out the winner in his low slung Morgan, ahead of the three Spridgets. John Looker was the only car in class 6, just missing a clean sheet when he came to a halt on the second Kensworth.
James Bouden had the only clean run in his Marlin to win Class 7 after John Ludford had problems on the second Brickhill. A special mention here for Pete Crawford who was third in class seven and best Falcon in his early Triumph engined Marlin. With Andy Curtis winning overall Ross Nuten took the class eight victory, dropping 12 marks, the same as Clive Booth, Ross taking the class based on the special tests.
Looking Back
What a wonderful trial. Of course, the sections can’t be compared to events in other parts of the country, there aren’t enough suitable hills for that. But John Parsons and Mike Pearson are establishing The March Hare as an event with its own style in its own right. An enjoyable event that is suitable for novice drivers or novice cars run in a friendly and relaxed way with enough bite to challenge everyone’s skill.
| Overall Winner | Andy Curtis (VW Buggy) | 0 |
| Best Falcon | Pete Crawford (Marlin) | 8 |
| Class 1 | Katy Tucker-Peake (Peugeot) | 17 |
| Class 3 | John Bell (Escort) | 0 |
| 2nd in Class 3 | Peter Thompson (Opel) | 11 |
| Class 4 | Colin Perryman (Skoda) | 0 |
| 2nd in Class 4 | Michael Leete (VW 1302s) | 0 |
| Class 5 | Colin Sumner (Morgan) | 5 |
| Class 6 | John Looker (VW) | 4 |
| Class 7 | James Bounden (Marlin) | 0 |
| 2nd in Class 7 | John Ludford (Marlin) | 4 |
| Class 8 | Ross Nuten (Dellow) | 12 |
| 2nd in Class 8 | Clive Booth (Dellow rep) | 12 |
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