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Richard Maddern was best outfit on a very muddy day.
Vince Feeney captures Bike winner John Reeves peering through the gloom on Ski Slope
This years Exmoor Clouds turned out to be a tough trial. Perhaps a little tougher than Paul Merson and his team had intended, as rain before the event made the long, steep, forest sections muddier than expected.
After picking up points on the first two hills John Reeves scored a run of cleans, punctuated by an eight on Vinegar Hill, to be best solo. Vinegar Hill was cleanable though, as demonstrated by Richard Sparks in B2 and Leon Youlton and Mark Bowden in B1.
Car winner Jon Moores restarting his CMR Ford on Vinegar Hill (Captured from a Norton Selwood Video)
In the cars Jon Moores put in a dominant performance in his CMR Ford, getting to the two on Periton Hill, which has yet to be climbed on four wheels. Dave Haizelden, having a run in Class Eight with the Deere Special, also got to the two but had picked up quite a few marks earlier in the trial.
The Suzuki engine in John Early’s Leige is now behaving itself after a long development period, and John was 2nd overall and best in Class 7.
The leading car positions were well spread among the classes. Matt Facey was 3rd in his family crewed BMW E30 in Class 3, Jack Selwood 4th in his 1300 Beetle and Ian Facey 5th in Class Five.
ACTC Motorcycle Coordinator Andy Beveridge on Water Run, the only D1 outfit, meaning the chair can be detached from the bike (Photo by Vince Feeney)
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Richard Maddern and Christopher Barnicoat were best Outfit
Tarka winner and last years Pouncey League Champion John Reeves on Badgers Last Stand. Photo by Margaret Critchlow
North Devon Motor Clubs Chris Barham and his team had worked hard to put on a trial with a challenging mix of sections with surfaces ranging from rocks to mud.
The leading solos went clean until Holdridge Stream, the tenth section which was bypassed by the outfits, where John Reeves was the only clean. John maintained this lead to take the win over Andy Foot and Andrew Kearns.
Best Outfit Richard Maddern and Christopher Barnicoat concentrate as they surmount a bump on Badgers Last Stand. Photo by Margaret Critchlow
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Dean Partington, Paul Merson and Ian Facey had clean sheets. As did John Reeves and Hayden Edmonds on two wheels.
Clive Green captures Motorcycle winner John Reeves as he negotiates the early morning gloom of Harton Wood on his KTM Freeride
This was a well planned and executed event with every class having a chance of an overall win. Classes two, five and eight all featured in the top four and this was achieved with the only one restart each for classes 5, 6 and 7.
It was unusual for Class 8 not to have any restarts, but with a couple of exclusive sections they did not have an easy trial, unless you had a DP machine, of course. The Falcon in Dean’s hands and the two Wasps of Paul Merson and Julian Lack filling the first three places in the class!
They were challenged by Ian Facey in his familiar BMW Z3, who finished third overall with a clean sheet, and David Golightly in his delightful Ford Model T-based Morton and Brett board racer, who dropped one to finish fourth overall.
John Reeves was best solo motorcycle.
The Ford 1172 side valve Class 2 cars of Andrew Isherwood (Dellow Mk1) and Roger Ashby (Coats Orthoptera) about to start on the South West Loop. The Class Eight cars behind will set out on the loop to the North East. Photo by The Squirrel
There were some significant route changes compared to the last few years with no Abdon Liberty or Hungerford Steps, where there was too much work required to scrape the crown between the deep ruts.
These were replaced by sections in two complexes on private land, and the return of the Clee’s infamous figure-of-eight loops. The changes worked, and without the inevitable delays at Hungerford and sending the entry out on different loops, even the later numbers finished on time.
New Forest Complex near The Goggin
The Owen Motoring Club ran the three new sectionsPeter Ashford and Tom Jones on High Cullis in Peters recently acquired Dellow Mk2. As permitted on the Clee they shared the drive on the private land sections and finished second in a well supported Classs Two. Photo by the Owen Motoring Club
While the bikes and higher car classes set out north on the A49, the lower car classes went to the nearby Forest Complex. These muddy sections proved challenging, and only David Golightly in his Class 2 Model T-based board racer, Sam Holmes in his Class 4 Beetle, and Ian Facey with the BMW Z3 emerged without penalty.
Harton Wood and Heywood Common
Stuart Holton grappling with the mud on Harton Wood. Photo by Clive GreenBraving the cold without a hat David Golightly exits Heywood Common in his Model T based Board Racer. David finished fourth overall. Photo by Andy Brady
Coats Farm Test
Simon Oates on the Special Test. Simon finished second in Class 7
Although the event had a long way to go, this test was to decide the trial for both two and four wheels. Pouncey League champion John Reeves pipped Hayden Edmonds by a second and a half. They were to finish with clean sheets, and John’s time would give him the bike win. They weren’t the fastest, though; that honour went to Ali Haigh on his Honda 4Ride, but he was to pick up five points at Meadowley Wood.
Dean Partington was the fastest car which was important as it would give him the overall win on the trial.
Coats Wood
InCar on Coats Wood with Michael Leete and Christine Bird in their Class 7 Dellow Mk1
The section was different this year as Clerk of the Course Simon Woodall had not been able to obtain permission to exit through the wood so the section ended after turning through the gate towards the top of the slope. Only motorcycles and 6, 7, 8 attempted this section which was very muddy. The lighter bikes with small engines all went clean but it was a different story for the heavier machines.
Class Eight all used their power to weight to go clean, but all in class six, and the majority of class seven, either floundered in the mud at the start or spun out when it got very slippy towards the top.
Longville
Having been spared Coats Wood the lower car classes attempted Longville, with a restart for Class five. The section proved straightforward with only a couple of failures.
Easthope 1
Liam James and Becky Giles in the Ridge Cannon campaigned for so many years by Brian Partridge. Photo by Clive Green
There seemed to be a lot more grip on this familiar hill this year, but nevertheless it requires a full-blooded attack off the line and quite a few floundered in the mud at the bottom having failed to realise this. There was a surprise at the top as well, as the section ended by turning right instead of the more usual left.
Majors Leap/Ippikins Rock
Staying in the woodland, the bikes and Class Eight went off to Majors Leap. This proved a challenging section, and Mark Hobbs (Troll) and Ian Davis (VW Buggy) lost their clean sheets here.
The other cars tackled Ippikins Rock with its sharp right hand hairpin. This proved not to be Beetle friendly and quite a few of them were penalised.
Harley Bank 1 & 2
Harley Bank 1 was attempted by bikes and cars in 7 and 8. Like Easthope 1 it seemed to have a lot of grip this year and most stormed up the section although the deviation for bikes in B and cars in Class Eight was more of a problem.
Meadowley, one of the Clee’s feature hills, has been in use since 1948. Its tree roots and deep ruts are always challenging, but this year’s conditions were particularly difficult due to the local hunt disturbing the track a few days prior.
Classes 0, 1, 2 and 90 were allowed to give the section a miss. A handful of bikes got up OK but it was a different story for the saloon and sports cars. Only Ian Facey made it to the top. His BMW Z3 seemingly gliding over the rough bits so tuned was his suspension to the hill. Ian was to go clean on all the sections and finish third overall. The others all struggled and several of the Beetles suffered body damage when they scraped their wings against the bank.
Some of the class eights were successful as was John Early and Simon Oates in their Leiges in Class Seven.
Hillside
There were three Austin Sevens taking part. One each in Classes 2, 5 and 7. Clive Green was at Hillside to capture Mark Gregg, the man behind the Edinburgh Trial, in his Reliant engined Class Five car which still carries the side numbers from the Lands End
Ian Davis and Kevin Roberts on Hillside
There were two sections on private land at the Hillside complex. They were quite muddy, and the first one proved too much for almost all the lower car classes except for the Beetles of Dave Sargeant and class four winner Sam Holmes.
Fred Spaven gave up the battle against the Clees muddy sections here. His Royal Enfield Charging Bullet proving far too heavy for all the goo. Fred built the bike for the Lands End and the Clee was his first one day trial on the machine. He reckoned it could have made it round the 80 mile route but diverted for a precautionary charge at Much Wenlock.
Oak Dingle
The bikes and the specials in Class Eight had to follow a winding route through the trees. It wasn’t a problem for the bikes, but about half the Eights couldn’t quite make it out the top of their section and dropped two. Julian Lack was one to fail here in his ex-Mike Chatwin DP Wasp, losing his clean sheet and second overall.
All the other cars had a run up a straight rutted track which proved more difficult than it looked, stopping all in Classes six and seven who had to restart and half of those that didn’t. David Golightly couldn’t quite get to the top, dropping his solitary mark of the day in his Model T based Morton and Brett board racer. Neverless this was more than enough for fourth overall.
This was the last section for the lower car classes who had done the southern route first but the bikes and higher car classes had an 18 mile run for their sections in the new forest.
Cundalls Rise
Only attempted by the bikes and Classes Seven and Eight this short, sharp section was described as very steep initially then grass. The very steep bit defeated three of the bikes, the remainder came out the top.
Tom Hunt was the only Class Seven to go clean in his Leige. Most of the others floundered in the mud at the bottom or on the very steep bit for a 10 or eleven. The exception was John Early, who got to the eight, which was good enough for him to pip Simon Oates for the class win.
The Goggin and High Cullis followed. Both excellent sections requiring determined attempts but neither had a significant impact on the results.
The Finish
Everyone was back at the Squirrel before Four o’clock as there had been very few delays, probably helped by Hungerford Steps being left out. All in all a successful and popular trial with the only blemish being the body damage to some of the saloons on Meadowley.
Best Bike Overall – John Reeves (KTM Freeride) 0
Class Winners
A Joe Stollery (Indian Woodsman) 21 B1 Mark Wills (Beta Alp) 23 B2 Hayden Edmunds (Beta XTrainer) 0 B3 Ali Haigh (Honda 4Ride) 3 C John Kenny (13)
Best Car Overall – Dean Partington (DP Falcon) 0
Class Winners
1 Nigel Whiten (Ford Ka) 61 2 David Golightly (Ford T) 1 3 Simon Fairbanks (BMW 318is)54 4 Sam Holmes (VW Beetle) 5 5 Ian Facey (BMW Z3) 0 6 Karen Warren (VW Beetle) 23 7 John Early (Leige) 12 8 Paul Merson (DP Wasp) 0 90 David Slade (Suzuki X90) 18 0 Jonathan Ward (Morris Bullnose Oxford) 76
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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There was a strong Class Eight Entry but Mark Seward and Patrick Keat had the lowest score of the day on their outfit.
ACTC Pouncey League Winner John Reeves negotiating the slippery leaves on Clinnick on his way to an emphatic Solo win Photo by Paul Jones
Camel Vale Motor Club had a full entry for their popular, season ending Camel Classic. In line with club tradition the Index of Performance is used to calculate the overall results. So it was Matt Facey in his familiar E30 BMW who went home with the Dave Keat Trophy as overall car winner.
ACTC points are awarded on total scores rather than Index and the lowest car score of the day was achieved by Keelan Hancock in the family Buggy, heading a field of 23 Class Eight specials.
In the motorcycle classes Mark Seward and Patrick Keat only dropped four marks all day on their outfit to win the Wadham Stringer Trophy.
Solo winner was John Reeves, the only motorcycle to clean the penultimate section, Hellings. This ensured his win over Mark Courtney who dropped ten here. This topped off a successful season for John, assuring him as winner of the ACTC Pouncey League for solo motorcycles.
Duncan Stephens successfully restarting on New Langleys under the eagle eye of Launceston Vice Chair Andrew Rippon
Launceston and North Cornwall Motor club had a strong entry for this years Tamar. It was especially good to see seven outfits to take the start at The Proper Ansome Cafe in Launceston. They were rewarded by a closely fought trial in the muddy conditions.
John Reeves was best Solo with a clean sheet. Matt Tilley came second after dropping five marks between the two wheels only Harts section and Kings Langleys.
Steve Urell and Julie Williams had a narrow outfit win, just one mark better than Andy and Kayleigh Seward.
The car classes were a battle between Class Eight and Matt Facey in his Class Three BBMW E30. Matt dropped his four marks early in the trial and it was three Class Eights who arrived at New Langleys, the penultimate section, with clean sheets.
Norton Selwoods Videos from new Langleys
Neither Roger Hancock or Tom Jones got off the restart, picking up four marks but Duncan Stephens was successful to finish with a clean sheet and win the trial.
Dean Partington only dropped one mark to win the car class. However Dean could only claim victory on the last section as until then Matt Facey had been clean. John Reeves was best bike with a clean sheet on his KTM
Colin Gwyer captures Matt Facey giving his BMW some air at the top of Longville. Matt was clean and in the lead when he arrived at the last section but spun to a stop on the slippery mud and it was Dean Partington who was best car with one mark lost on Oak Dingle.
It had been very wet in the week leading up to the trial, but it was dry when competitors set off from The Squirrel in Ludlow after completing the Clees very efficient administration. After many years in the hands of the Midland Automobile Club the reigns had been transferred to the Midland Manor Motor Club. However the old team were still at the helm in the form of Simon Woodall, Pat Toulmin and crew. Pat was using the Spotify App to keep competitors up to speed before, during and after the event and this was very successful.
Jack Selwood strengthened his position in the Wheelspin Trophy over Dean Partington who moves up to second place eight points behind the car he bought back into the sport.
Paul Jones captures Henry Hoggart on Tanks Terror. Henry was passengered by Norton Selwood the force behind the ACTC FB Group and Instagram.
This was a challenging Tamar Trial, especially for the cars, where even the most hardened competitors struggled on the new woodland sections towards the end of the trial.
Kevin Miller was third bike overall and would have won if he had not failed the first observed test. Kevin is the Admin of the FB Group “Long Distance Trials, LDT’s, South UK Lightweight Bikes” Photo by Paul Jones
Motorcycle competitors had some bike only routes and sections that were difficult enough to ensure there were no clean sheets. The classic lanes that started the morning didn’t prove too challenging but then came the Solo only section at Ladye Park where three was the lowest score. John Luckett dropped four here and was the only bike to clean the grassy Tanks Terror but had the misfortune to retire later.
After the challenges of 2021’s Tarka Trial, I tried my best to make this years trial a more enjoyable event with a range of sections rideable even if the weather gods decided to drop copious amounts of rain on us. True to form it rained! Solidly for the best part of the morning in fact. The trial though, went smoothly without any sections becoming mud baths.
Classical Gas 