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It was a decisive victory, Justin was the only competitor to score in single figures. However, it was close behind, the next three covered by only two marks
Windwhistle attracted a diverse entry for this years Bovey Down and were rewarded by a dry day.
Continue reading “Justin Llewellyn wins Bovey Down in Sidevalve Dellow”Close fought battle between Jim and Nick Deacon in his X90
Windwhistle Motor Clubs single venue event took place in the sunshine with plenty of grip available in the dry conditions.
The whole event took place within the confines of Bovey Down Woods, very familiar to Exeter Trial competitors who were able to see what Clinton and Normans Hump look like in daylight!
Clerk of the Course Nick Farmer provided 24 sections for the days sport, including two attempts at the familiar Exeter sections.
Classic Trialling resumed in the current difficult Covid situation with Minehead MC running their event at a single venue.
Classic Trialling came to a halt after the Launceston Trial in March due to Covid 19. With the Government, Motorsport UK and ACU restrictions to contend with Minehead MC were able to run the Exmoor Clouds as a single venue event in Headon Woods. Unfortunately the event couldn’t cater for bikes and sidecars. The other big change was that drivers could run without passengers if they wished as crews from different passengers would have to wear a face mask.
It was tee shirt weather but there was quite a bit of mud around and even getting to the sections proved challenging at times.
Continue reading “Nick Farmer wins Single Venue Exmoor Clouds”Nick dropped two marks on the first section at the new Frys Bottom location. It was a close thing though as he was chased home by no less than five competitors on three marks. Aaron Haizelden taking the second overall on test times.
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As competitors gathered at the start it was clear that with all the rain during the previous week this years Allen was going to be a muddy trial.
After leaving The Bull at Hindon the early morning Classic Lanes of Tog Hill, Bitton Lane and Big Uplands saw only a handful of competitors loose marks. A big change from the past when Big Uplands was a real terror, but the resurfacing gas changed all that.
It was Guys Hill that started to see significant marks lost, with a common restart on polished stones for Classes 4, 6, 7 and 8. The hill was as slippery as usual and wasn’t that friendly to around half of the non-restarters. Many of the Class 8’s struggled and it was the tricklers that seemed to do best. In Class Seven Dudley Sterry, Duncan Stephens and Mal Allen were the only clears. The Beetles did well, even the lower powered ones in Class four where Craig Allen and Anthony Young were successful.
Travers
Ubley Wood lay just up the track. There weren’t as many sections here this year as Pete Hart and his team had found the Fry’s Bottom Complex to add to the afternoons challenge. With all the wet weather they were very muddy and reduced clean sheets down to a handful, spread across the classes.
Ubley Woods 1 was a new one, right by the fence with the lane with a tight 90 turn into it. This was a clean/fail section and proved straightforward for all but a few.
With Tris White failing to get away from the Class Eight only restart on the sub-divided Ubley Wood 2 there was only Nick Farmer left on zero in Class Eight so overall could go to one of the lower classes.
Tony Young wasn’t going to win though, retiring when his Beetle transmission failed. There were a few others who didn’t get to the lunch halt as Daniel Bowden (BMW), Chris Maries (Suzuki GV2000) and Peter Mountain (Dellow Mk1) were all out of the event.
Burledge
After Burledge came the new Frys Bottom complex where the event was decided. All were subdivided with restarts for Yellow and Red on two of the three sections. There was a lot of mud under the trees and the sections either didn’t go out of the top or if they did very few got that far. This caused some delays at the second section which deteriorated during the day.
Nick Farmer dropped his only marks of the event on the first of the three sections, failing at the two as did Dudley Sterry (MG J2) and Aaron Haizelden (Reliant Scimitar). These were now the only three left with clean sheets. This didn’t last as Aaron and Dudley both lost one mark on Frys Bottom 2. Nick went clear here and for the remainder of the event to point another overall win.
John Walker
Returning through the water at the foot of the section competitors found Little Uplands cancelled for fear of a tree blowing down in the very high winds. That just left the glorious run up John Walker in the dusk. It did’t have any impact on the results but was glorious fun.
So ended another Allen Trial, enjoyed by all.
| Class | Driver/Car | Marks |
| Overall | Nick Farmer (VW Fugitive) | 2 |
| 1 | David Haizelden (VW Golf) | 3 |
| 2 | Bill Bennett (MG J2) | 8 |
| 3 | Matt Facey (BMW 316) | 4 |
| 4 | Craig Allen (VW Beetle) | 3 |
| 5 | Aaron Haizelden (Reliant Scimitar) | 3 |
| 6 | Andrew Rippon (VW Beetle) | 8 |
| 7 | Dudley Sterry (MG J2) | 3 |
| 8 | Tris White (Troll) | 9 |
We had possibly my worst day for a VERY long time. Guys always defeats us, Dave Haizelden recons its because I don’t carry enough weight. But this year we were struggling before we even reached the line.
Took the wrong line on Travers despite thinking about the right line even as we approached the restart. The first Ubey Wood section was a new one, right by the fence with the lane with a tight 90 turn into it. We understeered into the fence, reversed off and went up. For some reason, Stuart Harrold didn’t notice our reverse and gave us a clear!
I don’t think I let the tyres down enough on Burledge, familiarity breeding contempt here.
The new sections at Frys Bottom were a great addition to the event, I don’t know if the first one went out, but I don’t think so. A short sharp blast, starting with a 90 left off the track with a bumpy lip to stop you from getting the power on too early.
FB2 caused some delays as climbers had to return down the bottom part of the section. Much mud amongst tree roots caused some problems and a nasty camber at the top had many sliding off into a tree – hence the plethora of ones. FB3 was faily simple, wih Josh Moss in charge. If it hadn’t been so wet, I don’t thonk it would have troubled anyone. It too didn’t go out so we had to queue at the top to go back down in groups – most un Allen like.
We were finally given the boot, when the car stopped just above the landing on John-Walker with total electrical failure. Couldn’t work out what it was in the wet and dark so scrounged a lift back to the start to get the Pick-Up and went home in disgrace.
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The seemingly invincible Nick Farmer won the Ilkley Trial in his Cannon Alfa, dropping three marks on the new section at Longside Wood. Dean Partington was second, loosing five on the new hill.
Dry weather leading up to the trial caused the organisers to make some of the sections very tight, especially the first Swordpoint section where it was barely possible to squeeze between the ten marker and a substantial tree. Conditions certainly suited the Lieges with Kevin Barnes winning class seven on his way to third overall.
After some disappointing entries for recent events the Ilkley organisers were delighted to have 55 cars, plus 30 bikes for their unique event. 14 of the cars were in Class 0 but this was mainly for competition licence reason as they did the same sections as the other cars.
It was cold and windy at the Otley Rugby Club start and this was to continue for the rest of the day with the added bonus of a little drizzle later in the day. However, with the possible exception of Brimham Lodge this didn’t have much impact on the dry sections. Tyre pressure limits were specified as 12 psi for the lower and 15 psi for the higher classes. Unfortunately these were not checked during the event which is wrong for a championship event.
Langbar was Narrow
The first section at Langbar set the scene for many of the sections, a very narrow, tight route through the markers, with penalties for touching them throughout the event. The majority of competitors went clean apart from Class 4 where Class Winner Sam Holmes was the only car to see the exit track, the others loosing grip on the first tight turn.
Early Retirements
The mornings route followed the usual pattern but this year only Class 8 had to tackle the alternative route at Peels Wood where Mike Chatwin dropped out of contention when he stopped at the seven. Three cars didn’t make it this far. Stuart Bartlett and multiple MSA Car Trial Champion, Dave Oliver retired at the rough special test at Highfield Farm. Dave broke the diff on his Peugeot 205 and Stuart put the fan through the radiator trying to get over the hillock on the first turn. Last year Dave Haizelden retired his Escort on the first hill. He managed five this time before the push rod popped out of the slave cylinder.
New Section at Longside Wood Decides Result
There was a new section after lunch, north of Pateley Bridge and the Gouthwaite Reservoir. Called Longside Wood it was a long, bluebell edged, track, starting and ending with acute hairpin bends. The bottom one caused a few problems and Charlie Knifton was one of those who didn’t succeed, letting James Shallcross into the lead of their tight class one battle.
Nobody cleaned the section. Robert Hodgkinson, passengered by local man John Rhodes were shown as dropping two in their Marlin, the reality is that they gave the section a miss when they saw the queue! Of the clean sheets so far Nick Farmer came dropped three in his Cannon Alfa, Simon Woodall (VW Buggy) and Kevin Barnes (Leige) four, Dean Patington (DP Wasp) and Duncan Stephens (Melos) five.
Kevin and James fall foul of the Markers
Unfortunately Kevin fell foul of some of the Ilkleys tightly spaced markers on Watergate 2 in his supercharged Leige, but so did Duncan Stephens cementing Kevins Class 7 win.
Nick Farmer kept his clean sheet to the end of the trial to win by two marks from Dean Partington. Simon Woodall dropped from contention when he had a spring plate break on his VW Buggy but still managed to limp to the finish.
The drizzle set in during the afternoon making things unpleasant for James Shallcross as he struggled with no less than four punctures. He should have been rewarded by a class win but was caught out by the impossible gap between the ten marker and a substantial tree on Swordpoint one so Charlie Knifton won Class 1.
| Class | Driver/Car | Marks |
| Overall | Nick Farmer (Cannon Alfa) | 3 |
| 0 | Chris Maries (Suzuki X90) | 31 |
| 1 | Charlie Knifton (Peugeot 205) | 29 |
| 2 | Bill Bennett (MG J2) | 18 |
| 3 | Nigel Hilling (Ford Anglia 1172) | 46 |
| 4 | Sam Holmes (VW Beetle) | 32 |
| 5 | Brian Alexander (Suzuki X90) | 34 |
| 7 | Kevin Barnes (Liege) | 9 |
| 8 | Dean Partington (DP Wasp) | 5 |
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
Wins for Nick Farmer, Simon Eddy and Neil O’Connor
Published 17 April 2024
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
Nick Farmer conquers Bovey Downs
Nick had to fend off Bryn Corfield and a hard charging Pete Hart after dropping two marks early on. However, Nick stayed calm and was clean in the Cannon Alfa for the rest of the event to take an excellent win. It was quite dry and the stony surface took its toll on the cars and there were nine retirements. Despite this it was an enjoyable event, well organised, friendly and with super catering.
The weather was ideal for the fifth running of Windwhistle’s single venue Bovey Downs Trial. A little overnight rain ensured there was no dust but it was more or less dry on the day. There were 36 entries, perhaps a little surprising when the event offers several attempts at both Normans Hump and Clinton, in the daylight!
In the end there were 30 starters, in a wide range of cars, including a couple driven by Practical Classics Editor Matt Wright (Hillman Minx) and Features Writer Sam Glover (Triumph Dolomite). Neither car was exactly trials prepared and they both retired. However the guys appeared to enjoy themselves and stayed to the end to watch and take pictures. We are promised an article soon so look out for it.
There are no real clearings in the woods so competitors were stretched out in a line along the top track waiting for the off. The basic format was three “laps”, with some hills attempted twice on the first two, including Normans Hump and the bottom two parts of Clinton, the top part being used for access.
Things didn’t start very well for 2006 winner Peter Mountain when he was the first retirement, loosing first gear on section one. This hill, just up the bottom track from the start of Normans Hump, was one of those attempted twice on each lap and had deviations for the different classes. This was also unlucky hill for James Shallcross who dropped 11 in his Peugeot 205 whilst class rival Aaron Haizelden went clean.
After the first round of nine sections it was time for lunch, most choosing to indulge in the truly excellent cuisine on offer from the Sid Vale Carnival Club. At this stage there were still quite a few clean sheets but also a few retirements as well, mainly with broken transmissions, including both the Jago Jeeps and the Peugeot of Jason Byrom who had another diff let go.
The hills were more or less the same for the second round, apart from an additional section just inside the wood which replaced the special test. Although the sections hadn’t changed much they were more difficult as there was a little light rain for half an hour and some of the hills became loser with the passage of the cars.
The hill marshalled by Adrian Dommett and Judy Phillips was to define the event. Running parallel to the top part of Clinton it was steep with a very loose surface with a restart for classes seven and eight.
Clean up till now Nick Farmer (Cannon Alfa) dropped two, Pete Hart (Marlin) five and Reg Salway (BMW) eight during their first attempt, leaving only Bryn Corfield in his special on a clean sheet. The trial was decided on the second attempt on this hill during this round when Bryn dropped 4 while Pete and Nick went clear. None of them lost any more marks for the rest of the trial which left the overall result Nick Farmer (2), Bryn Corfield (4), Pete Hart (5). Pete was also the class seven win over Murray Motgomery-Smith in his Marlin, in class rather decimated by retirements.
Aaron Haizelden won Class 1 in the familiar Golf from James Shallcross. Classes four and five were merged which perhaps rather unfairly pitched Michael Leete’s Beetle against Brian Alexander’s Suzuki and Stephen Kingstone’s Midget. Stephen had repaired the wing damaged on Blue Hills 2 but added to his woes by breaking a diff after lunch.
Reg Salway took class three in his BMW, ahead of Rob Wells who was debuting a rather smart 1700 Escort Mk 2.
| Best Overall | Nick Farmer (Cannon Alfa) | 2 |
| Best Novice | James Shallcross (Peugeot 205) | 30 |
| Class Winners | ||
| 1 | Aaron Haizelden (VW Golf GTi) | 16 |
| 3 | Reg Salway (BMW) | 30 |
| 4 & 5 | Michael Leete (VW Beetle) | 74 |
| 6 & 7 | Pete Hart (Marlin) | 5 |
| 8 | Bryn Corfield (Shopland Mk2) | 4 |
We made a long week-end of it, travelling down on Saturday and staying in a rather nice hotel the other side of Exeter, well when we found it as it was rather in the wilds! It was really nice to see Bovey Woods in the daylight, Normans Hump and the upper part of Clinton look even steeper when you can see them!
The maps we received were a little confusing at first but we soon got into a system of finding the hills. Most of the “new” hills were similar in character to Normans Hump and Clinton, steep, straight with loose stones. Two of them defeated me all day, I just couldn’t find any grip on the loose stones. The other one, wasn’t so steep but deviated into the trees half way up. We mostly managed this OK but were defeated on the last round.
In the afternoon there was an additional section amongst the trees just inside the wood. This had a completely different character with soft ground and a circuitous route.
We really enjoyed our day, setting the tyres at 18 psi and leaving them at that all day. No punctures for us but the flint completely destroyed the rear tyres. No problem as we were warned in the finals that this would happened so were using some that could be sacrificed.
The event did seem rather hard on the cars and there were quite a few broken transmissions, no Beetles though.
The event finished before five and we followed the coast on the way back to the hotel, returning to Bedfordshire via The Jolly Diner and Haynes Museum on Monday.
We enjoyed our weekend and will return and do the trial again. The hills were fun, the event was well organised, there were plenty of marshals and everyone was friendly.
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
Classical Gas 