Paul Bartleman – Classical Gas

Paul Bartleman’s Camel

Paul Bartleman scored a resounding victory on the Camel Classic. Falcon’s Ian Davis was third overall and winner of class 8. This was enough for Ian to be the ACTC Wheelspin Champion, having overtaken Adrian Dommett in the table after the summer break, despite Adrian having reverted to his Class 8 special in an attempt to come to terms with Ian’s challenge.

Ian Cundy, pictured here on the first section at Bishopswood, won Class 1

2005_camel_classic_results Download

Camel Vale attracted 44 entries for their Camel Classic trial on 4 December. There was one non-starter, and it was Roger Ugalde in his Allard, who led the field away from the Victory Hall in Roche. The first two sections, and a special test, were in the Bishopswood complex. The first one used part of the track used in the Lands End, but deviated to finish with an impossible bank, with a difficult restart for class eight. Nobody came out of the top. Eventual winner Paul Bartleman, Dudley Sterry and Dave Prowse (Marlin) coming closest with two’s. The second Bishopswood section was just up the way. It was a muddy track that just got steeper and steeper until most of the lower classes ran out of power, grip or a combination of the two. Classes 6, 7 and 8 had to restart, but with their higher power to weight ratio all the class 8’s went clean as did eventual top four in both classes 3 and 7 and Trevor Johns in class 6.

The three Hustyn Woods sections were about a mile away. These are definitely not to be confused with the old Lands End section, which is now a tarmac road. The first one was the only section on the event that could be described as rough and that was only if you climbed high enough! It was a bit complicated as cars had to reverse down a track to the start. They then went back up the track and tried to turn 90 left into an artificial, very muddy (well clay) route newly cut through the trees. There was a tree root on the turn that stopped all the lower classes so they never actually got to the rough bit. A lot of power was necessary to get anywhere but even the best class eights could only get to the one. Mike Workman stopped at the two but only after hitting the tree root at enormous speed, throwing Mike so far into the air that Mark Linforth didn’t think he would land back in the car.

There was big delay just up the track at Hustyn Wood 2 and some confusion as to if the deviation at the top would be used for all classes. There was in-decision amongst the marshals before it was decided to include it for all, but not before Colin Perryman had gone up, by-passing the deviation in accordance with an official notice at the bottom. Colin was given a second go but punctured two tyres in the process. A good power to weight ratio was necessary to get up the first and some of the lower powered cars really struggled. So did Ian Moss for a different reason. He went through the puddle at the bottom so fast that water got onto the electrics and the very smart 1200cc Imp fluffed to a stop at 11. Mike Workman got to the one marker but with a terrible noise coming from the gearbox of the GVS and he retired. After this, the third Hustyn Woods section was a bit on anti-climax. It wasn’t easy though and Simon Woodall was the only car to go clean in his 2.5 litre Buggy. This put Simon into the lead of the trial with four marks lost, ahead of Paul Bartleman (5) and Dudley Sterry (7). Next came Adrian Dommett on eight. Adrian was driving his Ford Special in class 8 again, rather than the Wolesley Hornet he had used earlier in the year.

Section 6 at Trerice still didn’t involve going out onto the road. It was approached via the top of the section so everyone could see how deep the ruts at the top were. They were soft mud though, in keeping with the Camels “not a rough trial” reputation. Getting through them required ground clearance that Richard Dawe doesn’t have on his Midget and he got well and truly stuck, blocking the section for more than half an hour before recovery arrived. Chris Symons was the only other competitor in class 5, driving his Porsche 924, which goes very well. Chris came all the way down from Leicester and it’s a toss up whether he or Simon Groves had the longest trip to the trial.

Finally, it was back on the road, in heavy rain before turning into a Vineyard for Polmorla. The section started amongst the farm buildings, levelled, and then went right up a very steep bank, thronged with spectators and marshals. Most of the lower classes stopped here but many of the class eights went on to get round the right hand bend before stopping. This was another hill that nobody cleaned. Simon Woodall was best with two, increasing his lead. Falcon’s Ian Davis, chasing a win in the ACTC Wheelspin championship, was next best with three.

It was really raining now and the two sections at Lanow were very, very slippery. They were both steep climbs through the trees. Simon Woodall dropped five on the second one and lost his overall lead to Paul Bartleman who went clean, putting him into a lead he was to retain for the rest of the day.

The four sections at Helligan and Shellwood saw the last of the rain and the retirement of Ian Moss when his Imp lost all its oil pressure. In class one we had also lost David Symons and David Haizelden. Colin Perryman was still going but definitely came into the walking wounded category, as there were horrible noises coming from his BMW’s diff and he was limited to 25 mph on the road.

Clinnick is a Camel Hill with a fearsome reputation and was thronged with spectators on the upper reaches. Although the section wasn’t rough, the approach track was, and Nigel Green got his Escort well and truly stuck on the diff on the way down to it. The hill started under a railway viaduct. There was a 90 right where the track disappeared into the sky before another 90 right where it became even steeper. It was all too much for the saloons in the lower classes who didn’t have the power to get more than half way up. Things were different in class 8 where they all nearly made it and so did Andrew Martin and Dave Prowse in class 7.

The final two sections were at Churchpark and it was dark when the later numbers came along. The first one was actually cleanable for many, which made a change. Things were different on the last one where only the class eights of Paul Bartleman, Simon Woodall, Ian Davis and Nigel Moss got to the summit. Simon Groves had his only problem of the day when a rear tyre punctured but this was soon changed.

Paul Bartleman hung onto the lead he gained at Lanow 2 to win the trial from Simon Woodall and Ian Davis who had a consistent run to come third overall on the Camel and win the ACTC Wheelspin championship. David Haizelden is Crackington champion despite having his only retirement of the year on the Camel. Hard charging Andrew Martin actually had more points than David but his fourth place in the Wheelspin took him out of the Crackington league.

Overall – Paul Bartleman (Troll) 13

Class 1 Ian Cundy (Golf) 77, Michael Collins (Golf) 80

Class 3 Tristan White (Escort) 69, Colin Jeffery (Escort) 73, Dick Bolt (Escort) 73

Class 4 David Dyer (Beetle) 68

Class 5 + 6 Gary Browning (Beetle) 56

Class 7 Andrew Martin (Dutton Melos) 32, David Prowse (Marlin) 44, Clive Kalber (Ford Pop) 45

Class 8 Paul Bartleman (Troll) 13, Simon Woodall (VW Buggy) 16, Ian Davis (VW Buggy) 21

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Paul Bartleman wins Allen Trial

The rain god shone on Bristol Motor Club and there was a fair amount of the wet stuff descending from the sky to make the sections on the fringe of the Mendip Hills nice and muddy.

The Start

There had to be a last minute change of venue when The White Hart Inn pulled the plug at the last moment and the start was moved to The Cross House Inn in organisers Pete and Carlie Harts home village of Doynton. The pub was right in the centre of the village with a super atmosphere and a nice car park un-spoiled by all those nasty trailers which were relegated to a muddy field several miles away.

The Route

This years Allen incorporated the usual favourite hills, including Birch Hill that was added last year. Perhaps the only despoilment is that it’s no longer possible to use Elwell, that lovely long section the other side of Winford. The route did go a slightly different way though, with the usual opener, Tog Hill, coming towards the end of the trial this year.

Bitton Lane

This was the usual section, entered by the side of a house on the A431 in the village of Bitton, the challenge being a restart on polished stones positioned on a left hand bend for all but classes one and two. It wasn’t as slippery as usual so tyre pressure limits were in force and only four competitors didn’t get away. Unfortunately these included both Simon Robson and Peter Mountain, competing in his newly restored Dellow Mk1 for only the second time.

So, the Allen wasn’t being very kind to Falcon Motor Club members driving open yellow cars! John Looker in his Yellow Beetle and Colin Biles in his Midget were the other competitors who didn’t get away. Classes four and five could now breathe a sigh of relief, as they had no more re-starts for the rest of the day.

Guys Hill

**Dudley Sterry pondering on his technique while Barry Clarke enjoys the view ahead**

Next on the agenda came one of the Allen terror’s, Guys Hill with its deceptively slippery surface with separate restarts on slippery stones and tree roots for the yellows and reds. It wasn’t a doodle for the non restarting blues and whites though as the hill is much steeper than it looks and quite a few didn’t build enough momentum to carry them over the slippery tree roots on the upper reaches. Unfortunately these included Stuart Cairney, taking part in his first trial since the Exeter and shaking down a new transmission in his Imp. Stuart had a bit of drama just before the trial when he found fuel spraying out of his fuel lines all of which had completely perished during the Imp’s lay-off, sparking the question about the effects of un-leaded fuel on rubber.

The yellows and reds had different re-starts and these were to have a big effect on the results as only three yellows, Roger Bricknell (Vincent), Andrew Martin (Dutton Melos), Mal Allen (Marlin) and one red, Paul Bartleman (Troll) got away to clean the section. Pete Hart was there to see Paul’s climb and his impressive trickle away from the restart.

Sandy Lane Special Test

This was run downhill this year, approached by the local councils newly surfaced entrance road. Despite being the only class eight to clean Guys Hill Paul Bartleman was taking no chances and set the fastest time amongst the specials but it was beaten by a flying Andrew Martin in class seven which put him into the overall lead of the event.

Travers Hill

There was a diff test just before the section with Patrick Osborne’s uncle in charge. On this occasion competitors had a different face at the start as Jim Travers (after whose father Ted the hill is named) was marshalling on a bike trial elsewhere. The restart for yellows and reds was in its usual place on a rocky step and positioning was crucial for both front and rear wheels. John Parsons was well aware of the difficulty and went high on the bank to the left in an attempt to avoid both step and gradient. It was to no avail as the car slipped sideways as soon as he let the clutch out and he was stationary in the middle of the track with spinning wheels just like so many others. Simon Robson made up for his indiscretion on Sandy Lane, picked a good place and restarted successfully but neither Peter Mountain nor Clive Booth could get away. Clive was trying some new Continentals, which were proving very successful in mud, and disaster as soon as a rock came into view.

Travers Special Test

**Patrick Osborne splashing his way through the water.**

This started downhill, through a puddle to line B before a reverse to stop astride line C. This was a disaster for Andrew Martin who got a fail, which was to cost him the chance of overall victory. Patrick Osborne and Michael Leete both fumbled their changes to reverse gear. Earlier Patrick had problems on Travers when the coil lead came adrift just after the section ends board.

Chew Valley Lake Rest Halt

This couldn’t really be called a lunch halt as it came very early in the event, perhaps “Brunch Halt” would be more appropriate! Never less it was a welcome opportunity to have a social chat with other competitors and helps the organisers by regrouping and controlling the flow to the following sections.

Burledge

**Giles Greenslade speeding to the summit**

Another of The Allen’s major challenges was on form this year, with Nigel and Ian Moss in charge. It starts with a rocky surface on a gentle gradient with a big bump over a sunken pipe a few yards up the track just before a right hand bend. This slows things down, even for those who don’t have to re-start. Once round the bend the real challenge of Burledge comes into sight. It’s a rutted sunken lane, very muddy with the ruts getting deeper towards the top. The yellows and reds have a restart just as the ruts begin, the blues and whites have a straight blast, in as much as the dreaded bump over the pipe allows!

As you will gather ground clearance is all-important at Burledge and it was very unfriendly to the Midgets and Morgan in class five, all of whom bottomed out early on. The Escorts were in similar trouble, David Heale getting furthest with a two. A BMW was the class three car to have here and both David Turner and Phillip Mitchell sped to the top on their larger diameter wheels with blowers whining. With Jim Scott and Colin Perryman marshalling the hill Stuart Cairney wanted to do well and got to the two after slip sliding away from the rocky start. Michael Leete and Dave Sergeant nearly got out the top for a one as did Patrick Osbourne. Dave could have cleaned the section if the throttle cable hadn’t became detached, but the class one honours were definitely Giles Greenslade’s as he stormed out of the section at enormous speed.

A fair sprinkling of class eights were clean but Tony Rothin didn’t get away from the restart and Stuart Harrold, Clive Booth and Peter Mountain all bottomed out. The class sevens all struggled a bit but Roger Bricknell made good use of the Vincents 15 inch wheels for a clean and Andrew Martin came out of the top as well, kicking himself for his indiscretion on the Travers special test. Clerk-of-the-Course Pete Hart looked in on the section just in time to see both Dave Haizelden and Paul Allaway clean Burledge as both proved yet again that they are little short of trialling supermen.

Nanny Hurns

Run as a section rather than a special test this year Nanny Hurns gives lie to the Allen sections all being run on real roads. The organisers can be forgiven though as this strange little section is part of the character of the modern Allen Trial. For those of you that have never seen Nanny Hurns it’s an artificial deviation off a track. First there’s a more or less level sharp left hand bend, then a very steep bump where there is a great danger of bottoming out at the top before the downhill finish. The main problems came for the big engined Beetles who had the usual under-steer problem on the left hander and the low slung sports cars who bottomed out on the crest of the bump. So a special well done to the persistent Brian Osborn for his first ever Nanny Hurns clean in his MGB.

Mill Lane

This is the long section, going under the railway bridge just after the start. The big disappointment was that there was no big puddle this year, to drown out the electrics, and the entire entry cleaned the hill.

Little Uplands

It was Little Uplands again this year as the track to its big cousin was blocked with construction machinery! The section was its usual self with a tricky restart in the rocks for the yellows and reds. Most of the non-restarters made successful climbs but both Dave Sargeant and Patrick Osborne lost momentum amongst the rocks and stopped. The restart was certainly a tough proposition though and by far the majority who had to attempt it failed.

Birch Hill

There was a long road run off over 20 miles east across the M4 to Birch Hill with John Sargeant in charge. The hill was similar to last year, a relatively straightforward run up a stony track then a right left into a field and the challenge of a huge patch of clay. The lower classes were allowed a straight blast but yellows and reds had a restart just before the glutinous stuff under the eyes of MGeetle builder Dave Nash. None of the cars in classes four, five and six got through but Giles Greenslade got far enough to give him the class four win and the lead in the Crackington league of the ACTC championship.

After cleaning Burledge both Dave Haizelden and Paul Allaway showed they are human by failing at the three but it was possible in a class one car as both Michael Collins and Nick Farmer proved and this was to give Michael Collins the class win. In class three both of the BMW’s failed to blast through the mire but both David Heale and Harvey Waters were successful in their Escorts reversing the fortunes of Burledge.

The status quo in 7 and 8 was preserved with the leaders all going clear and John Parsons and Clive Booth were happy to be successful under Dave Nashe’s gaze but Peter Mountain wasn’t so lucky.

Tog Hill

It was back across the M4 and back to Doynton for Tog Hill, tackled in the dark for the later numbers, but presenting no problems and everyone was clear.

John Walker

The Allens usual finale was on form as usual. The first cars arrived a bit early at just gone 2.30 and were asked to hang around at the summit in order not to get back to the pub while the lunch-time crowd were still enjoying their meal! The water level in the stream was pretty low so there wasn’t the usual problem of drowning out the ignition and everyone apart from Brian Osborn and David Mallin went clear.

The Finish

Back at Doynton Paul Bartleman was found to be the overall winner with a clean sheet, beating Roger Bricknell on special test times. Things could behave been very different if Andrew Martin hadn’t failed the 2nd special test as he was fastest on the first one and went clean on the observed sections.

So concluded another successful Allen Trial. The wet weather and skill of Pete Hart and his team resulted in a competitive trial over some non-damaging sections as it was mud rather than rocks rubbing the underside of the cars that ran out of ground clearance.

Michael Collins (VW Golf)	2	Class 1
Jeremy Flann (Austin 7)	1	Class 2
David Heale (Ford Escort)	2	Class 3
Giles Greenslade (VW Beetle)	3	Class 4
Mike Wordsworth (MG Midget)	6	Class 5
Terry Ball (VW Beetle)	19	Class 6
Roger Bricknell (Vincent)	0	Class 7
Carl Talbot (Morris Trialsmaster)	5	Class 8
Paul Bartleman (Troll)	0	Best Overall

2003_allen_results Download

Classy Clee

The regulations for the Midland Automobile Clubs Clee Hills promised some interesting “new” sections and the event more than lived up to this commitment. Regulars like Longville and Hungerford were retained, but out went much of the artificial stuff of recent years, replaced by a host of “new” hills, two of which were brand new, and two revived pre-war sections not used since the 50’s. There were three clean sheets. Overall victory went to Paul Bartleman who was faster than Adrian Dommett and Stuart Harrold on the special tests.

Stuart Harrold and Chris Phillips pictured leaving the start on the way to a clean sheet. Unfortunately they lost out to Paul Bartleman on special test times

Pat and Jonathan Toulmin had thought of everything, and even organised good weather for their trial. So conditions were ideal when Falcons David Thompson led the entry, in class order, away from the start. Unfortunately this didn’t include David Alderson’s Troll. No sooner had he fixed the clutch he blew on the Exeter, than there were major problems with the front suspension and the bits to fix it didn’t arrive in time. The thorough Toulmin organisation had started the class eight’s at one minute intervals, but spaced the lower orders two minutes apart so they wouldn’t get in each others way too much when they got stuck! Jonathan must have been reading the “hanging back” debate over on the Web Community, because he instituted penalties for slipping too far back down the field.

Classical Gas Web Community member Tony Branson’s dramas started before the off, when he had had minor problems with his lights at scruitineering. But it was good to see that Sally Bolam had recovered from the cuts to her face that she sustained when their Marlin dived into the bushes on the Exeter’s Normans Hump.

Tony Branson and Sally Bolam weaving through the trees at Starvecrow. At the time I thought this section had no place in the event, but reflecting afterwards it sorted out the results so I think it was a good thing.

Farlow has been the Clee’s first section in recent years, but there were problems with the neighbours this year so Jonathan substituted the woods at Starvecrow. These were very muddy and several competitors, including Mike Hayward and Robin Howard, had problems getting to and from the sections. It wasn’t David Thompson or Maureen Chattle’s favourite place either, as they both failed in the lower reaches of the section and the following special test as well.

Starvecrow was followed by a long 20-mile road run to Allez Oop, a hill first used in 1938 and described in detail in C. A. N. May’s book “Wheelspin”. These days the hill is surfaced with shale so there was a fair amount of grip and Jonathan spiced things up with a re-start for the yellows and reds.

**Simon Woodall and Adrian Marfell tackel Allez ‘Oop on their unique machines. As you would expect from Adrian he ain’t got no VW lump in the back!**

Mike Hayward got off the re-start OK, but with a slipping clutch and massive clouds of white smoke, so much that he was concerned the engine was on fire! At the summit Mike found a fair amount of oil all over the engine, so stopped to clean it up and adjust the clutch before the next section.

There was a diff check just before the next section called Stanbatch which was a long easy section, much loved by the VSCC. A bunch of marshal’s leapt out from behind the hedge with a trolley jack and proceeded to check the diff in the middle of a single-track road.

Adstone was approached down a steep muddy rutted track that would have been a good challenge for the class 8 boys if used uphill. There was a rocky ford at the bottom, which was the downfall of Robin Howard, as he hit something nasty in the middle causing the front brakes to lock on and even the Land Rover had problems in dragging the Dutton Sierra out of the section.

**Gatten’s Gamble was a great section but a bit heavy on tyres!**

This was followed by a long blast up Ratlinghope and Jonathan continued to delight by finding a brand new hill he called Gatten’s Gamble. This long section stated with a steepish bank before the gradient eased off. It didn’t get any easier though, as the surface changed from rocks to mud and the ruts got pretty fearsome as well. This was certainly not one for the faint hearted, as you would stop if you eased off, as Neil Bray found out when he punctured. Mike Hayward had tyre problems as well, but kept his trotter down and came out of the top OK. There were a couple of notable class eight failures here as both Mike Pearson (Dellow Replica) and Bill Foreshew (GVS) ground to a halt on the final grassy bank.

The traditional Clee sections of Harton Wood and Hungerford didn’t trouble the scorer too much, although it was pretty difficult to get out of the latter because of some very deep ruts. Peter Thompson had come all the way from Essex in his Opel Kadett and must have thought it was never going to get back there when he well and truly grounded out. The route card suggested straddling the right hand track, but this wasn’t practical as the car just slipped back in the ruts again. Finally Peter managed to back out, lightened his load by jettisoning his passenger and charged the obstacle at full speed to get out.

Longville was nice and simple for the lower orders, but the yellows and reds had restarts actually on the steep ramp onto the main road. This was a gathering point for spectators, who included web community participants Kevin Barnes and Falcons Dave Nash and Alan Bellamy. This was Anthony Young’s downfall as he dropped his only mark of the day. If he hadn’t he would have been the overall winner as he had by far the best time on the special tests. Mind you he wasn’t the only one as very few class eights got away cleanly, and even Dudley Sterry dropped a three. Notable class eight cleans were Adrian Dommett and Stuart Harrold, both retaining their clean sheets. David Thompson was also successful in his Buggy, a small consolation for all the marks he had dropped at Starvecrow first thing in the morning.

The Railway Special Test was a funny affair. To get a good time you had too crawl up a steep hill very slowly by slipping the clutch. Until you got half way when you blasted the rest. Yes was an interesting variation but not popular amongst those who liked to take care of their clutch! This was where Paul Bartleman won the event. He was one of three drivers to still have clean sheets and his time here was light years ahead of Adrian and Stuarts.

The trial was drawing a close now. The leading contenders are growing wise to the hairpin at Ippkins Rock and it didn’t influence the result. It still catches out the unary though including ace class seven man Roger Bricknell.

The Clee started and finished with “tree weaving” and it was these sections that provided the results. It was worth it so we could tackle all those wonderful sections in the middle. Here Giles Greenslade and Murray MacDonald blast up Hillside 2

Just as the trial started with a muddy section through the woods so it finished, this time with Hillside, located within the Boyne Estate, just a mile or so from the finish. The principle class eight contenders and Paul Bartleman all went clear so it had no effect on the overall result. None of the Falcons got up but like everyone else I spoke to they enjoyed the event enormously. It was imaginative, with the challenge judged to perfection as the results show. Jonathan and Pat must be congratulated for finding those new sections and devising such a beautifully scenic route. They have run The Clee for four years now, during which thy have listened and improved their trial. Long may this excellent event continue under their stewardship.

Overall	Paul Bartleman	Escort Estate	0
1 and 2	Terry Coventry	Citroen AX	14
3 and 5	Ian Moss	Escort	7
4	Richard Peck	Beetle	8
6	Nigel Allen	Beetle	3
7	Tim Lakin	Marlin	4
8	Adrian Dommett	Special	0
0	David Lucas	Buckler	4

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