Tag: Paul Merson

Paul Merson wins Slippery Allen

Nine clean sheets spread across Six classes.

Paul and Charlie Merson concentrate on their way to winning The Allen Trial. Paul was Wheelspin Champion in 2024 and goes into the Camel with a narrow lead in this year’s championship.  Photo by Stevenson Gawen

With over 70 starters leaving The Bull at Hinton the Allen continues to be one of the most popular one day trials on the calendar.

After last year’s constant rain, Pete Hart had arranged for a nice day for this year’s event. However, wet weather leading up to the event ensured the sections were in prime condition, and together with strategically placed restarts, this turned out to be quite a tough day.

Tog Hill & Tog Hill Challenge

There was a time when The Allen was totally on tracks. However, many of the old hills have been lost and it has become necessary to resort to running sections on private land. Tog Hill Challenge is on farmland at the top of the traditional Tog Hill, a nice track to start the event which didn’t trouble anyone this year.

Class 7 winner John Wheeler finding grip on the slippery grass to clean Tog Hill Challenge (VidCap from a Sandie Tozer Video)

The new section began with a steep bank cutting through a hedge and leading into a grassy field.  The route then ran alongside a hedge with a gradually increasing gradient. While tyre pressure restrictions applied to other sections, they were waived here.  Many regretted not taking advantage of the opportunity to run near flat tyres once they encountered the slippery wet grass. However, low pressures can be problematic and Kevin Sharp had a tyre slip of its rim.

The steep bank at the start of the section claimed a lot of victims in the lower classes, and only David Hazelden in his familiar Golf and David Goilfington in his Model T Special went clear among the Blue sticker cars in classes 1 and 2. There was at least one failure in all the other classes, and Pete Hart’s new find can definitely go into the stopper category.

Bitton Lane

Like Guys Hill the Bitton Lane section is all about a restart on slippery stones. Normally a little easier than Guys, Bitton Lane was really on form this year, even stopping a couple of Class Eights. In a well supported Class Seven only John Wheeler ( Dellow Mk2), Phil Aubrey (Dutton Melos) and Tom Hunt (Leige) managed to pull away without penalty. Maybe lower power was the answer as most in Class 2, and everyone in Class 4, went without penalty.

Little Uplands

The easier of two adjacent hills, with Exeter Clerk of the Course Peter Batty in charge, the little Uplands restart didn’t have a great deal of bite this year.

Guys Hill

Mike Ellis captured the restart action on Guys Hill

Looking so innocuous the Guys Hill restarts are always a big challenge and many a clean sheet has been lost here. It was no different this time and the two restarts, one for 6, 7 & 8, the other for 3, 4 & 5.

Classes 1,2 and 90 were the lucky ones to have a straight run over the slippery polished stones and tree roots.

There was a time when successful competitors could go straight on at the top but these days you have to turn round and come back down.

The re-starters had varying degrees of success, and it seemed a gentle pull away was required, as once wheels started spinning there was little chance of recovery.

Travers

Class 2 winner David Golighly on Travers in his Model T Special. David went clean on the observed sections but picked up a penalty on the first Special Test. It’s not so easy to stop when you don’t have front brakes! Photo Colin Gwyer

Although a rocky section, the gradient on Travers isn’t too severe, and it’s possible to go at a speed where you can pick a good line. It’s rough though, and drivers need to keep their wits about them. There were separate restarts for 7 and 8 on the roughest bit, where the other classes had a straight run through.

The experienced Dean Vowden failed here in his Lonsee Special as did Peter Ashford in his smart “new” Troll with Ford Twin Cam power and builder Tom Jones in the hot seat. All the more unfortunate as it was under the watchful eye of long time Troll competitor Stuart Harrold on the restart flag.

Burledge

With early numbers arriving at the Chew Valley Picnic area lunch halt well before time there was ample opportunity to enjoy the cuisine on offer, including the popular fish and chips.

The two Burledge sections were a few miles up the road.

The lower classes had a restart on a step, visible from the start line. There were only four failures, including all three of the MX5’s, including Mike Jones, entered in his Ford Pop but running an MX5 in Class 6 because of its LSD.

The top part of the section used to be very rutted but was resurfaced a number of years ago. However, water erosion has taken its toll and it’s well on the way to being a competitive section.

Peter Ashford and Tom Jones in Peters recently completed Twin Cam Troll. Photo by Stevenson Gawen

The second Burledge section was short and sweet with a Class 7 and 8 restart on a rocky step. This was all about positioning and one or two got it wrong. These included David Price, enjoying a run in Dudley Sterry’s marvellous J2. Dave Middeditch was another failure but had the consolation of not having to lift the bonnet of his Dutton Phaeton all day, such was the reliability of the new engine fitted after the cars Edinburgh disaster.

Class 4 were not supposed to restart here.

But Dave Sargeant did. Seeing he had been recorded clean on the provisional results Dave informed the organisers picking up a penalty and loosing the class win.

Michael Leete was happy to get his Dellow away from the restart but felt the handling go funny on the exit track. He soon found a flat front tyre, the offending screw very evident. With no spare for the front, Michael would have had to change the tube, so he had a go at putting some air in it and seeing how long it would last. It wasn’t very long, so John Wheeler came to the rescue, lending one of his rear spares, which fitted Michael’s front axle.  John was having a good run having cleaned Bitton Lane and Guys and was to win Class 7 with the only clean sheet.

Nanny Hurns and the Special Tests

The Nanny Hurns Special Test was a long time feature of The Allen Trial, the muddy dip and bump is sadly long lost. However, the name lives on with a simple but enjoyable observed section.

The two special tests were on private land in the Fry’s Bottom area.

With nine clean sheets, these were to decide the results. Paul Merson was the fastest, narrowly pipping Jack Selwood. Third was Richard Hayward in his Class Three Escort. Fellow Class Three driver Tris White retired here with engine trouble on his Escort.

John Walker and the Finish

Julian Archbold just manages to catch James Barrett on John Walker, lights blazing in the gathering gloom that greeted later numbers.

The last section on The Allen was the traditional John Walker, named after the gentleman who travelled all over the country marshalling on trials. It’s a glorious muddy thrash up a hedge-lined lane. A fitting end to The Allen Trial.

There were a lot of smiling faces at the finish. The Allen may not have a lot of sections, or be a mega tough trial, but it is a well-organised, well-marshalled event that competitors enjoy and return to year after year, as demonstrated by regularly having a full entry. Long may it continue.

InCar with Julian Lack and Sam Lindsay in their DP Wasp. They finished 4th in Class 8.

Results:-

O/APaul MersonShopland0
1David HaizeldenVW Golf0
2David GolightlyFord T Special6
3Richard HaywardFord Escort0
4Norton SelwoodVW Beetle0
5Carl TalbotBuckler Mk50
6Nicola ButcherVW Beetle12
7John WheelerDellow Mk20
8Jack Selwood DP Ford0
90Brian HampsonSuzuki X903
Michael Leete made a Vlog of his Allen Trial

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Duncan Stephens and Neil O’Connor take Exmoor Wins

This years Exmoor trial proved a little easier than Clerk of the Course Chris Barham would have liked although the two sections in the Holdridge woodland proved too much for all but a few.

Duncan Stephens won the car category. Pictured on High Bray by Vince Feeney
Neil O’Connor was best bike (Photo by Peter Browne)

The car entry was dominated by Class Eight and a particularly strong Beetle entry spread across classes Four and Six.

Competitive sections kicked off at Porte Farm with three sections. The second of these proved particularly challenging. Most of the solos and all the outfits went clean, but it was a different story when the cars came along.

Outside of Class Eight 0nly Keith Sanders (Reliant Scimitar SS), Ray Ferguson and John Early (Lieges) and Brian Hampson in his X90 emerged from the complex with clean sheets.

The second section at Porte Farm shattered the dream of a clean sheet for most competitors. (VidCap from Steven Price)

The middle part of the trial was mostly smooth sailing, but then came High Bray, the usual highlight of the Exmoor Trial.

Steven Price on the resurfaced High Bray (Photo by Peter Browne)
Vince Feeney captured Andy Beveridge on High Bray. Most of the outfits were based on Enduro chassis in Class D2. Andy was in D1 meaning the chair can be detached.

There was a solo bike-only section called Walscott just before High Bray, which stopped all of the smaller-engined Class B bikes. Then came the famous hill itself. The section looked very different this year. The local authority had resurfaced it as part of a byway improvement program. It still stopped a few bikes, but all the cars sailed up.

There were two sections in the Holdridge woodland, and these were to prove decisive for the cars. Only Duncan Stephens, Paul Merson, and Arnie Martin emerged clean, all in rear-engined Class Eights.

Ray Ferguson dominated Class 7, dropping only four marks and finishing fourth overall, passengered on this occasion by experienced trailer and fellow Liege owner Trevor Wood. Photo by Vince Feeney on Floyds Bank

Floyds Bank was the penultimate section and proved as competitive as ever, providing entertainment for the usual spectators. It didn’t stop the three leading Class Eights, and they were to finish the event with clean sheets. That meant the overall results would be decided by the time of the only special test. Dean Partington had been fastest there, but he had dropped points on the observed sections. That meant the win went to Duncan Stephens, followed by Paul Merson and Arnie Martin.

Neil O’Connor was fastest of the two Solos on zero marks. Steve Urell and Julie Williams were the best of a well supported class of outfits.

InCar with Steven Price. The video is from Steven Price’s excellent SlippingClutches91 You Tube Channel

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Updates

(1) added 20 Feb 2025

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

Dean Cleans Clee

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 sections
Peter 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 Green
Braving 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 Wood

Class 6 winner Karen Warren stopped at the five on Meadowley Wood, as did most of the Beetles. Photo by Matthew Boyce who also took some Videos

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

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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

Camel Classic ends 2024 ACTC Year

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.

Continue reading “Camel Classic ends 2024 ACTC Year”

Allen Trial 2024 A win for Paul Merson

This years Allen will be rememberd for the rain that fell all day and the many flooded roads.

No soon had competitors arrived at the start than it was time to put on the wet weather gear.

It started raining as competitors started to leave The Bull at Hinton start and it didn’t let up all day. This didn’t affect the results to much as the sections on private land which would have turned into a mud pit weren’t available this year.

Consequently it was a low scoring event with only Guys Hill having a significant number of failures.

With the weather being so bad there aren’t to many photos of this years even but Jonathan Layzell did manage to capture Simon Clenmow on Burledge. Jonathans photo shows the river running down the section. This was the case on most of the hills.
Continue reading “Allen Trial 2024 A win for Paul Merson”

Narrow Exmoor Win for Paul Merson

Paul and Zara Crane had a narrow win in the familiar Shopland Mk2 from Tom Walker and Tom Jones who were also in Class Eight. Guy Winsor was best Solo

Paul Merson and Zara Crane had a narrow win, equal on points with Tom Walkers Toyota engined Leige but coming out on top on test times. Photo by Paul Morris Photography where you can find more

North Devon Motor Club had good weather for the Exmoor Trial starting near Barnstable. It proved a tough trial for the lower car classes and only Class Eight came out with scores under twenty.

Continue reading “Narrow Exmoor Win for Paul Merson”

Yorkshire Dales

Paul Merson and Ray Ferguson both had clean sheets with Paul best on test times.

This years Yorkshire Dales had a mostly local entry. Paul Merson being the only car competitor making the journey north from the West Country.

Dean Partington hoped to challenge but was penalised six for hitting a course marker on Watergate 2.

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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

Paul Merson wins Clee Hills Trial

Previous winner Nick Deacon was second in his X90. Kev Standard was best Motorcycle.

Paul Merson and Nick Sherrin on their way to a narrow Clee Hills win over Nick Deacon. Photo by Steve Shelley of ssshoot photography

With no Clee last year because of Covid there was an eager bunch of trialers gathered at The Squirrel in Ludlow for the first one day trial of the year.

The organisers set out to simplify this years event and didn’t use the Clee’s well known two loop system this time.

There were also some familiar sections omitted because of forestry issues. This didn’t stop the trial being a first class event with a lot of praise on social media from the competitors.

Continue reading “Paul Merson wins Clee Hills Trial”

Paul Merson takes narrow Hardy win

It was a close thing, with Ray Ferguson just one mark behind

1911HardyRogerAshby
Roger Ashby and Gavin Lane in their steamer on Meerhay. Video Capture by Chris Briant Click Here for the Video

InCar with Ray and Hannah Ferguson in their Liege

Woolbridge had strong local support for their Classic Trial, including a Four Wheel Drive class running at the back of the field. The event was a mixture of traditional lanes supplemented by some grassy venues familiar to competitors who go to the clubs single venue events. These of course require a very different driving technique to the rocky lanes. Either trickle or blast, there is no in-between! Continue reading “Paul Merson takes narrow Hardy win”

Simon Groves wins Camel Vales Presidents Trial

A Trial of Two Halves

1904PresidentsSimonGroves
Simon Groves gets his Troll crossed up as he approaches one of the restarts in Bonyalva Woods. (Vidcap from Duncan Stephens Video) Click Here to see more of Duncans work on his Donutsphotography page

The single venue event in Bonyalva Woods was a trial of two halves, dry in the morning and wet in the afternoon. It soon turned into a Class Eight battle between Simon and Paul Merson who were level until midway through the morning when Paul dropped four on Bonyalva Rise where Simon went clear and slowly increased his lead as the day went on, finishing on 19 compared to Pauls 27.

Videos by Duncan Stephens, Emma Groves and Norton Selwood. Click here for the Playlist

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