Having said that Falcons first ACTC round was different let’s start by explaining why. First the start, at Porky’s Diner near Evesham, was 40 miles from the finish on the outskirts of Nailsworth where trailer parking was provided.
Restarts were in a box, and on the March Hare competitors were required to stop with their rear wheels between the lines. Awards were MCC-style Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals. Finally, the all important tie-deciding special tests were downhill, out-of-gear, and rolling affairs.
So the mix of locals, first-timers, and championship contenders gathered at Porky’s Diner for their good value pre-trial breakfast to discuss what was to come. Clerk of the Course Dave Middleditch had promised a trial suitable for beginners with some sections to sort out the championship hopefuls.
Before talking about this years trial let’s answer the question of why Falcon, a Herts and Beds based club, was running an event in the Cotswolds.
It dates back to 1954 when the club decided to move their Guy Fawkes Trial from the Home Counties to The Cotswolds where it ran for nearly 20 years before finishing in 1971. You can read about those events by clicking this link.
Thirty years later Falcon again ran a road classic, the March Hare, returning to home roads in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire from 200o to 2016 as a non-championship event suitable for beginners.
Three years ago, Dave Middleditch proposed organising a road classic in The Cotswolds to commemorate Falcons 75th anniversary. This idea has since evolved into today’s March Hare, which the ACTC accepted into its championship.
Saintbury, the first section was only a mile up the road from the start. It was quite long and a queue soon built up. While waiting Dave Malin found the petrol pump on his late father’s Ford Popular was producing more pressure than the valves in the float chambers could cope with. Fortunately he was able to resolve the issue and went on to finish the event.
At least Dave was able to make the start. Ed Wells had the misfortune to have his diff cry enough about half a mile before Porky’s.
New Kineton
After Saintbury, the entry split into two. The bikes, seven and eight, went to the historic New Kineton. The sections history was described in the road book, along with the other sections by Andrew Brown. The other cars went on a loop of four sections, coming back to New Kineton after the first group had gone. This was because of the time each competitor would be on the section, as there was no exit at the top.
Despite nearly half of the entry dropping points here everything went smoothly with Pete Hart and his team from Bristol Motor Club in charge.
Delay at Postlip
The sections after New Kineton were relatively benign, and few points were lost. There was a delay at Postlip, though, as a walker raised what should have been an open barrier on the exit track. Fortunately, this was resolved by the section marshals after a few phone calls.
After Postlip came Humblebee. The section wasn’t very challenging but the entry track was.
The right-hand rut on the approach to Humblebee was very deep, and cars slipping into it were in real danger of toppling over if they couldn’t straddle it. Fortunately, there was 4×4 rescue on hand, and their team was directing cars where to go. The number of rescue vehicles and marshals at the event was a testament to the hard work put in by the Dave Middleditch led organising team.
Five Sections in Frys Quarry
The organisers were relying on the sections in Frys Quarry to give them a result. The first one, known as Frys Quarry 5!, was only for bikes, seven and eight. This was a rough affair going up, down, and up again with some very sharp, tight hairpin bends. Four of the bikes managed it, about half the class eights and a couple of Class sevens. Whatever you thought of it, this section was out of character for a Classic Trial.
The final section in the quarry was controversial.
The lower classes had a straight run at the last section in the quarry, and all of them went clear. The bikes, seven and eight, had a very rough deviation with a vicious bump where most of the cars grounded out. It was possible though, as Mark Hobbs proved in his Troll, despite there being a restart for Class Eight.
In Class 7, the non-restarting Paul Price (Liege) and Phil Aubrey (Dutton Melos) managed to get over the hump for a clear. Paul would go on to win Class 7. John Wheeler nearly made it over the hump but sadly damaged his Dellow Mk2 getting out of the section. Nevertheless, he continued to finish second in Class 7.
Mud Bath at Bagendon Downs
This section was very easy for the lower classes, but Bikes, Seven and Eight had to divert off the track into a very muddy hollow before turning up a bank to regain the track.
It was very tricky for the motorcyclists to stay feet up and only Phil Sanders (Beta Enduro) managed it and was to finish as best solo.
John Wheeler was to prove the section was cleanable for Class Seven, but the rest of the Class floundered in the mud and needed rescuing by the experienced Falcon marshals and their efficient rescue 4×4.
It was a different story in Class Eight with six cleans and only two fails.
Gentle Juniper was a sting in the tail for some
After the final rolling down hill special test and the Jacks Hill section came Gentle Juniper, a Dave Middleditch discovery being used for the first time. It was stony and a bit rough in places with a restart for all but Class 1 and 2.
There was plenty of grip but you had to position your rear wheels correctly inside the restart box under the eagle eye of past March Hare winner Murray Macdonald.
Most succeeded but there were a couple of notable failures in the shape of Dean Partington and Paul Bartleman. In Pauls case this cost him a Cotswold Stone, the Falcon equivalent of an MCC Triple. Other failures were long time Cannon owner Brian Partridge, in his recently acquired Reliant Scimitar SS and Matt Wills who had MCC News of the Week editor Joe Wills in the passenger seat, Joe normally favouring two wheels.
The Finish
The sun had shone all day, and competitors enjoyed an early finish at The Amberley Inn to discuss their day. With the exception of a couple of sections in the quarry for the higher classes, Falcon achieved their objective of a trial suitable for beginners. However, it’s difficult to combine that with an event to challenge the experienced championship contenders, and some were left wanting a bit more.
There were seven clean sheets in classes 1 to 6, one in Class 8 and none amongst the bikes.
The club should be congratulated on such a good turnout of marshals and rescue vehicles and with the minor exception of Postlip Lane the event ran smoothly. It will be interesting to see how the March Hare evolves in the future.
| Best Bike | Phil Sanders | Beta Enduro | 7 |
| Best Car | Richard Hayward | Ford Escort | 0 |
| B | Mark Wills | Beta Alp | 9 |
| 1 | Nigel Whiten | Ford Ka | 7 |
| 2 | Carl Talbot | Buckler Mk5 | 0 |
| 3 | Tris White | Ford Escort | 0 |
| 4 | Julian Robinson | VW Beetle | 0 |
| 5 | James Ord-Hume | HRG | 0 |
| 6 | Matthew Wills | VW Beetle | 0 |
| 7 | Paul Price | Leige | 3 |
| 8 | Mark Hobbs | Troll | 0 |
| 90 | Nick Deacon | Suzuki X90 | 0 |
- Full Results
- March Hare Trial on the Classic Trials FB Group
- More March Hare on Facebook
- Video Playlist
- Photos by Julian Robinson
- Photos by Mike Jones
- Photos by Paul Freeman
- Photos by Simon Lewis
- Photos by Paul Upham
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