A  Very Dry Trial with Controversial Timing Issues

Without many of its Classic Sections the dry conditions provided plenty of grip and more than 50% of the entry came away with a medal after the breakfast timing penalties were scrapped.

The make up of the entry was interesting. With the influx of X90's Class Five was the most popular and Class Seven was the exclusive province of Marlins and Lieges.

Dave Cooks wonderfully atmospheric  picture of Julian Lack rounding the tight corner leading to the deviation for the higher classes on Cliff Quarry (Picture by Dave Cook)

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Starting out from the soulless M42 Services the 194 starters, with surprisingly few in Classes 1 and 2, diverted along the route amendment up the A38 to the outskirts of Derby before entering Ashbourne on the A52 instead of the usual A515. This confused some of the navigators as they didn't pick the correct place to re-enter the original route card. 

Carsington Water

Robin Barlow was in charge here with a radio link to the first section. With ample parking he was able to despatch competitors according to the number queuing on the road before the access track.

Haven Hill

Veteran Reg Taylor was on the start line on the first section. He managed to remain dry for main trial competitors but had to don his wet weather gear as the Class 0 competitors appeared. With no restart this year and a bone dry section everyone went clear.

Cliff Quarry

It was still dark when the first competitors arrived at Cliff Quarry and later numbers had to cope with the rain that started to fall around 6am. Everyone had to do a restart with the higher classes having to deviate around a tricky corner which was particularly Marlin unfriendly, seven of them failing, including father and son Tony and Hal Branson. Most of the non-deviators in the main trial went clean but the experienced Greg Warren was a notable exception.

The restart area wasn't very muddy, despite the rain, but it still took numerous class 0 scalps including the two French competitors who produced a very nice Video of their adventure.

Going back to Marlins. Kevin Lindsay was having fuel problems with MGB engined car. He couldn't fix them and had to retire.

Deep Rake (Class 0 only)

Dawn had broken for competitors in Class 0 when they arrived at Deep Rake where Ford Pop stalwarts Nigel Hilling and David Child were in charge of a compact section, with a restart on some loose stones.

This proved challenging for the less experienced and around a third couldn't get away. These included Lee Sample who found the clutch wouldn't bite properly on his Rickman Ranger, which has had a new engine since the Lands End.. He adjusted it after the hill and it didn't give any more trouble. The trial was notable for the number of restarts for Class 0, with no less than seven on the schedule

Deep Rake Observed Test

This followed the familiar route although there was no water splash this year. Not just because of the dry summer but also because the hole had been filled in. There was a delay towards the end of the trial as a local claiming to be the Land Owner arrived saying the club didn't have his permission to use the land. Fortunately the MCC officials sorted the situation to allow the trial to continue but it remains to be seen if there are any repercussions.

There were very few penalties on the test but they included the two French competitors, maybe the hadn't yet come to terms with an MCC route card!

Black Harry

Still within the Deep Rake Quarry complex Black Harry had Trojan stalwarts John Wilton and Steve Potter in charge. They didn't trouble the MCC results team and this was the second section on of the trial without any failures.

Haydale

Triple Editor Celia Walton was in charge here and had needed her wet weather gear as she had caught the worst of the rain during the sections opening hours. Everyone had to restart but outside of Class 0 there were few penalties.

Calton

With the rain and a restart for everyone competitors knew this was going to be one of the events significant challenges. The deep ruts on the upper reaches have long gone but there is something special about getting away on polished limestone in the wet!

Nobody in Classes 1 or 2 got away from the restart. The Suzuki's in Class 5 didn't fare well. Neither did many Marlins or Lieges or in Class 7. These included Julian Lack who had only put his engine back in the car just before the event but had the distributor module come loose just as he was trying to pull away.

Unfortunately many of the failures had problems backing up for a second try and a long queue built up. When it was getting close to getting back to the main road the Chief Official decided to cancel the hill for Class 0 who went straight to breakfast at the Bull I Thorn.

Incline (Classes 0 to 5 only)

The rain had eased when the field went through Buxton, out on the A5004 towards Whalley Bridge, passing the former Old Long Hill section before turning off into the Goyt Forest for a new section called Incline. It was a smoothish forest section. The gradient wasn't too severe but it kept rising and levelling out which caught out the unwary. Other than Classes 1 and 2 where nobody went clear it only caught out a few in the main trial but Steve Kingstone lost his Gold in his MG Midget.

The section was a challenge for Class 0 and Nev Bowers failed his first hill here. This was the last section for Jacques Veyer in his AHS as he ran out of time and found the following sections closed when he arrived. His colleague Denis Sautery had retired his BMW with a holed tank at breakfast.

Corkscrew (Classes 6,7 and 8 only)

The higher classes tackled the former Jenkins Chapel, reintroduced after many years. Competitors either loved or hated this narrow rocky track but most were appreciative of the section after loosing so many of the other traditional hills.

Alan Spencer was the only class 8 to stop but the section took its toll in 7 and 8 including Matt Facey who had entered his BMW saloon in Class 7 for more of a challenge!

"New" Litton Slack

Competitors could only take sad glances to the left at the "real" section as they tackled the gentle grassy slope of the former escape road which had plenty of grip despite the earlier rain.

Putwell (not for Class 0)

There were the usual two sections. Putwell A was rough again, but there was no restart. Higher up the track came the resurfaced Putwell B with a restart for 6,7 and 8.

The section didn't have much impact on the results this year although Mike Pearson had to retire when his Dellows alternator failed. The message went back down the section to those waiting and Emma Wall kindly donated her spare so Mike could get to his hotel in Buxton for the evening.

Rakes Head (not for Class 0)

This little section was just up the road from the tea and cake stop at Hollinsclough Village Hall. Classes 6,7 and 8 had to restart. This proved challenging for 6 and 7 but those challenging for premier awards all went clear.

Excelsior

Everyone had to restart and with the box on a sharp corner on slippery limestone rock it was going to be a challenge.

The section certainly took its toll on the score sheet especially in 5, 6 and 7. It was interesting that not only did everyone in Class 4 go clear but they all maintained their clean sheets at this stage of the trial.

This was probably the most challenging section of the trial for Class 0 who had to restart like everyone else. Only three cars (Michael Leete - Beetle, Chris Adney - Morgan and Vic Lockley - Beetle) went clean, leaving Vic and Michael with the only clean sheets. Failing the restart was unfortunate for Neil Bray as it cost him a Tri0 award.

Moneystones (Class 0 only)

Exeter Trial Secretary Tim Keeling was marshalling the start and there was a stony restart to tackle further up the slope. It was dry and most avoided the holes but they still caught out Brian Osborne in his MGB and Vic Lockley who said goodbye to his Blue Hills Tin.

Clough Mine 1 (not for Class 0)

Passing the entrance to the former Clough Wood track the lower classes had a straight run but the higher classes has a restart towards the top. The non-re-starters didn't have problems but getting away from the box was a problem and the 6,7  results were decimated. It also caught out some of the class eights and  Russell Clarke (Troll) and Barry Redmayne in his 4 cylinder Suzuki engined Leige,  which now sports SU Carburation, lost their chance of gold.

Dudwood 1 (6,7 and 8 only. No restart)

Nobody in Class Six succeeded and only Dudley Sterry in Class 7 reached the summit. It wasn't that easy in Class 8 where Simon Oates (Triumph Torum), Brian Partridge (Ridge Cannon) and Bill Moffatt (Troll) all said goodbye to Gold.

Several cars in the lower classes also attempted Dudwood 1. This attracted a WR penalty, presumably meaning wrong route. This counted as a section failure and both David Golightly (Ford Morton & Brett) and Kevin Sharp (Suzuki X90) lost their chances of Gold.

Dudwood 2 (1,2,3,4 and 5 only. No restart)

Previously a Class 0 hill this section started in the farmyard this turned into another run  through the trees with the surface turning very loose before the top. This proved a bit much for most in Class 5. Aaron Homewood lost his gold here in his venerable Skoda but the three Beetles in Class 4 went clear and were clean as they went to the final observed test.

Dudwood 3 (Class 0 only)

This new section turned out to be a grassy slope which turned out to be dry with plenty of grip and everyone went clean.

Dudwood Observed Test

After a stop astride and reverse this turned into a long blast along a farm track, an enjoyable way to end the competitive part of the trial. Enjoyable that is unless you were John Arrowsmith (Class 4 Beetle) or Dave Wall (Dellow) who were penalised and lost their gold's here.

The Finish

Leaving the farm track competitors passed the Cliff Quarry section (Hill 2) on the way to the finish back at Bull I Thorn. Popular opinion was that the organisers had done a grand job to make use of the sections that were available to them. As it stands from the provisional results it looks like Car Triples will go to Dick Bolt and Emma Wall, both in Escorts. Hans Viertel (Beetle) Matt Facey BMW Z3 and Stuart Roach (HRG)

Published 29 October 2014

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