Classical Gas is an independent web site and is not affiliated
to any of the clubs or organisers of the events featured. Words and Pictures
by Michael unless attributed otherwise. Michael is a proud member of the MCC,
ACTC, Dellow Register , Herts VW Club, CTCRC and Falcon but does not represent their
views nor the views of any other organisers or clubs.
Only 8 entries left for the
4th Windwhistle Motor Club Bovey Down Trial
on Sunday 27 April. 32 entries received and only 40 can be accepted due
to the constraints of the venue. Closing date is next Wednesday 23rd
13 Apr 2008
Lydden report started - An
excellent meeting, organised by Rod Birley (usually seen behind the
wheel of a WRC Escort) under the auspices of BARC South East. The CTCRC
had five of the seven races on this wonderful clubmans day. Neil did
well, finishing 5th in Post Historic but an excursion onto the grass and
a blown exhaust gasket took away his chances in Group 1.
Windwhistle Motor Club's working party in
the woods last Saturday preparing the venue for the 4th single venue
clubsport classic trial on Sunday 27th April
Anne Whellock tells me
that "22 entries have already been received so as we can only
accept 40 we are already over half full. So if any MCC, Holsworthy,
Camel Vale, CBCCC, Minehead or Woolbridge members want to come along
they had better get their skates on. Alternatively we can offer
membership of Windwhistle. Catering van and mobile loo on site all day"Click Here for more information or email Secretary of the Meeting
Anne Whellock
1 Apr
2008
Can
competitors who received ACTC trophies last year return them to Tina
Allaway at the Kyrle Trial? If they are not competing on the Kyrle
please could they arrange for someone to pick up/deliver their trophy to
Tina. Otherwise please call Tina on 07841 877 855 (evenings). There are
also 2 missing bike trophies, if anyone has them tucked away please can
they be returned to Tina.
Strouds Mechanics Trial is on 30 March.
Carl Talbot tells me that as its the weekend after the Lands End
the organisers have agreed that anyone who has entered but cannot
compete due post Lands End malaise [vehicular or personal] will receive
a full refund of their entry fee if the trial secretary is notified.
Entries close Fri 21st March.
Ross & DMC Kyrle
Trial is on 20 April. Stuart Harrold says the entry list
is about 50% full already. There will be some
new hills and there won't be as many ruts!
Anne Whellock reports entries are coming
in nicely for Windwhistle's Bovey Downs Trial
on 27 April. This is a single venue Classic Trial held within the woods
containing Normans Hump and Clinton. have a go at them in the daylight!
4 Mar 2008
June Blakeley will be running the Cancer
Research Race for Life on 1st June. As you will read on her page this is
a very special mission for June.
John Blakeley
scrutinises Robin Barlows Dellow at the start of the
Northern trial. It was Robin's first trial since 1969 and it was shame it
had to end with a broken back axle. Click
Here for The Northern Trial Report
20 Feb 2008
Click on the arrow to see Simon Groves
and Emma Robilliard storming Widow Hause on
Saturdays Northern Trial. Come the
results it was Beetles all the way. Giles Greenslade winning overall
with Nicola Wainwright coming second.
Murray Montgomery-Smith
mounts the step on Nailsworth Ladder in his Marlin during last
Sundays Cotswold Clouds (picture by John Salter). Adrian Dommett was best
overall in his Wolseley Hornet.
It was
Class Seven all the way on Sunday's Exmoor Trial, overall victory going
to Ray Goodright in his Arkley. Last years class 8 winner,
Ed
Nikel retired with a broken diff.Simon Groves
was 3rd in class 3 which was won by Sticker Martin.
Dave Haizelden, with Adrian Dommett in the hot
seat, retired, leaving Mike Collins to win class 1.
Nicola Wainwright won class 4.
Click Here for Full Results
Video by
tinleggstommy
30 January 2008 - Finally published an
Exeter Report
29 Jan 2008
Clee Hills
report amended to show that Allez 'Oop was an observed section for
all classes. Thanks to Brian Osborn for raising the query and to Pat Toulmin and Stuart Harrold for their help in resolving things.
Christmas Quiz Q2 - The passenger in
Hutchison's Allard is Bill Boddy. The question certainly caused
considerable debate and provided some new knowledge for Allard
specialist Nigel Brown who posed the question.
Christmas Quiz Q3 - The picture was
published as part of Bill Boddy's write up on the 1981 Exeter. It was
captioned as Bovey but I think we are all now certain that it was the
hill now known as Normans Hump. Well done to Adrian Dommett for the
first correct answer and especially to John Lees and John Salter for all
their research and analysis.
Now, before we all embark on The Exeter
how about another challenge. Dave Halley from The Dellow Register had a
couple of pictures arrive over Christmas and would love to know who,
where and when. There are no other clues so we may be defeated on this
one!
Click Here if you can help
31 Dec 2007
The regs for the Exmoor Trial on 27
January are published. If you haven't received them by email from the
ACTC you
candownload the
regs and
entry form.
Falcon's, please note that clubnights are
now at
Dunstable Rugby Club from 8.15pm, starting Wednesday 2nd January.
Updated 2008 Dates and Committee on The Falcon
Page.
24 Dec 2007
Christmas Quiz Q3 - A bit more up-to-date
this time. This picture was taken on my first MCC trial (I was a
passenger). The main question is what is the section?
Click Here to Post your answer
24 Dec 2007
Christmas Quiz Q2 - No prizes this time.
The question is who is the person nearest the
camera. It would be fun if you can identify the car, driver and event!
Click Here to Post your answers
24 Dec 2007
Christmas Quiz Q1
- The answer is that the Allard Driver on Swansong Hill on the
1946 Liverpool MC Jeans Cup Trial was
The Lady Mary Grosvenor. Winners
are Nigel Brown and David Alderson.
Click Here for more information
The Classical Gas recommendation is
to go to Wooston Steep, especially if you want
to take pictures. It's competitive for the higher classes and there
won't be so many people as at Simms. Fingle is
a wonderful setting but isn't so much of a challenge.
18 Dec 2007
Emma Robilliard won a very wet Camel
Classic Trial in her Class 4 Beetle on the 9th December. It poured with
rain all day and one of the three new sections in the woods had to be
cancelled. It seemed the conditions may have made the feared Clinnick
easier though. Perhaps the rain washed some of
the mud down the hill as seven Escorts cleaned the section and some even
came out of the top, something that has never been achieved before. The
Camel continued with its index system to decide the awards for the event,
with ACTC awards being decided without this applied. A new
innovation was applied this year. Some of the markers
were moved down some of the Camels very steep hills after classes
6,7 and 8 had passed to give the lower classes a chance.
Click Here for the full results on the ACTC site.
The Camel was the last ACTC round of the
year. Well done to
Wheelspin champion Adrian Dommett and Bill Bennett who won the
Crackington. A clean sweep for Class Two!
Preparations are underway for Falcon's
March Hare Classic Trial on 9th March. Here Mike Pearson and John
Parsons are at work clearing a very large fallen tree
from one of the sections.More Pictures and a
Video
The first one day
Classic of the new year is the Clee
Hills on Sunday 20 January in wonderful
Shropshire. The Classical Gas Editorial team have not missed this one
since it restarted some twelve or more years ago. For the last three
years we have really enjoyed ourselves marshalling but will be back to
driving this time. However, its a great event
to marshal on and Adrian Tucker-Peake would love to have you help out.
If you can help drop Adrian an email on adrian.tpeake@tiscali.co.uk
8 Dec 2007
There is now a small prize at stake for
our Christmas Quiz for anyone who can name the driver and post it on the
Classical Gas Message Board. Here is another picture that may help. Same
place, same time, you can see the photographer in the other picture.
Click Here for more information and to post your answers.
28 November 2007 - Adrian Dommett
(pictured on the left by Dave Cook) won The
Allen Trial on Sunday, with one of several clean sheets, victory being
awarded on special test times.
Full Results are available at the
ACTC and
Bristol MC
sites. While you are on the ACTC
site download your 2008 membership form. The modest sub is worth the
money just for the excellent club magazine that pops through your
letterbox.
Mike Pearson won Falcon's Guy Fawkes
Trial at Kensworth yesterday. More later. Meanwhile here is a video of
Classical Gas contributor Claire Oakes on her competition début.
.
25 Oct 2007 -
Updated links to Andrew Brown's fascinating and professional site about
the history of Classic trialling. Click on the
picture to the left or visit http://www.wheelspin.info/
On Sunday Mike Pearson was overall winner
of Falcon's Brickhill Trial. No report or pictures from me as I was
rather engaged as Clerk of the Course
for the day.
Will make some notes over
on the blog and a link to the results and Mike
Hayward's pictures here later.
12 Oct 2007
Camel Vale have
published regs
on their sitefor the Bodmin Trial
on Saturday 3 November. This is a single venue event in Cardinham Woods
where you can have a go at Hoskin. Details added to
The Rough Guide
9 Oct 2007
Updated The Rough
Guide with details of the Exmoor Clouds ( 21st October) and Tarka (4
November) Classic Trials. Regs are available from
The ACTC Site
Cliff Morrell has 34 entries so far for
Sundays Falcons
Brickhill Trial. Although there is still time to enter Cliff asks
you don't put your entry in the post. Please
email Cliff with your
intention to compete and bring the paperwork on Sunday.
6 Oct 2007
Launceston &
North Cornwall Motor Club's Tamar Trial
will take place on 28 October. The regs are published. If you haven't
received a copy the Secretary of the Meeting is
Bob Slatter.
Also see Adrian Booths
post on the message board.
Also on the message board Nick Farmer
tells us that Mineheads Exmoor Clouds will run on 21 October.
The regs should be available here, but I can't see them at the
moment.
5 Oct 2007
The Stroud clubs organising team for this
years Mechanics Trial have decided that with the uncertainty over the
foot and mouth the Mechanics Trial will not be
run this November, but will be moved to a spring date (possibly the
weekend after the Lands End, though date is very provisional).
Regs are available for Falcons Guy Fawkes
Trial at Kensworth on 4th November. They can be dowloaded via
The Falcon Page or The
Rough Guide.
3 October 2007 -
Oulton Park Race Report - Neil was fourth overall again in Post
Historic, giving No1 Capri its first outing since Brands Hatch and
establishing a new class lap record. Roger Stanford won, making three
podium visits during the day. Group 1 saw a hard race for the Class B
championship between David Thomas and Jim McLoughlin. David coming out
on top after both spun and re-jointed in separate incidents.
Click on the arrow to
watch this Video from the MGCC Autumn Trial by
balberlen
(sorry I don't know your name)..
Click here for more
25 Sep 2007
Dudley Sterry had the lowest score and
was best MG at the MGCC's Autumn Trial at Burton Dassett on 23rd
September. Mike Hobbs was best non-MG in his Beetle.
Click here for Brian Osborne's report.
20 September 2007 -
Thruxton Report - Neil had another good
Post Historic race, finishing fourth overall in his
no2 Capri. The race was won by Steve Primett who had a
super race, passing and keeping Dave Thomas at bay. Group 1 saw an epic
battle between Jim McLoughlin, David Hickton and Steve Cripps but this
was overshadowed by Mark Fowlers superb drive after starting from the
pit lane.
20 Sep 2007
The MCC have cancelled The Edinburgh
Trial because of the uncertain situation concerning the Foot and Mouth
outbreak. With such a big event the committee couldn't leave the
decision until the last moment so while we will all
be disappointed I am sure they have made the right decision.
Richard Tompkins in his Hillman Husky
(one of his 38 Imps!) at Falcons Autumn Antics Autotest on 9 September.
Click on the arrow to watch the Video. More Autumn Antics Videos on
The Classical Gas Video Channel soon.
10 September 2007 - Keith Pettit set FTD
in his Mini at Falcon's Autumn Antics Autotest yesterday. There were
some very interesting cars taking part, including Dick Nikel's Clan
Crusader (pictured left).
Details of Falcons Brickhill Trial on 14
October added to the Rough Guide. Download
Regs (198K PDF) and
Entry Form (74K PDF) No competition licence
necessary for MCC or 750MC members and a £5 entry fee for under 18's
4 September 2007 -
Donnington Report - Neil had an excellent Post Historic race,
keeping on the island in the very slippery conditions at the end of the
day. Roger Stanford won, passing Steve Primett on the very last corner.
The boss was back in Group 1, Pete Halford winning in fine style.
18 August 2007 - Added a few bits and
pieces to my Snetterton report, including some
links so you can read Stacy's critical views on my reporting and to his
site so you can read his take on things generally.
The nature of Classical Gas is that everyone doesn't like what's written
here. This latest thing isn't the first and it won't be the last, so I
thought it was time to add a general disclaimer which is on the sidebar
to the left so it should appear on every page.