The results for the Northgate Trial 2023 are now available to download below.
Congratulations to Thomas Bricknell for winning the Northgate Trophy and Alan Murton for winning the Blue Class Award.
Northgate Trial 2023 Results (1822 downloads)The next Sporting Trial is scheduled for Saturday 17th June ( Day before Camel Vale Calvin Trial) at Higher Frankaborough Farm, Broadwood, Lifton. The regs and entry form are on the website.
The Regs and Entry Forms for the Testing Trial 2023 are available to download below.
Testing Trial 2023 Car Regs (3075 downloads) Testing Trial 2023 Motorcycle Regs (2953 downloads) Testing Trial 2023 Car Entry Form (2461 downloads) Testing Trial 2023 Motorcycle Entry Form (3090 downloads)The event is taking place on Sunday the 11th of June 2023 at Smithson Farm, Kelly, Lifton, Devon (MR201/414816)( what three words- amplifier.snow.takes ) and will consist of a number of observed tests. Marks will be awarded for completion of each test or section correctly as well as times taken where appropriate. There will be a number of tests and rounds dependent on time and size of entry.
Entries are open immediately and close finally on Wednesday 7th June 2023.
The regulations and entry form for The Spry Trophy Trial 2023 are now available to download below.
Spry Trial 2023 Regs (1998 downloads) Spry Trial 2023 Entry Form (2189 downloads)We won’t be making use of the online entry system for this event as it normally has low entry numbers.
The event will take place on Saturday 17th of June 2023 at Higher Frankaborough Farm, Broadwoodwidger, Lifton ,Devon (mr 190/393916)( What 3 words-boards,footsteps.pylons) by kind permission of the Harvey family.
Entries close on 13th June 2023.
Welcome to the merry month of May newsletter, there seems to be a lot going on this month, not just within the club, for those who enjoy it there’s a large dose of pomp and pageantry to keep the masses entertained. My tailpiece last month did apparently catch a few of you out, well it was April the 1st, whilst I did get a phone call to congratulate me on my winnings fortunately I didn’t receive any begging letters from long lost and otherwise unknown relatives hoping to relieve me of my financial gain and promising to always be with me during their hour of greed. My bank has confirmed that there has not been a large influx of ready cash for me to spend, life goes on as normal.
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Chairmans Chat
I start this month’s edition with some very sad news. I was both shocked and saddened to learn during the recent Land’s End Trial that Nigel Martin-Oakley had sadly passed away during the event. I had known Nigel through our own events (he had been a regular club member over the last decade or so) and was synonymous to us with his Saab. We had chatted in the queue shortly before, where he had told me of his numerous gearbox rebuilds on the Saab and of the new power steering Adrian Booth has manufactured for him. His character will be sorely missed. I’m sure I speak for all of the committee in sending our heartfelt condolences to Nigel’s wife and all the family at such a difficult time.
Land’s End Trial 2023 – Having just got the Dutton back on the road, the only pre event Land’s End run ended up being a bit of a scoot around the woods setting up for the Launceston. A couple of small mods to do with the help of Adrian then a snag a couple of days before, loaded on the trailer and down to Adrian’s workshop, job complete with 24 hours to spare. Duncan Stephens had kindly offered to drop me down on the Thursday to collect. Back for a quick tidy up and the rest of the day spent loading and fingers crossed. I’m sure Simon O will provide his report of the event so I won’t go into great detail.
The car ran well pleasingly, some very familiar sections and several new. I did have the hump a bit before breakfast with a few things I must admit but we perked up a bit after refuelling ourselves, it was dry and the sun was showing through after all. The trial ran pretty smoothly after that although behind schedule, we didn’t get too much further behind, signing off at about 6.30pm. Club attire and personnel on show at various points, namely Pinch Hill (a good new special test) Crackington, Wilsey and
Blue Hills. It appears there have been a few internal issues within the MCC since but from my point of view I must offer many thanks to all those that give up their time to make it happen, in any capacity. Also, the enthusiasm to find and bring in some new (and old) hills is definitely to be applauded, freshen ups keep us on our toes and I’m all for that. All being well we’ll be back for the 100th edition next year.
Warin Kelly’s Low Cost Motorsport Talk – On 20th April, Warin provided an interesting slideshow and talk to several club members at Tresmeer, I for one didn’t realise quite how active he had been in motorsport circles, certainly around the race tracks in the 1970s. Many thanks go to Warin for taking the time to put it all together and for hosting the evening.
A busy time coming up with plenty of club events being run over the spring and summer.
Simon Riddle
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The club has a vacancy for a safeguarding officer to join the committee, if you think this might be a role you could fulfil please contact Simon Riddle or any committee member (details on the website) The following description has been downloaded from MSUK to outline the tasks of the role:-
Safeguarding Officer
The Safeguarding Officer is the first point of contact for all safeguarding enquiries within your Club. This role helps to ensure that the welfare of all children, young people, and adults at risk is promoted in the Club’s activities. They should develop a positive culture that encourages both children and adults to share any concerns they have and be confident that they will be listened to. It is mandatory to have a safeguarding officer within your Club.
Responsibilities and Duties
It is the role of the safeguarding officer to promote the welfare of all Club members. This can include:
One of the main responsibilities of a safeguarding officer is managing incidents concerning the welfare of children and adults at risk. This can involve:
For more information guides visit the Motorsport UK Club Toolkit.
For guidance and suggestions of further guides, email the Motorsport UK Club & Community Development Team at club.development@motorsportuk.org
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The narrow road veers left, and heads steeply down into a valley. Ahead and to the right, the Atlantic Ocean shimmers in holiday-brochure blue. Directly in front across the valley, a steep white path rises up the hillside, lined on each side with the tiny figures of on-lookers.
I have seen this sight twice before: and each time get a feeling that is 90 per cent excitement and 10 per cent sickness. Pulling over to the side, I kill the engine of my 300 cc Beta X-Trainer motorcycle and, faintly over the sound of wind and waves, can hear the distant sound of cheering and an engine’s roar. A small dark speck is climbing the steep path, with a plume of dust behind it.
This is the Lands End Trial. Welcome to Blue Hills. It’s the journey that counts, not the destination. For most competitors, this began the previous night, and has carried them across Somerset, Devon and Cornwall to here, travelling mostly on unclassified roads and taking in a series of observed sections on rough tracks, much of which must be ridden or driven unseen in the dark.
Not for me though. I’ve navigated vehicles with three and four wheels through the night on this event before, but for my first attempt on a motorbike, I’ve ticked a little-used box on the Motor Cycling Club’s entry form that gives me a start from Wilsey Down Hotel at a very civilised 9 am on day two of the event. Conveniently, this is just a few miles from my house, and happily it serves a generous cooked breakfast (my wife is convinced that ‘trials’ are actually a sort of perverse gastronomic tour of the West Country in which the participants compete to consume large quantities of fried food and pasties). I will be navigating as well as riding, but I won’t have to contend with picking signposts out in the black of night or mists of Exmoor’s early morning. Nor will horrible obstacles, real or imagined, loom suddenly into my light on the off-road sections.
Doing the day-only trial is as stress-free as it could be. You don’t even get given a final score, so it’s really just an organised trail-ride. After breakfasting with two Triumph riders fresh from the all-nighter (I find out one has, like me, had the honour of navigating for John Turner in his Dellow trials car). I go to the start and meet the one other entrant in the daytime class…who is riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan festooned with soft luggage. I wonder at the wisdom of adding more weight to an already very heavy motorcycle, but each to their own.
He in turn wonders at my roadbook. It was constructed by John Turner himself, from one of those sleeves that up-market whisky bottles come in. Two plastic waterpipes, each with a whisky-bottletop glued in one end, comprise the roller mechanism. A window is covered in clear plastic. As the event progresses, I realise what a genius invention this device is. My fellow- competitor says he has just made a trace of the route and downloaded it onto his smartphone.
We set off down the A road towards Launceston, then veer towards Liskeard. The first ‘event’ is the special test at Ruses Mill, and getting there involves negotiating a complex of ever-more minor roads. I let the Himalayan man pass as I’m still sorting out the best method of using JT’s roadbook. Following the Enfield is an interesting experience. Its long-stroke engine has an exhaust note straight out of the 1930s. I can hear the charm, even if I can’t see the attraction. Passing through the half- restored and now seemingly abandoned and heartbreakingly beautiful buildings of Ruses Mill, we come to the special test itself, which is a start, stop- and-restart, and- stop-again, conducted on an incredibly steep and dirty tarmac hill. I actually know the layout quite well because I was a marshal on it during last year’s Three- Day Trial. Accelerate, brake, stop, accelerate, brake, stop…and breathe!
No real drama, and no real point in pushing too hard as my time won’t count towards anything. Exit through a little village, then a ride across Bodmin Moor to the first proper observed section for us daytime wimps: Water Main Lane.
Himalayan man is ahead of me, and I am joined by some competitors from the full event. I decide to let them go ahead while I adjust my tyre pressures, given that they look tired, and I’m fresh and well-fed.
This section starts off easy, but there’s a bit in the middle that has suffered from water erosion…hopefully not from a burst watermain. I stand up for this part, and the back wheel promptly slips sideways. It takes a couple of ferocious ‘dabs’ to get the Beta back on course. There goes my (imaginary) Gold medal. I kick myself…what’s wrong with me?
At the end of the section, I make a worrying discovery. The trip-meter on the Beta has stopped working, so has the clock, and speed is now showing in Km/h. I know what’s happened: the connection for the instrument’s internal battery has failed and the thing is running on electrical power from the bike’s loom and can’t be reset. Last night I went through the roadbook and carefully highlighted all the distances between the various waypoints, planning to reset the trip as I passed each one. None of that is any good to me now: I’ll just have to guess the distances and relate them to the directions as best I can.
Unsurprisingly, I overshoot a turn off a major road. I encounter a sidecar outfit which has done the same and is about to repeat the mistake in the other direction. Frantic waving and shouting gets them back on course. We set off on one of the best bits of the trial: tarmac lanes which deteriorate into greenlanes around St Neot: one part is a steep and rough downhill which would make a great section in its own right if the trial ran in the other direction. Lovely scenery, no traffic, can this really be Easter Saturday in Cornwall? Next stop is the Panters Bridge Time Control. I’m not sure if I’m actually supposed to attempt the Warleggan section up the lane here as it’s not clear what route the daytimers should follow, but the marshals send me up anyway. Again, it starts easy with a soft, grippy surface. Then there’s a part that has been scoured by heavy rain, exposing tortured longitudinal ribbons of igneous rock. I stand. I fall. I restart. I stand. I fall again. The marshals pick me up. I realise where I’m going wrong, drag the bike over to the side of the lane and climb what’s left in the gutter with my bum firmly in the seat. This is going just as badly as I anticipated. The route takes us past Bodmin. I managed to get John Turner lost at a roundabout here: taking us and a few followers off to the right and down into the traffic-calmed nightmare that is the town last year. The routebook is ambiguous about the roundabout this year too.
I’m not going to go wrong again. I go straight on. This is wrong. There’s a new section, and I should have gone right. I explain my error to the sidecar boys who have followed me. They wish me luck (I think that’s what was said, but can’t be sure).
The route skirts the southern suburbs of Bodmin. I encounter two more competitors stopped by the side of the road with a technical problem. One is on an ancient rigid Norton, the other a modern GasGas enduro two-stroke. The technical problem is the GasGas has run out of petrol! They are planning on transferring some fuel out of the Norton and into the GasGas with a plastic bag and assure me they will be alright. I leave them to it, find the next section, and with it my mojo!
Imagine a Scalectrix track made life-sized, surfaced with mud and imposed on the topography of an abandoned railway cutting. This is Eddy’s Branch Line.
I cut my trail-riding teeth in the thick mud of Northamptonshire. I can do this. What a section! Start, hairpin bend, down into the cutting, along the cutting, up and out and over a bridge across the cutting, right-angle corner, flatout undulating blast to the end. Stand for the tight corners, sit for everything else.
And done, and done clean. Waiting at the end is the section chief marshal (and farmer) Eddy himself.
We thank marshals on each section as a matter of course, but this is an opportunity to thank the landowner too. I tell him it’s the best section so far.
He tells me that other competitors have complained about how difficult it was and that the mud has cost them Gold, which boosts my confidence no end. I’ve done better than some! Great Grogley, Withielgoose, and Trevithic sections are found and dispatched without difficulty. I remember at least some of them from last year. At this point I’m riding in a bubble. There is no one ahead of or behind me, and marshals are enjoying lunch as I approach. The quiet is unreal. It doesn’t last. The route spits us onto the A39, jammed with holiday traffic and lined with tacky attractions. It’s like another (nightmarish) world. I take a wrong turn off a roundabout, and find myself up by Newquay airport. Giving modern technology a chance, I pull out my mobile and open the map app. There’s no signal, and no map.
Waste of time. Just go back to the roundabout and pay more attention.
But I take the opportunity to fill the Beta’s long-range tank at a nearby Gulf station. It’s not on reserve, but it might be soon. I check the engine oil tank. It’s used all of an egg-cup full of lube. It looks like I can do the whole event and ride home without using the extra oil I’ve stashed on the bike. Amazing! Back on route, I pull into the Peranporth time control. While I’m enjoying a nutritious snack of three Lidl energy bars and a can of Red Bull, the Norton and GasGas pull in. Glad to see the plastic bag exercise has left them unscathed. There’s one more section to go before Blue Hills. I ride past the entrance to Lambriggan twice, thanks to my non-functioning trip meter.Having found it, I’m up it like a rat up a drainpipe, and on to Blue Hills. I’m not sure if I’m actually supposed to do Blue Hills One, but it would be rude not to. Down around, up, out and stop at the line. Now on to Blue Hills Two. The access to this is a challenge in itself, but I make it there without drama, largely because I keep my bum on the seat. At the Section Start, I’m instructed to wait. The Chief Marshal wants a word. Perhaps news of my lack of skill has preceded me, and he’s going to tell me to wait until the air ambulance arrives before I launch myself into the rocks?
Here he comes down the hill like a mountain goat. It has been decided, he tells me ominously, that daytime riders need only get as far as the A-board and then I will be dragged to the top of the hill if necessary. Oh, dear…there’s only one other ontestant in the class…what the hell happened to him that this guy has come down to tell me this? And I can’t see the A-board.
No matter. He’s away to the top of the hill, the start marshal is telling me I can proceed, and someone is pointing a video camera in my face while an expectant buzz comes from the crowd. This is it. First or second gear?
Well we got up here so far in first without traction issues, so my left foot clicks the pedal down while my right foot hold the back brake on.
Clutch to biting point, throttle open progressively. The ring-ding from the Beta’s exhaust deepens into a growl, and the Mitas rear tyre miraculously finds traction as the back brake is released. And we are off. I remind myself not to stand up, and just let the front wheel pick its way up the path. Steady throttle, feather the clutch if it feels like it’ll wheelie or spin (it doesn’t). Marshals are blocking the point where the ‘proper’ contestants turn left so I just carry on up the hill. Somewhere, back there, I passed the A-board. And suddenly, I’m up top, at the back of the queue for the tea- stall! I haven’t fallen, I didn’t foot. Familiar voices shout my name…it’s brother Ben and sister Chris who have gone to get refreshment anticipating that it will be hours before I arrive at the foot of the hill, if indeed I arrive at all. I’m buzzing!
My siblings are incredulous. I try to explain, incoherently, that I was a mere passenger on the Beta on that last climb, and I didn’t do the really difficult bit after the left-hand turn (where John’s Dellow destroyed its clutch and our Gold medals last year) but they are having none of it. You’d think I’d won the Scottish Six Days Trial.
A cuppa and two cakes later (sorry Ben, was that your cake?), and I’m off to sign- off at theMiners’ Arms. A brief chat with Richard and Claire Griffin (KTM 990 and Freeride) and I wobble home on a distinctly soft back tyre after I fail to get any air into it with the mini MTB pump I’m carrying.…it’s no worse than riding on a Yokohoma ‘whispering death’ tyre in the rain was back in the 1970s, or so I tell myself.
Later, I view the video taken by Diptheclutch, which is on YouTube. I see my fellow dayrider Himalaya Man being dragged up Blue Hills Two by three marshals. So little power, and so much weight. And horrible ‘chevron’ tyres, too. Fair play to him. But the real hero is rider number 116, riding a Yamaha XJR1300. This is a slightly updated pastiche of the superbikes of the 1970s…an air-cooled 220 kg (dry) transverse-four roadbike with twin-shock suspension. He appears to have ridden all night and cleaned every section (results provisional at going to press), beating all the proper ‘Adventure’ bikes and most of the lightweights too. Chris Curtis, your name is Legend!
Video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iShNtzx-LE0
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During the Lands End your editor did a spell of marshalling at Wilsey Down, bit of a lay in really as I didn’t need to be there until just after 4.00am, managed to take a few pictures of the competitors, the big Chevvy was an unusual entry, but fair dues they travelled all the way from Switzerland to compete.
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Firstly, the sad news of the unexpected death of Nigel Martin-Oakley after ascending Darracott Hill on the Trial in his much loved Saab 96 with his wife Nicola. I’m sure all competitors, Marshals and friends send their best wishes and condolences to his wife and family after this tragic event.
Memories of him and his cars will be fondly remembered for years to come.
The Trial started with 4 regional starts which was nice after none were used in the previous Exeter Trial. During conversation, it appeared that Plusha and Exeter starts hadn’t been told about the date until a few day before, this was also true at the Breakfast stop at Wilsey Down, so we were quite lucky the breakfast was there in the morning! Myself and navigator John Warren started at Plusha and had the honour (?) of being the first car throughout the event. Off we went at 18.49 on the back roads to the official start at Bridgwater Rugby Club. The biggest event was as we entered Taunton, a car pulled out from the left in front of us with no lights and across on to the other side of the road. He continued the wrong side of the road at speed for 400m and as a car approached him/her head on, he veered right between bollards never to be seen again! Nothing further of note happened on the trip and we saw no other cars apart from the two following cars of Simon Riddle and Rob Haworth. A splash and dash of fuel before entering the rugby club for scrutineering which went smoothly.
The start time for cars was 10.54 and we had all been told that we could go 20 minutes early if we wanted to. We decided to go once the bikes had all gone so that we wouldn’t hold them up. This resulted with several cars leaving in front of motorbikes and our leading position long gone.
Following the route book, we turned right at the first roundabout (opposite direction to last year) and left at lights onto the A39 and Minehead.
No signpost was present, so at the next roundabout we retraced our route and picked up signage to Minehead and A39 in the opposite direction (left at first roundabout), not a brilliant start. We progressed to the first section Felons Oak where we queued with 10+ cars in front and eventually they moved to one side to let the trailing bikes through to do the section in front of us (20mins leaving early didn’t work). We wondered if ‘Mr Mazola’ had left an oil deposit at the restart, if he had, we still managed to clear the hill. Better luck next time! On to Porlockford for the second section and restart for most classes.
A total lack of direction signs in to the hill and none on the way in the dark where the track split. Tyre marks both ways told the story resulting in lost cars and bikes (some may still be there?) One of the marshals even said that he got lost trying to get to his position earlier. We arrived at Barbrook Control already late, so I filled up with fuel while John signed us in. He came out and said that we didn’t have to stop and could carry straight on to the next section, no sign out necessary. Simon Riddle had picked up a puncture previously, so we waited for him and his Dutton to arrive and top the car up.
I suggested that John checked at control about signing out and it turned out that we had to – lucky! As we were about to leave a marshal said they were trying to get the cars in correct order and told us to overtake cars in front to get to our correct numeric position (impossible task). I said we were officially the first three cars, so would do the best we could. As we approached the queue for Beggars Roost we pulled out to go to the front and stopped at the main marshal at the bottom. A very abusive response with no intension of listening to the explanation. He told us to go up the road and turn around, so I saw there was plenty of room to turn at the hill entrance and as I moved forward, he stepped in front and said ‘you’re not going up the hill’ to which I said ‘I am turning here, please move’.
The three of us turned around and re-joined the queue. I got out of the car, went to the marshal and suggested the earlier marshal should be told not to tell the competitors to get in ‘correct order’, there was no response (2 marshals). I then asked if he would like me to go back and tell him (which I did) but I only got a grunt. I understand that it’s dark, less than half vehicles are through, it’s running late, people are tired and it’s a car and noise sensitive area but there is no excuse for the attitude I received – end of story. We cleared Beggars Roost, Barton Steep OT1, Riverton and Yollacombe OT2.
Next was a new section Orange which had a restart for all classes. All simple and completed, we followed the route instructions ‘L at grass triangle and shortly R downhill and over bridge’ which led us 100m to a private property where we turned as quietly as possible.
We were not alone with this mistake as many, many competitors did the same. We commented about how to give the sport a bad name at the time. Subsequently the owner blocked the section with a car and the section had to be abandoned. I hope an apology and gift from the MCC will later find the property owner. The word ‘shortly’ should not be used in my opinion. A distance (400 or 600m) or coloured direction markers etc would help in high risk, new or sensitive areas. We moved on to Sutcombe and completed the section and decided not to stop for refreshments at the top due to us being so far behind our correct position. This led to Gooseham Holding area where bikes were still attempting the next section Darracott. We waited for an hour and 3 cars at a time were let through to attempt the hill. The restart for classes A,B,C,3,4,5,6 & 90 proved very sticky and difficult and caused considerable delays.
The marshals worked their socks off picking bikes up off the ground due to the conditions. We were the 10th car on the section now and already 2 cars were waiting to be pulled to the top. Once cleared (no restart for class 7 or 8) we moved on to see the unfortunate Richard Nixon (broken leg) was being made comfortable after falling off his bike on the road section. As he was being looked after we went on to Wargery Wood for a restart and another clear. Cutcliffe Lane proved stony and slippery but cleared. By now the new exhaust system I had fabricated and fitted on Thursday had a massive hole in the silencer and John had resorted to putting Blue Tack in his ears! I don’t know what to say but clearly he won’t hear me. We then had an excursion around the beautiful countryside and about the 4th stop by Class R marshals (route check for the rest as well?) to see if we needed to do their restart! Class R cars used to all be 700 numbers I thought.
Eventually we arrived at Pinch Hill, Bude (arrows off the main road) for Observed Test 3, only to find 3 sections we had already done were cancelled (correct call by Phillip Tucker in his gorgeous TR as no sensible linking alternative route was available) and loads of cars were now in front of us, even the Swiss Chevrolet which had started over 2 hours after us was ahead! The test, which was different to the others, woke everyone up I’m sure. Definitely a more interesting timed observed test, well done the Ruby family. Another splash and dash in Bude before moving on to Crackington for a clear blast up the hill without a restart and on to Wilsey Down Hotel and breakfast stop / time control.
It would be fair to say that at this point I felt it was one of the worst trials I had ever entered (the marshal incident totally buggered it for me) and would quite happily have quit and gone home. Certainly John had been grumbling for the last 2 hours but after a couple of full Cornish Breakfasts, we were feeling a bit more positive and left after an hour to Ruses Mill for the last Observed Test. Once completed we progressed over Bodmin Moor to Water Main Lane with a restart for most competitors and then West to Warleggan and a tricky restart. Further delays now made us nearly 3 hours late and definitely not the first car. A stop high on the restart was good enough to get off up the rough lane and on towards Wadebridge for another new section Eddy’s Branch Line. A tight first muddy bend, up to another tight bend and over a bridge through more sticky stuff to a finish 150m away. A shunt was allowed on the second corner if needed! Longer wheelbase and poor steering lock cars would suffer, but that’s trialling.
Tight for long wheelbase and wide cars, it clearly favoured the smaller more agile cars like ours. After clearing the section, we saw many dented front ends of cars that had tried to clear the lower part of the section. Nice to see the winch regularly working at the top though! After spectating for half an hour we left for the finish at Mithian and signed off at the Miners Arms.
The Lands End Trial was certainly ambitiously changed from the previous year’s event. Many new personnel took charge and we must applaud their ‘can do’ attitude. Hopefully most of the issues mentioned will be addressed and corrected because realistically, if this had been a wet year and no sections cancelled, it would have taken much, much longer to complete the trial (provided the last sections would still be open). Please also be aware that if the MCC upset local occupants or land owners, it is the local motor clubs that will lose sections and subsequently suffer the most. The use of
direction markers in the new sections and, or sensitive areas would help, volunteers had offered to do them. I hope the comments at Wilsey Down convey the emotional ups and downs of a trial which some of us go through. A massive THANK YOU to all marshals, land owners, local clubs and organisers for putting the trial together and I look forward to the 100th Lands End next year after further fettling.
Simon Oates.
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Our club treasurer and Comp secretary is bored, so bored he came up with a silly idea which he is now having to see through. He is planning to cycle 400 miles in eight days from Gretna to John O’Groats starting on May 18th. This would be a daunting enough challenge for many young people but as Mike is (not being rude) no longer young and the wrong side of 70 it’s an impressive target. His son Ben will be accompanying him, not literally, he’s booked up a load of golfing along the route that Mike’s cycling in a sort of “with you in spirit” approach.
Mike has been a staunch committee member of our club for more years than he or I care to remember, it would be nice as a thank you for everyone to put their hands in their pockets and support him through his just giving page for what is a very worthy cause.
www.justgiving.com/page/mike-wevill-1681058469541
Testing Trial we currently have two dates in June earmarked, we would like to run it on the 11th although it may be on the 4th it really depends on the landowner and when they cut the grass. The venue will be at Kelly again and as soon as we can confirm the date it will be on out fb page and the website.
Our next committee meeting is on 1st June at Tresmeer Village Hall, all welcome
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Anyone down West may wish to visit the Truro Classic Car Show at Lemon Quay on July 30th
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It was mentioned at our last committee meeting that our governing body the MSUK are ceasing the print of the “Blue Book” all reg’s & rules will now be available on their website.
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Things have moved on at a bit of a pace (slow pace) with the Dellow going to it’s new home in mid Cornwall and the new chassis having arrived for the 2cv I feel as if things are moving forward. But alas all is not straight forward, I ordered and received a nice box of go faster goodies for the 2CV and then something hit me. With the bodyshell hanging in the breeze of what has become known as the Giraffe house I had room to park the tractor under it, albeit once having removed the exhaust.
This then gave me a brilliant idea for a class 8 special, with the body lowered I reckon it could be made to fit around the Fergie tractor, this would make an awesome trials machine and I would also gain in having a covered in tractor. As with all ideas they need a bit of thinking through in terms of what are the drawbacks. Obviously I’d need to incorporate a second seat, for the navigator. Problem number 1 is probably the tyres, the latest rules is no more than an 8mm gap between the tread pattern, I’ve got around 80mm. Problem 2 is also tricky, the normal calculated road speed for a classic trial is worked out at about 30mph overall, whereas anything over 8mph in the Fergie is stretching things, I think the closing vehicle would soon be overtaking me resulting in an early retirement. Perhaps I need to think things over before going too far with it.
That’s all for this month folks, thanks to all this month’s contributors, and as always all contributions are gratefully received J.T.