Newsletter October 2021

Posted on September 27, 2021 by admin

It’s all happening , just had the David Ayers trial, in a couple of weeks we have the Tamar trial but before the Tamar many people will be getting ready to go “up north” for the MCC Edinburgh trial, yes the one which basically concentrates on Derbyshire, but Edinburgh is only a few miles up the road to a racing pigeon.

Hopefully by next weekend the latest barmy blot of the “fuel crisis” that isn’t will have eased and everyone will be able to concentrate on the event and not where they can fill up next. I am marshalling on Haydale, I theoretically have a chance to get a few hours sleep as I don’t have to be on section until 3.45am, luxury.

It was a feeling of “we’ve finally got there” when the clubs exhibition opened in the pop up museum, well worth a visit, it’s closed Sundays and Mondays but open the rest of the week, last entry is 4.00pm. There is everything from live rolling film to fully dressed manikins of what the best dressed trailers wore/wear and lots of interesting memorabilia, one of our committee members has already been twice to have a look , he’s impressed.
“””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””” Forthcoming Events

Sunday the 17^th of October is the Tamar Classic road trial, this is probably our biggest event, it takes a lot of organising by the team and will require a considerable number of marshals, if you are able to help in any way please contact Nigel 07902 542798, go on give him a call.

Sunday the 21^st of November is pencilled in for the Ron Beer sporting trial, I haven’t heard too much about it yet but as far as I know it will be at Ashleigh Farm, Lifton.
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Now over to our Club President Robin Moore

The Ramblings of RHTM. Part 6 of the Graham Paige Story

As I mentioned at the beginning of this story, as purchased, the Graham was remarkably sound in all departments , and I had no reason to think that any item might be non original , and I never met anyone who may have questioned this. When I was able to see my old car a few years later I found otherwise. I knew that Derek Adams had placed it in a museum, and when I next clapped eyes on XV4512 and was delighted with what I found.

It was after attending the VSCC Welsh Trial a few years later that Marjorie and I stayed on for a few days after the event, as we often did, and we headed for the Garrison Theatre at Pembroke Dock. The auditorium had been turned into a small private car museum,- a far cry from the days of it’s use as a theatre providing relaxation from the rigours of WW2for those on coastal command who were based at Pembroke Dock. We discovered the museum was closed, but on making judicious enquiries at a small shop nearby we discovered a young lad who had the key whilst the owners were away. The owners, whose name eludes me at the moment, were away on a pilgrimage to France to pay homage and be with the people who had witnessed and been so kind and helpful when their son had tragically lost his life in a motoring accident the previous year. Having established our credentials we walked the short distance to the museum and to be let in and allowed to view our old motor car. I was truly amazed to find that it had been given a face lift in Derek Adam’s hands and was once again as Dr Flower would have been when attracted to the car on the 1928 motor show.

The car was now as originally presented and I was able to appreciate it that much more. There had been a number of items that had been missing or changed during my ownership, but I had been none the wiser. I suspect that Derek Adams had realized that a number of items were missing and assume he sourced these parts from the States,- probably not too difficult at the time. I noticed a number of small items such as the plug for the starting handle hole at the bottom of the radiator for example,- I hadn’t ever given this a thought. But the most striking thing which immediately struck me was that the wheels had been re-painted. During my time with the car the wheels had always been a pale green colour, where as now they were correctly painted in an Ivory shade to match the colour of the metal instrument panel set in the centre of the full width wooden dash. Also most striking was the addition of the correct bumpers,- the Yanks call them fenders,- and I must say this really set the car off in my eyes. All was now as it should be, I came away a happy man. The museum closed many years ago, and where the Graham resides I know not. I do know that Derek Adams died a number of years ago.
RHTM to be continued,
Ed I just did a quick DVLA search and the last tax due date was 1^st January 1998. Last logbook issued (V5) 4^th Feb 2019
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Chairman’s Chat

The newsletter continues to be a vital part of keeping you all in touch with the club so thanks to JT for reminding me that it is due out shortly.

Hopefully you are now all aware that the new Lawrence House Pop-Up museum is open at the Merchant House, 11a High Street (opposite the Co-Op in Launceston town centre. The exhibition celebrates the Dunheved Motor Club, North Cornwall Motor Club and subsequently Launceston and North Cornwall Motor Club’s Centenary. It tells the story of our club and includes the many characters who have enjoyed their motorsport and contributed to our success and longevity. You can also discover the stories behind many of our trophies. It is currently open most days except Sunday.

Recently the David Ayers Trophy Trial was a very successful BTRDA Championship Trials Formula competition. It was good to see Andy Wilks winning the main award as he and his family have supported this event for many years. Congratulations also go to to Nigel Shute the winner of the Frank Ayers Trophy and to Colin Flashman for his class win. Thanks must go to Warin, Mike Wevill and all the volunteers who enabled this event that began in 1963 to continue to be one of the best on the calendar.
Last week I went to the Goodwood Revival historic motor racing with Andy Prosser. It was a privilege to be part of the tribute to Sir Stirling Moss It included 3 laps round the circuit behind Jenson Button in a Jaguar XK120 chauffeured Andy Smith in his FIA MGB that Stirling drove in the Pirelli Marathon in 1992, his last competitive rally, winning his third ALPINE CUP.

Our club’s next event is the Tamar trial and the organising committee are working hard under the leadership of Pete Cooper to ensure that it is a success. They really do need marshals to enable all sections to be included as planned so if you, your family, or friends are available please let us know as soon as possible.

On a purely personal note I would like to wish Simon Oates and John Werren good luck for the Edinburgh Trial. Simon has certainly developed and drives Torum well After they won best car on the MCC John Aley Summer Trial I wished there was a constructor’s award! Andy Prosser and I finished building the car in 1997 and it has seen a lot of competition since then but never had such outright success before.

Yours in motorsport
Joe Caudle

Visit to Prescott Speed Hill Climb. by Andy Prosser

Sunday 4th September found me at Prescott, near Cheltenham, watching my first ever hill climb. Well, I say first, but I suppose technically that was many years ago as I did once sneak in to the hill climb at Werrington Park briefly, just over the road from where I live. So, what finally got me to go to Prescott? Two things really, one it has the reputation of being one of the best hills in the country and also my friend Mike Turpin was competing there in his Vauxhall VX220. This is a car that was originally built for rallycross and which I did a lot of work on, from fabricating and setting up all the suspension, to sorting racing brakes, installing the engine and transmission, fitting variable rate electric power steering and numerous other modifications. The car is fitted with a 2.2 litre supercharged engine built by Martin Bowyer, producing around 400 horse power and a 6 speed Sadev sequential, flat shift gearbox. Having done some work on this gearbox I can honestly say it’s a work of art, everything is beautifully machined and the gears and associated parts would look good on any mantelpiece (although my wife probably wouldn’t agree).

I have lost count of how many rallycross meetings I have been to throughout the UK and Ireland looking after Mikes cars, going back to the end of his Metro 6R4 days in which he won the British Rallycross championship in 1993, through many years where he was highly successful in his space framed Vauxhall Nova and then the VX. Mike had only campaigned the VX in rallycross for a couple years when he felt that all the travelling and damage from other cars was taking the fun out of it, so around 10 years ago decided to move to hill climbing. He has been very successful with it, winning the Midland Hill Climb championship several times. His move to hill climbing meant, barring major driver error (which is virtually unheard of with Mike) that little mechanical support at meetings would be needed. This, together with a change of job for me, entailing a huge amount of travelling, meant I really didn’t have the need or the time to go along anymore so this was the first time I saw the VX in action at a hill climb.

Mike’s VX220 – pretty don’t you think?

Two cooling systems, one for the engine and one for the hard-working supercharger.

So, what was is it like at Prescott? I have to say it is a superb venue in a fantastic setting and the weather was perfect too. The hill itself is 1127 yards long and rises over 200 feet (it’s great after Brexit that we can use imperial measures again!). For those who maybe don’t know, it is owned by the Bugatti owners club, having been bought in 1937 to enable a few wealthy friends to have somewhere to race, having apparently been barred from racing at some of the other venues they’d been using due to making too much noise. These days a huge variety of cars compete from virtually standard road cars, rally cars, historic cars, through home-built specials to out and out hill climb single seaters and not forgetting Bugatti type 51’s! The acceleration of the top cars is amazing, achieving over 100 mph in the first 100 yards or so. The course record had been set by Sean Gould in his, yes Gould, in 2019 with a time of 35.41 seconds. However, Wallace Menzies achieved a new hill record of 35.12 seconds in the qualifiers in his 3.3 litre Gould. In the run off, you could see it was going to be an amazing run, Menzies was totally on it everywhere, the braking points were perfect and he seemed to be able to get on the power sooner than anyone else, plus the car goes like hell. He smashed the record with a time of 34.65 seconds, ½ a second quicker than his previous run, a truly astonishing performance and a privilege to be there to see. Before the run his crew were even using a hot air gun and paint scraper to get a new clean surface on the tyres – that’s what you call car preparation! Huge congratulations to him and his team.

Oh, and how did Mike do? Second in class to a 3.8 litre Porsche driven by a guy who I believe owns around ten Porsches and who had been racing at LeMans in one the week before. Apparently when someone asked him what his favourite track was, he thought about it for a while and then said “Daytona” – playing in a different league perhaps?

So why don’t I do hill climbing? Unfortunately, I suffer with motion sickness, a problem with my ears I think, so after experiencing the “g” forces of cornering and braking on one run up the hill I am sure I would be parking my breakfast as well as my car in the paddock! I’ll just have to stick to trialling, a much more sedate form of motorsport.

What a lovely pair of Bugatti Type 51s.

Single seater anyone?

Now that’s what I call a front wing!

Wallace Menzies front wheel, functional, art or pornography – you decide!
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DAVID AYERS TRIAL 2021

On Sunday 12^th September the Launceston & North Cornwall Motor Club organised the David Ayers Sporting Trial at Marshgate, by kind permission of the Langley family.

The event attracted 16 competitors from as far as Yorkshire , Shropshire & the Midlands because it was a round in both the MotorSport UK & BTRDA National Championships.

The conditions were ideal after heavy rain in the week but rain holding off on the day.

The event was closely contested but lunchtime leader Andy Wilks just held off local clubmember Colin Flashman (Blue class winner) to win by just 6 points taking the David Ayers Trophy. Local drivers John Fack & Alan Murton finished 3^rd & 4^th respectively.

Nigel Shute was into the silverware by winning the Frank Ayers Trophy in the clubman class.

Many thanks as usual to the marshals & organisers.

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Tailpiece……………
Back in the late 40’s , early 50’s when the Dellow was originally designed/constructed it was basically a simple car, starting with an Austin 7 chassis and soon followed by a chassis of their own design. Running gear was also simple , using a Ford 1172cc sidevalve engine, 3 speed gearbox and back axle that could be found in any junk yard under a Ford “Pop” body. In fact it was so simple that many special builders latched on to copy this design. Simple. NO IT’S NOT, if it’s simple why won’t my blooming Dellow start ?

To explain, on the day of the David Ayers trial I drove in it out to Marshgate, spent a happy day marshalling and drove home again , put it in the garage. The following Wednesday I have to go to Plymouth in the afternoon, so I say to Vivien I’ll take the Dellow after all it’s a nice day. Just before lunch I open the garage, start the car and park it outside, switch off , go in and have a sandwich. Return to car, switch on and it refuses to start, I then spend 10 minutes tinkering with it all to no avail, push car back in garage and trundle off to Plymouth in the campervan.

On my return I grudgingly remove the bonnet to further my knowledge of non starting cars, to date my knowledge of non starting cars has been greatly expanded because a week and a half later the bloody thing still refuses anything more than a heavy smokers cough. When fault finding it is all too easy to jump in at the deep end and overlook the obvious so I have tried to be methodical in my process.

Having removed the distributor cap I noticed a spark coming from a low tension wire, got it thinks I, replace wire (even with additional sleeving) attempt to start, will it start? NO!

Next fit my in line spark checker to check good spark, yes, lovely spark, go off to scratch head and various other bits of anatomy whilst battery is recharging – will it start? NO!

Next check fuel supply , fine , mop up fuel from garage floor. Will it start? NO!

Next remove number 1 plug that way I can see if valves are closed properly on compression whilst rotor arm is approaching correct firing position, all good. But will it start NO!

I am now beginning to run short of ideas, Next – replace rotor arm, throw money at it by fitting 4 brand new plugs, still no joy.
Maybe there’s a fault with the supercharger, disconnect inlet from charger, remove inlet manifold, replace with original twin carbs, recharge battery, nope engine is fully paid up member of “Dodo” fan club.

The car carries two HT coils, both giving the same result, get another one from cupboard, fit, same result. No Start!
Is it an earth problem? Fit additional earth wire from engine to chassis, you’ve guessed it, NO!

The only simple item not be replaced is the dizzy cap because as it turns out the spare one I have been carrying for the last 4 years isn’t compatible. Order new one and in the meantime recharge battery again . The saga continues……
Bumper edition this month so thanks to all contributors, certainly makes the job easier, will have to hold the scooter ride article off to next month. J.T.

billjan299@gmail.com for contributions

Newsletter September 2021

Posted on September 5, 2021 by admin

Once again I am sat in the office looking out longingly at the sun but I know you are all eager to read my monthly offering, well that’s what I tell myself. The club has been pretty active with events and meetings so much so that at this rate given the average age of a lot of us we may be needing a “little something” to keep us going, after all we have had 18 months of not a lot happening and it comes as a bit of a shock.

We finally managed to have an AGM with real people all in the same room and a good turnout it was too, some new faces and some regular ones, so much appreciated. After the usual appraisal of the previous year by the various officers it was then down to electing new ones. I have managed to step down as Chair, I took the job on in December of 2020 from Pete Cooper who had done sterling work as chair but as previously mentioned he was exceptionally busy with work and something had to give. As I said at the time my being in the chair was only to be temporary and now Joe Caudle has stepped up and will take over the reins. The full list of officers/committee members are as follows.

President: Robin Moore.     Vice President:- L Connett     J Caudle:- Chair.             J Turner:- Vice chair / Newsletter .   M Wevill:- Competition Secretary,       P Wevill:- Treasurer       .                       R Simpson:- Motorcycle secretary,              N Cowling:- Social secretary,      S Oates :-Membership secretary,                     A Prosser :-General Secretary     Lisa Gregory:- Facebook,
J Kelly:- data and Website manager.                ACTC:-    P Cooper.
Committee members : W Kelly, P Gomm, S Riddle, J Cooper, A Rippon,
L Rippon, A Murton, D Ruby.
Junior members:- Ashley Ruby, Zac Ruby. Uncle Tom Cobley has stood down.

Chairman’s contribution.

As your new Chairman I am reprising the role I had about 20 years ago. Since then we have had a few new people join the committee but most of those are familiar faces, some I have known since I joined the club 40 years ago. During that time I have enjoyed officiating and competing in Our events and have also been, at various times, Competition Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Public Relations Officer and Vice Chairman. I am currently also the Club Safeguarding Officer.

Our last event, the Testing Trial, was a great success and it was wonderful to see a good entry and in some cases 3 generations of families in attendance with many of the youngest competing. It would appear that there are many new and younger members now. Very positive for the future of our club.

However these events need organisation. Clerk of Course Nigel and his team did a great job laying out sections etc. There were just enough marshals on the day and all ran smoothly.

The part of the running of the club and such events that is less obvious but enormously important is dealing with the bureaucracy. Mike Wevill is our Competition Secretary who ensures permits are in place and all Motorsports UK and AMCA requirements are met. For the Testing Trial he was also Secretary of the meeting, dealing with the online entries, those who needed to complete entry paperwork on the day and also ensuring signing on of competitors and marshals (thank you Lisa for your help) was all in order.

Mike has been Competition Secretary for many years and we now need someone to learn from him with a view to taking over next year so he can have a well earned retirement from the job. Without a Competition Secretary the Club cannot function. Whether you are currently on the committee or a member who would be able to take on this job please let us know. It would be great to know the future of the club is secure.

I look forward to our next events in September – the David Ayers Trial and the opening of the ‘pop up museum display that will run to the end of November.

Joe Caudle

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Now over to our club President Robin Moore.

The Ramblings of RHTM . Part 5 of the Graham Paige story.
I re-called in part 4, the weekend away in the Graham when I drove to VSCC Silverstone for the race meeting, and didn’t return home to Trefrew before driving down to Sherfield English (Romsey) until 48 hours later, having covered 455 miles in this 32 year old vintage car. But to me that’s nothing new, I’ve never purchased a new car , nor have I been inclined to do so, in spite of having a hundred or so motor cars over my lifetime, and at least 15 different marques. It reminded me of the heading to a C & D (Cornish & Devon newspaper) press report of 60 years ago stating, “32 year old car wins again”. It referred to Wolseley Hornet MV 2718 that I was campaigning with some success at the time.

It was June 1966 when Dave Hilliard, ( Camel Vale President at the time) decided to sell the Singer Le Mans LM9, which he had purchased in 1946 whilst still serving in the RAF. Dave offered me first refusal as promised, and I was keen to purchase JB 4387. I decided something needed to go, and as Derek Adams of Okehampton Motors had expressed interest in the Graham it seemed the opportune moment to part company. I had met Derek Adams previously when he and his father owned the garage at the top of the rise leading to the town on the old A30. It is no longer there, having been developed into a housing estate some years ago. I remember calling there when it was a garage and filling station, at the time they had a Wolseley Hornet for sale, which I didn’t purchase.

Derek Adams came to Trefrew to have a look at the Graham. I remember he had a friend with him who owned a 1929 Hillman 14 at the time. Derek agreed my price for the Graham but wanted me to take a Mk 1 Ford Zodiac in part exchange, to which I agreed as I already had someone who would be pleased to take the Zodiac off my hands, and which balanced the books. Everything was “on the button” and a week later I drove the Graham to Derek Adams home at Octon House, in Station Road and changed mounts to return in the Ford. This was the one and only Ford Zodiac that I had experience of, but I must say it drove well, and would be much sought after today.

I have recorded a little of this story many years ago when I was writing under the title “Did You Know” for the Reluctant Publishing Company. I doubt there are many who recall Derek Adams and the garage he ran with his father, but Derek was well known for having a very large collection of Suede shoes.I’ll conclude this Graham Paige story next month, but you will recall that I mentioned in part 4 of the VSCC Welsh Trial and the famous section “The Snatcher” . This hill rises off the A44 just outside New Radnor.

The photograph below was taken by myself near the foot or the hill on one such occasion when the last competitor had tackled the hill. I couldn’t resist taking this snap of Bill Body, editor of Motor Sport Magazine , together with his wife Winifred, and “Jenks” , seated, his famous “Continental Correspondent”. You know the rest.

RHTM to be continued.

Centenary event. 7^th of August saw a very good display of cars and bikes take over the square in Launceston, the weather wasn’t exactly on our side but everyone turned up and helped put on a display which did our club proud. There was quite a bit of interest from the public some of whom looked a little surprised but enjoyed the variety of vehicles on display, special thanks to David Uglow for driving the HRG from Callington in poor weather. At 90 David is still competing and enjoying the car!

The “Pop Up” museum is due to open in a couple of weeks time, all being well the date is set for the15th of September it will be situated just off the square in the High Street opposite the Coop store. The club display will be on show until the end of November with posters depicting each decade from the 1920’s up to present day, also on display will be artefacts, trophies etc belonging to the club. Well worth a visit but check the museum website for opening times. https://lawrencehousemuseum.org.uk/

Testing Trial & Taster event Sunday the 22^nd of August saw a very good turn out of both cars and bikes for this event, in total we had 30 competitors for the main event and 4 people signed up for the “taster”, this time the weather was definitely on our side so the factor 50 sun cream was a necessity. We had 8 in the junior event on motorcycles and they were loving it. To watch these youngsters, one was only 6 years old, bobbing across the field and doing their very best to be competitive was great, even if parents and family members were all at strategic points of each test to make sure no one got lost, it was fun and it gave them a taste of what can be done if clubs like ours make the effort to include them.

Some of the tests were quite complicated so it meant being focused or getting lost, yes some people did the latter but in general it wasn’t a problem. Well done Nigel for laying out a good course, which I think I can say was enjoyed by all, even if there was a couple of “dishonourable dismounts”.

Forthcoming Events

Sunday the 12^th of September is the date of the David Ayers Sporting Trial at Trevilla Farm, Marshgate by kind permission of Mr David Langley. This is a round of the BTRDA and ASWMC championship, we are hopeful of a good entry and as always marshals will be needed, this is a chance to see some of the top sporting trials drivers in action so please give it your support.
Sunday the 17^th of October we hold our Tamar Classic Road Trial covering West Devon and North Cornwall, I’m told there is a completely new route this year so should be a very good event, yes once again we need marshals. This is a round of the ASWMC and ACTC championship drawing competitors from far and wide with the usual eclectic mix of machinery on 2,3 & 4 wheels.
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Well once again I have somehow managed to come up with a reasonable size newsletter for your indulgence, especially if like me you are a slow reader. A word of warning, if I don’t have sufficient content for next month’s epistle I shall tell you all about my 180 mile Lambretta ride around the lanes of Cornwall & Devon, photos too !

All for this month J.T.
Please send contributions to billjan299@gmail.com

Testing Trial 2021 Results

Posted on August 26, 2021 by admin

We now have the final results for the testing trial 2021. You can download them below;

Testing Trial 2021 Results (1468 downloads)

Thank you to all the Competitors who took part & hope you enjoyed the day. Good to see all the little smiling faces.

Congratuations to Gareth,Greg & Kayleigh as major award winners & a really good effort from Callum Williams. Well done Tristan in the Taster event.

Special thanks to the Marshalls.

Hope to see you all next year. MJW

David Ayers 2021 Regs and Entry Form

Posted on August 23, 2021 by admin

The regulations and entry form for The David Ayers Trial 2021 are now available to download below.

David Ayers 2021 Regs (1509 downloads) David Ayers 2021 Entry Form (1365 downloads)

The Trial will take place on Sunday the 12th of September.

Completed Entry Forms should be posted (together with payment) to the Secretary of the meeting.

Signing on (Driver and Passenger) and Scrutineering declaration will need to be completed online before the day of the meeting.

Signing on for Officials/Marshalls will also be online.

This event for Trials Formula Cars is a qualifying round in 3 national championships and will be held by kind permission of the Langley Family at Trevilla Farm, Marshgate, Camelford PL32 9YN. Map Ref. 190 145911..

There will be 8 sections on steep ground that will be attempted by the competitors over 3 rounds. The layout of each section may be altered between rounds. Each section is marked 12 to 1. The winner of the event will be the person with the lowest score. The cars are divided into classes based on their construction with awards for the winner in each class.

We are always in need of Marshalls to observe each section so if you are interested and available please contact Warin Kelly on 01822 870393.

Due to Covid there will be no catering this year so please bring your own lunch

Entries for the event close on Tuesday the 7th of September.

Testing Trial 2021 Regs & Entry

Posted on August 6, 2021 by admin

The regulations and entry form for the Testing Trial 2021 are now available to download below. We’re not using the online entry system for this event.

Testing Trial 2021 Car Regs (1426 downloads) Testing Trial 2021 Motorcycle Regs (1703 downloads) Testing Trial 2021 Car Entry Form (1318 downloads) Testing Trial 2021 Motorcycle Entry Form (1337 downloads) Testing Trial 2021 Taster Entry Form - Cars Only (1262 downloads)

The event will take place on Sunday 22nd August 2021 at Smithson Farm, Kelly, Lifton, Devon (MR201/414816) 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.

Taster Entry Details

Bring your own road going car, receive instruction & guidance & then attempt 6 tests twice in a mini competition.

Also open to 14 to 17 year olds – subject to parental consent & being accompanied at the event by a passenger with full RTA Licence who is experienced as a Car Trial Driver.

The Taster does not require club membership nor a MotorSport UK RS Competition licence.

Numbers will be LIMITED so please phone in advance to be sure of an entry [there may be places available on the day].

Newsletter August 2021

Posted on August 2, 2021 by admin

It’s August, yes August !! Another year is flying by and I for one haven’t done half the things I had hoped to do, yes there has been this big thing going on in the world, not just the Olympics, which has cramped our style a little but somehow time flies by. Talking of the Olympics I was very pleased to see that Plymouth boy Tom Daley and diving partner Matty Lee had a superb gold medal win, Tom can now concentrate on his knitting, the WI halls will be jostling to get him there to do talks and share his patterns.

Anyway back to club matters, a bit of good news after last month and hearing of the situation with the Lawrence House Museum, they have apparently secured a property/shop to use as a “pop up” museum so all the hard work of creating the club’s history in a series of posters will not be wasted. I am not privy as to the exact location yet but once I know I will broadcast it in all the usual ways.

Past Events

Motor Traders Trial. 21 entries for this event so well worth putting on, Nigel “can do “ Cowling laid out six hills for all to attempt several of the competitors were “double drives” which as always puts a bit of a strain on the vehicle with clutches and radiators usually being the first to overheat. Ashley Ruby being the youngest driver was getting to grips with things before the car had other ideas but I’m sure he will soon be showing his dad Darren how it’s done. It was first time out for Kayleigh Seward who after a nervous start was getting the hang of it but the car had other ideas so it was retirement for her as well, but I have a feeling she will be back. By 1.30 pm the rain was really letting us know it was time to go home so it was a case of “up sticks and away”.

Overall winner of the Motor Traders Cup was David Robinson, class awards went to John Sandercock, Allan Taylor, Philip Thomas and Gareth White. Judging by the smiley faces everyone enjoyed themselves so a good day out indeed.

Spry Sporting Trial. Eight cars started the event but two retirements meant only six finished . Roland Uglow was on form with a superb drive and at the end of the day had a completely clear sheet, according to Mike Wevill he thinks it is only the second time this has been done in 40 years! John Cole made the long journey down to West Devon worthwhile by winning the Blue Class. Thanks to Warin Kelly for being Clerk of the Course and Paul Webber for the use of his land.

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Now over to our Club President Robin Moore

The Ramblings of RHTM Part 4 of the Graham Paige Story

I have always tried to use a car regularly for what it was designed for, the everyday transport of its owner, and this 1928 car did itself justice in this respect. Admittedly I had the use of a Morris 1000 van for use with my farming needs, but otherwise it was the Graham Paige that fulfilled family transportation as well as being used for a number of VSCC and other events. Apart from normal servicing it also proved very reliable and gave much pleasure in its use.

I entered two VSCC Welsh Trials at the time, which involved covering a 200 straight line mileage between 9.00am and 6.00pm, obtaining receipts for fuel stops, or, as we did at the time sending a telegram as proof of passage. I can remember stopping outside a small Post Office as we circumnavigated Bath. This road is now part of a one way system , the Post Office has disappeared, and we could not now park in the road whilst the business was done. A far cry from the present day.

This annual event in the calendar of the Vintage Sports Car Club was first run in 1939 and has always had a wonderful atmosphere and has changed little over the years. Centred in Presteigne in Powys, Radnorshire, the Radnorshire Arms in the High Street is the focal point and with this old Welsh town “chock a block” with vintage cars it becomes an image of history for the weekend and a reminder of a time when life was very different. Even the local constabulary turn a blind eye to this annual invasion of vintagents. Also run in conjunction with the main trial is a touring assembly and driving tests, but the Welsh itself with its trials sections is a more serious affair, including the famous “Snatcher” as well as a number of sections on private land.

Quite often Marjorie and I would continue, and extend our time visiting and exploring this beautiful part of the Welsh border country. I remember visiting the Elan Valley reservoirs, the experience all enhanced by driving the route in a vintage motor car.

Another VSCC event entered was an informal concern at Beaulieu followed by driving tests held nearby at the old WW2 airfield. We also attended other events at Beaulieu, – The Lost Causes Rally where there were a number of American cars in attendance.

It was the only time that I met up with another Graham Paige, whose owner lived in Bridgwater. When going to the New Forest we would sometimes stay for a night at the Burley Manor Hotel and didn’t leave until a visit had been made to John Shuttler at his nearby garage where there were always interesting motors to be found, such as a Sleeve Valve Daimler, and of course, John’s Invicta, for which he was a great enthusiast and held the record for one of these cars at Prescott. John was always ready for a chat and to share his enthusiasm. I recall another long distance memorable journey in XV4512 and this was a solo trip to watch a VSCC race meeting at Silverstone. I was “self contained” so to speak , taking all my personal needs with me and sleeping in the car overnight. Remember, I have previously mentioned the reclining front seats of this coach built car. I had arranged to travel down the following day to Sherfield English near Romsey, where I arrived in time for breakfast at the White Horse Hotel. My appointment that day was with a gentleman by the name of Brian Rylus at his garage in Sherfield English. Brian had been a previous owner of the Mc Evoy special RC450 with which he had competed at the Gosport Speed Trials. This car I had purchased in 1958 from the Jack O’Lantern garage near Romsey, and Brian, I discovered had quite a number of parts and associated items which he had retained. I spent quite some time with Brian and his wife and they kindly provided lunch for me. We eventually concluded our business and I drove home with the Graham stuffed full of goodies, but that’s another story.

RHTM   to be continued.
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Centenary Celebrations This coming Saturday the 7^th is the date set for our display of vehicles in Launceston Town Square, there is a mix of cars and motorcycles which will hopefully be of interest to the passing public. The display will be from 10.00am until 2.00pm, the organising committee will be there from 9.30am to get everyone in place.

One word of caution to those displaying vehicles, if yours has an incontinence problem please bring a suitable drip tray or sheet of cardboard to catch any drips, we don’t want any backlash from the council saying that we have ruined their lovely cobble stones. Any committee members with a few hours to spare on the day your help will be appreciated.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
This is to confirm that we will be holding our AGM at 8.00pm on Thursday 12th August in Yeolmbridge Village Hall. This will be followed by a committee meeting. For those who may not be familiar with the village please see directions and map below and suggested area to park:-

On the B3254 Launceston to Bude road, heading towards Bude, turn left immediately after the bridge at Yeolmbridge. The Hall is approximately 100m down this road on the right hand side. If there are no parking spaces available on the side of the road continue approximately another 150m past the hall and there will be additional parking available on the left hand side of the road.

After such a long time it will be great to finally hold our AGM and a committee meeting face to face. We look forward to seeing you there.

Many thanks and best regards, Andy

Future Events

The Testing Trial due to run on the 15^th of August has been moved to a week later, 22^nd, also the venue has changed, it is now at Smithson Farm, Kelly, near Lifton the website details are due to be changed in plenty of time for everyone to find the new venue. We are hoping to run a “Taster Event” along side the testing trial for people new to motorsport, this will depend on interest shown at the centenary day.

David Ayers Sporting trial is on the 12^th of September, more details to follow on the website.

Tamar Classic Road Trial The date for this is 17^th of October, planning is well under way, again watch the website for more details.

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The astute ones among you will notice that various things have changed, the AGM was moved to Yeolmbridge because the good folks of Tresmeer are splashing out on some refurbishment of the Village Hall, next time you see it there will be a nice new ceiling with lots of insulation between the hall interior and the outside world in the hope of retaining the heat and generally looking much nicer, there will even be a lick of paint!! No stopping us country folks once we get going!

Hope to see one or two of you on Saturday the 7^th ……… all for now.

J.T.
Contributions gratefully received billjan299@gmail.com

Spry Trial 2021 Results

Posted on July 26, 2021 by admin

The Spry Trial 2021 Results are now available to download below.

Spry Trial 2021 Results (1445 downloads)

Well done Roland, I think this is only the second time I have seen a completely clear sheet in a Sporting Trial in 40 years.

Thanks to John for travelling so far.

Thanks to Warin for acting as C o C& Paul Webber for use of land.

Hope you all enjoyed the day & see you at Trevlla for the David Ayers on 12th September( watch the website)

Mike Wevill Comp Sec

Centenary Display August 7th 2021

Posted on July 23, 2021 by admin

On Saturday 7^th August as part of our club’s delayed Centenary Celebrations we are holding a display of Trials bikes and Cars, and other locally owned Competition cars,

in Launceston Town Square

from 10 am to 2,00pm.

Come and have a look and chat to us about what we do and how you could join in our Club’s grassroots low cost Sport

Motor Traders 2021 Results

Posted on July 17, 2021 by admin

Please see attached the provisional results from Sunday.

Motor Traders 2021 Results (1701 downloads)

We hope you enjoyed the day – our next Production Car event is the Testing Trial on 22nd August, more details to follow soon.

Our next sporting trial is the Spry Trial on the 25th of July. The regs and entry form are on the website.

Newsletter July 2021

Posted on July 9, 2021 by admin

There are times when no matter how much planning you do somehow it will still go pearshaped, in this case I’m referring to the centenary celebrations. We had the bad news a couple of weeks ago regarding the Lawrence House Museum in that during heavy rainfall a large quantity of it came in through the roof of the museum and as is usual brought down a ceiling or two, whilst this is bad news for the club it is extremely disheartening for the museum in that it will not be opening this year. The repair bill will be into six figures and being closed during the Summer is a big loss in terms of revenue for the museum and as a tourist attraction for the many visitors to the town.

The museum had been whole heartedly in support for our centenary celebrations particularly in that we were planning a take over of one of its rooms to display a lot of club memorabilia including a vintage motorcycle, we have had special display boards designed to hang up showing different decades of the 101 years of the club’s heritage . Joe Caudle and Sandra Pollard have put in a huge amount of work to produce these boards, for which we are extremely grateful, the museum is hoping to possibly get use of one of the empty shops in the town so that they can create a “pop up” temporary museum so fingers crossed that we might get to see the finished results of the boards, in the meantime we are holding a display of trials vehicles (bikes and cars) in the town square on Saturday the 7^th of August starting from around 11.00am to approximately 3.00pm so come along and show your support.

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Now over to our Club President Robin Moore

The Ramblings of RHTM.

Part 3 Of the Graham Paige Story.

I can’t help thinking that the editor and myself are rather like the cartoon characters, Tom and Gerry, me being Gerry of course. Occasionally Tom gets caught out and Gerry has a good laugh, but more often than not it’s me, (Gerry). When todays call came (3^rd of July), “It’s that time again Robin”, I had to admit to John that I’d been caught out again, I hadn’t even given it a thought, let alone put pen to paper. So bang goes my weekend of rest and solitude, while he’s away enjoying himself with a bunch of Elevenseventytwoites,- It just ain’t fair.

Anyway back to the story of my Graham Paige. As mentioned previously XV4512 with its coachbuilt body was unique and something quite different of the standard offering of the Graham Brothers. But in all other respects it remained their basic 615 model, a 3 ¼ litre straight six sidevalve with their pressed steel Sedan bodies that would have been found swelling the ranks of the yellow cabs plying for hire on the streets of New York at the time.

For all that, there were a number of distinguishing and advanced features. I mentioned the steering lock in part 2. I was told the engine was originally fitted with cast iron pistons, although at some time in its life these had been replaced with “Ali” pistons, without any loss of balance in the reciprocating parts. I mention this, for when Colin Vincent replaced cast iron for ali in the engine of his veteran Belsize, a vibration occurred as the crankshaft counter balance weights were then cast out of sync.

Another novel feature for its time was that the oil level in the sump could be checked at a glance when raising the bonnet, (the yanks call them hoods) as the engine was fitted an oil level indicator,- no dipstick. Cast into the offside crankcase/cylinder block was a narrow open channel enclosing a rod which contained a ball bearing, held captive at its top end, whilst a float was attached to the bottom of the rod floating on the oil in the sump, therefore rising and falling, with the ball bearing doing likewise in its captive housing. One could see at a glance the level in the sump,- no mess, no wiping a dipstick for an accurate reading,- a novel feature sure enough.

The engine was fed by a single updraught Schebler carburettor, and the electrics , if memory serves me right , by the North East Lighting Co, and were a 6 volt system. Brakes were hydraulic by Lockheed with external contracting shoes working on 14 inch drums, and the wheels had detachable rims carrying 500 x 19 tyres . The 4 speed gearbox was a little unusual , in that it was really a 3 speed with a reserve bottom gear, which to engage, one had to lift a catch just below the gear lever knob should this gear be required for any steep gradient restart. I never had to use this cog, (useful on Sims Robin, Ed) the box was a 3 speed for all intents and purposes, as this old Graham like most of the larger engine cars of the vintage period, had tremendous torque, and there wasn’t really much need for gearchanging. In the old favourites class at Camel Vale’s standing start ¼ mile it was basically 3^rd and top gear only.

The other unusual feature were the shock absorbers, whilst the suspension consisted of the normal leaf springs all round but these were dampened mechanically . This shock absorber consisted of a strong flat coil spring contained in a circular housing and linked to brackets on the leaf spring by a heavy duty strap of webbing. I had never come across this type of damper before, but I must say , it seemed to work pretty well.

To be continued RHTM.

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For Sale Ford 109E (Anglia 1200 ? ) engine and gearbox . Both items are in need of a strip down and check over. Would otherwise be useful for parts. The engine is missing its rocker cover and a few other bits, but includes clutch and flywheel. Gearbox looks complete except for gearstick. £75.00 buys the lot, collect from J.T. 07971 249783. These items are no longer found in scrapyards and considerably cheaper than on that well known auction site.

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Forthcoming Events
11^th of July. Motor Traders Trial at Waterloo Farm by kind permission of the Werring family, reg’s are on the website, get in quick or you will miss it. If it isn’t immediately obvious on the website click on the “more news” button.

25^th of July. Spry Sporting Trial to be held at Ashley Farm by kind permission of Paul Webber, reg’s on the website.

Marshals are needed for both events so do please volunteer.

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The rechargeable torch found on section at the Lanson Trial has still not been claimed, email the Ed to claim.

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There will be the much awaited AGM followed by a committee meeting on Thursday the 12^th August at Tresmeer Village Hall, everyone welcome, come and have a chat even if you don’t want to be on the committee.

Midlands Motor Club Heritage Trial held near Crewkerne 4^th July 2021

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The Heritage Trial at Crewkerne last weekend was a very enjoyable event, the weather was mostly kind to us although it did decide early afternoon that it was time for us to go home, so gave us a gentle soaking just to encourage us to abandon camp. For sidevalve fans it was great to see 18 Dellows assembled , although I didn’t take part in the actual trial I took the car along as a chance to pose. There was also 4 big Allards there along with a few specials making it an entry of 40. Full credit to the organisers who had everything under control, all competitors and marshals were required to wear face masks as per MSUK recommendations, even the free cakes that Hilary of the Dellow register made were all individually wrapped (full covid compliance).

The site itself was perfect for this type of event, it was easy to view what was going on without needing to walk miles, the sections were non damaging meaning people who were not normally likely to trial their much loved vehicle were able to have a go. An extra bonus for Vivien and I was that our dog Thorn was on best behaviour and didn’t destroy anyone’s tent or awning, I’m sure he’ll make up for it though. Hopefully the event will run again next year and I will have the Dellow suitably “run in” and be able to compete.

The following picture is one which I had in my small collection of Dellow memorabilia, taken from a newspaper, possibly the Plymouth Western Evening Herald around 1972, certainly no later than 1973 showing Roger Brewer of Camel Vale M.C. in action. Having shown this picture to a couple of people in the register it turns out that it’s something of a missing car, the earliest history the register had was around 1975 when it belonged to David Wigley, it then went through a succession of owners in the Yeovil area with Stephen Hiscox owning it from 1993-95, it then completely dropped off the radar.

If anyone knows anything of this car or its whereabouts I would really like to hear from them, the DVLA have no record of it since 1993/4 but it was registered as being blue in colour, the register even knows its chassis number, but not its whereabouts.

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Tailpiece

Don’t trust the vehicles in your garage, they communicate to each other, it’s well documented the trials and tribulations that my Dellow has given me during the time of ownership with it. Recently it appears to be behaving itself, little did I know it would pass on its mischievous ways to one of my scooters I have been rebuilding. Just like the Dellow this bike has had its engine, removed, stripped, rebuilt and refitted back into its frame more times than I dare to admit, and still it goes on. I have come to the conclusion all vehicles should be kept on their own in isolation to stop this happening, you have been warned !!

All for this month. J.T.

Contributions to billjan299@gmail.com