Category Archives: Upcoming Events

Newsletter December 2020

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 Yes we are well into December and only just getting this newsletter out to you, apologies but I felt I ought to wait until the committee had a Zoom meeting so as I could report all the exciting news to you. First, there is a change in the position of Chairman, Pete Cooper has done sterling work over the years to keep the club active where possible, but the last nine months as we all know has been a bit of a test for everyone. Unlike a lot of people Pete has been working all through the two lockdowns meaning he has had little time for things outside of work and has therefore decided to stand down as chair of the Club. We are all appreciative of the efforts he (and Jan) have put in over the years, he will still be an active member of the committee.

This left our club without a chairman so a metaphoric box of straws was passed around containing one short straw, yes I managed to pull the short one so I am now Acting Chairman as well as newsletter gatherer/editor. Those of you with long memories will remember I used to do this job many years ago and to be honest I was not expecting to be doing it again, but hey ho, as I have absolutely nothing else to do why not. I did say I would only do it as a temporary stop gap but I’m not convinced anyone was listening at that point.

Amongst the items discussed at committee was the topic of the Launceston Trial, it was decided we should do our utmost to run the event, the date of March the 7th is set for it, at the usual venue of Lew Woods, obviously this is on the grounds that the Covid pandemic eases and that Mr Newman is happy for us to use his land. Entries for it will be online and all paperwork is kept to the absolute minimum, Darren Ruby has volunteered to act as Covid officer, fingers crossed for a good event.

The centenary celebration is still very much on the cards, in addition to a display in the Launceston Museum we are planning to take over the square on Saturday the 7th of August for a display of bikes and cars, we are also looking at getting a book published on the history of the club, we have a large amount of memorabilia, photographs etc. which will definitely prove interesting.

I have to remind everyone that it’s that time of year when your subs are due , online payments are preferred via the website but if you are unable to do this a cheque for £10 handed to any of the committee members will find its way to the treasurer whereupon a new membership card will be issued.
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It’s now time to hand you over to our club President Robin Moore. Although I do have a correction to make concerning last months article. First paragraph line 7 should read Harry Lauder’s recording, not Lander.

Alvis and the other lady in my life part 7

The focal point the next day was Stoneleigh in Warwickshire close to the home of Alvis in Coventry, where everyone was brought together prior to going to the final venue at the Alvis Works. Stoneleigh was later to become the National Agricultural Centre and home to the Royal Show. Close by was the Massey Ferguson Training and Development Centre which provided the ideal location and required space to assemble the largest gathering of Alvis cars ever, for by this time we were over 400 strong. In addition there was an area close to the “Rally Field” where the works had laid out a demonstration of some of the armoured fighting vehicles, Saracen and the Saladin.

The weather continued to hold good, as it had been throughout the tour, and this was a bonus for everyone as they made sure their steeds were looking their best for the grand cavalcade under police escort when we departed for the short journey to the Alvis premises in Holyhead Road in Coventry. Here once again the vast car park was able to accommodate all the cars. We were ushered into the large works canteen and given a warm welcome as we enjoyed the afternoon tea provided for us. Lovely individual fancy cakes topped with fondant icing and with the Alvis triangle in red.

It was with mixed emotions that we came to the end of this once in a lifetime event. On a “high” that we had been part of this great experience, but tinged with slight morose that it was all over and could not, and would not ever be repeated. As a dear friend often reminded me –“Everything Comes to Go”. We had made many new friendships that remained with us always, although over the last 50 years numbers have inevitably reduced. Those of us that are left are “Playing in extra time”

However, it was also inevitable that reunions would be held so we could all meet up again to celebrate this major event in Alvis history. And so it was, that for a number of years following whilst the memories remained strong and advancing years took their toll we got together annually. I will recall some of the highlights of these reunions in the final part of my Alvis story next month.

RHTM to be continued

The Inside Line Book Review by Richard Simpson

When two-strokes ruled the earth…….

It could be argued that there has never been a tougher sport than 500cc world championship motocross racing. And there certainly has never been a tougher motorsport than 500cc world championship motocross racing.

Unlike most motorsports, it was one where you could not buy your way to success: every rider was there on merit. And unlike virtually every other sport you can think of, each round consisted of almost 45 minutes of maximum physical and mental exertion, followed by a brief period in which machine and rider had to be repaired and readied, before the whole process was repeated with another race just as long, and even tougher given the track would now be rutted out of all recognition, than the first. Relax, even for a moment, physically or mentally, and you would be overtaken, or fall, or both.

Just how tough?

Like riding a bucking bronco, while other competitors throw rocks at you.

No F1-style starting grid, just 40 riders all lined up in a row, and all aiming at the narrow inside line of the first corner 200 metres away. Fail to be first to arrive there and the rear wheels of every machine in front will be firing dirt and rocks at you until you can pass it.
And The Inside Line is former racer Rob Andrews’ new book, which details what it was like behind the handlebars of a 500cc two-stroke monster motocross bike, with a 60 + bhp engine, a foot of suspension travel at each end and an all-up weight of just 220 lb or so. For the record, that makes it lighter and far more powerful than any of today’s motocross machines, and the races themselves were substantially longer and on far tougher tracks than today’s.

Andrews admits that he was never the best of the world championship’s riders, but, as one of the most dedicated, he raced against the best, including a second-place finish in a field containing seven past and present world champions.

He was beset by a variety of problems including the inevitable mechanical failures, manufacturer team ‘politics’, and a bizarre and horrendous injury sustained when he came off second-best in an argument with a plate-glass window in the Tewkesbury branch of Tesco!

Andrews writes vividly of both the raw excitement of the races and the contrasting hard grind of training, travel and machine preparation that it took to get there, all unfiltered by any ghost writer. The days of the ‘wild men’ of motocross were over by the time he reached the top, so sex and drugs and rock & roll are in short supply (although he hints that his first child may have been conceived on honeymoon in the parking lot of a suspension factory in Holland), but the gut-wrenching thrills of the greatest circuit of all: The Citadel, Namur, Belgium; are described in graphic detail.

Injuries and bad luck combined against Andrews, but ultimately the entire sport was doomed. At anything less than the highest professional levels, the average rider would go faster on a cheaper and less-powerful 250 cc machine than a 500. Anyone good enough to ride a 500 faster than they could a 250 would also be good enough to command a sponsorship deal, so in the end there was no-one prepared to hand over their own cash for a 500, and the class went the way of the dinosaurs. From the top of the mountain, the only way forward is downhill.

However, Andrews’ lucid prose and a wealth of spectacular contemporary photography combine to take the reader back to a never-to-be-forgotten, or repeated, era, when dinosaurs, in the form of 500cc two-stroke bikes, really did rule the earth, or at least the track.
You won’t find The Inside Line in bookshops or on Amazon, but you can order it direct from https://theinsidelinebook.com/products/the-inside-line-racing-the-500cc-world-motocross-championship

At £40, it’s not cheap, but I’d defy anyone to name a better sports biography.
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Ignominious Rescue !!


It’s amazing how the simplest of ideas can all of a sudden turn badly wrong. Last Monday was a beautiful frosty day so I thought what better day to take the Dellow for a spin, after all it needs to get miles on the clock to get it run in. I had an early lunch and set off into town to do a quick bit of shopping, then headed out of town on the road in the direction of Bude, the car was sounding lovely as we climbed the hill from Yeolmbridge , as I entered Ladycross approaching the school there was an extremely loud bang from the back of the car followed by the rear wheels completely locking up, sending the car into a full 360,then 180 spin coming to a halt in the middle of the road straddling the white line facing the direction I had just come from.

For a moment I was in a bit of a daze trying to comprehend what had happened and at the same time being grateful that the car hadn’t turned over or hit someone coming in the opposite direction. I’m now sat there holding up two rows of traffic, I get out, but the car will not move, it’s all a bit surreal, first try to direct traffic, then in the lull try to push the car but it refuses to move. After a few minutes a couple of guys stop their cars and come to offer assistance, between the three of us we spend the next ten minutes slowly pushing/dragging a reluctant Dellow, if it were a donkey a carrot would have worked miracles, eventually it is moved to the side of the road, I’m now hoping no one drives into it. I thank the two good Samaritans and they trundle off. Club Sec and stalwart Andy Prosser lives some 400 yards back the road so it’s on the phone to him, he’s in town but says “I’ll be there in ten” and he is, farmer Julian is just around the corner so Andy commandeers him and his tractor to get the road cleared (hence photo) which is done by lifting the back end of the car and taking it to his yard. Fortunately Andy also has a trailer in his drive so the car is loaded onto it and taken back to my place where it is now undergoing axle surgery.

In a nutshell the whole diff/planet gears and pin shattered, and no it wasn’t low on oil, it’s all a bit of a mystery, but as Andy says “it’s nothing that can’t be fixed if you throw enough money at it” . As they say you never know what’s around the corner ! As you have probably guessed I am very grateful to those who assisted me, in particular Andy, always the man who can!

Before I sign off I would just like to say get well soon to Alan Merton who is having a bit of NHS TLC at the moment.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year, let’s all hope it’s a better one than 2020.

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

Newsletter October 2020

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We have a bit of a bumper edition for you this month, reading time could be extended to five minutes instead of the usual two although as I’m a slow reader I could easily extend it to ten. There seems to be a two steps forward and three back approach to our pastime, last month I mentioned possible light at the end of the tunnel, this turned out to be a pool of water giving reflection to the torch. Don’t get me wrong there are a few things happening in motorsport which are of a positive nature but generally speaking it’s not getting any easier. Perhaps we should all be looking at it as a chance to get that vehicle properly ready for an event as opposed to in some cases treating the event as a “work in progress”
 
Our Chairman Pete Cooper has been busy so I will now hand you over to him……..
……….I hope that everybody is keeping safe and well. Just had reports that there are some cases of Covid-19 in the Launceston area today.
 
It does seem that this Covid – 19 has put a stop to almost all events. I have attended two hill climbs at Wiscombe Park for Torbay Motor Club. It’s very strange not to have any public. The rules were very strict, only two persons at each point. These two events were run before the face mask requirements. The events were very well supported by competitors which was surprising as the cost of entry with less than 4 minutes on the hill had been raised to help pay for all the additional paperwork that was required.
 
A couple of weeks ago I attended an Autocross at Kilmington for Torbay Motor Club which was run on the new face mask regulations. The two day event was excellent and well supported by the competitors. The only problem was the dust. By lunch time they reduced it only two cars on the track as we could not see the cars at the finish line. Even with only two cars on the track with the speed of the specials they were catching up their own dust.
With the dust it was a good excuse for a few beers in the evening to wash it down.
 
The Sunday morning began with plenty of sunshine but a very sharp frost on the ground. The Clerk of the Course, Nick Fielding, and the Motorsport Steward decided to move the track at the Finish and one other corner. This did help for a
 
short while as only two cars were on the track at any one time. The dust soon appeared and with a light wind did not disperse very quickly. The Doctor took pity on me as I was on the Finish Flag. She said that I kept disappearing the in the dust cloud. She then presented me with a special NHS face mask, much better.
 
Torbay Motor Club have the last Autocross of the season on the 17th/ 18th October. This time it will be the mud I expect with the present weather conditions.
 
A few clubs have run limited trials on a single venue basis, with only cars. The single venues have given rise to driver only competitor’s which may be helping the entries.
 
All the classic trials have been cancelled. The MCC Exeter Trial is running but through the night only to deter the public!!!!!
 
I think that we must be looking to run the Launceston Trial in March. As it is a single venue then we should not have problems as long as we can get marshals all signed on electronically well before the event. We will have time to prepare all the other paperwork. I am against the trail becoming a Classic as this would lower the standards of the true Classic. I would look at the idea that if ACTC setup a single venue Classic Trials Championship, just a subject to think about?
We will have to look at all our other events later in the year. May be we could run some evening trials in 2021 especially sporting trials, say four hills run 5 times.
 
I am afraid that our sport like all other events will be still under the control of the Government for 2021 and we can only be guided by them as to how we run our events. Let’s hope we can make 2021 better for sport.
 
As I am involved with Agricultural Shows things are not looking good for these events. Already two big events have been cancelled one in September 2021 as they are afraid that they may have to cancel at the last moment with very high outlays.
 
We have managed to take a five day holiday in the New Forest. Whilst we were there the big boat show at Southampton was cancelled by the council the night before it was due to open. The cost to Princess Yachts was millions. Such a shame as it stopped me buying a new cabin cruiser for my retirement.
A large fairground was also stopped just prior to opening. I think these cancellations will continue at least into the first part 2021.
 
I have been out with Phil Tucker MCC today looking at Hills as they are preparing to run a three day event on the last week of June to celebrate 120 years on the MCC. We may have four hills in our area. When more details become available I will let you know.
Please all keep safe and well.
Pete Cooper Chairman
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Our Richard Simpson has kindly done an article for the newsletter and I would like to congratulate him and better half Kate on recently tying the knot , and although it wasn’t their intention getting married with only six in total certainly keeps the costs down.
 
Triking
I was a works rider once.
 
Yes, just the once. And, actually, more of a passenger than a rider. But none-the-less, I took part in a motorsport event in a vehicle entered by the company which made it. And I was paid.

It was early in 1987, and as staff writer on Classic Bike magazine, one of my duties was to pick up the phone when it rang. You could never be sure what you were going to get on the other end: calls ranged from a guy wanting you to talk him through resetting the valve-timing on a BSA M20, to a very drunk New Zealander who launched into a racist tirade because we were carrying advertising from Kawasaki. How could we, after what ‘The Japs’ had done in WWII?

We had some fun with that one, passing him around the office from extension to extension to ‘escalate his complaint to the highest level’ (same people putting on progressively posher voices until he thought he was speaking to the managing director). His phone bill must have been enormous!
 
This time, the caller introduced himself as “Tony Divey” and asked if anyone would be interested in passengering a Triking in the Lands End Trial that Easter.
 
I knew what a Triking was. Almost 10 years previously I’d been working at Moto Guzzi dealer Three Cross Motorcycles when a customer came in brandishing a copy of Motorcycle Mechanics, featuring an article on what looked like a replica of a Morgan three-wheeler, but with the driveline from a Moto Guzzi Le Mans. This was the first prototype Triking.

He thought it would be great because he could drive it wearing a WWII flying helmet…but to be honest I thought it was a bit of a waste of a good motorcycle. I assured him that, if he got one, we could help him with parts and servicing, but I don’t think that he ever did.
 
The Guzzi connection was enough to make Tony’s invitation attractive for me though. Tony invited me over to the Triking works in rural Norfolk to familiarise myself with the product the next weekend.
 
What a man he was; an impatient visionary. What was important was very important, and anything else was an irritating detail.
 
Before inventing the Triking (designing doesn’t really seem to be an adequate verb) he had worked for Colin Chapman at Lotus. He described Chapman as “Very annoying, because he could always do anything better than anyone else,” which I realised was a compliment of the highest order in Tony’s rather unusual world view.
 
I was introduced to the mount we would use in the trial: registration CNG415T, which rang a bell. Yes, this was the original Triking as featured in Motorcycle Mechanics. But little was left of the original vehicle. The 850 Le Mans engine was replaced with one from a 1000cc Spada, and the Guzzi gearbox had been ditched in favour of a five-speed unit from a Toyota car, which had wider ratios and the convenience of a reverse. Undergoing trial in the Trial would be some lightweight front mudguards and Hagon shock-absorbers.
 
Tony asked for my help in checking speed calibration. In vain, I pointed out that the speedo on my personal Moto Morini 500 wasn’t renowned for its accuracy, but I soon ascertained that what was really being checked was my courage. Self-styled “middle-aged hooligan” Tony took off in the Triking down Norfolk roads that he knew well and I knew not at all. My Morini was not a powerful bike, but handled exceptionally well for a motorcycle of its time. I was scraping footrests through bends as Tony kept up to what he estimated was 60 mph. I began to realise that, just maybe, the Triking wasn’t a complete waste of a good engine.
 
That induction over, Tony then let me loosen my own in a customer’s vehicle. It was a hilarious experience which must have been about as close as you could get to piloting a First World War fighter plane without leaving the ground. The hilarity came to an abrupt end when the clutch went soggy. Investigation revealed that correct clutch cable adjustment was one of Tony’s irritating details. There was so much free-play on the thing that the nipple had fallen out of the pedal. Putting it back involved a roadside head-first dive into the narrow confines of the Triking’s footwell.
 
Returning to the ‘factory’ in Marlingford, I agreed to meet Tony at what seemed to be a suspiciously early time on Good Friday morning. We are due to start from an airfield near Basingstoke at 10 pm. Surely, it won’t take us all day to get there?
 
It will, in Tony time. First, we stop at Snetterton race circuit to have a coffee with his girlfriend…if I recall correctly, her family actually owned the circuit! Then, Tony revealed, we needed to visit a customer in Surrey who was having problems with his Triking before making our way to the start.
 
Getting there involved a character-testing drive on the M25. Tony maintained that the best way to avoid being stopped for speeding was to keep in the nearside lane until the last minute, then swerve out and back in again. Oh, what fun, with what seemed to be an endless succession of 22.5 inch truck wheels whistling past my left ear.

Eventually, we arrived at a splendid property in the heart of the stockbroker belt, to a friendly greeting from the Triking owner and his wife. We attended to a minor issue with the Guzzi engine (my Three Cross Motorcycles experience coming in handy), and prior to departure the stockbroker gent took me to one side and said: “You know, Tony really is a lovely chap but he really shouldn’t be allowed to sell anything to anyone.”
Indeed.
 
Conscious that time was passing and daylight fading, we press on for the start. Darkness falls. The Triking has close-mounted Cibe Oscar headlamps which cast a searing light down the M3. It also has a new, slight misfire, which rapidly develops via some coughing and banging, into an engine stop.
I look at Tony.
“We’ve run out of petrol,” he says. “I didn’t bother to connect the fuel gauge,” he adds.
Obviously an irritating detail.
I’m speechless
“Not to worry” he adds. “There’s a tin of petrol behind your seat.”
Indeed there is. It’s a tin that once held a whole litre of brake fluid. It gets us as far as the next exit where we just make it onto the hard shoulder. What happens next is one of those bizarre incidents that happen on the road at night. A convoy of big black Mercedes cars come flying down the off ramp, stop amid much screeching and shouting at the roundabout at its foot, then reverse back onto the motorway. I notice they have CD diplomatic plates. Weird!
 
All this is very interesting, but won’t get us to the start. I can see the yellow light of a Shell station in the far distance, so clamber down the embankment and start running towards it, clutching the petrol tin.
 
A car pulls up beside me and a Glaswegian voice asks “Are ye OK there, son?”
Inside the car are three of the toughest looking blokes I’ve ever seen, all bare muscled arms, tattoos and lived-in faces.
 
Gangster hit men? No, paratroopers, and bless them, they drop me off at the petrol station, where I squeeze 48p worth of four-star into Tony’s tin and run back to the Triking. One lung-bursting ascent of the embankment later, and we’ve got just enough fuel to get us to the Shell station, where we fill up and head of for the start point.
 
By now we are rather more than fashionably late, rush through scrutineering, and Tony tells me that we are not just competitors, but he is also a travelling marshal.
This means that we are the last ‘motorcycle’ away (the Triking is a motorcycle as it has fewer than four wheels), and we have to try to shepherd any waifs and strays from the two and three-wheel entry that we may encounter during the drive. We are also both knackered and already short of sleep.
 
The actual event has been mostly obscured from my memory. Lack of sleep does that to you! It runs through the night, taking competitors across Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall before ending not at Lands End, but in a tacky resort in Penzance on Easter Saturday, taking in a number of observed sections along the way, the earliest of which are done at night. Snapshots remain in my memory: passing Stonehenge by moonlight, helping a sidecar crew with a puncture by the light of a phone box, a giant sheep on a wet Exmoor road (a hallucination, I think), and being launched from the passenger compartment of the Triking when Tony simultaneously advised me to shift my handholds and dropped the clutch at 6000 rpm during a restart test on the first section.
 
A rutted track revealed two serious deficiencies in the Triking as a cross-country vehicle. One is a lack of ground clearance and the other is that for all Tony’s efforts with the steering, the back wheel will inevitably fall into one rut or another and stop the trike in its tracks. Fuelled by the desperation of the situation I dismount and find the strength to lift the back of the 780 lb Triking and its inventor up by the exhaust-pipes, like a giant wheelbarrow. I can only push so it far though, and we end up extricating it by both dismounting and turning the front wheels by hand!
 
Daylight made things a little easier, but dawn coincided with the notorious one-in-three incline Beggars Roost section, where a constant stream of pea-gravel rolling under the rear Avon Mudplugger motorcycle trials tyre created a traction-free zone for the compulsory restart.
As the morning progressed, we had a front-wheel puncture which put us out of time for a trophy, but we were actually cleaning sections without mishap. Our greatest triumph was Blue Hills Mine, a path up a Cornish cliff, which is so tough that a winch is installed at the top to drag failed competitors up and out of the way. And that was the final section of the trial, conquered in fine style with the cheers of a crowd echoing in our ears.
 
With that moment of unearned glory, my career as a works rider was at an end. We made our way to the finish, signed off, and…
 
What then followed was another ordeal. Prebooking somewhere to stay in Cornwall on the Easter holiday had been another one of Tony’s irritating details. There was no room at the inn, not the Jamacia Inn, or any other inn. We headed off for my parent’s place in Dorset, but fortunately found a pub with rooms and dinner on the way. Another hilarious high-speed drive back to Norfolk followed the next morning, then I mounted my faithful Morini and headed back west to Peterborough, home and bed.
 
I met up with Tony a week later to ‘fake’ some pictures for the Classic Bike feature, then we lost touch. I saw him race the Triking a few times at tarmac hill climbs, although we never really spoke again. But when I read his obituary in October 2013, I still felt a sense of loss.
Middle-aged hooligan, inventor, engineer and so much more.
 
Perhaps the most fitting tribute to him was Morgan relaunching its own three-wheeled ‘cyclecar’, complete with a ‘not a Harley-Davidson’ motorcycle engine from S&S Performance. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!
Richard Simpson
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So now over to our Club President Robin Moore

Alvis and the other lady in my life, Part 5
Our own involvement in the Golden Jubilee event added an additional 500 miles to the 2,000 mile tour, as we of course had to drive to London for the start and return home from the Midlands at the end. And so it was that we set forth from Camelford the day before in order to stay with friends at Walton-on-Thames and be near the city and have an easy run to the start venue the following morning, – The National Science Museum in South Kensington. It was here that we first met up with the other Alvis crews, who like us were in it for the whole tour, the majority of whom we had never met before. It was a privilege to meet the legendary pre-war racing driver SCH (Sammy Davis) who was the start marshal and flagged us away when it was our turn to leave.
 
So we headed North on the first day, I think it fair to say that we felt truly excited in being part of this historic occasion,- a one off never to be repeated. It’s what memories are made of and lasting friendships made. The full story is too much to recount in an article such as this, so I’ll just highlight some of the anecdotal and amusing incidents that took place.I remember we were blessed with beautiful weather throughout, the only time we experienced any moisture for a very short while was in the Borders, which is quite usual in that area of Scotland. Many places of interest were detailed in our route instructions, which one was free to visit or not. It was all very flexible except for where special arrangements had been made, not that these were in any way compulsory.
 
I recall the first special gathering was the day we were scheduled to arrive in Keighley, Yorkshire, where the mayor had arranged a civic reception and we received a very warm welcome from the large crowd that turned out to greet us.
 
Marjorie and I in our Alvis Grey Lady entered Scotland at Canter Bar and made on towards Edinburgh. It was here that provision had been made for us to park together in a reserved area near Princess Street and in view of the Castle. We were scheduled to have a couple of hours here and savour its fabled thoroughfare and the wonderful municipal flower gardens. It was a memorable day for many reasons, and as we arrived and parked up, – and it was purely coincidental, a 21 gun salute was fired from the Castle in honour of the Queen’s Birthday.
 
I don’t recall how many of us were together at this stage , but about a couple of dozen or so Alvis arrived more or less together at the toll bridge to cross the Firth of Forth, and faced with the queue our chaps in the Speed 20 Alvis who were responsible for keeping everything running smoothly throughout the tour sprung into action and did a special deal with the man in the toll booth which allowed us all to cross in convoy without stopping,- a magic moment , never to be repeated,- a historical moment for sure.
RHTM to be continued
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And finally ………. I am currently reading the book by Roy Calley titled The World Water Speed Record. I used to think that motorsport could be dangerous enough until I read this, achieving great speeds on water is evidently much more dangerous, the lives lost are quite staggering. The name Campbell is synonymous with both land and water speed records, but I didn’t know that Malcolm Campbell (father of Donald) was an MCC member, in 1906 he entered the Lands End Trial and won a Gold award three years in a row. ( However, according to the MCC website the first L E was 1908, whatever ?) So this could be a case of throwing down the gauntlet to many a multiple Gold award winners and certainly those winners of Triple’s . Are there any members out there fancying their hand at becoming holders of both Land and Water speed records at the same time. To say you need deep pockets is an under statement, the money spent on winning these coveted trophies is eye watering Along with in many cases the shortened life expectancy.
 
I have had to rule myself out of ever joining this elite band, the housekeeping budget would need to be severely stretched, although I can’t complain too much regarding medals won (and stupidly lost) but it also brings to mind the happenings of events some 20 or more years ago when it was decided that three of us from LNCMC would enter a team in the Lands End Trial. A catchy name was dreamt up , “All Bent and “ . The other two members of the team being Warin Kelly and Joe Caudle, two Austin Sevens and a class 8 Torum. The kiss of death was firmly blown our way, I don’t think we ever managed to get all three cars to the actual start line, at one point I only made it to the end of my lane, Joe’s car developed an array of both mechanical and electrical faults , Warin from memory spent a considerable time doing battle with windscreen wipers in heavy rain to no avail, there was even talk of my car being exorcised, even that would have had to be carried out in the garage in case it didn’t turn up for the ceremony. And to be honest nothing has really changed. Hey ho.
All for this month J.T.
 
Please send your contributions to billjan299@gmail.com
This publication comes with the usual disclaimer.
 

Newsletter June 2020

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“Flaming June” has certainly been living up to its name with high temperatures and a real shortage of rain, for those lucky enough to have gardens to enjoy the “lockdown” has possibly been easier to endure than if it had rained every day. With the gradual easing of the lockdown there has been much talk by Motorsports UK and the AMCA as to how things will proceed in order for us all to get back to doing things in a sort of “almost” normal fashion.
 
Make no mistake about it, it is going to be a real challenge, once you think of getting groups of people together it becomes a big headache for the organisers on top of the social distancing issues there are challenges like signing on, scrutineering, provision of toilets, maybe even self certifying that you are free of the virus, the list is endless, then of course who is going to take responsibility for this if something goes wrong?
 
A lot of the issues could be overcome by doing things electronically, whilst a lot of clubs now do on line entries this could be extended to certifying that your vehicle is compliant with all the requirements to enter your chosen event, this would certainly sort the scrutineering issue, things like diff testing could possibly be done, although if you declare your diff to be compliant that shouldn’t be a problem. Motorcyclists on solo machines would at least not have to worry about the distancing from ones passenger as in cars and outfits, perhaps we could all wear face masks, full face crash helmets with the visor fixed down ! It will be interesting to see how things go at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, no passenger to consider so that’s a start.
 
My apologies to Robin in last month’s offering when I wrongly named the Horstmann car as a Hurstmann. One letter can make quite a difference, I recently saw a car advertised that might be suitable for trialling, one comment was that it would need a bugger engine, I pondered on this for a few seconds and then realised it should have been a “bigger” engine, but it did make me chuckle.
 
So now it’s over to our Club President Robin Moore.
 
Historical notes – on hold. For the last eight months my contributions to the newsletter have been centred to the centenary of our club and its history, and many interesting facts have come to light. The research is on-going and the story incomplete. The present “lockdown” has presented problems of personal contact with some of those I have contacted for help in verifying facts. So for the moment I am having to put the final instalments on hold. John Turner has kindly agreed that for the time being my contributions will be of another subject.
 
Alvis, and the other lady in my life. This year is also the centenary of the Alvis Company and plans were well advanced for a major celebration to commemorate the marque and the company’s engineering achievements. Like us , this is now on hold, and these milestones will have to be celebrated at a later date.
 
The Alvis car and engineering history is well documented, and their reputation for quality in all spheres of testing, in advanced design and manufacture of everything from motor cars to aviation engines and armoured fighting vehicles for the M.O.D., is without question of the highest order. During World War 2 Alvis produced major components for the Rolls Royce Merlin aero engines, also being involved with overhaul and testing of these units.
 
Car production ranged from 1920 to 1967 with the last car completed on the 29th of September of that year. My Alvis story starts in the 1950’s when a young couple came to Trefrew, Camelford on holiday, driving their 12/50 Alvis. I expressed an interest in the car and it wasn’t long before I was offered a demonstration run: The performance and roadholding impressed me, and has remained with me ever since. At around the same time another holiday maker had ventured to Cornwall driving an older model, the 10/50 with its side valve engine. Unfortunately, a big end had given up the challenge when reaching Camelford and the car had been left with my local garage to get it fixed, whilst the owner made other on-going arrangements, planning to collect the car, duly sorted, and return home the following week. I had a good look at this early model Alvis whilst it was at the garage , and I could appreciate the quality of this vintage car and its general appeal.
 
It was not until 1966, some ten years later that I was to purchase my first Alvis, a post war 1954 3 litre. At the time it was considered , that when a motor car was 12 years old and a model of merit, its market value would be at its lowest, after which it would slowly rise in value, and this may have come into the equation at the time, but from memory it was more by co-incidence that I made the purchase of KDL 892 , an Isle of Wight registration. I had read the road test reports of this model, and the style of the coachwork appealed. To my eye it looks right from any angle, so when I spied this motor for sale locally I was tempted to take the plunge, and thus entered another phase of my motoring life.
RHTM to be continued.
 
Now it’s over to our chairman Pete Cooper

I hope you are all safe and well, the Lockdown has certainly decimated our beloved sport. I expect the lockdown is beginning to be a real bore as all those jobs around the garden have now been completed, the house painted three times and finally you can get the car in the garage. I’ve been busy working for Cornwall Council at Launceston and Saltash recycling centres, at least I am getting some of my council tax back!!
 
Motorsport UK along with the AMCA seem to have woken up. MSUK intends to start issuing permits soon. Unfortunately some of the paperwork they are proposing is way over the top, the club will need to employ a document manager to keep on top of it.
 
I hope to finish my work next week and then hopefully we will be able to have a virtual committee meeting via Zoom and discuss how we can proceed in the hope to get our sport back on track, so any committee members reading this can start thinking of any items they wish to discuss. The two main events needing discussion will be the David Ayers sporting trial in September and the Tamar Classic road trial in October. With regard to the David Ayers our first concern is that the land owner is happy for us to return, the land owner David Langley has without question been extremely supportive of our club but these are difficult times and nothing should be taken for granted, assuming he is happy we then need to contact the majority of competitors for their thoughts, we certainly won’t be able to provide food as in past years.
 
The Tamar Trial will have plenty of problems, as the regulations stand at the moment there are several issues to consider:- passengers can only be from the same family or household; will marshals over the age of 70 want to travel; can buildings be used for signing on and off and will we be able to control the spectating public on the sections ?? We may also may be restricted to a “clubman “ event.
 
Torbay MC are hoping to run a few events with a hill climb at Wiscombe but they will all be clubman events. In the foreseeable future I do not see any chance of meetings other than that by Zoom, this will be the way forward. As our governing bodies send us more details of the new regulations we will endeavour to get them out to all committee members.
Please all stay safe and enjoy any good weather.
Best regards to all.
Pete
 
If anyone wishes to contribute ideas and suggestions as to how the club can move forward with its future events under the Covid-19 restrictions we would be very pleased to hear from you.
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At the time of writing this I should technically have made a two wheel excursion to Belgium for the Euro Lambretta weekend along with several thousand like minded enthusiasts/ lunatics but hey ho maybe next year. I did manage to take the Dellow out for a short run last week, but alas the engine despite having had a more than modest amount of tlc is still not completely happy, so it was back under the dust sheets for the time being (car not me). Fortunately, the other engine should be back in a couple of weeks, I can then do the rebuild and engine swap, it’s a pity Google don’t do an app for it, it would save all that tiresome spannering, but then I wouldn’t be able to hide away in the garage for hours on end, I’d miss all that oil and grease under the finger nails too.
 
All for this month
J.T. Please, Please send contributions to billjan299@gmail.com

LNCMC March 2020 Newsletter

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Life seems to be going by at quite a pace at the moment, first, we had Brexit which seemed to go on forever we then moved into the storm season, each consecutive one seems to have a more indecipherable name than the last one, then before you know it we have a virus sweeping the world, I’m finding it a bit difficult to keep up. So what’s all this got to do with motorsport? Well the Launceston trial and a few others became victim of the storms and unless the current virus is containable it too will possibly have an effect, it’s a case of keep your fingers crossed and be prepared to adapt, I’m supposedly going on a two wheeled foray to Belgium at the beginning of June but to be honest it’s not looking good, it may end up with a tour of the Southwest, not all bad, we have pasties the Belgian’s don’t.
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Friday the 28th of February saw the club and supporters converging on Trethorne Leisure Centre for our annual sit down buffet and presentation of awards, thanks go to Nigel in particular for the organising of the event which went very well and the meal seemed to be very good value for money. We seemed to have more than the usual amount of speeches this year but that’s probably because as we are celebrating our centenary we feel we have something to shout about.

Lots of awards were given out, in particular it was good to see a couple of junior awards being presented to Ashley and Zak Ruby, always good to encourage youngsters into the sport. After the formalities footage was shown of club events gone by in the fifties and sixties, it was interesting to see the dress code of that period, with the ladies wearing a good variety of head scarves, many of the men in flat caps and wearing a tie, one of my favourite bits of the film was seeing a Messerschmit “Bubble Car” attempting Sims hill, not something you are likely to see again.
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And now it’s time to hand over to our Club President Robin Moore
Historical notes part 6

I’m sure that in the fullness of time the complete history of Cornish Motor Clubs will be chronicled, for it’s a story that needs recording for posterity. The fact that our Lanson club is now involved with celebrating it’s centenary has rather galvanised the mind on these matters. Our Launceston Club has always been to the fore in promoting a variety of motorsport competition and has produced some outstanding drivers wearing the club colours, competing nationally as well as in local events. Before the second World War , mainly as a form of advertising car manufacturers were keen for their products to do well in competition, especially so as a team,- sometimes formally entered as a works team, whilst others had generous works support. There was great rivalry between teams such as Austin, MG and Singer. To a lesser extent this practice continued post war. Entering as a team adds a new dimension with the team captain requiring a certain discipline & tact at times to keep things together, but also the determination to do well. I personally found myself in a different “mindset” when team effort was required and a greater determination to succeed. It adds another dimension, for one doesn’t want to let team mates down.

The “Shades of Crackers” team that I was involved with for a number of years was always a mixed team of different makes of car, but one constant was Norman McKee’s ex Toulmin Cream Cracker car, the MGTA reg ABL 962, it was always part of the team. Norman was the “joker” in the team and could do a wonderful impersonation of Benny Hill. On the MCC Norman was always “ hell bent” on our team beating the Morgan works team on Times in the Special tests . I seem to recall we usually did come out on top!
From time to time some of our club members formed teams of one make cars. In the early 1930’s it was Phil Uglow and the Biscombe brothers of Callington who ran a team of Hillman Aero Minx, whilst post war the team of Dellows ,- George Edwards, Bob and Mary Parsons were very successful. The team who called themselves the “ Union Jacks” was the formidable Morgans of George Edwards, Alin Penhale and Ted Dennis. Painted Red, White and Blue respectively. Ted’s car – the Blue one, was a four seater, a plus 4 with the

Standard Vanguard 2 Litre engine and with his 16 stone ex Navy mechanic and navigator astern they would take some stopping. Happy days and a lot of fun with many wonderful memories.
(to be continued) RHTM

Club Regalia. At the awards evening, the committee members were all wearing the new club Regalia in colours to reflect our centenary.

Items available :

Beanie Hat  – £4.95 + vat
Tee Shirt  – £8.95 = vat
Polo Shirt  – £12.95 + vat
Sweatshirt – £13.95 + vat

These are all available from the suppliers, Protekt Safety Wear.

Telephone 07894 057498 Speak to Mark Doey

Email protect_safetywear@gmail.com

Once ordered you can either collect from their premises at Callington, or delivered by courier for £7.95 (this fee might possibly include more than one item) speak to Mark.

Forthcoming Events

Launceston Trial 15th of March As mentioned in last month’s edition, the team will be out there next week ensuring all is well for the event, if you haven’t entered you really need to get in quick.

The Northgate Sporting Trial is on the 29th of March at Ashleigh Lifton.

Both of these events need Marshals or they will not run so please contact Mike Wevill on 01566 784451 or email j.wevill@btconnect.com

On the 2nd of April, we have our club AGM which will be held at the Blue Lion, Lewdown at 8.00pm. Please make an effort to attend, you never know it might actually be interesting especially if our 3 months of centenary plans are divulged.
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I have often wondered what is the first thing that people see when they arrive at a motorsport event. Most probably it’s an interesting vehicle, or maybe they see someone they haven’t seen for a while and a chance to catch up. How many of you see the Motorsport is Dangerous sign, let alone give it a second thought, after all it isn’t for you is it! Very few people taking part in our chosen sport give it much thought, most thoughts are either achieving fastest time of the day, or being the only one to clear a particular hill.

Unfortunately, accidents do actually happen and it’s at that particular moment the mind is suddenly focused on the less attractive side of the sport. Over the years that I have been involved I have been close to or even witnessed an incident when someone has been injured (ok so you are now making a mental
note to avoid me), I know accidents happen in all sports but most likely few people consider it, if they did there would probably be less of us taking part.

This leads me on to wondering how many of you are blood donors, yes the dreaded needle, I can see some of you fainting now. Be honest lots of us need an extra drop of it at some time in our lives, yes the head is burying deeper in the sand. Some people not only donate blood, but platelets and plasma, you know the sort of thing that is sometimes required during transplants, or when blue babies are born. Dare I even mention carrying a donor card, yes morbid isn’t it, but real ! I would love to get some feedback but probably I won’t, but if you managed to read this to the end it might just set you thinking.

All for this month J.T. e mail billjan299@gmail.com
 

Northgate Trial 2020 Regs and Entry Form

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The regulations and entry form for the Northgate Trial 2020 are now available to download below.

Northgate Trial 2020 Entry Form (1864 downloads) Northgate Trial 2020 Regs (1883 downloads)

The Trial will take place on Sunday 29th of March at Ashley Farm, Lifton (MR201/395842) by kind permission of Paul Webber.

Launceston Trial 2020 Marshalls needed

We are in need of Marshalls for this years Launceston Trial 2020 which takes place on Sunday 15th March. If you would like to Marshall please contact Mike Wevill by calling 01566 784451 or send an email to j.wevill@btinternet.com.

Launceston Trial 2020 Updated Regs and Entry Forms

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The regulations and entry forms for the Launceston Trial 2020 have been updated to reflect the new date of the 15th of March.

Launceston Trial 2020 Car Entry Form (2483 downloads) Launceston Trial 2020 Motorcycle Entry Form (2371 downloads)

Launceston Trial 2020 Car Regs (2357 downloads) Launceston Trial 2020 Motorcycle Regs (2270 downloads)

The online entry system has also been reponed and can be accessed here www.lncmc.co.uk/online-entry/. Postal entries are still welcomed.

Entries now close on TUESDAY 10th March 2020. (No entries will be accepted on the day.)

This single venue classic trial for both motorcycles and cars is held in Lew & Eastcott Woods, Near Lewdown (approx. 10 miles from Launceston) and will take place on Sunday the 15th of March.

Launceston Trial 2020 Postponed

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We’re sorry to say that the Launceston Trial 2020 has been postponed until the 15th of March. This is due to the forecast bad weather on the 9th of February.

If you have entered using the online entry system and can’t compete on the new date then please email info@lncmc.co.uk and we will refund your entry.

We will be reopening the online entry again shortly for new entries. We’re also happy to start recieving entries by post again too.

LNCMC December 2019 Newsletter

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It’s a bit like history repeating itself, I started last month’s newsletter complaining about the weather and what a surprise it’s still raining, even my ducks look a little fed up with it now.

Our dear governing body MSUK or what ever they call themselves this week have managed to put a bit of a spanner in the works by decreeing that all competitors and passengers have to have a competition licence, this means that after January 1st 2020 no matter what event you wish to compete in, even closed to club, the driver and passenger/navigator will have to have a RS Clubman licence, this will mean you are fully insured if your vehicle is involved in an incident. Motorcycle competitors are not affected by this new ruling. The new ruling has caused lots of reaction on social media with its implications to drivers trying to find passengers at short notice, and then making sure that person has a licence. Irrespective of whether they ever take an active role in motorsport or even drive a vehicle after that particular event, ah well MSUK will be able to gather lots of new data from it.

The Ron Beer sporting trial held at Ashley Farm, Lifton in November had an entry of 12 cars which is a good entry considering it was brought forward at short notice from its original date at the end of December. Overall winner of the Ron Beer Trophy was John Cole, 2nd place was George Watson, and 3rd place with a First Class award was Andy Prosser. Andy’s placing was very commendable given that his is one of a small number of home built cars competing on the trials circuit, and actually built by Andy.

February the 9th is the date for the Launceston Trial as usual this will be held in Lee/Lew Woods by kind permission of Mr Peter Newman, it is a single venue event but with such a large area of woods to use it’s almost like entering a full road event, regulations for the event should be out soon.

And now its time for me to pass you over to our club President Robin Moore.

Historical Notes Part 3.

My own involvement with our club commenced in the 1950’s when having witnessed the MCC Lands End at the historic section of New Mills, Boscastle. I knew that I wanted to take part myself , but it had to be a pre-war sports car.

I initially sought the advice of a very dear friend, Ted Dennis, who gave loyal support to our club over many years, He started competing very soon after the 2nd World War and went on to serve as President in the period immediately before myself. His advice to me was to buy a “blown” MG PB, but this never happened, and it was fate that led me to purchasing the complete wreck of a 1932 Wolseley Hornet. I started to write the story of MV 2713 for the M.C.C. Triple magazine, but since writing the introduction I have not progressed the article.

However to continue with these historic notes, it was early 1958 before my Wolseley project was ready to take to the road once more. When I first became involved with North Cornwall Motor Club, as it was then called, the President was Mr Leslie Major of Polapit Tamar, a fine country house near Lady Cross. Mr & Mrs Major on occasions would extend hospitality to club members by inviting us to their lovely home for a social evening, precluded by an unofficial speed test on the drive in front of the house. This was always great fun, and one just used whatever you had driven to Polapit, no comp. numbers or anything like that. It was all good light hearted fun. I have a lasting memory of watching Llewellyn Sandercock with his very smart grey MGTC . Llewellyn was usually to be seen accompanied by his sister driving a Ford Pop in local trials. He was a regular competitor at the time and lived in Week St Mary.

After having fun with our motors we tramped indoors to the ballroom, where light refreshments were provided, the gramophone wound up, a record placed on the turntable and you could take your partner for a dance. Serendipity !

RHTM to be continued ……

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Britain’s ISDE Heroines!

British women surprised the world at the 2019 International Six Days Enduro. Club member Richard Simpson reports from Portugal

The nominations for BBC Sports Personality have closed, and it’s unlikely that the names Jane Daniels, Rosie Rowett or Nieve Holmes will feature among the front-runners.

Which is a shame. These three motorcycle racers made up the GB Women’s Trophy Team in the recent International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) in Portimao, Portugal. Not only was it the first time any of them had entered the event, which is known as the Olympics of Motorcycling, it was also the first time that there has been a British Women’s team in the ISDE, which dates back to 1913. Their entry was so late they were not even included in the event programme, and they were scratching around for funding until the last minute.

In spite of that, they finished third!

The ISDE fully deserves its reputation as one of the toughest sporting events in any discipline. Riders are expected to cover distances of up to 280 km a day, mostly cross-country, in periods of seven-and-a-half hours for five consecutive days. These marathon stints are conducted to a strict time schedule. Arrive at a checkpoint a minute early, and you are out of the competition. Arrive more than a minute late, and the penalties start. If the penalties total more than an hour over the event, you are out!

If that’s not tough enough, during the day you ride four special tests against the clock, with total times counting against you.

Jane Daniels cleared a part of the course that defeated all the other women and most of the men, only to see it struck from the results as being ‘too hard’!

And Nieve Holmes aggravated an early injury on day four, dislocating a shoulder… twice. Knowing that her retirement would put the British Women out of the competition, she battled on to finish.

Further down the field, riders from club teams from all over the world struggle with the terrain, fitness and mechanical defects. There was a standout British runner in this class, too. Bradley Mair of Witley MCC finished the event, riding a 1981 Maico 490.

Some rider, some bike!

Enjoy watching the Sports Personality of the Year, but bear in mind that those featured are not the only ones who excelled themselves in 2019.

At the end of each day you get just 15 minutes to change tyres and carry out any work required on the bike, with a further 10 minutes before you start the next day. No one else is allowed to touch your bike!

So, what happens on day six?

Well, you have a nice restful motocross race, bar-to-bar against 39 other racers!

How did the British riders do?

The much-fancied British Men’s Trophy team was cursed with bad luck and injury, but the British women rode beyond all expectations, coming from nowhere to hold second place in their class at one point against semi-professional opposition from Australia, Germany and the USA.

In the end, they were overtaken by the German team, while no one ever seriously challenged the American women. However, there were some standout performances from British bronze medallists.

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Joe Caudle our Membership Secretary says that no-one responded to the call of paying their subs as per last month’s reminder. Please send your £10.00 to PM Wevill, The Manor House, Lifton, Devon, PL16 0BJ. Please make any cheques out to Launceston and North Cornwall Motor Club Ltd. Pay now whilst prices are still held at last years low price, There is no special offers or Black Friday bargains to be had. Those of you wishing to renew online can do so at https://www.lncmc.co.uk/online-entry/membership-application-form/ and yes we can relieve you of your money this way, it doesn’t get much easier.

Camel Vale Motor Club are hosting a meeting on Tuesday the 3rd of December at the Victory Hall, Roche at 8.00pm. Topics for discussion include forestry, working parties and other topics to do with motor sport. I shall be travelling down with Andy Prosser, Andy has a six seater van so if anyone would like a lift get in touch with him on 01566 777122.

Things in the garage have been relatively quiet with my main objective being to get miles on the Dellow to run in the rebuilt engine in time for the Exeter Trial in January, it may seem a little way off but it will come around all too quick, especially as in my case I am what’s known as “date challenged” ( I don’t think it’s a true medical term) I just struggle to know what’s happening and when. Even my scooter jobs have been a little slow, mainly because I don’t get too excited at taking to two wheels when the weather has been throwing it down as it has been for the last month or more, must be getting soft in my old age.

All for now other than on behalf of the club to wish everyone a merry Christmas and Happy new year, enjoy.

J.T. for contributions please send to billjan299@gmail.com

Views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the club, don’t shoot the committee, the editor is open to verbal written targets though.

Ron Beer Trial 2019 Date Moved Forward to Sunday 10th of November

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The Gloucestershire based  Fedden Sporting Trial which was due to take place on Sunday 10th of November has now been cancelled. As a result, we have decided to move the date of the Ron Beer forward to Sunday 10th of November in a hope of securing some of the Fedden competitors.

Details of the Fedden cancellation can be found on the Bristol Motor Club website.

The Ron Beer Sporting Trial will take place at Ashley Farm, Lifton (MR201/395842) by kind permission of Paul Webber.

The Regs and Entry Form can be downloaded below. Entries close on 8th November 2019.

Ron Beer 2019 Regs (1846 downloads) Ron Beer 2019 Entry Form (1773 downloads)