Greetings all, it’s February and the birds are singing, frogs are spawning and the days are definitely getting longer, coming out of Winter is always a good feeling even if I am being a little optimistic.

The club is actively getting things organised for the Awards evening on the 4^th of March, two weeks later we have the Launceston Trial on the 20^th of March. In addition to this we are hoping to start a social evening gathering where members can just turn up and chew the fat as it were and maybe occasionally have a guest speaker, if anyone has a preference for a subject/speaker please let one of the committee know.

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MSUK Changes as of 22^nd  January 2022  Fire Extinguishers.

Section T- Trials

T10.2  All vehicles must comply with Construction and Use Regulations and be fitted with safety belts if appropriate. Where fitted, seat belts must be worn on the public highway. Fire extinguishers to a level of safety specified in K.3.2 are mandatory and which are accessible to the crew. (note a 1.75ltr minimum for AFFF or 2x1Kg Powder is permitted).

T11.7.3 Fire extinguishers to safety criteria K.3.2 (note a 1.75ltr minimum for AFFF or 2x2ltr AFFF or 2x1Kg  Powder is permitted).

Date of Implementation : Immediate

Reason: To accommodate fire extinguishers in the restricted cockpits common to many trials cars, either through the 2021 capacity requirements for a single AFFF extinguisher or to permit the minimum capacity to be achieved by two physically smaller extinguishers.

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And now over to our club President Robin Moore

The Ramblings of RHTM February 2022

Sometimes gremlins appear in my jottings for JT the price to pay for not having a proof reader, or a copy to check before it goes to print. John does a wonderful job in translating my longhand but errors are bound to occur occasionally, especially when a word is very similar for example  Continued when it should have been Construed and Mike Cooper when it should have been Mike Couper, as happened in my ramblings of last month. And of the two   Hispanos residing at Darley House, it was of course the Vintage H6 model, whilst the V12 a PVT (Post Vintage Thoroughbred) as classified by the VSCC. Please excuse this pre amble, but I felt this needed clarification. (My apologies Robin Ed).

When I started to write to write this piece for my monthly offering, it fitted in quite nicely from my previous narrations on my Graham Paige, as it happened about the same time. Richard Farley had invited me to join him when he planned to join him when he planned to give the H6 Hispano a really good run on his intended visit to the VSCC Prescott Hill Climb meeting in August, an invitation I was more than keen to accept.  It’s not often that one has the chance to experience a long distance run in a Hispano Suiza. From memory this particular car was the well known ex Peter Hampton Hispano Sports Saloon with its very attractive blue fabric covered coachwork and polished aluminium bonnet.

And so it was that I drove my Graham Paige to Darley House to meet up with Richard and be ready for an early start at 8.00am. Prescott is near Cleave Hill, Cheltenham and approximately 170 miles from this part of North Cornwall, and it was planned to go up and back in the day,- a round trip of some 350 miles, so an early start was essential and would allow 4 or 5 hours at the meeting. Compared to the congestion on our present day roads , the density of traffic 60 years ago was comparatively light, but the road network had seen little change since pre-war days, so it was quite a challenge.

On my arrival at our point of departure I learnt that we were five in number making this trip of a lifetime. Ensconced in the back seat of this fine motor were the three siblings of Dr Dyke of Rilla Mill , the great steam traction enthusiast: My recollections of the journey are somewhat hazy after so long an interval in time, but I do remember we made good time, and even making a stop at Seavington St Michael where there was a very nice Inn here.  Richard very kindly treated us to refreshments and seemingly appeared to be in no great hurry and very relaxed about everything.  Obviously a man full of confidence in the capability and performance of this fine vintage motor car. Everything about the day seemed leisurely and unhurried.

It was on the return journey late in the evening after we had made a stop for fuel that I had that never to be forgotten moment. Richard said to me as we approached the Ilchester straight   “ let’s see what the old girl will do” .  He floored the accelerator and took this great motor car up to 90mph, and this was some impressive I can tell you, and something that remains indelibly printed on my mind.

R.H.T.M.

Footnote from the Ed. Re Robin’s last month’s article in connection with Richard Farley. In my youth I lived in Plymouth for some 10 years in the very house where the Farleys Rusks bakery started, there is now a blue plaque on the property at 41 Bretonside. Like many, we were totally unaware of the notoriety of the property.

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Events

The awards evening will take place at Trethorne on Friday 4^th of March, we are asked to arrive at 7.00pm  for a 7.30pm buffet dinner, although the full cost is £15.45 guests will only pay £10.00, the club is kindly subsidising the meal. Please either let Lisa via Facebook  know of your intention to attend or telephone Nigel on 07902 542798  , they will also be able to give you the menu options.

AGM

The date set for the AGM is the10th of March at the White Hart Hotel at 7.30pm , a date not to be missed and your chance to join the committee or alternatively just buy them all a drink in appreciation for all the hard work they put in for you, the members.
 
Launceston Trial

As mentioned earlier, the venue is as in the past at Eastcott Woods, again Nimble Nigel is in control. The event is open to all the usual car and bike classes so it is an event not to be missed. We are arranging a working party for the clearing of sections on the 13^th of February meeting at the Wood yard at 10.00am, anyone wishing to attend and not sure of directions please get in touch with any committee member.

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For Sale

I’m having a sort out of the many books that I have and have put together a collection of Austin 7 books that I no longer have use for, the whole collection would have been quite expensive back in the day, as a job lot I am offering them for £50 either e mail your interest or ring me 07971 249783, somewhat heavy to post so collection preferred.      J.T.         

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BTRDA SPORTING  TRIAL GOLD & SILVER STAR  FINAL
 
The pinnacle event of the Sporting Trial world took place on Saturday 22 January 2022 at Crewkerne. This was the furthest south for many years & therefore did not entail a ridiculous very early set off.

 After a very cold Friday I was decked out in thermals & many layers but come Saturday morning the temperature wasn’t too bad & conditions under foot were pretty idea. Already signed on & after rudimentary scrutineering & a bacon bap 6 lb tyre pressure was the order of the day.

 Through a quirk of qualifying rules, based on average scores, having only done 2 rounds with low entries I ended up in the Gold class (first time ever ).

 The entry comprised the top 29 English drivers, 2 from Northern Ireland & one other.
There were 3 rounds of 9 hills on a superb site, mainly on slippery grassy approaches but with thick bracken further up.

 At lunch time after 2 rounds Simon Kingsley & Thomas Bricknell both driving Crossles  were equal on 19 points with David Webster from Northern Ireland just 2 points adrift. There was close competition throughout the whole field.
 Simon managed to just squeeze past Thomas in the final round to win the Gold Star by 2 points (dropping 24 in total). Ian Wright had a good late surge to finish 3^rd just 5 points adrift.

 In addition to the Gold Star Simon (at his request) was presented with a LNCMC beanie hat to promote the club up North.

 In the Silver class Jason Daniel from Camelford, who in days gone by was a regular passenger for me, drove his aged live axle Concord superbly to win the class a clear 12 points ahead of the 2^nd placed Boyd Webster in a Crossle.  Jason was 15th overall & not many points away from a top ten place.

 Personally, I very much enjoyed the day, the car did not miss a beat but I did have a bit of brain fade on the last  2 hills. With in section direction help from Nigel, we did better than I expected beating a few competitors that I would not normally to reach 19^th overall.

 All in all a very well organised event on a super site & many thanks to the BTRDA officials & marshals  & especially to the Veale family for their hard work.

  I hope that next year’s final is not too far North & I also hope that I can claim my rightful place in the Silver rather  the Gold.

My thanks also to my long suffering passenger Nigel Cowling
 
Mike Wevill.

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 Chairman’s Chat……..

Last month, while I was working on the reshelling of an MGB many of you will have been involved in competing, officiating or spectating at the MCC Exeter Trial.  I am pleased to see that our editor had a successful transition from Class O back to The main trial.  He took advantage of the opportunity provided by being able to run The Dellow in class 2 and achieved a bronze award.  Well done JT, the car owed you a good result.  Regular readers of this newsletter will know why!  A video on YouTube shows them climbing Simms in fine style.

The club committee met recently and are looking forward to running the upcoming events.  It is a privilege to be able to chair meetings with such a knowledgeable and enthusiastic group.  Hopefully our planned calendar of activities can go ahead this year.

We have the awards presentation evening March 4th and our AGM on Thursday March 10th.  Awards officer Nigel Cowling is busy getting the trophies inscribed and  ready.  Many were on display last summer and autumn in the museum for our delayed centenary exhibition.  We are also bringing some older trophies back into use and have a new one to present. 

I hope to see as many of you as possible at both events.  It would be good to see as many as possible of the trophies going to  home with the winners to be admired for the year.  You will be welcome at the AGM when apart from electing officers and the committee ideas for future events and activities are sought.  It is hoped that as Covid exerts less of an influence on our lives the club can expand our social side.  We have some plans but suggestions are always welcome, especially if they come with offers of help.

I hope to see you at one of our events in 2022.

Joe Caudle

Tailpiece

As our chairman reports Phil Hingley and I had an enjoyable Exeter trial, having not driven the car competitively for over two years and coupled with its recent history of mechanical tantrums it was a tentative return with the main objective being to finish without the aid of a recovery vehicle. It took a while to get into the swing of things but our confidence gradually increased throughout the event, climbing Simms is always a bit of icing on the cake, on average I clear it every ten years.

I have always regarded these events as something of a social gathering coupled with motorsport, for quite a bit of the event we were running with Simon Oates and John Werren , they were not having their best of times in the newly acquired Liege, but Simon demonstrated his skill with a big hammer at the top of Fingle where he removed the buckles from the Dellow’s wheel rims , a skilled operative indeed.  Simon and John weren’t too impressed at the floods at Lenda Lane though, particularly when the water entered the lower part of the car and filled John’s crib bag.

As always on these events there is an eclectic mix of vehicles, from a strange looking Austin 7 ? to the Reliant Regal as pictured, fortunately entered in the class R road event. The Reliant reminded me of as Robin said “a never forgotten moment” although mine was not nearly as impressive. Some forty years ago  I  had the misfortune of driving a Reliant in Plymouth, doing about 40mph which is plenty fast enough I was approaching a roundabout and as normal steered into it but momentarily forgetting I was deficit in quantity of wheels to the tune of one. First the nearside rear wheel came up, as I corrected the offside one did the same, it suddenly dawned on me I was in a fragile plastic box, enthusiastically sold to my late stepfather as a “car”.  On straightening up the beast regained all three wheels much to my relief, although the pressure on my bicycle clips was at maximum.

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