MARLINS IN CLASSIC TRIALS

Although now very much a minority interest, Classic Trials are one of the oldest forms of motor sport with a history going back to before the First World War. As a general introduction to the sport you can do no better than visit the Association of Classic Trials Clubs website.

The cars

Marlins have competed in classic trials since the very earliest days of the Roadster and they are still one of the most popular, and competitive, ways of taking part. Marlins are by far the largest one-make group in Class 7, with 20 to 30 cars entered in most MCC events. Cars in modern trials take a serious battering and Marlins, particularly the Marina-based M models, are prized for the inherent strength of their design and the ease with which minor mechanical damage can be repaired.

But to be competitive, and survive (!), trials-prepared Marlins require some modification from the typical build of a road car. Articles on preparing the Roadster for trials use were published in the August 1995 and December 1996 editions of the Marlin Owners Club magazine 'Pitstop' and these formed the basis of the original Technical Topics pages.

Since I bought my own Marlin in 1995 I have been keeping a comprehensive record of Marlins used for classic trials, although I did not start the "Definitive List" until 1997. This list has now been transferred to my "Wheelspin" website and can be seen from this link.

The competitors

Over the years, Marlins have been extremely successful in Classic Trials with Terry Coventry winning the ACTC Wheelspin Trophy in 1990 with his 3500cc V8-engined car. MCC trials regularly attract 20 to 30 Marlin entries including a significant number of competitors who only enter MCC events. Despite Arthur Vowden's success during the 1999 and 2000 seasons, Marlin interest in the ACTC Championship is comparatively low with the numbers of registered competitors only just into double figures most years, and rarely more than half-a-dozen drivers scoring championship points in non-MCC events. Most ACTC One-Day events do, however, attract a handful of local Marlin entrants who choose not to register for the ACTC Championship.

The unquestioned Marlin "star" of recent years is Bryan Phipps who has had an amazing run of success in MCC events culminating in a much-prized MCC Triple Award for the 2007 season. Bryan competes in few ACTC events but he's always competitive when he does, as his second-place-in-class in both the 2006 and 2007 Cotswold Clouds shows. Murray Montgomery-Smith has been the most regular Marlin competitor in ACTC events over the last couple of years, and Mal Allen, Pete Hart, and Howard Stephens have all been recent Class 7 winners. John Ludford and Tim Lakin uphold Marlin honours in the primarily summer sport of Production Car Trials.

Read more on the Events/Reports/Results pages.

The action

If you want to see what it's all about, and catch a few Marlins in action, it's best to spectate at a major hill on one of the three MCC events. MCC competitors receive the route card in advance, and the events are run to a strict time schedule, which makes planning your spectating much easier. However if you're thinking of taking part yourself, and want to chat to fellow competitors, it's best to go to the start of the event where drivers are normally more relaxed - there's no point in trying to engage in light-hearted conversation with a driver who's just failed a 'section' or is repairing a puncture!

You can get the dates of all ACTC events from the ACTC website, details of MCC events from the MCC website and details of the best spectator hills on MCC events from this link.

Getting started

If you're thinking of competing in classic trials with a Marlin Roadster, read the Getting Started page.

This page updated 12 February 2008