TRIALS SCENE EXTRA
Originally published in Restart, the ACTC magazine.
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CLEE HILLS TRIAL 2003
If you’ve ever wondered how you get ‘volunteered’ to contribute a trials report to Restart, I’ll tell you what not to do. What you don’t do (Part 1) is to say, when first asked by Mrs Toulmin, “Oh no, I couldn’t possibly, I had an awful day. I don’t feel like writing anything unless I’ve had a good day.” What you don’t do (Part 2) is to march up to the signing-off desk and say “B****r the results, that was brilliant!” and then find that Mrs Toulmin is hiding behind the door to remind you of your previous offer. So with that word of advice out of the way, how was the 2003 Clee Hills Trial?
If you did the event, or have read the considerable correspondence on the Classical Gas Web Community, then you probably know already but all I can say is that the ACTC Chairman/Treasurer combination of Simon Woodall and Barbara Selkirk have started the year by putting down a very serious challenge in the ‘Trial of the Year’ competition. Insiders will know that the Clee and the Allen have both won numerous times and the selectors have had to widen their criteria (remember that this award is discretionary) to include ‘most improved’ or ‘best potential’ to prevent it becoming an annual two-horse race.
There are, I think, three main reasons for the incredible quantity of positive comments made both during, and after, this year’s event. Firstly, it was perfect trialling weather with watery winter sun, and just the occasional light shower, after days of rain which had left the hills in prime condition. Secondly, the Clee now uses an excellent set of sections based on the 'perfect' formula for an excellent trial – one third easy (should be climbed by all), one third testing (should be climbed by a majority), one third difficult (to get a result). OK, so it didn’t quite work out that way on the day, but the intention was there. Thirdly, Simon had tried really hard to achieve what many regard as the perfect result – at least one from each class in the Top Ten overall. What he actually achieved was seven out of eight classes in the Top 15 and only 10 points separating 1st and 15th places. That, as Dave Haizelden has remarked, is a result!
To achieve this balance between the classes, Simon used more cunning plans than Baldrick on a good day. To note just two: a seemingly obscure mix of tyre pressures – I think he knew what he was doing(!); and additional Class 7/8 only sections although Meadowley was cancelled which reduced it to just one extra for Class 8 only. Simon also uses at least two sections which favour larger wheeled cars – Round Oak and Hungerford – then he adds tyre pressure restrictions for 7/8, and a restart for 8 only, on Hungerford. The result? Hungerford was cleaned by the Tucker-Peake Peugeot in Class 1, two Austin 7s and the Bennett MG in Class 2, Giles Greenslade in Class 4, three big Beetles in Class 6, and no one else! I don’t apologise for dwelling at length on this aspect of organising a trial. Simon certainly has a lot of experience of running the Clee, but it’s this attention to detail that gives the best chance of achieving the sort of result that we had this year and leaves a majority of competitors with smiles on their faces.
So how was it for us? Well, I had a point to prove after an inexplicably less-than-satisfactory Exeter (if you didn’t get an award in Class 7 you were seriously off-form, and we didn’t). It started well with a stirring climb of Farlow which I thought was all right until I discovered we were one of only two cleans in Class 7. We then did the Ratlinghope/Gatten/Adstone loop with spectacular scenery and a pleasant half-hours wait for the marshals to arrive at Ratlinghope. Things then went spectacularly downhill at Round Oak where we committed what I understand is the classic ‘beginners error’ and attacked the lower part of the section at full power before sliding off into the ditch for an 11. It took what seemed forever to extricate us and required the recovery Land Rover to stay behind us on the track with a winch rope going past the car, round a pulley on a tree ahead of us and to the left, then back to the car. We were then winched out of the right hand ditch and back into the ruts before we could reverse out.
This was immediately followed by our second driver error when we misread the deliberately cryptic instructions and failed Special Test 2. But after that the adrenaline was back up and we cleaned Ippikins Rock thanks to our ‘better than a London Taxi turning circle’, got to a 6 on Jenny Wind which we thought was good until we saw the results (Roger Bricknell and John Ludford both got to a 4 in Class 7), and to a 4 on Meadowley before it was cancelled. I know fourth in Class out of only six finishers is hardly cause for celebration but without the two unnecessary mistakes we would have been a clear second – if only!
Enough about us, what about the rest? Congratulations to Terry Ball for following-up his Class 6 win on the Exeter with the Overall on the Clee, to Adrian Tucker-Peake for his Class 1 win and second overall, and to Dave Haizelden for third overall on the same number of points as Adrian but slower on the special tests. The Turner BMW took Class 3 and fourth overall but a special mention must go to Peter Fear who had an absolutely cracking day in the Dingo, cleaning Hillside when the next best was Paul Bartleman on a 7, and beating Adrian Marfell by one point to take Class 8 and fifth overall. Now, on to the Exmoor…
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