Taw & Torridge Trial 2025 Entries Open

Entries are now open for the 2025 Taw & Torridge Trial, to be held on Sunday 14th September.

CARS : 2025 Taw & Torridge Trial Regulations (CARS)

BIKES : 2025 Taw & Torridge Trial Regulations (BIKES)

ONLINE ENTRY FORM : 2025 Taw & Torridge Trial Online Entry

“We are grateful to Clovelly Estates for allowing their car park and facilities at the Clovelly
Visitors Centre to be used for the start again this year.

We do not promise mud for a trial in September but we do have an abundance of sections in
the spectacular North Devon countryside!

We should have at least 17 sections and a special test in a route of approx. 60 miles. Please
come and have fun with us!

Start Venue : The Clovelly Visitors Centre, Clovelly, Bideford, EX39 5TL

2024 Final Championship Tables

Here are the final championship tables for 2024. Congratulations to all the winners.

2024 Championship Tables

CARS – National Championship Winners
2024 Wheelspin League : Paul Merson
2024 Crackington League : Simon Oates
2024 Navigators League : Alice Warren Carter

MOTORCYCLES – National Championship Winners
2024 Pouncy League Overall : John Reeves
2024 Pouncy League Class : Kathryn Martin
2024 Red Rose League : Andy Beveridge

2025 ACTC Championships Entry Form

ACTC

Click here to use our online entry system.

The 2025 ACTC Championship will soon be upon us, we have held 2024 prices for all championships and for printed Restart magazines.

Cars : £10 (£4 for Navigator)      Bikes : £5

Printed copies of Restart magazine is £12.

Enter online here (payment by Paypal or card).

If you would rather send your entry in by post then download the form below.

ACTC Entry Form 2025 (PDF)

ACTC Entry Form 2025 (DOC)

Please email or post your entry form to Claire Tonkin – [email protected], postal address is on the form. You can pay by online transfer, or cheque.

Hill Reversing Guide

ACTC TRIALS DRIVING – HILL REVERSING GUIDE – ‘BRAKING IT DOWN’

As we state and recognise, motorsport can be dangerous and in our specialism it is often the case that for a car driver having made an ‘almost successful’ climb, the task of safely and confidently reversing his steed back down a slippery, uneven and twisting track when perhaps surrounded by marshals, spectators, trees and banks, can prove daunting. Whilst the car can be relatively stable under power on the ascent, it can prove wayward under the influence of gravity and any loss of control.

ACTC Committee here propose guidelines that may be offered to competitors in the form of best practice to follow, though of course they are not mandatory. It is not possible to allow for every scenario and vehicle type, but the following is the reversing process to adopt in typical trialling circumstances.

These guidelines aim to accommodate the different behaviour of ‘Older’ cars (likely to have a 4 wheel handbrake and no steering column lock) and the more ‘Modern’ ones (likely to have servo brakes and power steering for example). We can ‘Brake Down’ the principles here through the summary A.B.S. – in this case Awareness, Braking and Steering.

1. Preparation

Awareness:

  • ensure you have good side and rear visibility around your car from the driver’s seat
  • ensure the reversing light is powerful and aligned for any night-time action
  • brief your passenger if a novice, on procedure for hill failures and exit routes

Braking:

  • give your footbrake and handbrake good firm ‘function’ tests both before and during the trial in safe places, such as at controls and waiting in queues
  • consider installing a hydraulic handbrake – more powerful and reassuring, and there’s plenty of advice out there

Steering:

  • wrap a yellow tape band around the steering wheel rim at the straight ahead spot

2. Stopped on a Section

Awareness:

  • listen to the marshals’ instructions
  • take a good look around and behind you for any obstacles or people, check mirrors
  • keep your passenger seated in the car unless otherwise instructed

Braking (Older) :

  • apply the handbrake firmly
  • switch off the engine and engage reverse gear

Braking (Modern) :

  • apply both footbrake AND handbrake firmly
  • leave the engine running in forward gear and press the clutch pedal down

Steering:

  • check your front wheels are facing ahead using the rim tape and marshal guidance

3. Reversing Down

Awareness:

  • have your passenger and marshals guide you
  • STOP and take a breather if it is long and twisty, recover and then continue

Braking (Older) :

  • release the handbrake and keep off the footbrake
  • use the compression of the dead engine to allow a steady descent

Braking (Modern) :

  • lightly release both brakes to let the car creep back
  • pulse the footbrake about 2 times / second to keep slip under control
  • when the car is steady, shift to use handbrake only, to regain your steering keep the clutch down, in gear, with the engine running
  • if you run wide, STOP, shunt forward and try again

Steering:

  • try to keep all wheels in the ruts around bends
  • DON’T let the car sweep round sideways across a steep hill
  • keep the car pointing uphill until it’s safe to turn around

Once you are safely back down, thank any parties who may have helped you, take a breath and maybe ‘uncrick’ your neck! Above all, practice these guidelines perhaps at a single venue trial where experts can advise, take…your…time and be safe!

Adrian Tucker-Peake

Torbay Trial 2025 Entries Open

Torbay Motor Club LogoEntries are now open for the 2025 Torbay Trial, this year running on Sunday 16th March.

2025 Torbay Trial Regulations (CARS)
2025 Torbay Trial Regulations (BIKES)

2025 Torbay Trial Online Entry

“Conditions permitting we hope to have three new Sections this year along with the popular classics like Simms and Tipley.

We expect to put on another tough event and will again do our best to balance this across the Classes to give each Class a fair crack at the Overall positions. This will include Scoring Relief on some Sections based on Class and/or wheel size (e.g. cars running 13″ wheels).

This event is often fully subscribed before the closing date so if you are thinking of entering then best not to leave it too long.

If you are not planning to compete but can help to Marshal, then please contact Dave Haizelden Clerk of Course – 07841 860121.”

Start Venue : Exeter Court Hotel, Kennford, Exeter EX6 7UX

2024 ACTC Championships Awards Evening

Tickets are now available for the ACTC Awards Evening, one of the few opportunities triallers get to sit in the same room without leaving at one minute intervals!

This year’s ACTC Awards Evening will be on Saturday the 15th of March 2025, once again the night before the Torbay Trial. The venue will again be at the popular Padbrook Park Hotel at Cullompton and we plan to have a fun evening looking back over the 2024 season and congratulating those that will pick up the silverware.

Ticket sales must close on Friday 21st February 2025 so that final numbers and Menu Choices can be passed to the Hotel. Plenty of accomodation is available but you please must book this yourselves.

If you’re planning to come along then best not to delay, you can book using the following link :

ACTC Awards Evening Booking Form