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CLEE CHANGES
There
is an excellent classic trial organised by another club, but it is the
same year in and year out – experienced competitors have no need of a
route book for the lanes and hills are so familiar.
If
that is a criticism, it cannot be levelled at the Midland
Automobiles Club’s Clee Hills Trial, and this year’s event would see
more changes than for many a year.
The most noticeable was the new start and finish venue at the
Craven Arms Hotel. We were so sorry the leave the warm, friendly welcome
we have received at the Boyne Arms for many years, and it was doubtful
whether we would be able to enjoy such culinary delights as always came
from Janet’s kitchen. But last year, the trial’s home for the last 7
years had lost half of its rather small car park. With the kindness of
Lord Boyne, the event had used several different sections on the
Burwarton Estate each year since 1994, but it was time to look for new
sections, and to shorten the road distance of the trial – I was
determined to get everyone to the finish in daylight.
For 2001, I had
passed the organiser’s mantle to Simon Woodall. He had found some
superb new sections, and his 2003 event won MAC the much-coveted
‘Trial of the Year’ award, presented just a few weeks ago. After 3
years, Simon has passed the event back to me to organise the event for
the next 3 years (?).
The
club’s trial has developed a reputation for equality of opportunity
– potentially a competitor from any of the eight standard classes
could win the event outright and indeed, over the last eight years, the
winner has come from six different classes, and that again was one
objective for this year’s event. Perhaps this is the reason for the
trial’s popularity with 86 entries being received, including a healthy
ten entries for the “clubsport” (shorter/easier) event. Other
objectives for this year’s event included a shorter trial, with fewer
delays and new sections with the usual three challenging special tests.
The most radical change for this was to develop the idea (that Simon and
I had discussed several times during the last three or four years) of
running the trial in more than one loop, so that different sections
could be used simultaneously. Simon had tested the idea successfully
tested last year, with a couple of small loops, and one large one, to
spread the field out. This year’s event would see two loops of almost
equal length, with half the competitors doing the western loop in the
morning and then tackling the eastern loop in the afternoon, whilst the
remainder did it the other way round.
Sunday
January 18th dawned with a bright clear sky and a hard frost,
with the first cars leaving the start at 8.40am, some with a difficult
drive over the narrow precipitous and ice-bound Burway, whilst the
“East-loopers” tackled two timed tests. The second – at Longville
– was straightforward, but required considerable skill to avoid
penalty. Only eleven drivers managed it successfully! Immediately after
Longville was a new section on National Trust land at Easthope, where
the local NT warden watched only eight drivers see the top without
penalty. Most unfortunate here was previous Clee winner Paul Bartleman
who got his Troll to the top, but a keen-eyed marshal spotted a stop,
and even a small roll back, before continuing the climb, so Paul got 5
penalties which cost him the outright win. The next section was
Major’s Leap so called as in the Middle Ages, a Major, returning from
the pub on horseback, leapt over Ippikin’s Rock and lived to tell the
tale in the pub the next day! Last year only two got up, but with
slightly drier conditions, five saw the summit. Earlier that morning, I
had shown one of the Land-Rover boys who were providing recovery there,
where to park at the top of the section. Standing beside the “Section
Ends” board, and looking down the near-vertical gradient, he uttered
“B….Hell!”.
Amazingly
Andrew Martin, in his Class 7 Dutton Melos, got to the top – as he did
on all the other sections (except the easy Longville special test!) –
which gave him the overall win.
To
the west of the Long Mynd, there were three new sections. The first, a
byway running from Walkmill to Wentnor, looked easy but many struggled
here and it stopped a few. There were perplexed competitors as they
approached the next section, called Medlicott, another new one.
For
classes 6, 7 and 8 only, the approach was down the
much-loved Adstone section, which was all marked out, as it would be
used later in the day for the other classes to come up! Despite deep
ruts, adverse cambers and a tricky kink through a gate at the top,
Medlicott stopped only 5 competitors.
The new section at Plowden was very easy but gave competitors
spectacular views over the southern tip of the Long Mynd. Everyone
obeyed the country code and closed the many gates on this private track
– just as well as both the tenant farmer and the land-owner were
spectators there. Perhaps next year we can persuade them to let us use
the full length of “Allez ‘Oop”.
Last
year there had been a two-hour wait at Round Oak, but most competitors
had agreed that driving the section made the wait worthwhile. With the
two-loop arrangement, and cars running a 2-minute cycle, there were no
delays this year, helped, no doubt, by the greater familiarity with the
section. This year 44 got up, and no one attacked the hedge, which had
caused big delays last year.
The
early competitors were signing-off at the finish from shortly after 2pm.
Round Oak, just four miles from the finish, was closed before 4pm,
whilst on the other loop, the last hill was Hungerford, which saw its
last competitor that day before 4.15 pm with still half an hour of
daylight left. The hotel
provided some much appreciated meals both before and after the event,
and Sue, the manageress, was most helpful. The entire hotel has been
booked for next year!
The
MAC handicapping system worked well with 6 classes featuring in the top
12 overall positions. Seventy-two
competitors signed off at The Craven Arms Hotel – all seemed to have
enjoyed the event with excellent sections, no delays, and early finish
– and excellent weather. The novel routing proved universally popular.
The clubsport event was won by Bill Faulkner (Troll), whilst Dave Symons’
Citroen AX won the front wheel drive class. The pre-war class went to
Jeremy Flann in his Austin 7, and Harvey Waters (RWD Escort) won
Class 3. Former Trials Champion Adrian Marfell won Class 4 in his 1300cc
Beetle. The sports car class went to Jeff Buchanan driving a Reliant
SS1. With Andrew Martin being declared the overall winner, the award for
Class 7 went to Howard Stephens’ Marlin and Ian Davis won Class 8 in
his VW Buggy. Simon Woodall, also driving a VW Buggy, (now fuel
injected) won the ‘Best MAC member’ cup.
I
wish to thank those who helped MAC run the trial – the officials
including Dave Whitefoot (who persuaded an huge number of marshals to
turn out), Dave Ball, Cathy and Jack Warner, Roger and John Warren, Ian
Bevington, Robin Parker (with noise meter – what else?) Tony May, Ian
Williamson, Keith and Caroline Harris, and by no means least, my wife
Pat who did countless hours of the growing paperwork necessary to put on
this event. In addition, Simon Woodall gave me many hours of vital help
right up to the day before the event (despite being a competitor!). Most
sincere thanks, of course, go also to the 90+marshals who endured
sub-zero temperatures and enjoyed bright winter sunshine for several
hours on the day – without them there would have been no trial.
Jonathan
Toulmin
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2004 Restart
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