Tuesday 31 December 2002

ACTC Membership Cards - 2003

For those of you that have sent in your Driver and/or Nav Entry forms for 2003 AND who will be at the Awards Cermeony on the Sunday morning after the Exeter, I will be there clutching a lot of envelopes with your 2003 cards.  Please come and see me and I will hand over the goods.
If your not doing the Exeter, but are doing the Clee, then look out for your envelopes at signing-on.
If you don't see me at the Trecarn and are not doing the Clee, then your letters/2003 cards will be in the post shortly after the Clee.
 
Have a very good time at your New Year celebrations - and Good Luck in 2003.
 
Chris Phillips
ACTC Championship Secretary  

Monday 30 December 2002

Exeter Trial 2003

I have got the electronic version of the route card from John Aley and will soon need to reformat it to fit my Acerbis holder. Does anyone know of any amendments or additions before I commit please?
 
Also, I recall being able to print off a marked up map for either the 2002 Exeter or Lands End - anyone seen that yet?
 
Belated Happy Christmas to all triallists and a timely New Year's best wishes!
 
Brian
 
PS Mind you with competitor number 13,  I guess I need all the luck myself ;o)

Monday 23 December 2002

Message to David Alderson - Virus Warning

David, There was a Virus in your "Happy Christmas" e-mail! It's a "Klez" type which you can remove with a free tool you can download from Noron at http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.klez.h@mm.html 
 
Michael
 

Sunday 22 December 2002

Welcome Roger Dudley

A warm welcom to Roger Dudley who has just joined. Roger has done a lot of Motorsport over the years. These days he mainly does PCT's in a Dutton Melos which he would like to try on a Classic Trial sometime.
 
Michael

Wednesday 18 December 2002

Exeter Timing

Sorted your Exeter Routecard Timing yet?
Try the Calculator on the MCC Summary Page
 

Aspin Engines

Hi All
 
A friend sent me this link this morning.
 
It looks interesting as a motoring oddity and good Christmas reading.
 
Anybody know anything?
 
 
 
Mark
 
 

Friday 6 December 2002

Wanted

I am looking for a Skoda Estelle or similar, to convert for trialling, PCA's and PCT's. Idealy I am looking north of Manchester but am prepared to travel if the right one comes up. Give me a call on 01228 530555 if you have anything suitable.
Myke Pocock

Tuesday 3 December 2002

Are Classic Trials to Rough?

I received the following e-mail from Multiple RAC & BTRDA champion Barrie Parker. I think Barrie's views illustrate the problem facing Classic Trialling. It's hard to come into the sport because the events are less and less suitable for "ordinary" cars. No new competitors = No future!
 

Dear Michael,

Thanks for your comments about me in Michael’s Musings (November 2002). Some of the newer PCT competitors don’t know (or forget) that I’ve been doing PCTs on and off for about 30 years, so I’ve no excuse on the experience front!

However, it’s not PCTs I’m writing to you about, it’s Classics. For me to put pen to paper is rare, but I was so interested and incensed by your article on The Edinburgh, I thought it was time to air my opinion and in turn hear yours. Whilst I still love PCTs and expect to compete in them in some capacity or other for some time yet, I do have a strong yearning for Classics. I am reaching a time where my interest level is high enough for me to find the time and the money to have a proper go. You may recall I did the Land’s End this year and thoroughly enjoyed it. With limited knowledge and preparation, the car and crew survived. And we cleaned lots of the hills. I knew straight away what was needed to do better – even with the power of the standard AX GT engine. More ballast for more grip, more height to compensate for the ballast and get more clearance anyway, better underbody protection etc. All this takes research, time, money and hassle.

I was in a frame of mind to consider doing this preparation to my current (or another car) and I would like to stick to front wheel drive for now. This is because I’m most familiar with FWD in an off-road environment, and the challenge is a bit different. Then I read your Edinburgh article and learned about how rough many of the hills were, and how much serious damage was done. As you know, I don’t mind sections being a bit rough and I’m prepared to accept minor or even moderate damage occasionally. To ruin the odd wheel, diff, springs, dampers, tyres etc. are inevitable and to be expected, but what you described sounded like carnage! I can hardly imagine how well prepared David Haizelden’s car is, yet it sounded from your description as if the shell of his Golf is a write off after that event. And he wasn’t the only one to sustain serious damage. This has put me off, as I’m not prepared to go to these lengths in an effort to enjoy myself and try to win a medal. I want to spend time competing, fettling and developing, not completely rebuilding my car.

I’ve been told that the MCC events are the smooth ones and that the ACTC events are rougher! Why do the sections have to be so rough? Can’t we be stopped with the gradient, the surface, false chicanes, adverse cambers, stops and restarts etc.? Perhaps these events are so well subscribed that the organisers don’t need to attract more competitors?

Maybe I have to move to RWD where you don’t need to keep up such high speeds to keep the momentum on.

Sorry about all the questions, but I expect and hope you may hold an unbiased view. If my view is shared with many others, I’m prepared to help in the lobbying process to get things changed.

Have I got a valid point or am I just a whimp? Either way, it’s back to spectating on classics for the time being.

Yours sincerely,

 

Barrie Parker.

PS. Mike, I’m happy for you to publish this in the Falcon Mag’ or Classical Gas, or wherever really, as long as I know.

Barrie.

Monday 2 December 2002

Updates to ACTC Site & Section Begins

Pat has updated the ACTC stite with the Hardy Results, Champiomship tables & Clee regs. There are computer problems in the Toulmin household at the moment so bare with the site until the navigation bars can be restored.
 
Click here for actc updates http://www.motorcars.free-online.co.uk
 
Also check out Andrerwe Browns Marlin updates at Section Begins
 
Michael