Clee Pictures

I have posted the digital pictures I took on the Clee in the Photo Album in their original Hi-Res format. The pics I use on the sites are normally reduced in size to speed loading so don't print out to well but these will be fine.

Please feel free to download my pics for personal use. In case you don't know how to do it let me explain.

Go into the photo album. In each folder you will see thumbnails of the pictures. Click on these or the adjacent link and the original image will appear on your machine.

Now right click on the picture and you should see a small menu. Now "Save file as" and it will be transferred to your hard disk. You are OK with *.jpg files but always be very careful if you download *.exe files from the internet as thay may contain viruses.

Let me know if you need any help.

Michael

 

 

My Clee

I thought Pat and Jonathan put on a super trial, with some fascinating new, and not so new, sections. I really liked the little snippets of history in the route card, which send me scurrying for my copy of Wheelspin when I got home.

I was bouncing for Mike Hayward in his class 7 Escort Mk 3. This confuses people because Mike’s car is rear wheel drive, which is why it’s in class 7. He built it for autocross and when he retired from speed events wanted to keep using it so now it’s a trials car. It’s a bit tricky on all those re-starts but we have fun.

We hated Starvecrow, the first section. Not just because it was such a Mickey Mouse affair, weaving through the trees, but also because we needed a tow from the Land Rover. Personally I’m a track man.

For us this was the only blot on what was to be an enjoyable trial, despite quite a few problems with the car which dropped us back through the field and will probably earn us some "hanging back" penalties! We got up Allez Oop OK, but in a cloud of revolting white smoke and a slipping clutch. There was so much smoke we thought we had a fire but once the bonnet was open and the smoke had cleared we could see that these was oil everywhere and it had got on the exhaust. We couldn’t see where it was coming from so we mopped it up, put a bit more slack in the clutch and carried on. We didn’t ger any more smoke but we certainly had plenty of clutch slip but not enough to stop us getting round.

We enjoyed the previously un-trialled "Gatten’s Gamble". That’s the one with the collection of military vehicles. It was certainly a surprise with every sort of surface. We were delighted to get up, albeit at the expense of a puncture.

Like other Falcon members I was kept busy distributing flyers and have heard that one keen competitor dropped his entry form off on the way over to The Clee! I got the chance to meet Duncan Stephens and Kevin Barnes on the way round and to talk to quite a few other community members as well.

I have no idea who won what yet. Any ideas?

How was your Clee?

Michael Leete

SPORTING TRIAL MAG.

The BTRDA produces a monthly magazine exculsively on Sporting Trials.

You do not have to be a member of the BTRDA to subscribe to it. The yearly subsription is only 짙9.

The magazine includes dates of future events, event reports, cars for sale amongst many others...

TO subsribe send a cheque made payable to BTRDA Ltd..

To get further details, and to find out where to send it to, email Julian Fack:

jfack@mcmail.com

Duncan

BRTDA Gold Star Final

I had a super day marshalling on the BRTDA Gold Star Final last Saturday (15 Jan).

The weather was good and we got a constant succession of cars up Hill 9 ,where I was.

On top of that I got an enormous amount of exercise scrambling up and down the hill checking on the progress of the competitiors.

When I first saw the hill, I thought that it would be pretty well impossible for anybody to get up the first stage, never mind the complete hill.  But I was wrong and I guess we must have had about one third of the field clean on the first run.

For the second we had altered the hill drastically, but we still had about 33% clean to the top.

I was very impressed with the amiability and courtesy of  the crews all of whom, without fail, thanked the marshals after the second run.

Certainly no Classic Trial cars would have made it on the hill as laid out but I reckon that a few Class 7 or 8 would have managed the afternoon hill if the kinks had been removed.

As I said, a splendid day out and I shall look forward to volunteering to marshal at other Sporting Trials, so let me know where they are.

Even the burgers were pretty good.  Not something you can say for all event catering outfits.

Chris

Tyre Security

Dear all
 Having sent my entry off for the Lands End I am now thinking how on earth to get up Hoskin Hill. I have only been up it once - that was without a restart. My current thinking is to let the tyres down even further as the hill is very smooth(!). This brings on a possible problem of the tyres slipping on the rims so does anyone know anything about tyre security devices.  All I have been able to find out so far is that one type employs a sort of triangular lump which clamps the tyre to the rim from inside (how would you fit it and how does the tube fare?) Another type seems to be a captive nut on the rim through which a pointed bolt is screwed into the bead of the tyre!

 Had a good run on the Exeter, Failed Tilerton  (stopped in the top of the box and couldn't get away, rolled back a foot a drove out!) climed Woostern - restart a lot lower this year, and the best bit - got up Simms - straight up the middle. Ands of course failed Higher Gabwell. Next year........

 

Mike Warnes

Exeter Photo's

Did anyone by any chance get any photo's of ADU 263 entry 6 on the anniversary run.  Didnt take my camera did I.  Luckily we were well prepared other than that, and I got up all the hills we were set including Pepperdon and Fingle Bridge.  Where as the club photographer based?

Didnt see you at the dinner Mike, and only got a brief chat on the way past the hotel with Andrew Brown but it was nice to see you.  I will have some more things on the trials hills in the near future.

Pat Toulmin said the bug would bite and I think she was right, but I think we will have a few more marshalling events before going for the full trials calender.

Cheers

Kevin

Exeter 2000

Verdun Webley in his first Classic trial waits at the foot of Tillerton in his white Marlin. Behind "team MG" formulate strategy.

Hanging Back

I read the article on 'Hanging Back' which appeared in the latest issue of 'Restart' with a great deal of interest.   As a very recent newcomer to the Trialling scene (three years as a passenger) I had never thought that an advantage could be gained from slipping down the field, deliberately or simply because other people were quicker at pumping up the tyres.

Surely the position in the field is a matter of swings and roundabouts.    For one hill a front runner may have an advantage, for the next a later competitor may have a better chance.

Thinking back to last year's Exeter it was certainly true that the early Class 8 runners on Branscombe Bank had a harder time then the later entrants.  In contrast, the Class 8 deviation on PIndale on the '99 Edinburgh favoured the lower numbers/earlier runners.

Does a hill like Simms provide a better chance early on, or later in the afternoon/night.  Doing the hill in the dark surely cannot be an advantage.

One further example.  From the three attempts that Stuart Harrold and I have had in the Troll at Hoskin on the Land's End by far the least difficult was in '99 when we were running relatively early and the restart had not been completely polished.

So, is this a major problem?   Given the experience of the writer in Restart it would appear to be so.  If this is the case, does it affect the one day trials more than the MCC events?? 

Whatever your view, enjoy the Exeter, and the beers and the dinner afterwards.    And particularly the chat about the 'hill we nearly cleaned'. 

 

Chris Phillips

Popham Airfield Location?

WHERES POPHAM AIRFIELD?

Ok, I've looked through the route for the anniversary run and everything looks ok, including the much awaited attempt at Fingle Bridge.

I've got large scale maps of the route but not for the start at Popham Airfield can anyone give me a description, I can see Popham on the AA Road map and what looks like a dead end lane is this it just off the A30 near J8 M3.

Many Thanks for any help

Kevin

Women trials drivers

I would dearly enjoy swapping trials stories with any women who have competed on classic trials. I drive a 1300 Beetle and thus I'm in class 4 and so learning about enjoyment and difficulties which there invariably are would be very interesting to me.

Hazel

Ha

 

Help for the Exeter

Hi everyone,

Can I solicit your help on the Exeter with info on how you got on, how your buddies got on and anything at all interesting you see.

Also I would really appreciate photo's, especially of Bikes and the Anniversary vehicles. If you can't scan them could you lend me prints (if you do this I will e-mail you my snail mail address).

I got some positive vibes from my stuff on the Edinburgh and Allen, that was because of the help from the community.

You can of course post your stuff direct on the message board or e-mail me direct.

Thanks in anticipation

Michael

Lead Replacement Fuels

I shall, on the Exeter, for the first time, be filling up with non genuine 4 star fuel. Has anybody got any preferences, based on experiences or heresay, of the best way to go? Everything I read about in the Press, regarding 4 star LRP fuel points towards it being no good. I shall be using unleaded and Castrol Valvemaster Plus additive.

Skoda Parts

Happy New Year to one and all.

Last night at a party Fred Mills who bounces for Derek Reynold (I only mention this in case he is wrong in which case blame him or right in which case credit to him) mentioned that Benfield Motors Skoda branch in Newcastle are holding a sale of old Skoda parts for 짙1 each next Saturday and the one after. I know the first one may be a problem with the Exeter and all but the second may be of interest.

Their phone number is 0191 266 3543 or 0345 745 745. 

If you do negotiate anything with them I'm sure Fred, Derek or myself could pop in and collect the bits and deliver to the start of the Clee.

I can be reached on 01434 672109 evenings or 0191 219 4230 work 

Cheers

Tony