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