Welsh Motorsport

 

New Improved "Car Trials!"

2008 sees the introduction of some radical changes within Car Trials. Firstly with a name change! These events were called Production Car Trials (PCT's).

(John Ludford in his Marlin at the Cymru Field)

These new 2008 changes include:

• NEW 5 Classes: including a brand new Class A for cars newer than 12 years old, FWD or RWD, no ballast or mods and driven to the event.
• NEW Split Routes: offering easier, smoother routes for class A modern low cars
• NEW Stop / Re-Starts: placed at certain points mid-test where cars have to stop, then set off again without rolling back
• NEW Unseen Hills: where some hills have to attempted without even seeing which way to go first.
• NEW Timed Sections: where some easily cleanable sections will have a stop watch, giving the youth their bit of adrenalin rush, where speed, momentum and accuracy are needed to set a good time.
• NEW No MoT: The dreaded MOT is no longer required (except class A), so those on a budget can now enter.
• NEW Feel: As organisers have the option to include any or all of the above, which should add that excitement factor, while the Timing should appeal to the youngsters, the new Class A for modern cars should appeal to the long distance travellers where they can just "arrive and drive".  

(above: Rupert North on Anglesey Trial 2004)

With all of these changes the new Car Trials formula should have a new "feel", although the basic element of being able to get as far as possible up a grass covered hillside is still the same fundermantal aim.

The NEW options will just add a bit of excitement.

 

The goal is still to travel "Non-stop" through a course made up of 12 "gates" made from marker poles, and without touching any of them. For 2008 there is now the option to included some "timed sections", "re-starts", alternative smoother routes for some classes of cars, such as class A for cars newer than 12 years old, and even "blind" course, where crews are not allowed to see, let alone walk a test before attempting it. Lots of variation for 2008. All good news.

 For your average entry fee of just £25 each competitor gets to attempt between 20 and 40 tests at each event, depending on the venue, and number of marshals. The courses are set out on a grass hill-side, with varying degrees of steepness, camber, turns and traction. Courses (tests) are set out both up-hill, downhill, and accross cambers, each requiring a differnt technique, and of course there is also a new challenge with each weather forcast, trickle often needed in the dry, and blast-it through the mud!

(above: Siôn Matthews at the 2007 BTRDA Final)

This form of motorsport is very technical, and often newcomers will "walk a test" before catually driving it, thinking it impossible, only for an experienced grandad to drive all the way through the test in his Fiat Panda making it look easy. Drivers soon pick up the driving styles needed, and then get the thrill and sense of achievement of clearing tests. Very satisflying. Trying to tell a rally driver to ease "off" the throttle as the hill gets "steeper" takes a bit of convincing, but it works...honest!

SCORING :- Each test is made up of 12 "gates" (made from wooden poles), numbered in reverse, gate 12 first, to gate 1 last. A driver must attempt the test "Non-stop". Should he/she come to a stop after gate 7, but before reaching gate 6 for example, the driver scores 6 on that test, whereas if he/she drove all the way through the test, passing gate 1, and therefore "cleaning it" they score Zero (No penalty). The timed test work on a similar principal, but with a "target" time which sets the benchmark, with penalties for each second after this target time.

Also, the gates themsevles are penalty poles, so if a car touches one, that is the point of failure, regardless how further on the competitors actually gets.

(Aubrey Gower at the Anglesey Trial in 2004)

The winner of each class is the driver with the least amount of penalties at the end of the day, and so on. However, there is an indexing system which can be a bit (very!) confusing to newcomers to calculate the O/A winners, so I won't go into that here.

If you haven't done or been to see a Car Trial (previously called a P.C.T.) before, I recommend you do. They are a very enjoyable day. There is no timing involved, you get to walk the tests first, chat with the competition (and try to squeeze tips from them), and you need a passenger (Called a bouncer) with you.

 

 

Matthews Auto Salvage Trial

29th April 2007

Caernarvonshire & Anglesey Motor Club organised this BTRDA and ANWCC championship round, which attracted 20 entries to a very sunny Isle of Anglesey, North Wales. The steep new venue proved an ideal test for the drivers, and organisers alike. 10 test were set out, each run 3 times with slight tweeks to the courses betwen rounds.

Neil Mackay, BTRDA and MSA reigning PCT champion (below in the shorts and then driving the Panda) was an inspiration, showing all the local newcomers how it should be done. Step one, followed by step two, then three... up the hill on foot, checking out the course for bumps, grip, camber, and direction, picking his line before hopping into the red Panda and driving with seeming ease all the way through each test set before him. His only blemish was getting bogged down in a wet reed area at the 5 marker in hill 5, and then dropping a wheel into a ditch on hill 1 at the second attempt, picking up a 2, giving a brilliant win on just 7 marks dropped.

  

Compare this to the best of the rest score, a 74 for Adam Harris in a FIAT Cinquecento (below left), followed by class D winner, 16 year-old Siôn Matthews in a red version of the same car on 94 (below right).

  

Gruffydd Parry on 98 (below left) could have finished ahead of Siôn, but on the last round was navigated the wrong side of a 6 marker, a hill he could have cleaned. Guess who was in the passenger seat at the time! Nice one Siôn! Gruffydd also came a croppa at the first tight downhill turn on hill 7, having set off in freewheel style he handbraked the car, but had the shock of his life when he released the clutch as the car was in REVERSE gear! This 10 penalty cost him a class win. John Davies had an early trip home when a Drive Shaft broke on the Reliant SS1, and Jeff Buchanan Retired early to share the tow rope with John, as they had both driven a long way to the event in the competing cars. Rounding off the class D cars was 16 year-old Tomos Parry (below right), sharing Siôn's car on 128 marks.  

   

The other class winner was Dave Thomas (below left) in a 205 XS on 127marks, here with wife Val covering herself from the mud spray, finshing ahead of Paul Cross (below right) in an older VW Polo on 192marks in class B.

 

CLUBSPORT SECTION

Behind the main championship section ran a group of 10 club drivers, all but one never even having watched a PCT before, let alone driven on one. And although they couldn't get near the scores of the experts, the competition was hot, as all the drivers and cars were evenly matched, and results were close all the way through the list. However, someone has to win, and on the Index system it was the youngest driver taking the trophy, 16 year-old Sam Evans (152) in a Metro (below left). His main mistake was going for lunch too soon, and was lucky the marshals hung around to record his excellent attempts at round 2. As for the least actual markes lost, this went to Class R winner, Wayne Allman (below right) in his Road Rally 205Gti on 142 marks, 2nd O/A on index.

  

Last years winner Endaf Jones came in in 3rd place on 169 in the Red Metro (below left), while Edward Griffith(below right) used a black version to take 6th O/A on 191.

  

In 5th place, just 1 mark to the better (190) was the huge BMW 316 driven by Gavin Ryan, after a scare with steam bellowing from a bust hose near the end of the event (below left), while Chris Brierley(below right)  was just 1 mark further down on 192 in his Golf which held together despite a clicking CV all day.

  

The most entertaining award should have gone to the sideways driving Mark Campbell (below left) in the Mk2 Escort (198), while Ricky B Evans (below right) was trying to get to grips with "trickle", as the Astra GTE span the wheels very easily, ending the day on 205marks.

  

The quietest car was the Starlet of John Labella (142) inthe main event (below left). Tim McAll (152)finished a fine 4th in the Clubsport section, sharing Waynes 205Gti rally car (below right)

  

A big thanks to the marshals, organsiers and the landowner. A great days motorsport!

REPORT: MAS Car Trial 12-04-08

Above: Rupert North (yellow Mini) about to clear this tricky off-cambered climb, while the organisers kept a close eye on the clouds.

C&A MC had to relocate their event with just a week to go, as the usual Penmynnydd site was inaccesible due to deep mud at the gate following weeks of rain. The move to the north of the Isle of Anglesey on a surprisingly sunny day attracted 31 entries, 26 in the MSA British, BTRDA and ANWCC championship event, and 5 locals in the Clubsport section. Despite the sunshine the ground was still soft under-foot which made for some demanding and tricky climbs. Due to the forecasted (correctly as it turned out) rain at 3pm the organisers restricted the event to just three rounds of 5 conventional tests and two timed hills so the event would finish before the rain arrived. 21 tests in all.

NEIL MACKAY (above) looked set for his repete win of 2007 in the same Panda, and led the event with a 5 mark advantage going into the penultimate test, but......... he drove the wrong side of a marker pole on that timed test and was penalised the resultant 12 mark penalty. He finished on 34 marks, 2nd in class B.

This handed RUPERT NORTH (above) the class B win, and with it his first National Trial overall win on index. It was pleasing to note he also dropped the least total marks, just 27, with tests designed so as not to suit any one class. The Mini is good at this smooth venue, as Rupert has won at this site in the past, before the event went national.

Other class B (front wheel drive) runners included Mark Halls who double drove the winning Mini (3rd on 63 marks), Jay Grossmith (4th on 64 marks) in a Metro Gti, one more mark ahead of Derek Barnes (Golf M3) on 65. Gareth Jones rounded the 9 class B cars off in a shared 205 Gti on 106 marks. He was meant to have used his Micra which he uses for autotests, but the scrutineer pointed out it needed a passenger, and a seat for him to sit on!

DAVE OLIVER (above on the final timed test) ended a good day on 35 marks, 4th O/A on index. Ollie the Imp normally ends a Trialling day with the least total marks lost, but the variety of tests, and the inclusion of adverse camber climbs meant the Imp was on an even keel with the front wheel drive cars this time. Nigel Weeks was 2nd in class on 60 marks in a similar Imp, with the smiling Dave Harvey taking his FIAT X1/9 to 3rd in class on 86 marks.

Class D for Kit and slightly modified cars was won by TIM LAKIN (above) in the cream Marlin, on 38 marks lost, which was enough for 2nd O/A on index. Nigel Griffith (Nova) and Paul Cross (Polo) (below) also entered this class on 87 and 108 marks respectivley and bouced for each other.

 

ENDAF DAVIES entered class E for very modified cars, his Escort Mk1 Estate fitted with an LSD, which can be seen from the two tyre spin marks in the picture above of him sideways. The LSD however causes the car to break away on adverse camber climbs, but was impressive to watch on the timed sections. 91 marks.

Whereas the new "timed sections" were enthusiastically received, the talk of the town was the new Class A for standard 2WD cars newer than 12 years old. It doesn't matter which wheels drive the car, front or back, or where the engine is, and we had all 3 types at this event. NICK POLLITT (above) used his 2006 Skoda Fabia VRS. The FWD (front wheel drive) car was just 1 mark in the lead after round 1, then level pegging at the end of 2. The competition was close.

By the end of round 2 LES ANDREW in his Ciroen AX (above) had caught up, and after putting in some quick times on the timed tests (above) he had pushed 4 marks clear of Nicks Skoda at the end to take the class win on 57 marks to Nicks 61.

But the final sting in the tail was a 17-year old student setting fastest times on the final two tests to leap frog Nick and take that second in class position, just 3 marks shy of Les. Young SION MATTHEWS used his 2003 SEAT Ibiza (above) to surprise many of his mentors, finishing on 60 marks.

Another early challenger was RICHARD HARRISON in a 2003 Clio (above), but would wrongtest a timed section and drop out of the equation for class victory, finishing on 92 marks, a 7th in class.

5th in class 1 went to the FERWD (Front Engined Rear Wheel Drive) BMW 325i Sports Touring (above). This is actually BARRIE PARKER's tow-car, having brought along his Car Trial Peugeot 106 on the trailer for the Sunday event. When he heard how smooth the venue was he elected to have a go in class 1 to see how the car would do. His main problem was with the cars traction control and some other electronic wonders, which worked well, provided they were pressed in the correct order. He got it wrong sometimes, one which cost a 10 when the rear end broke away and clipped a pole. He enjoyed the day though.

The ladies award went to 17-year-old JO PRESTON (above) in the other engine / transmission configuration, a Rear Engined Rear Wheel Drive MGF. This car had only just been aquired by Jo and her champion trialling father Garry, and was half expected to clean up. The car was quite good, but a few major errors, including getting locked-out on a downhill turn at the 10 gate cost places for both drivers. They finished on 102 and 88 marks.

The 2nd lady was one on her first car trial, local Francine Dean used her Skoda Felicia to finish on 146 marks, but was getting much better as the day went on, especially once she "walked the tests" first. She did the first round "blind".

The Novice award went to local boy TOMOS PARRY (above). Another 17 year-old doing well, ending the day on 78 marks, 4th in class and 8th O/A, while sharing Sion's Ibiza.

In the Clubsport event one man stood out. DAVID JONES used his autotesting FIAT Uno to provide a performance worthy of the nationals. He surprised all with his climbing skill to end the day on just 54 marks to take the winners trophy.

Carey Lindley (above on a timed test) came 2nd in his 205 Gti (94 marks), having volunteered to share his car with Gareth Jones whos car failed scrutineering.

 

15 year-old Joey Taylor was 3rd (100) in a Nova GTE (above left). Mark & Jon Turner rounded of the results on 112 and 113 respectively in a very tidy MG Midget (above right).

The organisers wish to thank all the marshals, competitors, and landowners for an excellent days motorsports. Full results on the Car Trial page of the BTRDA website www.btrda.com and also on the ANWCC website www.anwcc.org