2017 Exeter Trial (at last)

Observe the Offy heads and ally manifold

After a bit of a fallow period, we Candidi Provocatores pulled ourselves and our car together and entered the 2017 Exeter Trial. Binky had done a lot to the Allard J1 since we broke the offside halfshaft on Simms during the 2016 Exeter Trial. In addition to rebuilding the rear axle with the help and advice from Lee Peck, he had fitted an alloy inlet manifold and the Offenhauser heads made of a material our friends in the parish across the water call aloominum. 

He also had the choice of a twin carb manifold but chose the single one for torque reasons and ease of adjustment. While the manifold was off he took the opportunity to adjust the tappets. These had been set quite wide for running in purposes and closing them up to the recommended 12-14 thou  made the engine a lot more lively. Previously, it was twice that as Rob was concerned about the fresh valve seats receding and burning a valve.

The weather forecast was encouragingly dry but wet on the night with plenty of standing water around. It had been cold up country and the ground had been frozen in the east but the autumn and winter have been conspicuously dry.

And we're off in the Allard J1! Binky says TTFN to Mrs Binky. So that will be a Tourist Trophy Frazer Nash then.

Despite that it hammered down on the Friday night. We skulked in the control room at Popham Airfield for a long time. Stuart and Will Couchwere there entered in their Kraken, built and earlier campaigned by Lee Peck. We were also pleased to see the return of Marc Schafer and Enno Schmidt. Their Toyota Celica had been retired and they now had a BMW 3 series although ground clearance was still a problem because of the pesky TuV regulations in their homeland.

Unfortunately, the Kraken developed an ignition fault on its way to Sparkford, much to Stuart and Lee’s chagrin. It seemed okay when cold but once warmed up it got really teasy and at one point wouldn’t do more than 10 mph. Stuart decided to retire since visibility was poor and there have been too many instances of competitors being run into from behind on long distance trials. haynes motor musuem wasm't the same without them. Not that they are museum pieces, of course.

A number or people had been wrong footed by the route card – or should that be wrong-wheeled? Some traffic lights turned changed into a roundabout and our German friends arrived just too late for the first special test. They weren’t the only ones to get lost but this was the only instructional glitch we spotted. Everyone was keen not to arrive too late or early and be penalised under the three quarter rule (competitors must be within three quarters of their allotted time) but any fears of early arrival were about to prove false.

Classic Canes was its usual sticky self but the livelier Allard just chugged happily through the mire. Underdown is entertaining for its approach route, which takes you down into a forested valley beside the A30. 

At Musbury we caught up with Ian and Alan Cundy in their immaculate Golf Mk1 and the Lester and Dan Keat and their wonderful Hillman Avenger. I am into Hillman Imps and an Avenger is like a big brother to the Imp, so you can imagine now I feel about s ubtly souped up one. After last year’s diff problems on the Golf and front suspension collapses and a gearbox failure on the Avenger, the beys were all running strongly again.

On Norman’s Hump we had our first restart and got off well. Clinton, which starts off with a tight right hander followed by a bomb hole before a stiff climb, was not the usual watery grave we remembered. Binky was not being complacent because these sections have almost caught us out before now. 

At Waterloo there was a long wait, partly because we had been asked not to queue up next to the farm house which backed right up to the approach lane. There was also a wait at Stretes although by no means as long. We amused ourselves by showing off the Offy heads and ally bits to Adrian Booth and Ray Goodright to say nothing of Tommy and Clive Kalber. Age’s face when Binky started up that flathead V8 was a picture. A Ford V8 was the first ever engine he stripped own and he enjoyed many happy formative hours around flathead V8 F1 Stock Cars when he lived in Coventry.

Passaford Lane was another intriguing section of the unknown west country – and I live in it. Although forested, tree felling meant we could see the restart for Classes 3,4 and 5 from the start line. It was all very open for a change. 

The scenery was spectacularly memorable although the camera doesn't do nature or the atmospheric conditions justice

The way out was spectacular as the sun came up. We stopped to capture the amazing light over Branscombe Bay and then headed down into Sidmouth along yet another spectacular country road before the rest stop and breakfast at Crealy.

They do us proud for breakfast at Crealy. There’s always so much of it! And it’s just what we needed. I was hungry.

A had ro queue for ages before Tillerton

Tillerton Steep is our bĕte noir on the Exeter. We got off the start line once before and felt we’d fluked that. The section was very difficult and there was a long delay. We all had to jiggle our cars about while we queued to let the post van come through but everyone was very calm and helpful. The Cookmans in their MX5 had a slow puncture and changed that only for Ian Bodman to point out that we had an equally fast puncture on the Allard. I had noticed a split in the sidewall when pumping the tyres up after Stretes. The ford at the foot of the hill was the shallowest I’ve seen it and by then not much was getting up. Dick Bolt made it (of course) and so did the Vowdens in the immaculate notchback VW. 

The Vowdens' VW notchback is beautifully prepared and they usually do really with it

Then it was our turn. Binky says he didn’t give it enough beans. I say we were running 14 psi instead of the usual 12psi in deference to the split in the sidewall. In any case, we didn’t even make it to the restart box. We weren’t even close! It was our worst performance on that section ever! We bumped back down the hill in subdued mood as even trying a run at the rough bits got us nowhere fast. I don’t think we would’ve got off the restart box if we’d made it that far. 

Whenever we get the chance we admire the Vowdens' Wagen

Fingle Hill is a firm favourite. Unfortunately a V8 TR7 had broken down at the foot of the hill – I only caught a glimpse of it but it looked like the car of Neil Christie and Richard Coombes who were awaiting recovery with us at the top of Simms with us last year. Fingle was again rougher than either of us remembered but just goes on and on, with each sharp left and then right turn appearing to be the last.

Dick Bolt is back!

We were really looking forward to Wooston Steep and had agreed to try second gear for the uphill blast. We saw Mike Overfield-Collins at the foot of the section. He was in charge of the Fingle/Wooston sequence of hills and by now there wasn’t much queueing although we were delayed by well over an hour. When we wriggled our way up to the Section Begins  signs there was only the white MX5 of the Cookmans in the queue but clearly there was something “up”. We stopped and they told us there had been a serious incident on the hill and to go back down to await further instructions. We did so and shortly were advised that the hill was scratched and to proceed to the next section.

First, though, was the noise and diff test. Things were getting very confused here as competitors met us coming the other way and we had to explain what had happened. We sorted ourselves out in the end although there was a sombre mood in the dark pine forest that afternoon.

Ilsington Village Hall was as welcoming as ever although we could only manage one chunk of cake each. We really wanted to perform well on Simms and the focus was closing in on what to do and how to do it. The queue wasn’t long and as we set off for the approach lane we heard a great cheer go up. We think this was the Kalbers, who cleared the section in style.

As we sat there patiently behind the Vowdens again, an official came running past us down into the valley and spoke to the chief marshal. Hands went up to mouths. You didn’t need to be an expert in non-verbal communication to tell that something serious was being imparted. With just the Vowdens on the start line, we watched as the newcomer came back to us. He said the trail was being cancelled following a serious incident on Wooston Steep and to make our way to the Palace Hotel in Babbacombe to sign off.

So that’s the second time Simms has been closed suddenly with us next in line to make our attempt at the hill.

We made our way with the rest of the competitors to the holding control at Lenda Lane where we waited for further news. Gradually it emerged that there had been a fatality on Wooston Steep. Our thoughts were with the relatives of the crew and also the marshals who had had to call the emergency services. 

Chatting to Ian Bodman in his Polo, I discovered that we’d both attended Newquay Tretherras School but were a year apart. It’s a small trialling world.

Pug 205 from Holsworthy. I am partial to these hot hatches

Eventually, we dispersed under the guidance of the patient marshals and made our way to sign off at the Palace Hotel in Torbay. Everyone was feeling very subdued. We had decided some weeks ago not to attend the club supper, which usually has the most convivial atmosphere. Instead, we went back to the Trecarn Hotel to change out of our muddy clothes before heading off to a little Italian place that Dennis Greenslade knows. 

Despite the sad news, we had a really good evening with Bricknells, Dave Turner, Dennis and Cherie and the Urens. What great company this little gang made and it was easy to forget how tired we were.

At breakfast, we heard more about the reasons behind the cancelled hills but the general feeling was, despite the tragedy, what a good safety record trialling has. It’s not going to put us off. We just have to be a bit more careful and look out for each other.

The morning after the trial in sunny Babbacombe and we're homeward bound in a muddy but unbowed Candidi Provocatores Allard J1