2019 Camel Classic Trial

Early morning scrutineering in the car park at The Borough Arms

For this year's Camel Classic, I was passengered by none other than the redoubtable Nigel Cowling, who is usually marshalling somewhere or marking out trials sections. He'd bounced for Simon Riddell when he owned my car so knew what it was capable of. He also has extensive navigating experience.

A feature of the Camel Classic, which is organised by the Camel Vale Motor Club, is the large number of entries from the Stroud area. I have found that Stroudians(?) are drawn to the area even for our Hillman Imp club meets so regard Stroudites(?) as honorary Bodminians (not to be confused with Bodminium, which is a rare isotype of Kryptonite).

After scrutineering at The Borough Arms, we had to wait until a start time of 0942. This year the car classes ran in numerical order, whereas last year the Class 8s started first. Just like last year, though, it all ran very well to time but we had plenty of time to admire the machinery and have a chat with our mud brothers and sisters.

All the way from Stroud, the 1600cc Golden Valley Special of Mike Workman and Mark Linforth. 

Grogley Moor, a forestry track that starts off at an angle from a main access track and then climbs into the trees. It flattens out and for us there was a restart box here before the section climbed over tree roots up the side of the valley. Not an easy start to the trial but we scored a 1 so we almost got to the top.

Actress was in the Bishop Wood series of sections with another restart box, this time just after a sharp right hand bend on some big ruts. We couldn't get away by staying low, which is my usual modus operandi. So that was an 8.

Bishopswood was the familiar slab by the side of the road on a track that crossed the main forestry track. We didn't have a restart but Class 8s did, although a Dutton from Stroud misunderstood the route card and stopped. Thanks to not having to do the restart we got a clear.

Nigel Cowling sharing a joke with Duncan Stephens

Hustyn was on the other side of the metalled road from Bishopswood, a very steep blast up the hillside. We drove passed the exit as part of the approach and saw some spectacular climbs by Francis Thomas and Philip Thomas in their Duttons. Urged on to get some air by some ladies on mountain bikes, we were frustrated in the end to get a 1! We were so close and I felt we were going to climb out only to find some greasy clay just down from the end of the section. This meant we had to reverse all the way down when really we should have been one way traffic.

Roger Hancock's Fugitive

Chestnut Rise and Hustyn Path were close together. We got a 5 on Chestnut rise so had to reverse down again and the restart on Hustyn Path proved too difficult for us again so that was a 9.

At the foot of Jab and Left Hook, we had a quick word with Dilwyn Lloyd who was the restart marshal and another of the Stroud area mafia who had joined us for some good clean fun. Jab and Left Hook lulled you into a false sense of security for is started off easily enough (Jab) but then took a left turn up the hill through mud and over tree routes (left Hook) with a  restart. We couldn't get away because it was especially slippery so that was a 4. Ian Moss (from a small town Gloucestershire) said I would be better off with a Hillman Imp. He is one to know this.

The engine bay of the beautifully turned out Cannon crewed by Ryan Earner and Claire Tooth

Pump House was one I certainly remembered from last year as we did not do very well but this year was much better for we got a 2. I went down to 10 psi for this one. Previously, I had kept to 12 but the mud was claggy I could feel it in the cleats of our tyres. Nigel said some large stones had been removed from the bank on the right so maybe that difference helped but I was pleased with that improvement.

The course through Hustyn Wood and Vile's Park Wood concluded with Hustyn Special Test. This was a similar format to last year with a left and right loop around some cones followed by a gentler left loop towards the stop line. However, the course was cunning laid out so that one pair of front and rear wheels was on the mud so steering and braking were affected and applications of bean for the final stretch had to be somewhat tempered.

Polmorla was a track running up behind Polmorla Garden Centre, featuring a right turn and then a stiff climb to another right hand deviation off the rutted track. We got up further than last year but not as far as the deviation i.e. a score of 10.

I really liked this KPS driven by Tuh Powell from Camborne. It looks to me like a vintage aero-engined special because it's so rakish with the narrow body and the ram pipes. Didn't look like it had a lot of legroom though! 

I enjoyed Heligan. This was a straight up blast, not far from the village of Blisland, and thanks to my poor aim we veered out of the ruts and found some grip on the left scoring a 4. Going back as far as we could get a run up was a great help.

The handle on Connor Lean's BMW hydraulic handbrake will not bend

On pumping up our tyres again after Heligan Special Test, I was fascinated to see how the centrifugal force of our spinning tyres had span out the mud to create a kind of shelf perpendicular to the sidewall, sort of like those soothing potter's wheel videos, except this was the amateur version that ended in a wobbly mess.

Another splendid hand brake lever - this time on Nicholas Aldridge's smartly modified Smart Roadster

Shellwood was another good one. Last time I stopped on the restart but this was for Class 8 only. This time, I was wiser to it and we had a good climb to get a 4. As soon as all forward motion ran out, we slid back at least a car length with all four wheels locked - it was so greasy at the top of the section!

A jaunt on proper roads took us around Bodmin and the Lanhydrock estate to approach two sections near one of the railway viaducts next to the A38.

Ben Tonkin's very special Beetle

On the way we saw Ben Tonkin who had suffered a top radiator hose coming adrift on his Beetle. Yeah, I know - this device had a Ford Mondeo motor on a VW box containing some very esoteric components like a Synchro diff. I had admired this device during the wait at Pumphouse. Fortunately, everything was under control and he'd even stopped near a stream to help replenish the system.

Penkestle we scored an 8. This was another sting in the tail affair with a climb that crossed a forestry track and then swung left through heavy mud before climbing up into the trees.

By now I was aware of how my tyres were gripping or spinning. Another learning point from the day was to moderate the revs a bit to build up the momentum where we could find grip.

Clinnick was inaccessible last year due to works by Railtrack so was new to me but of a certain reputation. A good blast was what traditionally worked but it was really a hill of two sections. After the first turn were a series of humps like a staircase and we bounced off one to land on the peak of another. Perhaps with more speed we could have gone from crest to crest i.e. got more air but had a smoother ride. After another corner, the track became much more broken up and slippery. It was here that the numbered canes began! We got a 4 but a surprising number of cars got up, such as ben Tonkin (no surprise there actually) and Ray Ferguson despite having sustained suspension damage on his well sorted Liege.

Laneskin is another old favourite and we climbed well except for going straight through the restart box! The section went on at the top beyond tight right turn I was expecting but, although we got some way up, it was all academic. I don't think we could have got away from the restart anyway so that was an 8.

Photo bombed again by Francis Thomas! (Another learning point was to put some tape on our rear number to stop it blowing away....)

For Ant Hill, which was on the opposite side of the valley from Laneskin, I fancied going really low on our tyre pressures for we'd not had any punctures, although one tyre valve was by now at a crazy angle a sit must have crept along the wheel. However, after nestling our hind quarters nicely in the bushes like a cat about to pounce, I started of in third. Quickly changing gear, I pressed on but we didn't have the momentum and could only manage a 5.

Back at the Borough Arms, a most convivial evening was then spent in the entertaining company of Mr Cowling who is well known in trialling circles. I also had a chat with Tris White, he of the VW-powered Imp fame (VT No.), and an even longer chat with Lester Keat of Hillman Avenger fame - a future Vintage Thing to be featured I hope. By the time I caught up with Dilwyn, I was so tired I wasn't making much sense and got home about 2145hrs after a great days sport and excellent company.

To sum up, here's Aaron Haizelden about to make a triumphant ascent of Clinnick