The 36th Launceston Trial 2022

Team Robson with their Rickman Ranger and Graham Beddoe at the start of the 35th Launceston Trial

For Graham Beddoe and me, today’s Launceston Trial was a trial of two halves. Before lunch we seemed to be lacking grip. After some post Exeter Trial fettling, the Arkley-MG felt soft on the rear during the drive to the venue in Lew Woods. The weather conditions were ideal but the mud was not to my taste. It was frequently deep and not very liquid, often taking on the consistency of modelling clay. The mud filled the cleats of the Arkley-MG’s tyres, front and rear. The front end could wash out and, if I throttled back to get the front tyres to bite, I struggled to get going again.

This was a surprise because the Radar Dimax Classics on the rear had acquitted themselves well on the Exeter in January, despite taking a beating. The conditions then had been much wetter and we weren't in Lew Woods....

We began well with Zak’s Track, which turned this way and that throughout the trees. The Arkley-MG went well trickling along and something approaching tick over but subsequent sections showed that more beans were required. By the time I’d found that out, it was usually too late to retrieve the situation.

The Dutton of father and son, Francis and Phil Thomas in front of an equally clean Arkley-MG.

Section 3, The Short One, has been used on other trails as well as the Launceston. It's just a straight blast up a muddy hill after starting at the bottom at a right angle. We got some way up but slithered back down with all wheels locked once we’d failed to proceed. Once at the bottom again, I noticed the reflections were almost dazzling off the shiny plasticene we’d just been polishing.

That set the tone for many sections. Getting to the restart lines for Class 7 become an impossible dream until Eastcott 1 which was stony although on a narrow bend. We also managed the mud and trees roots of Enjoy the View but Squirrel Corner and Rip and Roar kept us well away from their restart lines. We couldn’t even get off the start line on Run 4 Archie, which was the last hill before lunch.

The front end could still wash out and we had to do a three point turn on the timed special test because it was so tight.

The Aaron Haizelden's green John Deere Special in the foreground with the gold Peugeot 206 of Andrew and Liz Dams, Arnie Martin's Dutton and Jack Selwood's Ford Special. The Dams had come all the way from Lincolnshire.

After Squirrel Corner, we tried to help Mark James and Aidan White in the Class 8 V8 Marlin. The drive belt for the water pump and alternator was squealing and the car was getting hot. Then the drivebelt came off and we leant them some tools. Once they’d got it back on, they went back to the wood yard. Gareth White in the Jester had already broken a driveshaft on the first section. Their thoughts inevitably turned to getting the orange cars home to Penzance and not damaging them further before the Land’s End Trial at Easter.

Team Robson were in good spirits at the start. Matt had rebuilt the engine but they were struggling to find grip. They had trouble with their brakes after the first section but carried on only to have an engine oiling problem show up.

During a health conscious sausage and egg bap, the offside rear became quite flat so I swapped both rear tyres for the new Woosung SB802s. From then on, things improved. We didn’t suddenly become outstanding but we had better grip and consequently I could concentrate more on steering properly. Fewer trees began leaping into our path, which, oddly, never constitutes a baulk.

We also went the wrong way on Eastcott 2 when we followed the deviation for the motorcyclists. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones.

All is quiet as another competitor descends after nearly climbing Elf & Safety

Team Robson were still in good spirits (no change there) and climbing well despite the minimum tyre pressure limits. It looked like they would get out of Section 18 - Elf & Safety but the steep bit right at the top meant they scored a 2. We saw quite a few good climbs on Elf & Safety although Arnie Martin in his blue Dutton was the only one to actually clear the whole section  while we were watching. When it came to our turn for Elf & Safety, I threw caution to the wind and, egged on by Mr Beddoe, gave it some beans over a tree stump at the top. It didn’t quite work although I’m told it looked good on camera!

We found better form on section 19 – Rip & Roar 2 where we got away from the restart and cleared the section. I think this was our best climb of the day and High 5s were, er, fived at the top.

The Class 8s were running ahead of us, so I didn’t see much of them but the Class 7s seemed to be a very competitive bunch. Arnie told me he thought the strong performance by the Thomases, Phil and Father, prompted the return of his trialling mojo. It was almost a Dutton eat Dutton affair.

Simon Oates was doing better than us in most places. His Liege had 42 bleddy hairy ponies under the bonnet and they seemed to have crampons fixed to their hooves for he was finding grip where we couldn't. The Dutton of Ken Bassett and green Marlin of Jon White also put us to shame.

Key learning points today were the importance of tyres, the need to get a better tyre pressure gauge for my poor old eyes and to give the rear luggage locker a refit. The switches for the tyre pump and hydraulic jack are too difficult to reach, especially in the dark. This was feedback from Binky, as well, after the Exeter.

On the way home, though, the car felt transformed. Those new Woosung tyres stopped any more tailwagging and I wonder if the quickening slow puncture we’d had before with the Radar Dimar Classics had been responsible. Just before we set off, scrutineer Adrian Booth told us that he’d often swapped his rear tyres from side to side on his TR7 backalong. He found they could develop a sort of “nap” like a carpet or the fur on a cat.

Overall, though we had a very good day out among fellow enthusiasts. The 36^th Launceston trial was another extremely well organised event from the Launceston and North Cornwall Motor Club and we only had the one puncture and that was on a tyre that was already poorly.