Engine Punk

I got up Simms. I broke a halfshaft. Everybody was brilliant. I had a great time. That's the executive summary of this year's event. For a more detailed account, please read on. Essentially the plan was this - meet Lee Peck (Mr Heritage Motorsport) at Okehampton to start from Betty Cottle's, get a feel for the car in my second event with it since the Camel Classic, make it to the finish at Torbay, meet up with my trialling family over the Club Supper, spin a few yarns, recount more tales of derring-do over a hearty breakfast, swing by Betty's again so Lee could pick up his truck (did you see what I did there?) and then drop the Arkley-MG back to Adrian Booth's workshop for another chinwag and perhaps a brew. Scrutineering at Betty Cottle's. The pub is much cosier inside I got the first bit right. I also met a few familiar faces at the Okehampton start. Pete Adams was there with his two boys, Shaun and Scott. Their naturally aspirated diesel 205 now pack...

The sun begins to set on the Allard's new wiper motor After the pleasant excess of Christmas and New Year, I was in the mood for adventure again in early January. Fortunately, for me this coincides with the Exeter Trial. Team Robert, also known as the Candidi Provocatores - or me and my mate Binky (Mr Robert Robinson-Collins to you) - had an entry in the 2015 Exeter Trial and, unlike last year , the weather did not interfere with me getting up to Popham Airfield which is our chosen point of starting. It had been raining hard and there was a lot of standing water visible in the fields as I travelled up by train. Regular readers may recall that last year lightning strikes struck the signalling in Cornwall and Devon, which meant that I had to drive to Honiton. That was the most westerly point from which trains were operating but this year the weather was relatively benign Binky had been busy on the Allard since we cleaned all the hills on the last Land's...