Engine Punk

Great shot - despite rain and gloomy light - of Peter Stobbs on Jab and Left hook. (Photo : Paul Jones) I marshalled on this year’s Camel Classic, since I’ve had the engine and gearbox out and in with the Arkley-MG to replace some oil seals. First spell of duty was on Jab and Left Hook, which I remembered as having a difficult restart but finding it took some time. Like all cats looking grey at twilight, all trials sections in the forest look the same when its dimpsy. It only really became apparent when one walked up a turn off from the main track in Hustyn Woods that the course markers became visible.   Fellow marshals were Matt Tyrell and Laurence Payne and we had walkie talkies because there was no clear line of sight. All solo bikes and car classes 5-8 had to do the restart. I was interested in everyone’s technique. The choices were, stay low on the flatter approach and get out of the greasy mud or get as high as possible and risk not getting away where the hill got steeper...

An adventure in which the Arkley-MG makes a new friend. (Photo : Graham Beddoe) For several weeks I had been telling people I had entered the 2024 Edinburgh Trial. When I announced that it took place in the Peak District, this confirmed their opinions on my powers of geography. This lovely and tough Ford Model A belongs to consistent Gold award winner and Triple contender Stephen Hill Only six people were in contention for a Triple on this event, one solo motorcyclist and five car drivers and I was one of them. Besides Graham Beddoe and me in the Team Inappropriate Class 7 Arkley-MG ( VT No.151 ), there were Mark Wills on his class B Beta Alp (on line for his third triple), Stephen Hill and his well-dressed gentlemen bouncers in their Ford Model A, previous Triple-winner Karren Warren in her class 6 VW Beetle, Annabel Harry in her red class 7 Hillman Imp ( VT No.78 ) and ACTC regular Paul Merson in his very successful Shopland MK 1 class 8. The Class O equivalent of a Triple is a Tri...

Gareth entered the 2018 Camel Classic and is seen here in his Marin V8 with Roger Hancock's buggy and event scrutineer Adrian Booth Gareth White’s Marlin runs a Rover V8 and its custom zorst means you usually hear it before you see it.  Marlin Roadsters are typically based on either Triumph or Marina components and evolved over a long production run from 1979 until the present day with the drivetrain out of BMW 3-series. Along the way, the Marlin Roadster also used Ford Cortinas and Sierras as donors, growing slightly in the process to accommodate the wider track. Not so many V8s were built, however. Most common seem to be the Marina B series variety and with the back axle from a Marina van they make tough trials irons for Class 7. They’re nimble enough for the twisty bits and have a reasonable power to weight ratio. They are also very robust. Marlins don’t need much modification to be competitive in Class 7 but they usually sport 14 inch wheels and twin spare wheels and external...

And we're off, with a Mexican (or Illogan) wave (Photo : Sam Barker) I was really looking forward to the 99 th Land’s End Trial for 2023, 21 observed sections and 4 special tests sounded really good, with Class O machinery mixed in with the main trial. This was an especially enticing prospect after getting a Gold last year. Did I ever casually mention I got a Gold last year?   After getting around half the Launceston Trial, the Arkley-MG was running well, having been a non-starter for the Exeter in January . Binky motored down on Friday in the arvo and we set off for Plusha for in plenty of time for a yarn to two before the off scrutineering only to discover we had no working offside rear sidelamp. The harder we looked, the shyer the sidelamp became and then the brake lamps became all coy and went and hid as well. Adrian Booth waved us over to his Land Rover and he produced a circuit tester like the one I’d left at home and Matt Robson joined in with his meter as well. We soon...