REPORT : HISTORIC SPORTING TRIALS
Dry and dusty trialing !
Ron Faulkner Trophy trial
Back on the hills
With a cracking entry of 48 competitors , the Southsea Motor Club ’ s Ron Faulkner Trophy Trial in late April marked the welcome return of historic sporting trials after the enforced layoff due to the Coronavirus . Martyn Halliday reports .
The entry would have been higher , but many competitors gave their apologies sighting the COVID restrictions as the reason they had not entered . It was also a pity that under these restrictions we were not allowed to have spectators at the event . Following one of the driest springs on record the ground was bone dry , so the trial was always going to be hard on the cars . The choice of sections was excellent with plenty of grip except where old leaves and woodland debris remained . Most were very steep and tight which strained clutches and gearboxes to the limit .
Mark Howse drove his latest historic class Cannon and , as expected , won the Ron Faulkner Trophy by only dropping 3 marks . However , the battle of the day was for first place in the historic class with Dave Wall and Nigel Bennett both driving exceptionally well to finish on 8 marks each . For the third time in historic sporting trials two drivers could not be separated by the tie-breaking ‘ countback ’ system so they were given joint first place . Paul Faulkner , whose father the trial commemorates , was second on 11 with Eric Wall on 18 third .
In the post historic class Graham Wilson was having a superb drive and running clear until his last section when a fiddle brake failed causing him to lose 4 marks . Andy Gowan , who lost 2 marks on the first lap , took the Cannon Challenge Trophy leaving Graham first in class and Graham ’ s father Frank second in class on 6 .
The Drive of the Day went to John Holder who was giving the Cannon he had just built its first outing and finished ninth in class .
The organisers must be congratulated for producing an event that was both challenging and enjoyable : just what was needed to lift the spirits in these troubled times .
The Hallidays negotiate the undergrowth
Stuart and Keith Roach
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