Tweed's Farm Trial Report
27 October 2012
Saturday the last day of summertime started off frosty and cold, ideal trialling weather, no rain had fallen during the previous week since the CoC helped by Messers McKay and Jennings had set 5 sections up on Campbell Tweeds Championship site.
This event which ends with the clubs annual prizegiving dinner has always been known as our English Visitors Trial however this year the only competitor who made the journey over the Irish Sea was Peter McKinney. This is entirely understandable, ferry costs, hotel prices and the price of fuel have put paid to casual trips to non Championship events.
Dry with no wind, this must be a 1st for this site, cold it was but the sun eventually rose over the high hill behind the site, making it a perfect day.
The Club having joined the Motorsport Marshalling Partnership was delighted to welcome Hamilton Wilson and Trevor Harvey to marshal and a super job they did looking after section 1 all day. 15 cars were presented for scrutineering, 9 class A drivers,5 class B and a lone Class C man who if he finished was sure of a class win.
The Club Chairman CoC for this event had a problem, on taking a run around in son Simon’s Crossle, no passenger and with tyres set at 5 lbs he had little difficulty on any of the hills-however as there was to be 3 rounds before lunch and 2 after he made the decision to go with 5lbs till lunch time and adjust if necessary then.
All were reminded that tyre pressures would be checked, that passengers must seat themselves correctly and that 4 wheels out applied, two were later to regret not watching this last point. And so off at 10-30am the field went, Hill 1 ran up a steep slope, turned left and ran down a gully, right up the hill with a final steep climb to the finish. Hill 2 was as used for the BTRDA final a few years ago and because it was dry never caused any problems,Hill 3 a different start to previous years which was to catch out a few on the final lap. Hill 4 as used in the past with a few differences and Hill 5 again changed only slightly from the past but enough to prove decisive towards the end. If these descriptions seem to indicate a no change layout one big difference was obvious the posts were yards apart two way traffic would have been possible!- no posts were hit during the event, marshalling was easy, post hitting did not come in to decisions as Ian Wright pointed out in his excellent article on setting trials up.
By the end of lap 1 eight of the nine Class A men were on Zero! By the end of lap 2 this figure was down to five. In Class B Harry Barr was on zero and the rest followed. The CoC was beginning to worry-what to do, he wanted to keep it a wide event, no tightening up would be tolerated-tyre pressures would be used.
Lap 1 had put John Keatley out of the running with a 7 on Hill 1 and a 6 on Hill 4, today John was being passengered by Paul McMorran who had done so well at the Clubs training day event. Lap 2 caught John McKinney with a 2 on Hill 5, Hill 4 saw Brian Edgar suffer a 5 which was to ruin a super drive. Lap 3 and Peter McKinney got a 1 on Hill 5, as to the rest well clears in Class A had now dropped from 8 to 4 in B Harry Barr was still on zero and the rest followed.
Who were these wonder men on zero, Trevor Aston, Simon Gracey, Andrew McKinney and the Chair of Tandragee’s Thursday Club T McKinney, In Class B Harry Barr was also still on zero. David Webster on 7 at lunch was second in Class B and surprise surprise Mr Trickle was on 22,what had happened on this a day designed to show his trickling skills? David Turkington was leading C as was expected and was enjoying his drive.
What to do to get a winner,the CoC put tyre pressure up to 8 lbs,it did the trick. A good break was had for lunch; tyres inflated and off all went. Was it possible to spot the winner at this stage, no was the answer, this stand off did not last long, first to crack Tom McKinney with a 4 on Hill 5 and on leaving the section ‘’in a hurry’’ he turned the Concord on it’s side, no damage done other than to himself-the dentist will be involved-however in the haste to get on the master switch was not engaged correctly and on his next hill the car died at the 7 marker, score now 11. Next zero man down was Andrew McKinney with a 4 on Hill 5 and he was followed by Master Gracey with a 2 on the same Hill and Harry Barr with a 1 on Hill 4 so who was left well Aston Senior of course, Trevor had a run of 2nd places-last season- and started this with a second at Stewarts Farm. All he had to do was clear the now very difficult Hill 5 and finish on the much changing Hill 3 (a cross camber had become very slippery). Did anything happen to Class B leader on lap 5 yes an 8 on Hill 3 Harry Barr now on 9 had won B from David W by 16 points.
All the CoC’s attention was now focused on car 6 the Aston Concord, one must be honest Master Gracey was finished on 2, Trevor still had to clear Hill 5 and his final Hill was 3 which had claimed quite a number of scalps. Trevor cleared 5 drove over to 3 and showing no nerves at all cleaned it with ease finishing on a super zero and 1st place, so that was that. 1st Trevor Aston, zero. 2nd Master Gracey 2 lost, and 3rd in A Andrew McKinney on 4. In B Harry Barr was on 9 and David Webster had 25. David Turkington won C.
Hill markers were gathered up, the ground raked in where necessary and off everybody went-some direct to The Dunadry Inn where the prizegiving Dinner was being held others home to change and return.
The evening was a great success, members and guests numbered 44 and a good time was had by all. The bar stayed open till David Webster told it to close and that’s all I am allowed to tell you of the evening the rest as one prominent member would say ‘is a secret’.
Clive Gracey
Posted by PMcCollum on 1/11/2012; Last updated by PMcCollum on 1/11/2012