Tag Archives: Cross Trophy

Podiumed In Class – Cross Trophy

Ten days ago I had a rare Spring Sunday lie in and arose in time to meet Chris Clarke at the Shell garage on the A38 just outside Bristol from whence we proceeded to Duncan Pittaway’s farm in Dundry for the 2013 edition of the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club‘s Cross Trophy Production Car Trial.

Land Rover Evoque, Cross Trophy, Dundry

Photo Courtesy Andy Moss / BPMC Archive

Among the entries were the father and son Robsons using Mum’s 2 wheel drive Range Rover Evoque,

TVR 280S, Cross Trophy, Dundry

Photo Courtesy Andy Moss / BPMC Archive

the most powerful vehicle taking part was Duncan Pittaway’s 1989 TVR 280S,

Volkswagen Golf III, Cross Trophy, Dundry

Photo Courtesy Andy Moss / BPMC Archive

Newcomers to the event were the Firks brothers who were sharing this stripped track day prepared Golf III.

Firks & Firks, Cross Trophy, Dundry

The Firks brothers Keith and Andrew were not the first novice winners to win the Clubsport Class 1 front wheel drive honours but they are the first to have achieved the same score behind the wheel.

Citroen AX, Cross Trophy, Dundry

Photo Courtesy Andy Moss / BPMC Archive

Class 1 honours in the National B event went to Ray Jacobs in a keenly fought battle of Citroen AX’s with Colin Francis and Chris Buckle.

Marlin Roadster, Cross Trophy, Dundry

Photo Courtesy Andy Moss / BPMC Archive

Roland Panes won Class 2 rear wheel drive honours in his yellow Marlin Roadster.

Parsons, Cross Trophy, Dundry

Photo Courtesy Andy Moss / BPMC Archive

Making a welcome return to competition after his recent illness was Alan Spencer who recorded the lowest (best) score of the day with Cherry Robinson in the passenger seat.

Volkswagen Golf IV, Cross Trophy, Dundry

Photo Courtesy Andy Moss / BPMC Archive

With the Firks brothers sharing top honours in Class 1 Chris Clarke calmly guided me to a third place finish in class which translated to a 7th place overall in a field of 14 competitors who finished the Clubsport event. I’ve made my mind up to acquire a second set of wheels and far more aggressively patterned tyres and to remove various bit’s of plastic from the front wings and below the motor for my next production car trials outing.

My thanks to Mal who set the courses, Tim who kept the scores and Peter who checked the vehicles taking part for the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club, to marshals, Donny, Liz and Carlie to Andy Moss for sharing today’s photographs and last but not least Chris Clarke who sat alongside me on this event.

Thanks for joining me on this “Podiumned In Class” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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2011 GALPOT Review #4 – Motor Sport

Today I am reviewing some of the competitive events covered on GALPOT over the past 12 months.

GN, Dundry

The GALPOT motor sport year started with the Cross Trophy a production car trial organized by the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club at the farm belonging to Duncan seen at the wheel of his air cooled chain driven GN in the photo above.

Richard Craddy, Ralph Colmar BPMC AGM

Above Bristol Pegasus Motor Club Vice President Richard Craddy presents yours truly with the Cross Trophy and Mug.

(Photo Courtesy Martin Baker)

I’m not to sure how I ended up competing in my land ladies 20 year old Volkswagen Passat but I am pleased I did, I got a welcome dose of beginners luck and ended up winning the event out right ! Unfortunately the Passat was replaced soon afterwards and I am not too sure how I’ll defend my trophy next year.

Backdraft, Shakespeare County Speedway

When I met ‘Crazy’ Chris Hartnell in the back of a bus on my way to Race Retro I became totally infected with his enthusiasm for Drag Racing, at the end of May I managed to catch up with Chris and his classic sling shot dragster Backdraft at Shakespeare County Raceway. Catching him popping a wheeley proved quite difficult so I am looking forward to catching him again next year.

Porsche 911 RSR, Caterham 7, Castle Combe, Tour Britannia

I got to see several events at Castle Combe courtesy of Simon Lewis of Simon Lewis Transport Books including the Tour Britannia event which featured a cracking race between the front row starting ex New York cabbie Danny ‘spin and win’ Sullivan in his Porsche 911 RSR and the ex private airline pilot and Formula 5000 champion Ian Ashley who started on the back row of the grid in his Caterham Super 7. I still pinch myself when I am reminded the 1985 Indy 500 winner visited our local track this year !

Hawk HF3000, Sheepcot Farm

A couple of weeks later I returned to reality with a bump when I entered a Kia Picanto in the Bristol Pegasus Motor Club Gymkhana held in the hills of the Welsh border just out side Chepstow. The little Picanto had a huge weight advantage over the Passat but had absolutely zero traction in the long grass. My run of novice success was over I came in 10th out of 11. But I still had fun sitting in the passenger seat of Alan’s Hawk HF3000 seen above which finished one place ahead of me.

Ferrari 458, Castle Combe, Britcar

At the end of July it was back to Castle Combe again courtesy of Simon Lewis for the Britcar 2 hour endurance race. What an experience it was with the early leaders eventually giving way to the Scuderia Vittoria Ferrari 458 being shared by Phil Dryburgh and John Gaw who set a new record for most laps covered in a single race at Castle Combe. I believe this was also the first time I have seen a Ferrari win a race outright in person.

Formula Ford, Castle Combe

Three weeks later I was back at Castle Combe for the August Cup meeting which was overshadowed by the death of Pete O’Shea who suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his Formula Ford car. The meeting was hastily rescheduled after Peter had been taken away. A cracking weekends racing ensued as if to do the memory of Peter proud. There were several Caterham races featuring race long wheel to wheel battles through out, but it was the Formula Fords who celebrated their fallen comrades life with the most scintillating display of all as Rob Hall, seen leading above from Felix Fisher and eventual winner Ben Norton, were joined by Steven Jensen in an entertaining four way shoot out.

BriSCA Formula 2, Mendips Raceway

On another diversion this time twixt airport and home I managed to visit my local short track Mendips Raceway for the first ever, last time I saw anything like this was over 30 years ago and most entertaining it proved as the ever present short track conundrum about inside lane of inside lane was repeated again and again. Liam Rowe is seen getting airborne above going for the inside lane.

'Dick' Terrapin Kawasaki, Castle Combe, Wessex Sprint

For my final two visits to Castle Combe this year I volunteered to be a marshal. At the Wessex Sprint I was assigned to the start line team responsible for ‘staging’ the cars. I loved every ultimately exhausting minute of it. Shame I only got to take photo’s during the occasional unscheduled breaks but if you love motor racing I can’t recommend marshaling highly enough as a great way of getting close to the action.

Lola T400, March 79B, Oulton Park, Gold Cup Classic

Over the August Bank Holiday I made it up to Oulton Park for the first time since the early 1990’s, the facilities and track have been considerably improved since my last visit but the circuit still has the same atmosphere. The feature race of the meeting was the Derek Bell Trophy race for the open wheelers dating from the 1970’s back to the late 1960’s. Michael Lyons in the Chevy powered F5000 #64 Lola T400 lead for most of the race but towards the end Richard Evans giving away a 3400 cc / 200 cui advantage managed to line Micheal up for a clean pass in his Formula Atlantic #54 March 79B a couple of laps from home and hold on to win the race.

Volvo 144, Castle Combe, Regency Laundry Sprint

I was a corner marshal for the Regency Laundry Pegasus Sprint during my last visit to Castle Combe for the year, again this proved to be a very entertaining way to get close to the action, the TVR’s seemed particularly difficult to drive, while ‘stood down’ from marshalling duties I managed to take a couple of photo’s of the cars in action of which, as a previous Volvo 144 owner, I found the example driven by John Dando particularly appealing.

So there it is my motor racing year started by winning a cup in a muddy field and ended as a corner worker in the sunshine at Castle Combe with all manner of entertainment in between. Life can’t get much better than this can it ?

My thanks to BPMC treasurer Martin Baker for the use of his photo.

Many thanks for joining me on this Motor Racing edition of ‘Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be reviewing the 2011 GALPOT Fridays. Don’t forget to come back now !

PS Don’t forget …

Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz

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December 26th – January 2nd

Win a set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards

Sports-GT cars set, Paul Chenard

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1950s Grand Prix Engines

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or

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The Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will comprise 8 categories.

Overall winner chooses one set of Paul Chenard Greetings Cards from the five sets shown above.

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Which set will you choose ?

The free to enter Automobiliart GALPOT Seasonal Quiz will run from December 26th – January 2nd Entries close January 8th 2012, Winner announced January 16th 2012.

Full details on December 26th at GALPOT.

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