Ken Wharton was not the first competitor to drop an 1172cc Ford sidevalve engine onto an Austin Seven chassis as the basis for a trials special, but he was certainly the first to make the combination really work. He won a number of events in 1947, and then had an incredibly successful year in 1948…
Author: AndrewKB
The Joys of Classic Trials
I recently came across this wonderful quote which, I think, perfectly sums-up why so many of us love classic trials: This little hill, even if it is not the most severe, must come close to being the most beautiful of trials hills. It is a gem in a setting of emerald meadows still awash with…
Trials Events and Trials Sections pages updated
I have recently updated both the Trials Events Database and Trials Sections Database pages. The printout available from the Events page now includes dates from the 2024 ACTC Calendar, and a large number of additions for events in the late 1940s. On the Sections page, I have removed the printout as I am now updating…
Trials Trivia #5 – The MCC Devon Trial
Every trialler knows about the MCC’s ‘Big Three’ trials (the Cold One, the Long One, and the Rough One, to quote Peter Jones of MG fame) and the Sporting Trial (the precursor to the modern Edinburgh); and those with a reasonable knowledge of MCC History will have heard of the Spring Trial (1980 and 1981…
Where is it? – #6
UPDATE – 29 August 2023 This photograph is now confirmed as Eric Kay (of Cheltenham), with Howard Homer as passenger, on Lyn Hill (near Barbrook, North Devon). The photograph was taken on 16th April 1949 during the MCC’s 29th Land’s End Trial. I have to thank Roger Wrapson, of the Riley Register, for the information…
Theme updated
The more observant of you will notice that I have ‘refreshed’ the appearance of this website with an updated theme. I have also removed the header images to reduce the amount of scrolling necessary before the content text becomes visible. The layout and navigation are both unchanged.
Trials Trivia #4 – Troll Miscellany
Peter James drives the T4, JOD 980, up Norman’s Hump (we think) on an Exeter Trial sometime in the late 1980s. With thanks to Mark Milne for providing the photograph. During the course of creating the original Troll T6 page I had a lot of correspondence from Peter James and David Alderson about the other…
Trials Trivia #3 – Scoring system history
Does anyone know when the 12 > 0 scoring system became the standard for trials? I’ve posted this question on the HSTA Facebook page quite recently, but am re-posting here, with updates, in the hope of reaching a wider audience. I know that the concept of sub-dividing sections was introduced in the late 1930s for…
Trials Trivia #2 – Chiltern Hills Trophy Trial 1952
Mark Milne has recently posted this wonderful video on the HSTA Facebook page: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-chiltern-hills-trials-1952-online?fbclid=IwAR0rTEYQqKoEa1E7jOMEL-g5ItSc-ZeUonncRtT163e-6aM0Cw1haJGktGs Rather amazingly, I have some of the paperwork for this event, now posted here: Entry List / Route Card / Results.
Trials Events Database updated
I’ve just published a new printout from the Trials Events Database, updated to include: a lot of updated information for events in the 1970s and 1980s; all the documents available for most trials in 2022 to date; and all the provisional dates for events in 2023. View/Read the printout.