Some of you will know that I have spent a significant amount of time over the last eighteen months researching what I refer to as trialling’s Middle Ages (or even Dark Ages) – the period from the end of the Second World War in 1945 to the formation of the ACTC in 1979. Although there were a few events in the latter half of 1945, ‘proper’ classic trials as we now know them did not really re-start until 1946, and the Bristol Motor Cycle & Light Car Club (as they are still officially named) has a very strong claim to have run the first significant PostWar trial with their Full Moon Cup Trial on Saturday 5th January 1946. This was reported in some detail in ‘Motor Sport’ for March 1946, and C A N May devotes a couple of pages of ‘More Wheelspin’ to his reflections on the event.
Competitors in yesterday’s Allen Trial (also run by Bristol MC&LCC) will be interested to note that both Travers (named Ubley in 1946) and Burledge featured in the Full Moon trial of nearly 76 years earlier.
