Ivinghoe Spring Trial

Event Report

Parker and Oliver mop up, but Dovey shines

 

The second round of the BTRDA Car Trials championship was hosted by Falcon Motor Club near Milton Keynes which saw totally contrasting conditions to two weeks previously with surprisingly dry and grippy conditions.

 

Round one winner Dave Oliver remained on form by climbing all thirty two hills, but was joined by reigning ten time BTRDA Gold Star champion Barrie Parker back in his Reliant Robin engined Liege, who also dropped no points all day but this was only enough to tie for second overall.

 

The standard car class saw five previous champions do battle, with the addition of Blair Roebuck who has joined the fun this year. Mark Hoppe took the early lead after the first round of eight hills from reigning British champion Tim Dovey dropping a single point with Dovey and Rupert North also in a little Suzuki Alto on two points. A second round clean from Dovey saw him sneak ahead of the Alto drivers. The third round saw a disaster for Hoppe dropping seventeen points and out of contention, with Dovey adding just a point to his total. The last round saw sections tightened up further, and Dovey excelled in getting the Renault Clio Sport round the corners, to take the class and overall win. North consolidated his second in class and top Alto ahead of Hoppe. Trevor Moffatt finished fourth in class, with Blair Roebuck challenging the other former national champion Neil Mackay all day who was debuting a diesel Peugeot 205.

 

Charlie Dovey chose to lighten his Renault Clio and move into class D to compare against the dominant Imp’s and Kit cars. Lunchtime saw Dovey clean with Parker and Oliver, with veteran Steve Courts and round one organiser Tim Beard just a point back. Five cars covered by a single point. As sections toughened up the lead three remained clean after the third round, with Courts remaining on one. Oliver and Parker drew on their experience and age, both over 70, to continue unpenalised over the final eight hills , while young Dovey slipped up with two sections costing points finishing in fourth in class and tenth overall. This left Oliver, Parker tied on zero, and Courts on one, and a combined age of over 230!! Some experience and sections climbed there in the last umpteen decades!! Ian Nute continued to avidly support the championship in his Melos in sixth in class.

 

Interestingly this is the second time in five years two competitors have been tied on zero points and the end of the day, both times at this event, although uniquely finishing on zero didn’t net the overall win weirdly.

 

Falcon Motor Club had a very strong club section, running side by side with the BTRDA championship event, saw Peter Hanman in his sidevalve engined 1950s Dellow also complete a clean sheet, ahead of the Dutton Phaeton kit car of Dave Middleditch who dropped a point from Simon Fowler on two. Richard Thomkins won the rear wheel drive production car class, Colin Reid the front wheel drive class and Brian Rattenbury in his Smart ForTwo the unballasted class.

 

The championship has another two week break before Windwhistle Motor Clubs similarly named Spring Trial in North Somerset, and Woolbridge Motor Clubs Golden Springs held in South Smerset.

 

Spring Trial

Falcon Motor Club

BTRDA, British Motorsport UK, West Midlands

48 starters

Ivinghoe, Milton Keynes

 

1. Tim Dovey, Renault Clio, 67%
2. Dave Oliver, Hillman Imp, & Barrie Parker, Liege R, 83%
3. .
4. Rupert North, Suzuki Alto, 92%
5. Steve Courts, Hillman Imp, 167%
6. Mark Hoppe, Suzuki Alto, 208%
7. Trevor Moffatt, Vauxhall Corsa, 333%
8. Neil Mackay, Peugeot 205D, 575%
9. Blair Roebuck, Suzuki Alto, 592%
10. Charlie Dovey, Renault Clio, 917%