• When a man gets a drive-over because he is
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the sole competitor in his class there is usually a nagging suspicion that without a slice of luck he would have been nowhere. At the Leeds LDoY round on Sunday, A. Twinham (Crofts (Engineers) Ltd.) was, so to speak. winner by default in Class Fl but he showed his true worth in the run-off for overall winner wherein he beat A. D. Bottomley (Arthur Rayner (Haulage)). Bedford, from Class El and W. D. Hartley (Yorkshire Electricity Board). BMC, from Class C. their respective scores being 14. 20, 30. In the final all drove Ford six-wheeled vans from Class 0.
In most respects the day was a triumph for the Ministry of Public Building and Works. Their trio. A. Abbott, E. Brook and K. Townend (all Bedfords) won the team award from Barnsley Brewery Co. Ltd255 to 282. Brook took the award for the best Services Or Crown vehicles driver. To Abbott went the Frank Cousins trophy for roadmanship while Townend annexed the Cyril Jeffries trophy for consistency by a non-winner, having been second in his class with 79 marks in 1967, third with 65 in 1968 and second with 78 in 1969.
As one of the first three in the LDoY organizing field. Leeds benefits from long experience and assured support. Entries close a month in advance', leaving ample time for the pre
paration of a printed programme which is in the hands of those concerned well before the day. A feature that some other rounds might copy is the posting of results above shoulder height so that they are easily read even with a crowd around.
Entries topped 150 and 29 teams were listed. Artics were first off on this occasion and the smaller rigids brought up the rear, all of which appeared to make for quicker working.
Ald. Alan Pedley, the Leeds competition chairman, pointed out at the prize-giving that in some years there had been wholesale ties for the roadmanship award, so this year the whole thing was made much stiffer, with the result that the lowest penalty (by Abbott) was eight marks: the highest was 84. Lowest overall penalty marks in the classes were by that well-established expert, Chris. O'Reilly (Petrofina (UK) Ltd.), AEC. with 55 in Class D. A tie between second and third in this category was settled on roadmanship markings.