Services Success at Fleetwood
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WHEN the class winners came to W receive their trophies at the Fleet wood Lorry Driver of the Year Competition last Sunday, they were greeted by J. fellow craftsman who had kept a critical eye on their performances right from the start of the tests. He was ClIr. S. Bond. Mayor of Fleetwood and a bus driver of Ribble Motor Services Ltd. Cllr. Bond said he would have liked to have seen more entries from local operators. All the same, he had the pleasure of seeing Don Rickman (Dennis side-loading refuse collector), one of Fleetwood Corporation's two entries in the event. win Class C At his first attempt.
There is no overall winner's award at Fleetwood, but the driver with the fewest penalty points was A, Altday (Blackpool Co-operative Society Ltd.) with a Karrier Bantam, who won Class B with a loss of 158; he was closely followed by the two leaders on the Service category, Cpl. E. J. Smart with 160 and Cpl. C. W. Fletcher with 174. With the aid of Cpl. P. Murphy, last year's class S winner. R.A.F. Weeton took the team award by a useful margin.' A new feature at Fleetwood was the trophy for the best woman driver. The fact that there was only one entrant Ill this section did nothing to detract from the performance of dainty Mrs. Linda Barron (Class S) who handled the Lancashire C.C. Ford civil defence mobile control room with full competerice.
With a total of 55. the centre's entries were one up on last year, but anything this contest lacks in numbers it makes up in friendliness. There was a scheduled lunch break when all drivers and officials climbed aboard a reserved double decker and were taken off for a meal. Whilst some of the classes were thinly supported. C, D, E2 and S were all filled. Assembly took place at the R.A.F. Station, Weeton, the road route providing a greater than average test, as much of the course lay among the intense Blackpool-bound holiday traffic.
Fleetwood is fortunate in having a good. wide street adjacent to the docks in which to operate, and by contrast the hay test appeared somewhat cramped for the rigid 8-wheelers. Rickman was
notably good on both the parking and bay tests, dropping only two marks on the latter. Last year's Class D winner, J. G. Eccles (.1. G. Eccles Ltd.), had a clean sheet for the Highway Code and lost only two marks on the bay test but, with a vehicle virtually new to him, missed out on the width judging. Among the best on the bay test were J. S. Anderton (Petrofina (G.B.) Ltd.) and S. Holt (Barnes and Tipping Ltd.), both of whom came through without penalty. With a Leyland and flat trailer, H. I've (Barnes and Tipping Ltd.) did well to get away with a loss of only 2, the score that was equalled by his team-mate, D. Knowles. AlIday, Knowles, Pye and J. Thomas all repeated 'their last year's
class successes. AT.
Team aviard: R.A.F Wecton (Cpl. E. J. Smart, Cpl. C. W. Murphy. Cpl. C. W. Fletcher).
Rest Woman Driver: Mrs. Linda Barron (Lancashire County Civil Defence). Ford. 418.
Class A. up to 16 ft.: B. Caddick (I Caddick and Sons), Morris, 327; M. Strain (Blackpool Co-op), Morris. 403.
Class R. 16 to 19 ft.: A, Aliday (Blackpool Co-Op. Society Ltd.). Karrier Bantam, 158; E. Donowho (14 M.U. Bedford, 292; D. Awde (Daintce Confectioners Co. Ltd.), Bedford. -531 Class C, 19 to 22 ft.: D. Rickman (Fleetwood Corporation). Dennis. 226; K. Dargue (Express Dairy Cu. Ltd.). Ford. 245; L. Craig (Express Dairy Co. Ltd.), Ford, 340.
Class D, 22 to 2.5 H.: D. 1. Gardener (Waller and Hartley (Blackpool) Ltd.), Bedford, 176; R. Monks (British Oxygen Co. Ltd.). Bedford. 202; S. Holt (Barnes and Tipping Co. Ltd.). Albion, 225.
Class El. Over 25 ft., two axles: P. Godson (Silentnight Mattress Co. Ltd.), Guy, 393; W. Fermin. (Silentnight Mattress Co. Ltd.), Ford, 415; A. Storey (Silentnight Mattress Co. Ltd.), Guy, 461, Class E2. over 25 (t.. more than two axles: D. Knowles (Barnes and Tiring Ltd.), Albion, 178: 1. S. Anderton (Petrofina (0.0.) Ltd.),•Seddon. 248: G. Morris (Sharrington and Hargreaves Ltd.). ARC.. 269.
Class Ft, box or tanker semi-trailer op to 30 ft., Inactive units under 4 tom: J. Thomas (Daintee Confectioners Co. Ltd.), B.M.C., 264; W, Blakley (Tate and Lyle Ltd.), Commer, 271; J. F. William (Arthur Hughes and Sons, Liverpool), Bedford. 400.
Clam Fl, box Of tanker semi-trailers op to 3011., tractive units over 4 tons: D. Thorpe (Tate and Lyle Ltd.), Commen 242; J. Steele (Petrofina (G.B.) Ltd.), Bedford 388; F. Oak (Daintee Confectioners Co. Ltd.). Bedford, 505.
Class G. lat Of sided semi-trailers. up to 3011.. tractive emits 4 Inns and over: 'H. !lye (Barnes and Tipping Ltd.). Leyland, 193.
Class H. box or tanker semi-trailers with tractive unit, 4 tons and oven W. G. Pullman (Shell-Mex and B.P. Ltd.), ARC.. 490; H. limber (Petrofina (G.B.) Ltd.). ARC., 544.
Class S. Service vehicles, 19 to 24 ft.: Cpl. E. J. Smart (R.A.F. Weeton). Bedford, 164; Cpl. C. W. Fletcher (R.A.F. Weeton), Bedford. 174; CPI, P. J. Murphy (B.A.T. Weeton). Bedford. 177.