8-WHEELER DRIVER GAINS TITLE
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Potential Champions for International Event Seeded from Bramcote Finals of Lorry Driver of the Year Competition
THE driver of an Atkinson eightwheeler, W. Hirons .(Wood Transport, 'Ltd., Redditch) is the new Lorry Driver of the Year. He and W. Ward (Bedford, Hughes and Sons, Ltd., Liverpool), who proved himself at the lirarncote finals, East Sunday, to be the leading driver of an articulated outfit. will represent Britain at the international finals to be held at Versailles on October 6. [The date previously announced was September 22.]
The question whether the previous title-holder, F: Jury (Austin, A. and E Chapman, Ltd., Portsmouth) would repeat his triumph was soon decided Although in his class he clocked the best times for the first two tests, " competition nerves" probably caused a relapse during his negotiation of the other two and his final placing was third.
Two competitors in Class A failed the third test, involving reversing .into a bay, and this manceuvre exacted a similar toll in Class B. All Class C contestants survived it, but one failed in the first test—parking—and another in test 2—driving through gaps.
Six Class I) competitors went astray in test 3 and one in test 2. In Class F one failed in test 2 and three in test 3. Test .2 took three victims and test 3 claimed two in Class F, and test 2 one and test 3 two in Class G: Class H and Class I contestants went through cleanly.
The first test appeared difficult because of the lack of space on the off side, but W. T. Hayward (Austin, George Prince, Ltd., Birmingham) parked his vehicle in two movements, omitting the third
allowed. Fie first placed his vehicle well forward of the gap so that hi manceuvrc in reverse was long and gave him ample.opportunity to complete it on right lock to stop close and parallel to the kerb. He won Class C handsomely, and had fewer penalties than any other class winner.
In test 2, most competitors wisely did not have the pylons through which they had to drive placed too closely together, but complaints were voiced that the official diagram of test 3 was misleading, inasmuch as the approach to the bay into which vehicle had to be reversed was in fact at a sharper angle than shown.
It was also felt that, at least so far as big vehicles were concerned, there was insufficient space in which to turn by the required amount when reversing
„into the bay from the stop line to its right.
Nevertheless, the mOre skilful exponents were undismayed and essayed test 3 neatly. This test, in leading to the disqualification of 17 of the 92 competitors, .sorted the sheep from the goats, and some thought that teit 4, which faulted.ftone, was .too easy.
The two women competitors, Miss H. Large (Cornmer, Humber, Ltd., Coventry) and S./Sgt. Allen (Bedford. W.R.A.C., Southend on Sea), were deservedly applauded althoughthey did not gain places. J. Flaskett (Paden, Southern Gas Board, Portsmouth) put
up one of the day's more electrifying performances, handling his six-wheeled tipper as if he were on a mileage bonus.
W. Hodges (Thames, S,P.D., Ltd., York), at the age of 44, qualified as the eldest contestant to be awarded The Commercial Motor diploma, which is accredited to those who gain 75 per cent, or over of total possible marks. Senior of the civilian class winners was .43 and the youngest 26: five of the eight were in their thirties and the eighth was 41.
There was also some feeling tha. those drivers who competed earlier in the day were at a slight disadvantage in not being able to watch others going through the tests, and thereby learning from their mistakes. Apart from the ethics of doing this, it did not appear that the later contestants gained much by vicarious experience. They were under the compensating drawback of handling bigger outfits, and the feature of many of the eliminating rounds, in which the heavy-vehicle drivers made the rest of the field look like amateurs. was not reflected at Bramcote.
Prototype Vehicles" .
The class winners finally competed against each other on prototype vehicles made available by the Ministry of Supply. These were six-wheelers with RollsRoyce eight-cylindered petrol engines. Ten minutes at the wheel was given to each man so that he could accustom himself to his mount, and the drivers competed in an order according to names drawn out of a hat by Mr. G. R. H. Nugent, Joint Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Transport W. Ward, an " artie " man, went through the tests again first, but was claimed by the demoniac test 3, a fate inhered also by B, Gillespie, a lightvehicle driver, who followed hint.. Gillespie, who has no fingers on his left hand, must be recorded as having put up a meritorious performance.
Cpl. E. Gannon also failed on test 3, and some bewilderment beset those in the control room. Would some revision of the marking system be needed?
Then G. A. Buckner made a clean run. V. Ashby, accustomed to handling a Queen .Mary, hit posts, but was followed by another faultless contestant, Hayward, who dropped fewer points than Buckner. A. J. Smart, another " artic" man, and H. Gee found the six-wheelers a little beyond their capabilities, but !limns, for whom the Ministry model was not greatly dissimilar to the vehicle he drives every day, improved upon Hayward's marks and came out victorious.
Ward, Ashby and Smart competed against each other on an A.E.C. articulated outfit of British Road Services to decide who would take part in the interna!ional contest. Ward made no mistakes on his run and won, as Ashby made one and Smart two faults.
Mr. Nugent presented the awards. The event took place at the Royal Naval Air Station in Living weather.