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T r iumphal
Page 88
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SUNDAY provided a splendid swansong for Kent County Council's organization of the Maidstone LDOY eliminator, with blazing sunshine, a record entry and a slickness of running which had the tests completed before 4 p.m. Only the disqualification of a driver in Class C for failing to stop at a Halt sign provided a small reminder of last year's contrasting event when a host of disqualifications, bitter weather and a very late finish left the contest in a shaky state.
But now the inheritors of the Maidstone round will at least have a splendid steppingoff point. Several prominent transport people who are members of the organizing committee are hoping to find a paid organizer to run the event with the backing of the trade organizations and voluntary helpers. The committee vice-chairman, Mr. J. E. Wills, managing director of Wills and Packham Ltd., told me that a letter was going out to all interested parties asking for financial support so that a small secretariat could keep the event going. Kent C.C. has decided that the organization it has undertaken for six years is now consuming a disproportionate amount of the road safety department's time.
Outright winner this year was J. T. Humphrey, driving a Commer for SPD Ltd., in Class B. There could be little quarrel with the formula's verdict, as his 117 penalties were beaten only by the 110 of the Class D winner, R. Smith with a Bedford-whose success for Fremlins local brewery won him the Courage and Barclay Cup!
Fremlins Ltd., did very well (as usual) with two class wins, a second and a third. The only other double class winners were Shell-Mex and BP Ltd., while Reed Transport Ltd. repeated their 1965 achievement by taking both the A /B and C-licence sections of the maintenance competition.
Apart from one or two staggeringly bad performances, the Highway Code and roadtest sections produced few penalties this year. A new road section of just over 13 miles was rather trickier than last year's and after about 10 competitors had taken a wrong turning near the Running Horse public house, the national steward decided to delete the checkpoint there, which eliminated some penalties.
Although the field was again predominantly C-licensed there were 35 Aor Blicensed vehicles out of a total of 125 runners. The small-vehicle classes were distinguished this year by the vast spread of marks, in Class A the range of penalties being from 171 to 778, for example. Most of the really heavy scores were knocked up in the kerb-parking test.
The RHA cup for Class E(1) was won appropriately by a non-C-licensed vehicle. Of the 10 runners here, no fewer than half were entered by Richmans Removals who took first and third places. Three of their big green Bedford furniture vans were driven by B., C., and D. Richman, while W. E. Richman was busy with a Dodge 6-wheeler in the huge Class D.
The layout of this year's tests did not provide the opportunity for dramatic success or obviously hopeless failure which the old "bay" used to do, but among those who earned a fervent clap were C. King, who won Class G, and made the kerb-parking test look like child's play. Also applauded was L. Simmons who whistled his big Scammell-Carrimore artic tanker through the width test fast and faultlessly.
Withdrawal of two entrants left only Simmons and T. N. Guppy to dispute Class H in similar vehicles and they had a real ding-dong. H.B.C.