BRAMCOTE TITLE GOES NORTH OF THE BORDER
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non-stop urging, the visitors threw themselves enthusiastically into the "fun of the fair", taking part in the numerous competitions, sampling the refreshments, Cheering their favourites among the contestants, basking in the warmth or seeking shade in the hangars.
Energetic people pedalled furiously on the cycle roller-racing gear provided by Conoco, Ltd, hurled plastic milkbottle-crates into Hertz Rental vans, took driving instruction from the British School of Motoring and wrestled with tarpaulins in the ever-popular British Ropes sheeting and roping races. More sedately they played Road Safety Bingo in a York Trailer van, watched film shows and listened to experts describing technicalities such as the Hope anti-jack-knife device and the many anti-theft security systems.
For the children it was a grand day out— circulating solemnly on Joe Statham's handdriven "gallopers" or driving the electricallypropelled one-third scale replica of an NCL artic van round a twisting circuit laid out in one of the hangars.
By lunchtime the class championship was completed and according to schedule the allimportant final run-off was due to start around 2.30 pm. That it would be closely contested was evident from the Class results, most of which had already been posted. They indicated that the principal prize, the Coventry Trophy, was likely to have a new name on its plinth for the two competing ex -c h am pio ns, Reg Tooze and Sam Gray, had both failed to head their classes.
The driving had been cut-throat keen. In Class B the RAF's new discovery, Cpl Reg Wickstead, had ensured a Finals place by only a single point, and in Class E the winner had a six-point margin over a tie for second berth. Nine points separated first and second men in Class F, and in Class G Gerry McMullen had registered the incredibly low score of 64.
But then as the lunch-break ended came an interruption. The stewards had to consider protests concerning the identification of a sign printed in the Highway Code examination sheet. They decided that the question should be deleted and this meant that all the early class results had to be rechecked and amended where necessary—a monster, unexpected and laborious task for John Boxall and his hardworked results team.
Meantime the competitors looked for hidden faults in a cleverly "sabotaged" truck and the crowd good-naturedly went on enjoying itself, getting autographs from disc jockey Johnny Moran and giving a warm welcome to "Inspector Goss" (Derek Waring) and"PC Quilley" (Douglas Fielding) of the BBC's Z Cars team who took part in the combined helicopter/vehicle stolen-lorry search competition staged by Atlas Express, Air Call Ltd
and the RHA/Vehicle Observer Corps.
Eventually the run-off got under way. A eight finalists had to take four tests wit different types of vehicle (all supplied by th Ford Motor Co) for each test. No.1, th garaging test, involved driving a Transit va as fast as possible both forwards and badl wards into each of three awkwardly-site bays. No. 2 was a repetition of the "snal test" with a platform rigid. No. 3 required complicated series of reverse and forwai movements with a six-wheeled tipper ar No. 4 was a repeat of the now well-knom height-judging exercise. Competitors had drive an artic boxvan outfit under a mark board suspended from a lorry-mounto continued on page 48