Coaches parade at Blackpool
Page 18
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• Foreign-built coaches took the top two honours again at the National Coach Rally at Blackpool on Sunday. Repeating last year's success, an integral Kassbohrer Setra won the "Coach of the Year", with a Bova integral as runner up.
Yorkshire entrepreneur Terry Shaw of Barnsley repeated his personal success by carrying off the national coach driver of the year award again, and Gloria Botfield of Bassetts Coachways of Tittensor notched up her hat-trick by winning the Ladies Award.
The 30th Blackpool rally was characterised by a proliferation of trade and manufacturers' stands and a dearth of entrants. An increased number of trade stands was booked up weeks in advance, but — at 34 — the total number of corn
petitors was down by 20 on last year.
Coliseum Coaches of Southampton entered the 30-seat Setra executive which carried off the main concours prize, and hope to repeat the success at the Southampton Rally this coming weekend.
Second place went to a 40seat Bova of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, used for social services work.
Top British coach was a Dennis Javelin entered by Scottish operator Maynes of Buckie.
Class Concours Trophies were won by Brown of Congleton's Sherpa minibus (the only minibus entrant); H&M of Chasetown's nine-year-old Duple-bodied Ford; and Bassetts' 11-year-old Leyland Leopard.
New coaches to win their class were a standard Setra integral of Capital Coaches of Heathrow and a Van Hoolbodied Volvo of Johnsons of Hodthorpe.
Clive Screton of Warrington won the vintage vehicle class again with his 35-year-old Harrington-bodied AEC, and Selkent-London Buses took the double-deck award again with the company's last ECW bodied Leyland Olympian.
The only new vehicle to make its debut was the Optare Metrorider with the 29-seat fastflow body, featuring a double-width entrance and greater standing area for intense urban traffic.
Other coaches on show in the North for the first time were a trio of LAG EOS coaches, a Reeve Burgess Beagle-bodied Iveco, PMT's Mercedes Ami, and Plaxton's Mercedes 0303, which was unveiled last month.