Private Hauliers Sweep The Board
Page 48
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I N the championship event of the Leicestershire and North Midlands area .eliminatirig centre at Melton Mow7 bray on Sunday, first• and second places were awarded to the drivers of hauliers' vehicles,' the. difference in penaltymarks
. of .the two drivers being 103 in the class events and seven in the championship. 0_. Osborn, of St, Marys Transport,
_Market Harborough, won .Class D in .a . Comnier with a total of 99 penalty points. of which 22 were lost in the reversing bay test,. whilst A. Wright. of 5. E. Chettle, Ltd.. Nottingham, .came first in Class Fl in a Thames outfit with a total of 202 points and a bay penalty of 50; driving new Thames Trader 7-ton lorries (straight from the Dagenham factory) in the championship Osborn was penalized 121 p:rints and Wright 128 points, their bay penalties being 25 and 11 respectively. All the championship d rivers were over-cautious, in the width judging .test, Osborn losing 75 points and Wright 8.1 points.. This corresponded to the average of, the class. events. Only the artici vvere:,. a;lowed., two shunts in the bay test, but on average the drivers of the multi-wheeled rigids put up a better show. After 'many artic drivers had failed dismally in this test, three drivers backed into the hay Without repeat .shunting or hitting the pylons but crashed into the rear barrier: Apparently . they -relaxed too soon.
._ • Smooth and Unhurried One of the smoothest and unhurried
-competitors in this test, C. W. -Ross, Uf . the National Benzole .Co.,Ltd.; lost only .23...pdints at the wheel of. an A.E.C. :eight-wheeled tanker whilst P. Taylor, of . Tubes, Ltd., was equally cortffdent driving a Leyland semi-trailer -oUtfit in Class G with the loss of 36 bay. points. Many of the competitors . selectedtheir own
bay, often remote front the proper o No case was reported of an artic dri reversing to the oPposite sith of the 1 and backing into it on his second sill from his own side. If a driver had dr so he wouTd have been penalized :points for crossing•a kerb line.
To the re:Jet of manyspectators fellow .drivers, la4t year's Winner, Campbell. of Ketton Portland Cerru Ltd. (Class E2), was too ambitious 'tests I and 2 and lost a lot of points marginal errors; in the bay test backed his immaculate cight-whee tanker—a Foden—to within a few inc of the rear barrier (on one side) lost only 39 points. His only reward' share of the team prize with T. D. Srr and R. Ratt.
• According to the marshals on width-judging test the regulations w unfair to the long-wheelbase vehii with considerable overhang at the fr and rear. A number of the five cc ,petitors in Class A and II drivers .Class B did badly in test I, a comic able improvement being noted with 'advent of the heavies. Of the total ,over. 100 vehicles in the competition. were in Class D.
All the marshals were volunteers ft the Leicestershire Car Club and v the aid of good weather their enthusia 'efficiency carried the 'day. As last y prizes were presented by Mx. C. Hodgson. the East Midland Licem Authority. The contest was 'held Melton Mriwbray cattle market wt was ideal for the spectators because the proximity of the tests hut the re tant vehicle congestion caused a num
of delays. P.A.C.1