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B.R.S.
Page 66
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Best at Oxford
DRITISH ROAD SERVICES' perennM ially strong support of the Oxford eliminator • in the Lorry Driver of the Year contest was well rewarded on Sunday. Their drivers-spurred on, perhaps, by the keen rivalry between the Oxford and Swindon depots-provided the overall winner, three class winners and four other place-men and the best performance with a loaded car-body transporter; and once again the bestmaintained A/B-licensed vehicle was the 1949 Leyland of W. Monck from 'I.R.S., Oxford.
The car transporter award was poetic justice because the recipient, G. R. Birmingham, was initially given it last year-in error, as he was then running empty. And on Sunday he repeated his Class El win of a couple of years ago, displacing last year's overall winner, B. A. Absolom. The latter nevertheless weaved his big Bedford pantechnicon through the tests skilfully enough to gain third place-an over-run kerb cost him dear, Birmingham's own skill was perhaps best typified by his losing a mere 8 pts. in the bay test despite having a long-wheelbase rigid with four Super Minx bodies aboard.
Although Morris Motors (joint hosts with S. Smith and Sons for the contest) had no class-winning drivers this year, B.M.C. figured prominently in that the first three finishers in classes A, D and Fl, the first two in F2, and the J. Curtis and Sons trio who took the team award were all driving Austin or Morris.
The turn-out of vehicles this year (there were 111 entries) was of an exceptionally high standard and, together with a maintenance competition in which 26 of the 44 vehicles gained over 900 points out of a 960 maximum, must have helped to correct the currently adverse " image " of road transport. The fact that test penalty totals piled up by the hundred (1,025 in one case!) was less a reflection on general driving skill than on the toughness with which the regulations were enforced, including a special blitz on momentary halts during tests-penalty 50 pts. for each.
One driver, T. Connell of Express Dairy Co., who protested at losing 75 marks for what he reckoned to be a nearly faultless run in the kerb test with his A.E.C. eight-wheeled tanker, was recompensed in an unexpected way. His class winner-R. E. G. Stratton of B.R.S., Swindon-was elevated to overall winner in the run-off with Morris platform lorries so Connell got the class trophy after all, as duplication of awards is avoided at Oxford, After the recent disqualification affair at Ruislip, large notices at Oxford warned spectators that shouting advice could be disastrous for competitors; this sort of detailed preparation, was typical of the contest's organization. But it would be even better if the slickness of the tests and the rapid calculation of results were matched by a more prompt prize-giving ceremony. H.B.C.