Wide Range of Penalties at Oxford
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HOSPITALITY by the two companies playing host to the Oxford round of the Lorry Driver of the Year Competition was well rewarded on Sunday, when their drivers won three classes, took three second places and two thirds, and gained three of the special awards. The three firsts went to drivers of S. Smith and Sons (England) Ltd., who this year not only provided the test area and excellent catering facilities at their Witney factory, but also laid on an afternoon film show and as much sport as the patchy weather allowed. Morris Motors Ltd., who provided facilities for the starting control at Cowley, won no classes (they provided the outright winner last year) but gained several places, especially in classes Fl and F2, which became a Smith-Morris benefit.
Most hotly contested this year was Class D, with 40 entries, and just how finely it was decided is shown by the penalty points of the top five finishers: 153, 154, 157, 159, 161. To Honour went the honours, despite a loss of 14 points on the road route. This close marking was not typical; perhaps the most surprising thing in the Oxford contest was the very low rate of penalties in the road test and the admittedly straightforward Highway Code section (only three drivers out of the 40 in Class D lost points here) compared with the enormous penalties piled up by many drivers in the tests. Even the lowest total penalty mark of the day, by S. A. C. Morgan in Class S. was 113, and the highest was 727 by a B.R.S. driver in F2. This was not especially abnormal by 1963 Oxford standards, where several drivers had totals in the 500 and 600 range.
All the more credit, then, to Mr. B. Absolom, who achieved no less than a 50.43 per cent improvement over the marks for his class, to become outright winner on index. And seldom can an outright win have been better deserved; he was driving a high, wide pantechnicon -not the most tractable and convenient of vehicles for this sort of thing-yet he swept it through confidently.
Also worthy of a special round of applause was Mr. R. Watts, third in Class E2, the only man in the whole competition to complete a driving test without penalty, having achieved a coveted " 0 " for his kerbside parking.
Exponents of the " fings ain't what they used to be" theme will be pleased to note that the maintenance awards were won by vehicles of 1958 and 1949 vintage; B.R.S. were the only entrants in the A/B-licence section, so this became purely an affair of State. An otherwise excellently organized day was marred by a two-hour gap between the end of the driving tests and the award of the prizes, but at least a complete, duplicated list of placings, showing every mark lost by every competitor, was also available at that time.
The main thing to detract from this latter effort was that when Mr. G. Birmingham was called as winner of the• " Best loaded car transporter" award he felt obliged to point out, on his way to the rostrum, that he'd been running
empty. Red faces! H.B.C.
RESULTS OF OXFORD COMPETITION
.CLASS 13-16-19 ft.:. I, G. Harris (S, Smith and Sons (Eng1and) Ltd.), Austin, 117 penalty points; 2. F. Elbrow (Antcys Aggregates), Thatnes, 166; 3, A. .Stanley (Amen Aggregates). Bedford, 167. CLASS C-19-22 ft.: 1. C. Barley (S.P.D. Thames, 178; 2. D. Spencer (Schweppes (Home) Ltd.), Bedford. 193; 3, W. Thompson (United Oxford Hospitals), Bedford, 204.
CLASS D-22-25 ft.: 1, G. Honour (Shell-Mex and B.F. Ltd.), Foden, 153; 2, S. Shepherd (Morris Motors Ltd.), Morriff 154; 3, S. Howes (Express Dairy Co. Ltd.). Austin, 157.
CLASS El-over 25 ft., two nuns: 1, B. Absolont (B. A. Absolom and Son). Bedford, 230; 2. G. Birmingham (B.R-S„ Oxford), Leyland. 261; 3, E. White (kloorhouse and Sons Ltd.), Bedford. 41_5. CLASS E2-over 25 IL, more than two IISIeS: I, R. Stratton (B.R.S., Swindon). Bristol, 204; 2, L.
Marsh (Home Counties Petroleum Products Ltd.), A.E.C., 2E1; 3, R. Watts (Reed Transport Ltd.), Foden. 219.
CLASS F1-articulated tractive units under 4 tons, flat or sided semi-trailer up to 30 ft.: 1, G. Davies (S. Smith and Sons (England) Ltd.). Austin, 181; 2, M. Freeman (Morris Motors Ltd.), Morris, 200; 3, N. Tubb (Morris Motors Ltd.), Morris, 249.
CLASS F2-articulated tractive units under 4 tons, box or tanker semi-trollens up to 30 FL: 1. 3. Naylor (S. Smith and Sons (England) Ltd.), Austin, 193; 2, R. Jones (S. Smith' and Sons (England) Ltd.), Austin, 264; 3. F. Baker (Morris Motors Ltd.). Morris. 268.
CLASS G-andendated tractile units under 4 tons. flat or sided semi-trailers up to MI ft.: I, T. Tanner (Reed Transport Ltd.), Foden, 258; 2, D. Fortescuc (B.R.S., Swindon), Foden. 265; 3, W. Egan (3. Curtis and Sons Ltd.), ELF., 538.
CLASS H-articulated tractive units over 4 tons, box or tanker seml-trailers: I, D. F. Jonm
Meg and B.P. Ltd.). A.E.C.. 220: 2. F. Foreman (Home Counties Petroleum Products Ltd.). Guy. 269; 3. D. Benton (Shell-Mex and BA,. Ltd.), Scanunell, 275. CLASS S-slandard Army vehicles, 19-24 ft.: I, S.A.C. Morgan (R.A.F. South Cemey), Bedford, 113: 2. Sgt. Matthews (R.A.S.C. 504 Coy., Swindon), Commer, 163; 3. Sgt. yion (R.A.S.C. 504 Coy.. Swindon), Comtism-, 183. '
TEAM AWARD: S.P.A. Ltd. (Reading depot) (C. Barley, E. Mace, W. )lardy). total 543.
OVERALL WINNER: B. Absoiom (IL A: Absolom and Son).
BEST MAINTAINED C-LICENSED VEHICLE: R. Hill, 1958 A.E.C. (Shell-Mex and B.P. Ltd.. Thome depot).
BEST MAINTAINED A / B LICENSED VEHICLE: W. Monck, 1949 Leyland (B.R.S., Oxford depot).
BEST LOADED CAR TRANSPORTER: S. Mundy (B.R.S., Swindon), Austin.
BEST AUSTIN DRIVER: G. Harris (S. Smith and Sons (England) Ltd.), BEST BEDFORD DRIVER: E. Mace (S.P.D. Ltd.) BEST COMMER DRIVER: Sgt. Matthews (R.A.S.C. 5114 Coy.).
BEST FORD DRIVER: F. Llbrow (Anacys Aggregates).
BEST MORRIS DRIVER: S. Shepherd (Morris Motors ltd.).
I.A.M. AWARD: G. Houk (S. Smith and Sony (England) Ltd.).