Never on Sunday
Page 78
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DURING the past two years the Manchester LDOY round has given up producing an overall winner; instead the class winners are regarded as of equal merit. By adjusting bay and kerb tests the smaller vehicles are in effect handicapped and the largest classes given extra latitude. How this works in practice may be seen from an examination of Sunday's results with the winners of Classes A, B, D, E( 1), E(2) and F(1) covered by penalty points in the range 74 to 88. Against this, in Class C, A. Swaisland (Springfield Transport (Dist.) Ltd.) Bedford, got away with 58 and the second, E. Hearne (Express Dairy), with 65.
Manchester's local entries came to 100 but with competitors from Liverpool, Sheffield, Warrington, Preston and Northwich the list totalled 127. The road route gave a good mixture of urban and suburban running but, as always, in Sunday traffic. Once again the manoeuvre tests were held at the Shell Chemical Co. Ltd. plant in Parkinton, Cheshire. Three drivers were free of penalties on the circuit but the special award for the best competitor on code and road went to E. Melling (Express Dairy Co. Ltd.), Commer.
A lot of Swaisland's and Hearne's advantage lay in excellent code and road showings, each dropping only 13 points before the start of the tests. Hearne had shown up better on parking but Swaisland more than made up on the reversing bay. Consistent performances by the team of Louis C. Edwards and Sons Transport Ltd., in the persons of J. W. Dunn, R. Dal ziel and J. Oatway (all Ford) brought them the team award with 266 marks.
Tate and Lyle Transport Ltd., had confined themselves to a single entry, that of F. Pankhurst (Foden) who was not only E(2) winner but also best of the C licence drivers. Outstanding in the F(2), G and H category was S. Dutton (Distillers Co. (Carbon-Dioxide) Ltd.), who dropped only 96 which gave him the diesel drivers' trophy,