Beer is ( nearly ) Best at Maidstone
Page 40
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A LTHOUGH a study of the results I-1 sheets at Maidstone last Sunday showed, surprisingly, that the hulk of the entry lost about as many marks in width:judging as in any other test, it was again the disputed loading-bay test which sorted out the winners in this Kent eliminator for the Lorry Driver final.
This was shown most clearly in Class F(1). where the three Bedford attics entered by Fremlins, Ltd., scooped a 1-2-3 victory by earning an aggregate penalty in the bay test no larger than that of almost any other individual driver in their class. This convincing beer-is-best demonstration won them the team prize but prevented any one of them becoming overall winner of the event, as this was decided by a figure-of-merit formula with 'emphasis on a class-winner's margin of superiority over the other highly placed competitors in his group.
The overall winner, who took the Kent Messenger Cup, was R. C. Bryer with a Comrner delivery van entered in Class B by S.P.D., Ltd.; he not only won On formula, but in fact lost fewer marks (64) than any other driver in the event. And although,.as usual, most of the competing vehicles were C-licensed, hauliers won four out of a possible ten classes.
. With the Highway Code and kerbparking sections showing a commendably high standard of results, and the widthB14
judging test revealing little worse than cheerful, but prevalent, over-confidence, it was left to the notorious bay test to cause most trouble.
Perhaps it was the brilliant sunshine, or the smooth organization, but even at its worst this test never assumed "dispute" proportions at Maidstone, as it has done elsewhere; the one official protest was settled quickly and quietly. Certainly, in backing a vehicle from a narrow toad into an even narrower • nearside bay, the short rigids have an apparent advantage over the bigger vehicles, even though the latter are allowed one extra " bite " at it; but in fact it was bOdy type rather than length which Made the biggest difference at Maidstone, drivers manoeuvring box and tank 'bodies suffering from lack of visibility when on sharp lock.
One of the best here was J. Kemp, in Class D, with an Albion which he swung in confidently, to finish with his tailboard exactly 1. in. from the rear barrier. In the same class V. J. Seamark, with a Dennis of the British Oxygen Co., Ltd., also shone. But even among the twoaxle rigids there were numerous failures.
Then came the big sixand eightwheeled rigid vehicles in Class E(2), which had arather worse time than the attics. First to prove that it was possible to get an eight-wheeler in (sighs of relief from marshals and stewards) was H. J. Weller with a Shell-Mex and B.P., Ltd.. A.E.C.; he touched a marker, as did A. Saunter, but the latter's handling of a Guy Warrior Light 8 entered by Mumford Transport drew applause from lorry drivers as well as lay spectators.
These two drivers had broken the spell, and E. Weiss of Alan Firrnin Transport then put his eight-wheeled A.E.C. in without touching anything. Not to be outdone, his team-mate E. Crundwell manoeuvred into the bay with only one forward shunt—but touched a marker.
After this the arties put up a mixed showing,. but were obviously not having the basic trouble of being too unalterably long for the narrow road, which afflicted the threeand four-axle rigids. But even the worst of the artics was hardly as poor here as the unfortunate Army teams, whose 4 x 4s, although relatively short, simply hadn't the steering lock to get into the bay at all. •_ .
.. However, with such glorious weather and an organization which got the event finished . about an, hour. ahead . of scheduled time, even the Army refused to be downhearted, H, B.C. ..