Hot tempers in the sun
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by Paul Brockington • No one punched anybody at the Coventry eliminator but tempers came near to boiling point in the boiling sun among groups of drivers "having a go" about rear windows that should have been blanked out and were not.
The first few platform lorries that came along in classes H and G (the clasAes were run in reversed order) were mistakenly let through without blanked windows and it was then decided by the organizers that no driver should thenceforth be required to blank his windows. In fact, drivers who had done so were told to remove the blanking pieces forthwith.
Later the organizers (in the person of Mr J. A. Boxall) had to stand up to a barrage of criticism from irate contestants who said it was all very unfair to the drivers of tankers and vans. Nevertheless, the overall winner
headed class H at the wheel of a Scammell 30-ton-gross artic tanker, with the loss of only 83 points, of which 30 were penalized on the Highway Code test. The driver, D. Newman, of Shell-Mex and BP, won his class last year and is really keen on winning the final. Three other drivers did better on points, namely A. Spencer of H. Cooke (Removals) at the wheel of a Bedford van in class C who lost 66 points, R. Huxley in class A who was penalized 77 points, and S. Newman of R. F. Brookes, the runner-up in class C, who lost 81 points; he also drove a Bedford. But D. Newman beat them on a run-off.
The written Highway Code test cost most drivers a lot of points, but it was generally approved, as well as the award of a special Highway Code prize. The police had a radar trap on the route test and a motorist is said to have gone through at 75 mph. No mention was heard of a contestant being caught up.
Rigid vehicles Class A: up to 2Oft and over I ton unladen: 1, R. Huxley (Flichardsons Transport (Coventry) Ltd) Ford, 77 points: 2. M. Briscoe (R. F. Brookes Ltd) Bedford, 103; 3, P. J. Martin (GPO Coventry) Morris, 107.
Class 13: over 20ft to 24ft: 1. L Justice (Lockheed Hydraulic Brake Ltd) Comrner, 87; 2, R. M. Woodward (P. M. McCool) Bedford, 96:3. B. J, Churchert (Texaco Ltd) Bedford, 150.
Class C: over 24ft to 28-ft: 1, A. Spencer (H. Cooke (Removals) Ltd) Bedford, 66; 2, S. Newman (R. F. Brookes Ltd) Bedford, 81; 3, S. Lakin (Montague Burton Ltd) Bedford, 109.
Class 0: over 28ft: 1, A. Fantham (R. F. Brookes Ltd} Bedford, 85; 2, M. L. Cluinney (Enterprise Bakeries Ltd} Ford, 91: 3. R. Carter {Brady Group) Leyland. 94.
Artics
Class E: flat or sided, fiat or drop-frame, up to 33ft: 1., A. Rosser (Rootes Motors Ltd) Commer, 100 (only one entrant).
Class F: box or tank to 33ft: 1, W. Cattell (Petrofina (GB) Ltd) AEC, 230; 2, G. Waine (Petrofina (GB) Ltd) AEC, 245.
Class G: flat or sided, flat or drop-frame, over 33ft: 1, M. Hughes (Brady Group) Albion, 112;
2, J. Knight (Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd) BMC, 122: 3, J. Carter {Brady Group Ltd} Albion, 123. Class H: box or tank over 33ft: 1, D. Newman {Shell-Mex and BP Ltd) Scammell, 83; 2. A. L. Burdett (Rootes Motors Ltd) Dodge, 100: 3, R. Harwood (Texaco Ltd) AEC, 119.
Overall winner: D. Newman.
Team award: Rootes Motors Ltd.