Manyanen with their tails up
Page 45
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by Bob Holliday
• The band of enthusiasts who last year undertook the organization Of the Isle of Man's first I_DoY eliminating round—with a total entry of 26—were last Sunday jubilant at the great success of their second endeavour. Interest in the event had so grown that a score of Island operators had supplied 46 entries; nine had entered teams and two firms had a couple of teams each.
Availability for the first time of a large asphalted car park at the IT grandstand in upper Douglas allowed clerk of the course Selwyn Pye unlimited scope for marshalling the vehicles and laying out the manoeuvring tests. Organizing secretary, loM road safety officer Trevor Flimmer, and the results team had the use of the permanent motorcycle-race offices. Spectators had an unrestricted .view of the tests and plenty of car parking space.
After a week of grey skies and blustery weather the sun came out and wind died. Class A drivers had finished their Highway Code exam and were on their way round the 10-mile road circuit by 1.30 pm. Manoeuvring tests began at 2 pm and proceeded smoothly through the afternoon, the last man checking out at 5 pm.
The standard of driving varied enormously; a commendably high proportion of drivers covered the road route unpenalized; of the three tests the second—forward and reverse—caused the least trouble but the barriers took a heavy hammering in the kerb parking exercises.
Four of the 1970 class winners were again competing but only one was able to repeat his success. He was R. I. Corkill, the lad who was last year's overall winner at the age of 16—which is legal in the loM. Two Class B men, E. Christian and D. H. faragher, tied on points lost: the former took the award having the better score on the road route.
Big vehicles are few on the Island so that support for the heavier classes is thin and it is therefore not possible to decide the best performance by the percentage improvement formula. As last year, the award went to the man with the lowest score and it was to Quiggin and Co's Leyland driver R. Gelling that the Mayor of Douglas, Cllr C. Simpson, handed the Road Safety Committee's trophy and a £10 voucher provided by the local Goodyear tyre concern.
Rigid Vehicles Class A: up to 20ft and over 1 ton unladen: 1, R. I. Corkill (Mylchreests Motors Ltd) BMC, 162 pts: 2, E. McAvoy (E. B. Christian and Co Ltd} Ford, 182: 3, J. Cliffe (Post Office Eng Dept} Morris, 238.
Class B: over 20ft to 24ft: 1, E. Christian, E. B. Christian and Co Ltd) Ford, 148 2, D. H. Faragher (Manx Petroleums Ltd) BMC, 148: 3, J. D. Beaumont (Manx Petroleums Ltd) BMC, 180. Class C: over 24ft to 28ft: 1. R. Gelling (Quiggin and Co Ltd) Leyland, 106: 2, C. Skillicorn (M. C. Cannell Ltd) Bedford, 174: 1 W. A. Cowell (Esso Petroleum Ltd) Ford, 290.
Class 0: over 28ft: 1, S. Allen (Manx Petroleum . Ltd) Leyland, 318:3. J. Corkill (Manx Bulk Transport Ltd) Dodge, 352.
Class E: flat or sided or drop-frame, up to 40ft: 1, P. Barry IMC. Cannel! Ltd) Bedford, 218; 2. M. Wotherspoon (Mylchreests Motors Ltd) Leyland, 276; 3, K. Callow (J. D. Faulkner Ltd) Bedford, 426.
Class F: box or tank to 40ft: 1, M. Whaley (Manx Bulk Transport Ltd) AEC, 217; no other entries. Class G: flat or sided, flat or drop-frame, over 40ft: 1, R. Kitchin (J, D. Faulkner Ltd) Scammell. 550; no other entries.
Overall winner: R. Gelling.
Team award: E. B. Christian and Co Ltd (H. Minay. E. McAvoy, E. Christian) total 598.