THIS is how you drive an 80 year old...(retro+vat)

[surprisingskoda]

heres a quick idea of what you're looking at.



if you're still with me...this is "trialling". Along with autotests, navigation rallies, and ONE picnic/fun-run we get three trials a year in the second biggest vintage club in Ireland. The biggest one likes to polish their cars and take them to static shows.

We play in mud.

This is me, in my inheritatered 7 Ulster.



out of pure interest, this is how it looked before january this year.


so the plan in this event is to get as far up a muddy slope as you can, on road tyres, between poles with numbers. the higher you go, the smaller the number, and the least points wins.

see?


I has done well. That looks like a 5 on test 2. you get three goes each at 5 tests, then later small changes are made to the tests and you get another 2 runs each. total 25 goes.



now, you get to have what is known as a "bouncer". I've done this in the past, and it involves using bodyweight to get as much traction on the rear axle as possible. This was my brother Andy's first event and first time as bouncer.

Not to mention my first time competing from the drivers seat - I'm a navigator usually but I'm after a trophy this year after 3 years away from competing

aerodynamics FTW


and this is how I drives my 1930 Seven.









[sorry, can't post any closer pics of other peoples cars yet. all pics courtesy of my father, and mucho reduced in quality to be able to photobucket them. so copyright Father-Skoda circa April 2009 all rights reserved please don't steal them yo.]

[61fury]

I like how you beat the living (where's that pic of the self righteous English authority figure ?) out of them.
Here in America, once somebody gets something of vintage, it is only driven at 20 mph or onto a trailer. Jack

[purplevanman]

Apr 26, 2009 1:13:41 GMT 61fury said:

I like how you beat the living (where's that pic of the self righteous English authority figure ?) out of them.
Here in America, once somebody gets something of vintage, it is only driven at 20 mph or onto a trailer. Jack

cars have to be used
I hate the trailer brigade, killing the cars soul

great pics, done a classic reliability trial in a beetle some years ago and it was great fun ;D ;D, you get some very valuable motors being used up muddy and stony tree lined slippery tracks!!

[briandamaged]

Trialling's great fun, I work with a guy who used to do a lot of the bigger Mainland UK MCC events (Land's End etc) in an Avenger.




I've had a go at Production Car Trialling before, a great way of whiling away a Sunday!

[luckygti]

That looks great fun! Reckon we need a readers ride thread on the car though

[uncleterry]

I love these races.
Anyone remember them being on terrestial television about 10-15 years ago? I think it was a saturday or sunday morning on bbc or itv...
Best form of motorsport imo. Some real skill but not too serious.

[michiel]

Wonderful stuff!

[popuptoaster]

Hehehee, cool, i don't compete in my ol' merc, but it was charging around the fields on me mates farm last night about 1am with 6 drunken idiots in it (two of em were in the boot) as i was demonstrating its comfy suspension.

[carmad]

How cool is that

[swinnyjr]

That looks like an absurd amount of fun!

[street]

Brillaint!!! Love this sort of thing, and massive respect to the owners of these vintage cars enjoying them in such a peculiar way!
Also that Avenger vid is wicked BrianDamaged!!

[surprisingskoda]

Apr 26, 2009 7:34:04 GMT purplevanman said:

Apr 26, 2009 1:13:41 GMT 61fury said:

I like how you beat the living (where's that pic of the self righteous English authority figure ?) out of them.
Here in America, once somebody gets something of vintage, it is only driven at 20 mph or onto a trailer. Jack

cars have to be used
I hate the trailer brigade, killing the cars soul

great pics, done a classic reliability trial in a beetle some years ago and it was great fun ;D ;D, you get some very valuable motors being used up muddy and stony tree lined slippery tracks!!

my austin is probably very close to the cheapest end of the event, just above MG TFs and seven saloons.
Some of the guys have cars valued at over a million, but i think only up to about £45k tends to play in the muck.
The others are for the nav rallies lol.

I must add I'm part of the trailer brigade to some extent. Apart from two or three, they were all trailered to the event. But then again, I'm not driving a 3 speed 749cc engine down 40 miles of motorway, wrecking up a hill and trying to drive back!

That avenger is mad Brian. those are proper hills too

[Paul H]

Apr 26, 2009 21:43:18 GMT surprisingskoda said:

my austin is probably very close to the cheapest end of the event, just above MG TFs and seven saloons.
Some of the guys have cars valued at over a million, but I think only up to about £45k tends to play in the muck.
The others are for the nav rallies lol.

What club is this? Presumably not VSCC as you mention MG TFs? They love trialling, and you'll often see cars worth considerably more than £45K being trialled, especially Vauxhall OE 30/98s ;D

[surprisingskoda]

Apr 26, 2009 22:28:26 GMT Paul H said:

Apr 26, 2009 21:43:18 GMT surprisingskoda said:

my austin is probably very close to the cheapest end of the event, just above MG TFs and seven saloons.
Some of the guys have cars valued at over a million, but I think only up to about £45k tends to play in the muck.
The others are for the nav rallies lol.

What club is this? Presumably not VSCC as you mention MG TFs? They love trialling, and you'll often see cars worth considerably more than £45K being trialled, especially Vauxhall OE 30/98s ;D

Ulster Vintage Car Club, the UVCC. the VSCC don't do much over here, but our guys are affiliated with the VSCC for the sprints which we don't do.
The MG's are a concession - they're class D/E and not eligible for championship points, but they help keep the numbers up, and we support their events in return.
£45k is a total guess btw, all I know is the Fiats, Alfas, De Dions and Lagondas stick to the road based events


oh, also, the chairman did trial a Vauxhall something/98 a few years back but stopped once it fell sideways into a ditch...

[mrtomcat]

I like Land Rovers, but them pictures made a refreshing change, sure look's like a lot of fun.

All the best, Andy.

[orangecords]

that looks like a right giggle!
how do you get into it and what prep does the car need? I'm thinking cortina shaped mudslinging