ALL-NIGHT DASH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 106, 7 May 1935, Page 18

ALL-NIGHT DASH.

THE FAMOUS EXETER. FEW STARTERS QUALIFY. MUD, RUTS, AND BOULDERS. Torrential rain and flooded roads added to the difficulties winch had to bo faced by the competitors in the classic London-Exeter motor trial. As a result of 'heavy rain some of the test hills were exceedingly difficult, and it is unlikely that more than 30 of the 33!) starters have qualified for first-class awards..

The London-Exeter trial is one of the chief road events of the year, and has been held for 20 years under the auspices of the Motor Cycling Club. It is open to motor cycles, sidecars, threewheelers, and cars, and despite its title started from Virginia Water and finished at Blandford. A distance of 283 miles had to be covered and several severe hills climbed non-stop.

Simrns Hill, near the village of Islington, Devon, was the piece do resistance of the trial. The gradient is reputed to be 1 in 2i and the surface consists of loose earth scattered over rocks and boulders.

It was soon transformed into a morass, and one after another cars came to a standstill with spinning wheels. Sometimes a whole hour went by without a single unaided climb being witnessed, all failures being expeditiously hauled to the summit by a steam winch.

The man in charge of the engine hung a largo placard over its boiler bearing the familiar exhortation, "Come up and see me sometime." The few successful climbs were greeted with loud cheers from the hundreds of spectators who crowded on the slippery hillside.

The only solo motor cyclists to make keen times were W. H. Cooke (490 Vincent IIRD), T. C. Meet en (248 Francis Barnett), E. J. Kendall (348 Douglas), R. V. E. Jones (497 Ariel), and E. J. Knox (348 C'althorpe). Only two sidecar drivers got up, these being S. 11. Goddard (2.10 C'althorpe Minor) and IT. S. Perrey (649 Triumph). Not a single three-wheeled cycle car managed to scale Simms Hill under its own power. Fingle Bridge Terror. As far as the cars were concerned, the outstanding performances were those of the Ford and the M.G. cars. The successful Ford drivers included T. 11. Wisdom, G. M. Denton, the Hon. A. D. Chetwynd, and J. B. Thompson on V-S models, while J. Harrison and J. McEvoy made a triumphant debut with the new 10 h.p. Ford de Luxe models.

Among the M.G. drivers who thrilled the crowd by their rapid ascents we're J. E. S. Jones, H. K. Crawford, H. I. Wilkes, D. G. Evans, J. A. Bastock, and H. B. Shaw. The latter unfortunately spoiled his record by failing on the previous hill, Fingle Bridge. This was churned up into deep ruts, and the clinging mud and large loose stones stopped about one out of every ten competitors.

Naturally the difficult state of the hills caused a great deal of delay, many competitors only being able to "lunch" at Blandford at 7 p.m. Only four motor cycle riders and one sidecar driver have been able to claim first-class awards, and the number of car drivers who have come through the trial without loss of marks is exceedingly small.