VSCC Herefordshire Trial

The VSCC’s fourth trial of the year, based at the Verzons near Ledbury, was held in some rain but mostly sunshine on March 13, with an entry of 107, ten from girl drivers. It comprised 45 A7s (33 Modified, 10 Specials and two Standard), 13 Rileys, six each of 30/98 and Model B Ford, four each of Bugatti and Frazer Nash, three each of MG, vintage 41/2-litre Bentley, Lea-Francis and Chrysler, two each of Alvis and Singer and GN, GN A7, ‘Humbug’, AC, Fiat, Morris Sports, Crouch-Helix, Talbot-Simmins, Austin 12/4 and Sunbeam, plus four Edwardians. Post-1930 thoroughbreds totalled 24.

Overnight rain had washed out three of the sections but Hamish Moffatt had 12 others of interesting variety. Frith Wood was very steep and muddy, the stop/start and quarry caused many failures at Deans Place, as did another stop/start test on the long grass climb at Foxhalls, where Ben Collings in the Bentley briefed his three-man crew on when to bounce and slowly inched out of the restart with consummate skill. Roger Collings had a good day in the Mercedes-Maybach ‘aero-car’ in company with Craig Collins in a high-compression Bentley out for the first time since the war. Seymour Price was changing plugs at Foxhalls on his Ulster and trying to cure a misfire after doing well on two of the more difficult sections, but Simon Price’s lower-geared Ulster A7 was more suited to the restarts.

The Diffeys had bad luck, the 30/98 breaking a half-shaft, while a lady equestrian in a Land-Rover damaged the ‘Humbug’. Results were unavailable as we went to press, due, apparently, to a protest, not the sort of thing expected in these VSCC ‘fun’ events.