THE M.C.C.’s SPORTING ONE DAY TRIAL.

FINE SUNNY WEATHER DEPRIVES THE DERBYSHIRE HILLS OF ‘THEIR ABILITY TO CHECK COMPETITORS, BUT LITTON SLACK TAKES ITS TOLL.

IN the past few years certain well known reliability trials have become a fairly simple matter for modern cars in good tune, and handled with normal skill, but the M.C.C.’s Sporting One Day Trial, held annually in the hills round Buxton, remains a permanent challenge to oversanguine drivers. As an example of the severity of this trial, in 1930 out of 72 starters H. J. Aldington’s Frazer-Nash was the only car to win a premier award !

This year, as we made our way up to Buxton the night before the Trial, we ran into a rainstorm near Coventry, and it was still raining when we passed through Lichfield. We had visions of Litton Slack being completely unclimba.ble on the morrow, while judging from rumours . received, the newcomer, Highcliffe, would be just as bad.

On the fast run-in to Buxton from Ashbourne, however, the sky cleared, the moon shone, and it looked as though it might be fine the next morning after all. And it was, a perfect autumn day, with pale sunshine on yellow-brown leaves, and not a hint of rain in the sky. On Saturday morning the start took place at Dukes Drive, and as the cars gradually assembled, terrible tales were told of adventures en route to Buxton, the prize for sheer tenacity of purpose going to R. L. Bellamy. It appears that on the Thursday night before the Trial he was involved in a slight contretemps with a lorry, with the result that the front axle of his Frazer-Nash was irreparably damaged. Next day a fresh axle was obtained, but owing to various

delaying circumstances the unfortunate Bellamy was forced to work all Friday night, and eventually left London at