An incident and action packed Motor Cycling Club Exeter Trial opened the 2012 classic trials season with a bang on 6-7 January.
Heavy rain made sections unpredictable, with some, such as the infamous ‘stopper’ Simms, forcing all but a handful of fails, though vehicles as disparate as front-drive VW Golf and rear-drive Hillman Avenger did see the summit showing that you can be successful in anything.
Other sections such as Fingle Bridge and Wooston Steep were relatively benign. Difficult night-time sections such as Waterloo were cancelled to bring the event back on time.
Simms also saw an unfortunate roll which spilled Alan Spencer and John Dando, crew members of the Parsons Special, into a short hospital visit – injuries were painful but not life threatening.
Despite being easier than most years, Slippery Sam – Brian Hampson's BMW Compact pictured on it, above – lost out to delays at Simms.
A broken axle on Dick and Richard Bolts' Mk1 Escort on the exit brought proceedings to a further halt which led the section to be cancelled. Unfazed by nightfall and a muddy track, the Bolts gamely affected a repair to get them out of the section and home.
