NEWS
A Triumphant Measham Rally gets VSCC 2015 Season off to a flying start!
Wednesday 21 January 2015
The 65th Anniversary edition of the Club’s celebrated overnight Measham Rally proved a Vintage opening to 2015 as Competitors and Marshals conquered the coldest night of the Winter so far this past weekend in North Yorkshire.
Whilst there was general relief that the layers of snow of earlier in the week had disappeared, participants were under no illusion as to the challenge ahead with already plummeting temperatures and icy roads as they gathered at the Thirsk Farmers’ Auction Mart early Saturday evening.
Perhaps there has never been a more ideal and ‘Measham-friendly’ start venue, with all the competing cars welcomed ‘inside’ the vast hall, where scrutineering was held and any last-minute fettling and the integral ‘route plotting’ could be carried out in relative comfort. The onsite Gavel Bar also proved its worth ten-fold, providing substantial and ‘hearty’ hot meals prior to the start, soup & rolls at half-time (approx 1.00am) and then full breakfasts for crews and marshals from 6.00am.
The event itself proved the inevitable motoring challenge as ever but, with just three retirements throughout the night, all participants should be rightly hailed for both driving prowess and mechanical preparations. The added test of a section ‘timed to the second’ kept crews on their toes and in one instance provided the vital tie-breaker for Class honours.
Allocated as Car No 1 on the road, there was little doubt that the experienced crew of Gareth Frank and navigator, Ian Tullie would be contesting for top honours in the 1930 Lea-Francis W Type. The only crew posting fewer than 10 penalty points at the halfway point, they continued their impressive progress over the second half to cement their overall victory and also take the Measham Trophy as best Vintage car. Not far behind were Mark Garfitt and Dood Pearce in the ever-present Frazer Nash/BMW who scored another Richard Dames-Longworth Trophy success as the best placed PVT. John Fort and team successfully defended the Jeddere-Fisher Trophy in their Riley 9, posting the best performance by a Vintage car in Speed Class 2, whilst there were also awards for other sub-50 point scorers of the Expert Classes in Neil Thorp and Chris Pearson’s Singer 9 Coupe and Ray Edge and David Kirkham in the Bentley 3½ Litre.
It was amongst the Semi-Experts that the ‘nip-and-tuck’ of the evening’s special Regularity Section proved decisive where a decimal difference was enough to split overall scores of 149, with Harry and Emily Fraser in the 1928 Alvis 12/50 getting the better of father/son team of William and Roger Twelvetrees in the 1933 Riley Monaco. There was also local success for Thirsk-natives Kevin Richmond and Sam Spencer who claimed a 3rd Class award in their 1930 Alvis Silver Eagle.
A common sight on the Club’s Trials scene, Jonathan Miller gave a commendable performance, winning the Novice Class with navigator James Bell on his first Measham in the 1930 Chrysler 66, with the Britnells not far behind with the 1931 Sunbeam 20HP and a Class award for other first-timers Derek and Malcolm Sparks in their PVT Austin. Henry Stringer and Simon Laxton were pick of the two Champagne Class entries in their Austin 7 Chummy whilst the Most Meritorious Performance was awarded to the other crew of Douglas Martin and Graeme Stephenson, who overcame multiple mechanical mishaps in the 1928 Graham Paige 610 Saloon throughout the event to post a successful finish.
We would like to echo the praise of all those that took part for the organising team of John Potter, Brian Hughes and Sue & Jonathan Swales who without doubt delivered a memorable Measham. The Club extend our gratitude to them, the other officials of the event and, above all, to the hundred or so volunteer Marshals who lined this year’s route through the North Yorkshire countryside. Without any of the hard work and dedication of this entire team, the Club’s events simply could not take place!
Members can now download Provisional Results and view a selection of photos from the event on the Measham Rally Event page (CLICK HERE).
We also share just some of the thoughts of the Competitors, Organisers and Marshals who took part:
Perhaps there has never been a more ideal and ‘Measham-friendly’ start venue, with all the competing cars welcomed ‘inside’ the vast hall, where scrutineering was held and any last-minute fettling and the integral ‘route plotting’ could be carried out in relative comfort. The onsite Gavel Bar also proved its worth ten-fold, providing substantial and ‘hearty’ hot meals prior to the start, soup & rolls at half-time (approx 1.00am) and then full breakfasts for crews and marshals from 6.00am.
The event itself proved the inevitable motoring challenge as ever but, with just three retirements throughout the night, all participants should be rightly hailed for both driving prowess and mechanical preparations. The added test of a section ‘timed to the second’ kept crews on their toes and in one instance provided the vital tie-breaker for Class honours.
Allocated as Car No 1 on the road, there was little doubt that the experienced crew of Gareth Frank and navigator, Ian Tullie would be contesting for top honours in the 1930 Lea-Francis W Type. The only crew posting fewer than 10 penalty points at the halfway point, they continued their impressive progress over the second half to cement their overall victory and also take the Measham Trophy as best Vintage car. Not far behind were Mark Garfitt and Dood Pearce in the ever-present Frazer Nash/BMW who scored another Richard Dames-Longworth Trophy success as the best placed PVT. John Fort and team successfully defended the Jeddere-Fisher Trophy in their Riley 9, posting the best performance by a Vintage car in Speed Class 2, whilst there were also awards for other sub-50 point scorers of the Expert Classes in Neil Thorp and Chris Pearson’s Singer 9 Coupe and Ray Edge and David Kirkham in the Bentley 3½ Litre.
It was amongst the Semi-Experts that the ‘nip-and-tuck’ of the evening’s special Regularity Section proved decisive where a decimal difference was enough to split overall scores of 149, with Harry and Emily Fraser in the 1928 Alvis 12/50 getting the better of father/son team of William and Roger Twelvetrees in the 1933 Riley Monaco. There was also local success for Thirsk-natives Kevin Richmond and Sam Spencer who claimed a 3rd Class award in their 1930 Alvis Silver Eagle.
A common sight on the Club’s Trials scene, Jonathan Miller gave a commendable performance, winning the Novice Class with navigator James Bell on his first Measham in the 1930 Chrysler 66, with the Britnells not far behind with the 1931 Sunbeam 20HP and a Class award for other first-timers Derek and Malcolm Sparks in their PVT Austin. Henry Stringer and Simon Laxton were pick of the two Champagne Class entries in their Austin 7 Chummy whilst the Most Meritorious Performance was awarded to the other crew of Douglas Martin and Graeme Stephenson, who overcame multiple mechanical mishaps in the 1928 Graham Paige 610 Saloon throughout the event to post a successful finish.
We would like to echo the praise of all those that took part for the organising team of John Potter, Brian Hughes and Sue & Jonathan Swales who without doubt delivered a memorable Measham. The Club extend our gratitude to them, the other officials of the event and, above all, to the hundred or so volunteer Marshals who lined this year’s route through the North Yorkshire countryside. Without any of the hard work and dedication of this entire team, the Club’s events simply could not take place!
Members can now download Provisional Results and view a selection of photos from the event on the Measham Rally Event page (CLICK HERE).
We also share just some of the thoughts of the Competitors, Organisers and Marshals who took part:
“... all the entrants have my utmost respect. Just getting to the controls in the modern required some care!”
“From a drivers perspective it was sensational. I have never slid and slithered a car so much on a VSCC event of any discipline.”
“Lots of care and car preparation, but that is literally all it takes. You don't even need a working milometer. “
“We all had a great time, and this message is written sitting round a log fire discussing what we need to do next year to get better.....as we do every year!”
“...a no fuss superb event, run from just the right sort of venue for the Measham.”
“It was great fun marshalling. If you have to hang around for several hours out of doors in winter at night, then the conditions could not have been better, provided you were wrapped up suitably.”
“What a fantastic night. As everyone else has said, the route was great, the marshals cheerful and efficient, the start facilities excellent and the weather perfect.”
“Well I knew this year’s Measham was going to be good. Organised by proper road rally blokes...”
“A challenging route took us on some of the best lanes North Yorkshire has to offer, some roads I hadn't been on for years and some I never knew existed.”
“Many thanks to all you wonderful marshals who turned out on the coldest night of the winter so far. It said -5 on the dial!”
“I tried to tell as many marshals as I could how much fun it was too, besides thanking them, especially the ones I didn't recognise, so that they felt their efforts were appreciated. Such a special event.”
“... THE best event on the VSCC calendar. I can’t believe how cheap it is to enter such an amazing rally.”
“From a drivers perspective it was sensational. I have never slid and slithered a car so much on a VSCC event of any discipline.”
“Lots of care and car preparation, but that is literally all it takes. You don't even need a working milometer. “
“We all had a great time, and this message is written sitting round a log fire discussing what we need to do next year to get better.....as we do every year!”
“...a no fuss superb event, run from just the right sort of venue for the Measham.”
“It was great fun marshalling. If you have to hang around for several hours out of doors in winter at night, then the conditions could not have been better, provided you were wrapped up suitably.”
“What a fantastic night. As everyone else has said, the route was great, the marshals cheerful and efficient, the start facilities excellent and the weather perfect.”
“Well I knew this year’s Measham was going to be good. Organised by proper road rally blokes...”
“A challenging route took us on some of the best lanes North Yorkshire has to offer, some roads I hadn't been on for years and some I never knew existed.”
“Many thanks to all you wonderful marshals who turned out on the coldest night of the winter so far. It said -5 on the dial!”
“I tried to tell as many marshals as I could how much fun it was too, besides thanking them, especially the ones I didn't recognise, so that they felt their efforts were appreciated. Such a special event.”
“... THE best event on the VSCC calendar. I can’t believe how cheap it is to enter such an amazing rally.”
