Paris Contest to be Supported
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SOME of the successful drivers in next year's All-England Lorry Driver of the Year Competition will again be sent to Paris to take part in the " international" competition. This decision was reached last week by the national organizing committee at Coventry.
It is also hoped that the English competition will be extended next year. Eliminating rounds are likely to be held at Manchester and Cardiff, and the possibility of staging an event at Weymouth is to be considered. There is a demand for an eliminating centre also in the Bristol area.
New eliminating centres will he represented on the national committee until that body becomes too unwieldy. There will then have to be fresh thought on the subject.
Delegates at last week's meeting expressed keen disappointment in the competition in Paris this year. Mr. .I. Delicate, representing the Traders Road Transport Association, went so far as to describe it as a farce. It had generally been thought that the French drivers would be competing with British entrants, but in fact did not.
B2 Mr. R. Brain, chairman, pointed out that the committee had thought it worth while to visit Paris in the hope of learning something about the organization of an international competition. They now knew that they could teach the French a great deal.
The organizers of the competition in France are to be told of the British committee's views, which are that new rules are required for the " international ' event and that a joint committee to organize it is needed.
What might be a serious deterrent to the success of the English competition has arisen through the action of the Road Haulage Association and the Crow Carrying Co., Ltd., contesting the indemnity clause on the entry form. This clause absolves the organizers from all liability for loss or damage, even though they may have been negligent, It was made clear at the meeting that insurance companies were complaining about this
proviso. Mr. M. J. Miles, secretary, is to investigate the matter.
Penalties and regulations generally are to be reviewed, it was pointed out that the penalties were working unfairly.