Bramcote Bound
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The big build-up begins for next week's 20th Lorry Driver of the Year finals
EVERY DAY next week vehicles will be making their way towards Gamecock Barracks, Bramcote, near Nuneaton, where the National Finals of the Lorry Driver of the Year competition will be held on Sunday, September 9. The big movement to Bramcote starts with a few delivery vehicles carrying in the paper work and as the week progresses more and bigger vehicles will arrive with test equipment, marquees, side attractions, catering and public address equipment, crowd control barriers, caravans and test vehicles.
On Saturday, September 8 the officials will arrive and on Sunday morning cars and coach loads of spectators.
The 280 competitors, however, will this year make for the Hawker Siddeley factory at Bitteswell because for the first time ever finalists must cover a road route, approximately 10 miles of road between the aircraft establishment and Gamecock Barracks.
Before this begins the 279 men and one woman will have their documentation cleared and be tested on the Highway Code and road transport law at Bitteswell. It has surprised the organizers in the past how many excellent drivers have fallen at this first hurdle. A few years ago one man travelled all the way from Aberdeen without his driving licence and was disqualified before he turned a wheel.
In order to ensure that other road users are not inconvenienced, groups of competitors' vehicles will be leaving Bitteswell at 15-minute intervals between 7.30 and 11.00 am and the first competitors should be entering the manoeuvring area at around 8.30.
There is nothing gimmicky in the manoeuvring tests; all have been designed to test the driver's skill in working situations. Driving his own vehicle, each competitor will have to position it in a side and rear loading position, drive it centrally through a narrowing alley, finishing with his nearside front wheel on a target centre demanding skilful manoeuvring, .before moving on to a test where the driver has to set pylons through which he can pass with the minimum to spare on each side. The final section is designed on paragraphs 34 and 35 of the Highway Code where he is asked to judge distances from a stationary position.
The tests over, then comes the nervewracking wait until the class results are known. For the early men this could mean three hours, for the late starters one hour. Whatever the delay there will be plenty going on to occupy their minds. Two side events in particular have been restricted to LDoY competitors and as such have been given semi-official status_
Ailsa Trucks Ltd — Volvo — and the British School of Motoring are organizing and sponsoring a drawbar corn
petition, for the Volvo cup. The test, designed by Ailsa and BSM, promises to be a big spectator attraction.
The other semi-official event is the cab comfort competition. This is sponsored once again by Evans and Kitchen, together with Radiomobile which is presenting a radio and cash prizes of £10 and £5 for the first three competitors, judged by members of the Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers to have the most comfortable and hazard-free cabs.
When the eight LDoY class winners are finally known they will be called together to inspect vehicles supplied and specially prepared by Vauxhall Motors Ltd. The drivers will be asked to detect deficiencies which would affect the roadworthiness of the vehicles.
Immediately after lunch they will embark on the last gruelling lap. Many of them started off last April and will now be within one hour of .knowing who is Lorry Driver of the Year 1973. Four tests will lie between the contestants and the title.
Each competitor will drive MercedesBenz vehicles between 1 ton and 32 tons gvw. On the first test the lightest vehicle will be driven through a slalom course in both forward and reverse. Moving up to a four-wheel rigid, they will be asked to place all four road wheels on one of four different targets in turn.
With a six-wheeler they will then be asked to drive along a road with the nearside wheels travelling through a simulated trench, and then to reverse into a loading bay. The fourth test is taken on a maximum-capacity artic. Before starting, the driver will reset the distance between two pylons placed some way ahead, drive through a restricted space, manoeuvre through the pylons and stop with the front of his vehicle as close as possible to a barrier without touching it — and the movement must be continuous throughout.
The eight competitors will then be spirited away to await the final results, and indeed the champion's name will not be divulged to the general public until the very moment when Aid R. W. Brain, who was the founder chairman of the competition, hands over the award. This year's winner will receive the Coventry Trophy, the Lord Rootes Silver Salver, a gold wrist watch, £60 in prize money, a transistor radio and a four-day European tour for himself and his boss.
The tour is sponsored by the Michelin Tyre Company. Two years ago Norman Singer went to Sweden, and last year Lloyd Richards went to Germany; this year's destination will not be disclosed until the winner has been declared. Competitors and spectators will no doubt pass the time trying to guess where the lucky man will be heading in November.
While there are no prizes for guessing his name there are plenty of prizes to be picked up by spectators in the side attractions.
Evans & Kitchen and Radiomobile, in addition to the drivers' competition, are sponsoring an event for spectators. This is a guessing game but to give too much detail at this stage would spoil it.
Smiths Industries expect to have two open competitions on their stand involving weight judging and reading tachograph charts.
For the muscle-minded men there is a load-securing competition organized by Package Control Ltd. Competitors can have their choice of ropes or slings. The prize will go to the fastest and the best.
The Goodyear wheel-changing competition has become an established favourite at the LDoY final and once again there will be a competition for men and women.
Hope Technical Developments will be testing the children in road safety signs, using the company's novel road safety bingo equipment. Last year this stand was a big crowd puller.
The Lorry Driver Finals mark the culmination of the "Hands off our Freight week" organized by the RHA, and there is a chance for spectators to pick up sizeable prizes in a special security competition organized by the Vehicle Observer Corps.
For the extremely energetic who are also cyclists, Conoco is again organizing a roller-cycle grand prix.
For spectators who prefer to "window shop" there is plenty to be seen. At Road Safety Village, which is organized by East London Hydraulics and Duron Brakes, the latest in safety devices will be on show, and the representatives have some horrific tales to tell about road users who had faulty brakes, no fire prevention equipment and well-worn tyres.
There is also advice from the officers of the Department of the Environment, the League of Safe Drivers, the Road Transport Industry Training Board, the Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers, the Coventry Road Safety Committee, the Institute of Advanced Motorists and the police. There were some frightening results recently when a random selection of drivers had their eyes tested for driving. This free facility is available to all who visit Bramcote next weekend.
Nuneaton Round Table is setting up a fairground for the children and for the toddlers Joe Statham's roundabout will be back again.
National Carriers Ltd is offering a chance to all to drive a mini-artic. This has proved a very popular side attraction in previous years. For the first time, and by permission of the Chief Constable of Warwickshire and the Metropolitan police, a team of police motorcyclists will be giving demonstrations during the day of precision driving. This will take place on the hard-standing adjacent to the rigid vehicle test area.
Commercial Motor which sponsors the competition will be writing it up in the issue of September 14 and giving the event full picture coverage. Provided the wind speed does not exceed 7 knots, CM photographer Harry Roberts will be floating about the site in Esso's hot-air balloon, which will be making its first appearance at the Finals.
To round the day off there will be all the usual public amenities, including bars and catering marquees. Admission to the event is free.
Bramcote is easily accessible from Ml, M6 or M45. From the motorways, drivers should pick up A5 and follow the signs. The route is also sign-posted from Nuneaton and Hinckley and the quickest way from Coventry is via Ansty and Shilton. Spectators should not visit Bitteswell as this would only cause confusion and congestion on the road route.
Not even the most adventurous tipster would guarantee his choice for this year's title. Only one competitor is assured of a prize and she is Lydia Ann Adkin who, being the only woman present, must win the trophy for the best woman driver. For the rest it is a case of wait and see or better still: "Visit Bramcote and see."