The Jacobean Trial

🏁 Jacobean Trial 2025 – A Competitor’s Perspective (With a Bit of Mud and Mirth)

The Jacobean Trial 2025 rolled into Long Compton like an old friend—with a bit of charm, a lot of challenge, and just enough mischief to keep everyone on their toes. Organised masterfully by the Midlands Trials Car Club, it was clear from the moment we hit the paddock: this wasn’t going to be a day for half-hearted throttle control or dodgy tyre pressure decisions.

From the start, Thomas Bricknell and Beth Carroll reminded us all why they’re the ones to beat—absolutely dancing up the sections with a level of poise that had the rest of us wondering if they’d fitted magnets to their Crosslé and just didn’t tell anyone. They took the overall win like it was just another Sunday drive. For the rest of us, it was more like Gladiators: Mud Edition.

The Red IRS class turned into a game of “who can stay closest to perfection without slipping sideways into a bush.” George and Victoria Watson and Andy Wilks with Mark Smith both ended on 39, but George’s pair squeaked ahead on countback—rumour has it George winked at the scoring sheet. We can’t confirm that, but we respect the hustle.

Over in Red Live, Sam Beare and JJ Macleod showed that a smooth style and quiet confidence can outpace frantic bouncing and panicked fiddle break yanks. They took the class with 48 points, and at least one spectator asked if JJ had a sixth sense for finding grip where there wasn’t any.

Blue IRS was all about consistency, and Peter and Liz Fensom clearly had their breakfast that morning—they came in top with a tidy 38. Meanwhile, in Blue Live, Sandy Veale and George Anstee-Rymer wrestled their way through the course like it owed them money, landing the win with 74 points and a mud-splattered grin.

Special mention goes to the Rookie class—Alan and Sharon Carr came out swinging, driving like they’d been doing this for years instead of months. They racked up just 50 points and probably a few fans in the process. It’s always humbling when someone turns up with “rookie” status and drives better than half the field.

And in the Post Historic class, Julian and John Fack steered their Impunity like it was 1972 all over again. They scored 75 points and a few nostalgic nods from those of us who remember when “power steering” meant “lean harder.”

💬 Final Thoughts

The Jacobean wasn’t just a trial—it was a character-building day with just the right amount of competitive tension and “I definitely meant to do that” moments. If your clutch foot didn’t cramp up, were you even trying? If you didn’t end up halfway up a bank with your passenger yelling “Left! No, YOUR left!”, did you really compete?

Huge thanks to MTCC for keeping things running like clockwork—even if some of our cars did not. The course was tight, the sections tricky, and the competition tougher than the bacon in my breakfast bap.

We’ll be back, with more mud on our boots and hopefully fewer points on the scorecard. Until then, keep it clean (or at least try to).

Article by the Secret Trialer