The Raymond Baxter Trial

🏁 Raymond Baxter Trial 2025 – Competitor’s Report (Dusty, Mad, and Mildly Magnificent)
📍 Hay Fell, 5th May 2025 | Organised by NPTCC | Sponsored by Gravity (the hills were steep)

🏆 Overview

They say the Raymond Baxter Trial separates the men from the dust—and this year, the grass put up one hell of a fight. With 21 finishers and more drama than a soap opera in overalls, Hay Fell delivered on every promise: technical sections, wheelspin galore, and enough shouting between drivers and passengers to qualify as therapy.

👑 Overall Winner:

🥇 Thomas Bricknell & Beth Carroll – 20 Points

Flawless. Effortless. Possibly teleporting between gates. Thomas and Beth didn’t so much drive Hay Fell as glide through it with a kind of smug serenity. Their Red Indi Crossle clearly runs on pixie dust and very, very good decisions. A masterclass in clean, calculated competition.

🥈 Class Winners – Where the Real Fight Was

• Red IRS Class – 🏅 Simon Kingsley & Sara Dyer – 27 Points
  Solid, stylish, and sneakily fast. Their Red Indi Crossle looked like it was dancing through sections. If they had music playing, it was probably something classy—like Vivaldi. Or maybe Rage Against the Machine.

• Red Live Class – 🏅 Tom Rees & Brian Thornton – 58 Points
  Proof that persistence pays off. They wrestled a Live Kincraft through the chaos and came out as kings of the B Class. The “Live” in their car name was well-earned—they survived some hair-raising moments.

• Blue IRS Class – 🏅 Alan & Gill Murton - 46 Points
  They brought the noise, the commitment, and most importantly—the Blue IRS Class win. Some big numbers on the board, but also big hearts and a family-sized sense of humour.

• Rookie Award – 🏅 Alan Carr & Sharren Carr – 70 Points
  One small score for Rookie Class, one giant leap for Rookie-kind. Their Live Sherpa may not have been the smoothest, but it was loyal. We think it earned a name by the end—probably something like “Tractionless Tony.”

🚦 Other Awards (and Unofficial Titles)

• Independent Red – Thomas Bricknell (again, show-off...)

• Independent Blue – Alan Murton & Gill Murton – 46 Points
  Quietly efficient, with just enough flair to win their class without stirring too much suspicion. Nicely done.

• Live Red – Bob Packham & Mark Tallon – 57 Points
  Made it look easy in parts, made it look... dramatic in others. A true sporting trial rollercoaster.

• Live Blue – Mike Readings & Carole Readings – 66 Points
  1440cc of cheerfulness. They may not have won outright, but they definitely got the loudest cheer every time they crossed the finish.

📊 Honourable Mentions & Great Efforts

• Stuart Beare & Karen Briggs – 57 Points
  Tied with Bob Packham, edged him out on countback with more "2s". That’s right—when in doubt, score just badly enough to win a tiebreak. Tactical genius.

• John Williamson – 102 Points
  Rumour has it he took a scenic tour of each hill. Possibly trying to launch a new sport: Artistic Trials. Points for style?

• Thomas Schug – 130 Points
  A gutsy effort. Might have taken some of the more “creative” lines through the hills. Bonus points for commitment... but unfortunately, not in the scoring system.

🎢 Hill Highlights (and Heart-stoppers)

• Hill 4: This hill caused more arguments than a group chat. A few got zeros, most got humbled. Gravity, it turns out, is undefeated.

• Hill 7: The tyre-tester. If you came out of this without leaving some rubber behind, congratulations—your setup is probably illegal.

• Hill 2: Surprisingly polite. Like a hill that offers you a biscuit before flinging you into a ditch.

💬 Lessons from the Back of the Pack

1. Low scores win trophies, but big scores win character.
   Some folks left with silverware. Others left with lifelong stories of “that time we nearly made it”.

2. Never trust a dry-looking section.
   It's lying. It’s always lying.

3. Remember: passengers are people too.
   Especially when they’re clinging on for dear life while yelling “left! No, my left!”

📸 Final Thoughts

The 2025 Raymond Baxter Trial was a celebration of all things dusty, mechanical, and mildly chaotic. Whether you were gliding through with the grace of a gazelle (hello, Tom Bricknell) or bouncing your way to the finish like a caffeinated kangaroo, you were part of something special.

And if you didn’t win your class? There’s always next time. Or you can just make fun of your mates who did. Equally satisfying.

Report filed anonymously by someone still finding gravel in their socks and pride in the boot.