The Stonetrough Trial

🏁 Stonetrough Trial 2025 – Grassy Grip and Gravity-Fuelled Humility

The Stonetrough Trial 2025 at Gale Hall, run brilliantly by the Northern Phoenix Trials Car Club, reminded us that you don’t need mud to be humbled—just a dry hill, a grassy camber, and the misplaced confidence of someone who says, “This looks easy.”

It was a proper spring trial: blue skies, firm ground, and grass-covered slopes that looked innocent... until you were halfway up and sliding gently backwards while your navigator offered a mix of helpful advice and barely concealed panic.

Let’s start at the top: Thomas Bricknell and Beth Carroll once again treated us all to a driving demonstration worthy of its own highlight reel. They danced up the sections with the poise of a ballet duo and the efficiency of a Swiss watch factory—finishing on 2 points. For the rest of us, that score is theoretical; for them, it’s just another Sunday.

In Class A, Bill Rhodes and Kate Imrie took top spot with calm composure. Their run was textbook—tight lines, no fuss, no flapping. I tried to copy one of their climbs later. Didn’t work. Still emotionally recovering.

Class B saw Barry Hogg and Karen Briggs turn their cross-camber prowess into a win. They read the hills like a map, and Barry’s throttle control was so smooth it could’ve been mistaken for autopilot.

David Simmons and Andy Mogg conquered Class C, mastering those slippery side slopes and crumbling exits that made heroes of some and lawn ornaments of others.

Meanwhile, Alan and Sharren Carr, our Rookie pair, impressed with their measured approach. They weren’t trying to be flashy—they were trying to get further than peg 4. Mission accomplished. Multiple times.

🔍 Reflections From the Grassroots

No mud, no problem—Stonetrough taught us that traction isn’t always about terrain; sometimes it’s about trust, technique, and being honest with your tyre pressures.

🧠 1. Respect the camber

Those gentle grass slopes? They’re lying to you. A small lean becomes a big slide faster than you can say, “Was that peg 6 or 9?”

🛞 2. Momentum is your friend… until it isn’t

You need just enough to get up the hill, not so much that you're airborne at the crest. One crew learned that the hard way and briefly achieved flight. Navigator’s expression said it all.

🗣 3. Talk less, lean more

When grip is borderline, body position can make or break a section. Good crews moved like ballet dancers. Less experienced crews flailed like startled geese—but we love them anyway.

📸 4. Watch others, steal their secrets

The top crews walked, studied, and watched before attempting anything. Some of us, meanwhile, trusted instinct. The results speak for themselves—and for many, the results said, “Reverse please.”

🎉 Final Thoughts

Stonetrough was a trial that rewarded finesse over brute force. It was a trial where the quietest cars made the loudest statements, and where sometimes the smartest move was knowing when not to go full throttle.

Huge thanks to the NPTCC, the marshals (some of whom were positioned in places with zero shade and 100% heckling potential), and every competitor who showed up ready to learn, laugh, and lean into the hills.

We’ll be back—with slightly lower tyre pressures, better lines, and hopefully fewer points.