1965 Tostal Trial

Tostal Trial – Saturday, 26th June, 1965.

Story & pictures by Brian Foley

This report is reprinted from Irish Motor and Watersports Vol5 No4 (1965)

Apart from the Hewison Final, to win the Motor Enthusiasts’ Club’s Tostal Trial is the biggest thing in a trials drivers career. This year’s Tostal started and finished at Dun Laoghaire, but missing were the usual tests on the seafront and the usual gathering of ‘name’ drivers from North of the border.

It was nevertheless a tough and interesting event and it was very pleasant to see victory going to the West of Ireland, brought there by Conor Linehan, the Hon. Secretary of the Galway Club. Conor drove his hydrolastic 1275 Mini-Cooper S to such good effect that he was 22.6 marks ahead of Dubliner Leslie Vard in a similar model of 1071cc and Seamus Griffin in his 1172cc Griffin-Ford.

Vard and Griffin tied for second spot and Stephen Griffin in his blown 1172cc GTS was next, ahead of Dermot Carnegie (1071 Mini-Cooper S) and Limerickman Connie Bourke in a 1275 Mini-Cooper S.

A unique feature of the Tostal Trial is the inclusion of a speed hill climb on the steep Altidore Hill. Top six were:

1. Conor Linehan 47.4 seconds;
2. Ken Fildes (1071 Mini S) 47.6;
3. Dermot Carnegie 49.2;
4. Leslie Vard 49.8s;
5. Connie Bourke 50.2s;
6. Maurice Hayes (1071 Mini S) 51.6.

Also included in the event was an Autocross, and this produced some interesting ties;

1. Stephen Griffin 2m 58.3s;
2. Des Cullen (MG Midget) 2m 59s;
3. =Conor Linehan 3m 2.8s;
4. =Connie Bourke 3m 2.8s;
5. Clive Peterson (848 Mini) 3m 3s;
6. Leslie Vard 3m 3.6s;
7. =Capt. Bill Pryor (1275 Mini S) 3m 4s;
8. =Ken Fildes (1275 Mini S) 3m 4s.

Many front suspensions took a battering in a quarry test near Enniskerry and it was here that John Hayes did his famous Flying Mini act (see photo). He later retired with a damaged gearbox!

RESULTS

Premier Award: Conor D.Linehan (1275 Morris-Cooper S) 493.3 marks.

Class 1: Up to 850cc Saloons.

1. D.D.Glover (848 Austin Mini) 546.0;
2. R.Mu11en (848 Morris Mini) 554.6;
3. C.Peterson (848 Austin Mini) 567.9.

Class 2: 851—1000cc Saloons.

1. G.R.Cree (998 Austin-Cooper) 532.3;
2. D.Flanagan (997 Austin—Cooper) 554.3;
3. D.Murray (997 Austin—Cooper) 585.5.

Class 3: 1001-1300cc Saloons.

1. L.Vard (1071 Austin-Cooper S) 515.9;
2. D.Carnegie (1071 Morris-Cooper S) 518.1;
3. C.P.Bourke (1275 Morris-Cooper S) 519.4.

Class 4: Over 1300cc: Saloons.

1. W.B.Kehoe (1498 Ford Corsair) 580.7;
2. W.Johnson (1493 Volkswagen) 597.7.

Class 5: Specials.

1. S.Griffin (1172 Griffin—Ford) 515.9;
2. S.T.Griffin (1172 GTS S/C) 516.3.

Class 6: Sports cars under 1100cc.

1. D.Cullen (1098 M.G.Midget) 538.3;
2. J.S.Moore (948 M.G.Midget) 538.9;
3. P.Cullen (1098 M.G.Midget) 580.4.

Class 7: Sports Cars over 1100cc.

1. E.Bradshaw (1991 Triumph TR3) 645.2;
2. B.Smith (1147 Triumph Spitfire) 754.7.

Class 9: Visitors.

1. J.Fitzimmon (875 Hillman Imp) 616.4

Class 10: Novices.

1. G.Wilkinson (1071 Morris-Cooper S) 579.0;
2. A.Jones (848 Austin Mini) 605.9.

Class 11: Members

1. K.Fildes (1275 Austin-Cooper S) 576.6;
2. Capt.J,W.Pryor (1275 Austin-Cooper S) 579.8.

Class 12: Sealed Handicap.

1. R.Murphy (848 Austin Mini) 443.1 (207).

First-Class Awards:

1. J.Hayes (Austin-Cooper S) 307.2;
2. D.Carnegie (Morris-Cooper S) 313.0.

Second-Class Awards:

1. C.Peterson (Austin Mini) 313.1;
2. I.Catherwood (Austin Mini) 317.4.

Novice Award: P.Cullen (M.G.Midget Mk.1) 327.6.

Club Members Award: R.Peterson (Austin-Cooper) 320.2.