SHOCK AT TRIALS FATAL ACCIDENT Incident on Devon trial leaves driver dead and passenger injured

The classic trialling fraternity has been shocked by the death of a competitor when his Marlin rolled over during Saturday’s Exeter Trial.

At the time of going to print, the driver had not been formally identified.

The accident happened on the Wooston Steep hill near Drewsteignton in Devon as the car was returning down the hill after failing to get to the top. The Marlin slid sideways and then flipped over. As the car rolled, the driver and his passenger were thrown out. The passenger was taken to hospital but the driver died as a result of his injuries.

Roger Ugalde, clerk of the course for the Motor Cycling Club, told the BBC: “The car has been taken away by the police for forensics to be carried out. It’s thought something like this might have happened in the 1950s but since then there has never been a fatality at an MCC event.”

A spokesman for the MSA said: “As with all serious incidents in or around UK motorsport, the MSA is now working with the eventorganising club and the police to establish precisely what happened on this occasion.”

Up to 300 cars and bikes were competing on the 88th running of the event, the first major trial of the year. From three start locations, competitors gathered at Sparkford before tackling 14 hills through Friday night and Saturday. The Wooston Steep section, held in Fingle Woods, is one of the more challenging sections.

The Exeter Trial is one of three big events organised by the MCC and can trace its history back to 1910. Hills in the Fingle Wood complex have been run since the 1930s.