NATIONAL championship motor sport came to Hampshire last weekend for great down-to-earth action in traditional style.

The Walsingham Trophy event organised by the 750 Motor Club at Langrish, near Petersfield, was a round of the British Trials and Rally Drivers' sporting trials championship.

Drivers and bouncing passengers had about 30 muddy climbs to tackle through slalom-style gates with diminishing penalties on each ascent.

The winner was reigning champion Julian Jack from Shropshire in his own X-Facktor, with Steve Courts from Warwickshire second in his Facksimilie and Ian Wright from Kent third in a Kincraft .

Southsea Motor Club president Paul Faulkner led the local entrants, taking ninth place partnered by John Younghusband in his 1,340cc Honda-engined Sherpa.

Slightly lower down the field was Paul's former co-driver from their international rally days Monty Peters who was partnered by son Jim from Horndean in a Kincraft.

Craig Baizley from Waterlooville retired with a broken wheel.

Paul, a regular competitor, said that it was an affordable and fun form of motor sport with the purpose-built lightweight specials costing about £12,000 new with good secondhand machines for about £5,000 and entry fees at about £25.

His car, weighing in at about 350kg, complies with design rules demanding optimum manoeuvrability and traction with rear-wheel-drive and standard road tyres to ascend slopes often too steep even to walk up!

His car's engine and gearbox configuration is fairly standard in the competition, coming from a Honda Acclaim changed from transverse to longitudinal mounting with the differential locked, one driveshaft removed and the other transformed into a propshaft driving a rear axle, usually from an MGB or Suzuki.

A key element in the steep climbs is not so much simple engine muscle - Paul's Sherpa has about 100bhp - but a good high pressure fuel pump to get the juice to the engine when the car's standing on its tail!