TRIALS OF THE CENTURY

IN THE BEGINNING…

otor trials events were a novelty that came into being at a time when the motor car was still in its infancy; motorcycles, as a natural evolution of the pedal cycle, were already becoming commonplace. The next step was the three-, and more commonly four-wheeled, motor car also known variously as the autocar and, in North America, as the automobile. UK legislation which opened up the wider viability of cars appeared in 1896 (Locomotives on Highways Act) and 1903 (Motor Car Act). In celebration of the act being passed, there was a so-called ‘Emancipation Run’, from London to Brighton, on November 14th 1896; an event commemorated ever since. As explained in the panel, the first real motor trial took place in 1906, ten years after that London to Brighton run. This was six years before William Morris had even built his first