Car Trial

What is Car Trial?

Imagine trying to drive your car up a slippery, muddy, and often steep hillside without stopping or spinning your wheels. That, in a nutshell, is a car trial in UK motorsport!

It’s one of the most accessible and affordable forms of motorsport, perfect for newcomers because:

  • It’s not about speed: Unlike rallying or circuit racing, car trials are about precision, car control, and finding grip at low speeds. The goal is to get as far as possible along a challenging course without incurring penalty points.
  • You can use your everyday road car: For “Car Trials” specifically (there are other types like Sporting Trials for specialist cars), you can compete in your normal two-wheel-drive road car. You don’t need a specially built or expensive vehicle.
  • Low cost to get started: Entry fees are typically low, and you’ll need to join a local motor club (also inexpensive) and apply for a free Motorsport UK RS Clubman licence.
  • Family friendly: Passengers, often called “bouncers,” play a vital role in helping the car gain traction by moving their weight around. This makes it a great activity to do with a friend or family member. Drivers can even start from as young as 14, as long as they have an experienced, licensed passenger.

How it works:

  1. The Course: Events take place on private land, often on grassy hillsides with natural obstacles like ruts, mud, and uneven terrain. The course is marked out with gates (pairs of canes or markers).
  2. The Objective: Your aim is to drive through these gates, making it as far up the section as possible without stopping or hitting any markers.
  3. Scoring: Each gate is assigned a penalty value (e.g., 12 points for the first gate, down to 1 point for the last). If you stop or touch a marker, you incur the penalty points for that gate. The further you get up the hill without fault, the lower your score. The winner of the event is the driver with the lowest total penalty score across all sections.
  4. Skills involved: It’s all about delicate throttle control, clutch modulation, choosing the right line, and using the passenger’s weight to maximise traction. You’ll often see drivers and passengers making subtle (and less subtle) adjustments to keep the car moving forward. Tyre pressures are also crucial and are often lowered on the day to increase grip.

Car trials are a fantastic entry point into motorsport, offering a fun, challenging, and social way to test your driving skills and learn car control in a safe, low-speed environment. Many top motorsport drivers in the UK actually started their careers in trials!

Motorsport UK TV Videos

What’s on in Car Trial?

Tyrwhitt Drake Car Trial

  • Date: 2026-03-29
  • Location: Stoneacre Farm, Stoneacre Lane, Otham, MAIDSTONE, United Kingdom, ME15 8RS
  • Organiser: Maidstone & Mid Kent Motor Club Ltd
  • More Info: mmkmc.co.uk

Light Car Welsh Weekend

The Colin Reid Spring Trial

  • Date: 2026-04-12
  • Location: Ivinghoe Aston Farm, Ivinghoe Aston, LEIGHTON BUZZARD, United Kingdom, LU7 9DH
  • Organiser: Falcon Motor Club Ltd
  • More Info: www.falconmotorclub.com

Shann PCT

  • Date: 2026-04-12
  • Location: Worrall, Stubbing Lane, SHEFFIELD, United Kingdom, S35 0AP
  • Organiser: Sheffield & Hallamshire Motor Club
  • More Info: SandHMC.co.uk/events

Event Image

Hobbs Trail

  • Date: 2026-04-12
  • Location: Bidfield Farm, The Camp, STROUD, United Kingdom, GL6 7ET
  • Organiser: Stroud District Motor Club
  • Find Club: Stroud District Motor Club

Scottish Trial

  • Date: 2026-04-18
  • Location: Balgray House, Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire, United Kingdom, DG11 2JT
  • Organiser: Vintage Sports Car Club Ltd
  • Find Club: Vintage Sports Car Club Ltd

Treborough Car Trial

  • Date: 2026-04-19
  • Location: Lower Court Farm, Treborough, WATCHET, United Kingdom, TA23 0QW
  • Organiser: Minehead Motor Club Ltd
  • More Info: mineheadmotorclub.com

South Dorset Trophy

  • Date: 2026-04-19
  • Location: Manor Farm, Winterbourne Steepleton, DORCHESTER, United Kingdom, DT2 9LQ
  • Organiser: Woolbridge Motor Club Ltd
  • Find Club: Woolbridge Motor Club Ltd

Wessex Trial

Cobham Trial

  • Date: 2026-04-26
  • Location: Cobham Park, Cobham Park Road, COBHAM, United Kingdom, KT11 3ND
  • Organiser: Pre War Austin Seven Club Ltd.
  • Find Club: Pre War Austin Seven Club Ltd.

Ernest Owen Memorial Car Trial

  • Date: 2026-05-03
  • Location: Apley Estate, Norton, SHIFNAL, United Kingdom, TF11 9DX
  • Organiser: Owen Motoring Club
  • More Info: www.owenmotoringclub.co.uk