MOTORSPORT PARTNERSHIPS
The pair’ s positive approach is clear to see, and Tony believes that their partnership will only continue to get stronger.“ If you are not positive, you don’ t get the enjoyment out of it and it just wouldn’ t be the same thing,” he concludes.“ Our relationship has grown through motorsport, it’ s something we have shared and we will both remember that forever.”
Michael Leete has been taking part in grassroots motorsport for nearly six decades and introduced his life partner Chris to the passenger seat when they got together 20 years ago. The pair quickly discovered that the inside of a car was a perfect place to bond, and they now compete all around the UK in a variety of different Trials events.
Their favourite, Classic Trials, feature competitive sections – in which the cars are driven up steep muddy tracks, at night on some events – and road sections – where competitors must navigate from one section to the next within specified times, to stay on schedule. They also participate in single venue Car Trials, where the course is marked by a series of canes.
The pairing enters around 15 to 16 events each year, some lasting a day and others, like the Land’ s End Trial, Exeter Trial, and Edinburgh Trial, running for more than 24 hours. That places huge importance on the partnership, and Michael explains:“ They are not just a motoring competition, they are an emotional experience – and you go through lots of highs and lows.
“ On the day-night events particularly, you are together in the car for a long time, and it is a great experience to work together. Chris had no prior motorsport interest before we met, and she had never participated in anything like this, but she immediately took to the navigating side.
“ On the sections, the biggest role the passenger has is what we call bouncing, where they bounce up and down in the car to help it gain traction. That is a major contributor when the sections are muddy – which they often are because it’ s a winter sport – and a good bouncer can make all the difference.
“ In some partnerships, the relationship might not work because it is very easy to fall out with each other when you have a problem with the car or you are lost, or when you are halfway up the hill and things aren’ t quite going right, but that’ s never happened with Chris and I, and I think the secret, in our case, is simply that we are compatible.”
The pairing has three different cars they use for different events – a VW Beetle, which was Michael’ s first trials car; a Dellow, which is a classic specialist open-top Trials machine; and a convertible Austin 7 Special, which only comes out for single venue Car Trials.
The biggest technical driving challenge comes on the hills, with the course demanding increasing levels of skill as the pair progress through each cane. This is where the
Chris acts as an extra pair of eyes as they navigate the Austin 7 Special around the Trial
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Revolution- August 2025