Bailey caravans successfully completes 21st year with The Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year competition
Bailey of Bristol supports The Caravan & Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year competition for 21st year
Ten Bailey Alu-Tech caravans were towed by 35 cars, driven by seven judges, and undertook high-speed stability and emergency stop tests, plus hill starts and laps of the challenging Alpine hill circuit at The Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire
All Bailey caravans feature the patented Alu-Tech construction system, which underwent development testing at the Millbrook Proving Ground, to make them more robust and durable, yet lighter to suit a wider range of the latest tow vehicles
Following research with University of Bath, all Bailey caravans have been designed for optimum stability with heaviest items positioned as near the centre of the caravan as possible
Testing for the 36th Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year Competition took place during August at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, where a wide cross section of vehicles from leading car manufacturers were put rigorously through their paces by an independent panel of driving judges over a four-day period.
Bailey of Bristol was invited by The Caravan and Motorhome Club to supply the caravans used in this prestigious event for the 21st consecutive year. Whilst the purpose of the testing is to assess the performance of the individual tow vehicles, this competition also provides a thorough examination of the participating caravans in terms of product durability and stability.
A selection of ten Bailey Pursuit, Pegasus and Unicorn caravans were chosen for the testing process to provide each of the 35 competing entrants with a suitable tow match. Every caravan was ballasted to 85 per cent of the towcar’s kerb weight, or its maximum towing limit, if lower, and had any stability aids disabled to ensure each car’s reactions to the demanding series of tests could be fully assessed.
With towcars getting lighter, Bailey has designed its caravans to be a suitable weight match for as many of today’s cars as possible. The Alu-Tech construction system not only makes them lighter than those built using conventional methods but also more stable as a greater percentage of the overall weight is concentrated in the centre of the caravan. Research by leading industry experts The University of Bath identifies this as one of the key factors affecting trailer stability and as a result Bailey has also re-positioned heavy items such as gas bottle lockers, battery storage boxes and spare wheel carriers nearer to the caravan axle to further enhance the performance of its vehicles in this area.
During the evaluation period over 250 circuits of the Millbrook track featuring a lap of the high speed circular track and a demanding hill route (equating to over 1,375 test miles), were successfully completed by the test units without incident.
Bailey Marketing Director, Simon Howard, who was one of the Bailey Technical Support team in attendance during test week commented, “Working at Millbrook you get first-hand experience of the level of professionalism involved in the testing and the lengths which The Caravan and Motorhome Club goes to ensure that every entrant is evaluated both thoroughly and fairly in order to determine the overall winner”
“From the Bailey point of view Towcar of the Year always represents a very stern test for our caravans. Seeing how well they perform being towed by a wide variety of tow vehicles on a very demanding circuit is always very reassuring.” He added.
Participating in this competition is one of many ways Bailey of Bristol like putting their caravans and motorhomes through their paces. Click on the following link to find out more about the industry’s most comprehensive product validation programme https://www.baileyofbristol.co.uk/bailey-of-bristol/testing-to-the-limit
Grenville Chamberlain, Caravan and Motorhome Club Chairman, said: “Here at the Caravan and Motorhome Club we are committed to driving forward positive change within the motoring industry and to providing our one million members with relevant information for them to use as they make their next towcar purchase. Our congratulations go to all the winners.”
