Bailey of Bristol was invited by The Caravan and Motorhome Club to supply the caravans used in this prestigious event for the 23rd 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 Discovery, Phoenix+, Pegasus Grande SE, Unicorn and Alicanto Grande caravans were chosen for the testing process to provide each of the 32 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 160 circuits of the Millbrook track featuring a lap of the high speed circular track and a demanding hill route (equating to over 850 test miles), were successfully completed by the test units without incident.

Simon Howard, Marketing Director of Bailey of Bristol, said: “We have really enjoyed playing our part in this prestigious event over the past two decades. The collective effort which goes into ensuring every entrant is tested both thoroughly and fairly during the competition make this the definitive guide for a potential new tow car purchase”.

“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. Find out about the industry’s most comprehensive product validation programme here.

Grenville Chamberlain OBE, Caravan and Motorhome Club Chairman, said: “Our sincere congratulations go to all the worthy winners in the Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year 2022 competition. The Club is delighted to be able to share the wealth of data and information about towing vehicles to help both our members and all those who tow”.

The full results of the competition were announced at The RAC Club in London on 17^th September and details of the winners can be found by clicking here

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