Report & Gallery: Talmag Trophy Trial
By Team TMX on 3rd Feb 16
Persistent drizzle at the start of Sundays Talmag Trophy Trial led to some tricky conditions around the Hungry Hill venue for the 180-strong entry.
The lack of clean sheets at the end of the day was a clear indicator of just how difficult conditions were for the vast majority of riders at the MoD land, near Aldershot, Hampshire.
Despite the slippery conditions there were no such problems for Rayleigh man Roger Higgs in the Sprung category.
The 46-year-old Ariel rider narrowly edged out similarly-mounted Ben Butterworth by just 0.6 of a second on the special test after the duo finished the day level with clean sheets.
Pete Gray, also Ariel-mounted, went two spots better than the previous year, finishing in third spot with a total of two lost.
Former motocrosser, Ian Peberdy, again claimed fourth spot on his Triumph 5T after finishing level with Royal Enfield-mounted James Williams. The final tie-break again went down to the special test, which Peberdy claimed by a full one second.
Luck was out for East Anglian, Chris Collins who had finished runner-up for the past two years running, after the man from Great Ellingham in Norfolk went the wrong way in a section, according to winner Higgs.
It was a costly mistake, which saw the classic motocrosser slip to sixth in the overall standings with a total of six marks lost.
There was another tie-break decider in the Under 300cc class between BSA C15-mounted Shane Stalker and Jason North on his Triumph Tiger Cub after the duo finished the day level on four-marks each.
They were again level following the special test, both with a time of 34.8 seconds, with the final decision eventually going in favour of Stalker on the furthest clean tie-break.
There was a clear victory in the Over 300cc Rigid class for Daniel Carter on his Matchless. He finished the day on six marks lost with similarly mounted Richard Talbot claiming second a further seven marks adrift. Graham Rodemark took third spot overall with a total of 19.
Andy Abraham took the honours on his 1937 500 Levis in the Girder Fork class. The man from Wisbech St Mary finished the day with a total of 24 losses.
Graham Braybrook took the honours in the Over 65 category on his 1960 Royal Enfield Crusader. He ended the day on a total of 12-marks lost, some seven clear of second place man Alan Shorter on his 350 AJS.
Marlow's John Eckhart narrowly missed out on runner-up spot on his Triumph Trophy, claiming third overall one mark shy of Shorter.
As if conditions were not tricky enough for the solo classes, for the sidecar boys (and girls) they were extremely challenging. The rugged yet loamy terrain dug out badly, particularly when an outfit ground to a halt on any of the steep uphill climbs.
The resultant deep trenches that were carved out proved even more hazardous for those crews still to follow.
However, at the end of the day there were some great performances by several crews and a narrow victory went to last years winners Paul Fishlock and Debbie Merrell on their Ariel HT5 outfit.
The duo snatched a victory with a one-mark margin over local crew, Karl Jarvis and Bob Chapman from nearby Church Crookham.
Results
Class A – Under 300cc: Shane Stalker (BSA C15) 4 marks lost (ST: 34.8-sec) (fc), Jason North (Triumph Cub) 4 (ST: 34.8-sec).
Class B – Rigid: Daniel Carter (Matchless) 6, Richard Talbot (Matchless) 13, Graham Rodemark (???) 19.
Class C – Sprung: Roger Higgs (Ariel HT5) clean (ST: 32.4), Ben Butterworth (Ariel HT5) clean (ST: 33.0), Peter Gray (Ariel HT5) 2, Ian Peberdy (500 Triumph) 5 (ST: 32.1), James Williams (Royal Enfield) 5 (ST: 32.9), Chris Collins (???) 6.
Class E – Girder Fork: Andy Abraham (500 Levis) 24.
Class F – Over 65: Graham Braybrook (Royal Enfield Crusader) 12, Allan Shorter (AJS) 19, John Echhart 20.
Class G – Sidecar: Paul Fishlock/ Debbie Merrell (Ariel HT5) 17, Karl Jarvis/ Bob Chapman (Ariel HT5) 18.
