Report: Northern Experts Trial
By Team TMX on 13th Nov 15
DAN Thorpe completed a hat-trick of Northern Experts crowns last Saturday with his third victory in as many years in the Manchester 17 club-promoted event staged, as usual, at Wildboarclough near Macclesfield.
It was the 68th running of this prestigious trial – and was it wet.
Gas Gas UK-sponsored Dan dropped just 14 marks over the 20-section, eight-mile course, which was lapped twice, to beat last year's runner-up Iwan Roberts as the old master again got the better of the young pretender.
Welsh champion Iwan was 14 marks adrift of Dan in finishing second last year but slashed the gap to just three in 2015.
But, in a good old fashioned traditional trial, staged in testing conditions, the up-and-coming Beta-mounted teenager had to give best to his experienced rival.
The event was once again well supported with almost 130 entries split between Experts, Clubman and a 50/50 variation.
And with an early 9am kick-off it was a miserable wet start to the day as the riders were flagged away at the rapid rate of two a minute to take the half-mile run down the road to Clough House where a single sub awaited.
The heavy rain saw the becks in flood and the canny course plotters allowed the Clubmen and 50/50 challengers to use the bankings but this still meant thatseveral deep water crossings to negotiate and several drowned bikes were the result, including Rob McElnea's Beta and Rob Bowyer's Triumph twin. Both were soon in action again after some TLC.
The Experts cracked the opening stream crossing when Iwan simply jumped the gap and it was then a point of honour to do the same, with eventual winner Dan joining in the fun.
When a later section at Cumberland Rivers offered a similar opportunity Dan laughed that he had completed his jump for the day – but did it anyway.
Clough House didn't affect the eventual result but Thorpe eased ahead when they ventured into the steep, dark, tree-lined gully at Plantation.
Thorpe negotiated the tricky second sub for a pair of careful twos which eased him ahead of Iwan who suffered a stop and a dab, the same as third-placed Richard Sadler who was out for the first time on a 2016 Beta.
Best score on this watery hazard was actually late arrival Andy Cripps, who eventually finished fifth, with a two and a one.
The route then headed up through a dank Ben's Ditch and then a loop out to Correction Brook in the mist and rain before returning to a single sub, Normans, where Dan was in a class of his own.
His total of two here, against five for Sadler and seven for Roberts, proved decisive.
The Cumberland Rivers were flooded but sympathetically flagged before it was away again to the highest point of the course at Danebower.
Riders then returned to the start/ finish via groups at Cut Thorne and Eardleys Burden where the section plotters were still sorting flooded hazards as riders were making their way round the opening lap.
There certainly wasn't much hanging around and the field was soon round and away on the second circuit.
Nothing was going to stop Dan nailing his third win in three years though, leaving Iwan and Richard to fill the remaining podium placings.
The Clubman alternative proved just about perfect, taking the very wet conditions into account as the moors were running with water, the rough tracks like rivers.
Davy Morewood proved that the venerable air-cooled TY250 Yam mono is still a force to be reckoned with under the right pilot.
And Davy took a convincing win from Gas Gas pair and local aces Scott Rowland – who is always somewhere in the reckoning at the Experts regardless of what class he's riding – and Andy Hipwell.
Rob Bowyer took the Triumph twin to a superb sixth, despite that first-section stop while Bretton King, not exactly a local, enjoyed the muddy banks, finding plenty of grip on his 4RT.
Not surprisingly given the weather there were a good few retirements, notables including Mike Leddy, Tony Cowley and Lance Ingham.
The 50/50 class, given past history and current form, looked like being a dogfight between last year's winner Darren Wasley, Phil Houghton and Gavin Black.
And that's exactly what happened – with the added attack of Chris Koch (whom I am pretty sure rides the Southern experts as well!) and Mark Reynolds.
Montesa-mounted Philip, fourth last year, took the honours this time from Gavin Black who had to settle for the runner-up spot yet again, leaving Darren in third and only just keeping Kochy off the podium on a tie-break.
There was plenty of opposition including Paul Bennett, Paul Turner, Kiaran Hankin and Julian Ingham to keep the contenders on their toes in what was a hard-fought class with the mix of Expert and Clubman sections proving a great balance.
A big thanks to the hard-working Man 17 mob for coming up with a super trial in very trying conditions.
When the majority of your sections are streams it is a real challenge to keep a trial sensible but the section plotters did a great job in providing a great day's sport.
RESULTS
Northern Expert: Dan Thorpe (Gas Gas) 13.
Experts: Iwan Roberts (Beta) 17, Richard Sadler (Beta) 20, Chris Pearson (Sherco) 30, Andy Cripps (Sherco 36, Richard Timperley (Beta) 44, Tim Pearson (Sherco) 57, Ben Butterworth (Montesa) 64.
50/50: Philip Houghton (Montesa) 15, Gavin Black (Montesa) 18, Darren Wasley (Gas Gas) 20, Chris Koch (Montesa) 20, Mark Reynolds (Gas Gas) 23, Paul Bennett (Sherco) 27, Kiaran Hankin (Sherco) 28, Paul Turner (Gas Gas) 28, Julian Ingham (Beta) 31, Sam Gent (Beta) 37.
Clubman: Davy Morewood (Yamaha) 24, Scott Rowland (Gas Gas) 31, Andy Hipwell (Gas Gas) 33, Ian Haigh (Montesa) 34, Christian Montesa) 43, Rob Bowyer (Triumph) 45, Steven Davies (Yamaha) 46, Bretton King (Montesa) 46, John Chatto (Gas Gas) 46, Alan Lord (Gas Gas) 47.
