Report: Richmond MC
By Team TMX on 24th Feb 16
Two of the motorcycle trials in North Yorkshire took a battering on Sunday morning from the weather with the Richmond club fighting a running battle with a near hurricane that swept down Swaledale accompanied by rain showers.
Brendan Suffell and Gavin Lowther waded through the sections for the Harold Graham Trophy Trial, planting flags above what became a raging torrent, meanwhile the water levels rose rapidly in the Cogden Hall stream and the wind threatened to topple observers and competitors.
The strange part about Swaledale on Sunday was a temperature in the order of 12 degrees centigrade in direct contrast to the previous day.
Many riders at Grinton were blown off course in the sections.
Masham Sausages boss Paul Dennis was swept offline on his Beta, in the middle of two sections, feet up of course.
He still won the green course class, just, from Adrian Harrison.
Harrison stopped in seven and nine but was good on the deep swirling second section at the bottom of Grinton Ghyll where Dennis footed on all three laps.
At the top of the tree Guy Kendrew excelled over Richard Sadler and Ian Austermuhle.
Sadler was sharp all the way but a stop in Cogden Wood on lap one gave Kendrew the break, especially after Austermuhle fived the fourth section up Cogden Ghyll. Barry Watson, Richard Coates, Nathan Stones and Dave Nesham took the Grinton Wood sections and took the full force of the gale blowing down over Reeth.
The ninth was a tough nut to crack: very slippery but it was notable that Kendrew had it sorted and cleaned on all three laps. It was also where Sadler dropped his maximum.
The best cleans were down to Phil Alderson, Russ Cannell, top Inter Matt Maynard, and on the Green route Paul Dennis. Clubman winner Paul Sadler produced a 1-1-2.
Severity
Class B runner Guy Stones did haul his Beta out first time round, while the sections did test the rest of the class.
Tom and Luke Constantine managed to deal with the severity as did Charlie Dent and Rob Weatherall on new 125 Beta machines.
The Class C boys rode two laps where brothers Dan and Ben Hodgson set the standard overseen by their father Phil. That was some minding task for him.
Down in the low meadow Small-wheels guru Ted Harston and his assistants – read parents – managed to control 26 boys and girls who rode a full nine-section four-lap course on the banks of the stream.
There was a small percentage of aquatics but the grassy banks were the main tests.
In Class BE Ripon's Harry Mudgridge beat Monte Andrew but only on most cleans. If Jack Dent had not stopped in section four on lap one he would have taken the class. Every rider was fossil powered in the class.
Conrad Andrew, also Beta-mounted, won Class DE, while Charlie Astwood was the class act in the ED category and was feeling for grip on the grassy sections, and succeeding.
RESULTS
Hard course Experts: Guy Kendrew 7, Richard Sadler 9, Ian Austermuhle 13. (All Beta).
Inter: Matthew Maynard (Sherco) 53, Mark Willis (Montesa) 67, Russell Cannell (Beta) 71.
Novice: Tom Alderson (Beta) 52, Nathan Cannell (Gas Gas) 66, Jack Harker (Beta) 81.
Green course: Paul Dennis (Beta) 27, Adrian Harrison (Sherco) 29, Mick Sharp (Beta) 39.
Youth: Tom Needham (Gas Gas) 51, Matty Napper (Gas Gas) 85.
Clubman: Paul Sadler (Beta) 11, Robyn Alderson (Gas Gas) 34, Joe Simpson (Montesa) 50.
Over 40: William Wood 33, Tony Wild 34, Daniel Herriott 41. (All Beta).
Twin-shock: Mick Grant (BSA) 64.
Youth A: Beth Waite (Beta) 49, Sam Charlton (Beta) 74.
Yoúth B: Guy Stones 51, Tom Constantine 55, Charlie Dent 59. (All Beta).
Youth C: Dan Hodgson 69, Ben Hodgson 78, Martyn Pratt 102. (All Beta).
Small-wheels-Youth BE: Harry Mugridge 13, Monte Andrew 13, Jack Dent 15.(All Beta).
Youth DE: Conrad Andrew (Beta) 32, Sam Armstrong (Beta) 53.
Youth ED: Charlie Astwood (Gas Gas) 27, Laurie Blades (Beta) 44, Lily-Ann Thwaite (Oset) 66.
Youth EB: Barnaby Fothergill (Gas Gas) 36.
