Report: S3-Parts Trials Championship - Colmore Cup
By Jason Bellinger on 9th Mar 16
A sensational ride by Sam Haslam saw the Gas Gas mounted South Midlander simply demoralise the opposition in Sundays 88th Colmore Cup Trial.
In a more difficult event than for the past couple of years, Haslam led right from the start to claim the famous Colmore trophy – losing less than half the score of S3 Class ace James Fry, who secured his second win of a series he now seems set to dominate.
Ian Wakeford claimed victory in the Non-Championship Non-Expert class just holding off a late charge from John Cowley as both men fell foul of the Stratford on Avon club's six-hour time limit.
As usual the day began for the 100-strong entry with the long cold run to Meon Hill where the steep grassy hillside was dry. The opening sub on the Expert route, which had been pondered upon long and hard by the course plottersc proved surprisingly easy.
First man through, Steve Harris, took the most spectacular line right next to a tree, although most preferred a wide right-hand sweep to the summit.
On the traditional never-ending graded climb at section two, Nick Paxton was the first to reach the top with a fourth-gear assault on his Honda, which nicely combined line, grip and speed.
Twin-brother Andrew's Honda lacked speed and he was one of the many who came back down the climb somewhat faster than they went up.
The most difficult hazard of the group was number four, with a slippery climb around a tree before an equally slippery ending. Haslam was superb here and after watching Richard Sadler and Alex Wigg foot heavily he found the perfect line to balance a path that had earlier seemed impossible to find.
Guy Kenyon Bell also went clean with an equally impressive ride.
But it was here that the surprise result of the day began to surface as Simon Welch emulated Haslam and Kenyon Bell's success as the only men to reach the second group at Mickleton Woods still clean.
Both aced that group as did James Fry and Sadler, but it was a different story at the seven Kiftsgate hazards.
The first section here, a descent followed by a climb over tree roots at the summit, saw Paxton exit for the first clean on the Clubman route but for the championship riders it was a lot more difficult.
A couple of riders after stopping, going backwards, eventually reached the ‘ends cards' and pleaded with observer Charly Langston for leniency – but he was having none of it.
Only Haslam found real grip as he flicked it left up the climb to exit for two, while only Welch and Wiggy footed clear.
Ashley Newberry on the Freestyle Beta wowed everyone at KiIftsgate's second sub using fourth gear when most were in second and after numerous spirited attempts that failed he shot up between the trees like a missile.
As riders looked at each other for inspiration that didn't materialise, all sorts of new lines were tried.
It was the hardest sub of the day.
Wiggy never got traction and neither did Chris Pearson but Fry and Haslam were impressive to go through for dabs.
Tom Hick improvised and with his left arm off the bars pulling on the tree he hauled himself up. Needs must!
The next sub saws Ian Watts nail the first clean but the twists before the climb took dabs off Haslam, Fry,Pearson and Sadler and threes off Dan Thorpe and Welch.
On to Jones Bank or – Jones ‘bog' – as the 150metre-long fourth sub turned into a slog. Some loved it, others hated it as it steadily deteriorated with the passage of machines.
The bog was deep at the start, deep in the middle – and deep at the end.
George Marshall was riding as an early number and cleaned with ease but slowly the various ruts got deeper and in the end the only way was to criss-cross the ruts fast in four gear and just hold on.
Buster Reagan was spectacular and actually balanced up the rut for most of the way – fighting it at every step with plumes of mud spewing out from behind the wildly spinning wheel.
James Fry tried to emulate Regan but lost direction and speed to foot his way out while Dan Thorpe, resplendent in a new riding suit, got it well and truly dirty as he got his feet down.
Alex Wigg took a really fast spectacular approach and with a broad smile just needed a fleeting dab while Robert Warner was even faster as he blasted the flying Honda through, hanging on as it careered forwards.
Unsurprisingly Sam Haslam's faultless attack was a little slower but perfectly controlled.
By half-distance Haslam was way in front with a six-mark debit to the 17 of Wigg and Welch. Ian Wakeford led the 50/50 route on just eight to the 21 of John Cowley and the 22 of Ian Fortune.
Then it was Weston Wood, now devoid of its many trees where Wakeford went to pieces with an 18-mark loss against Cowley's very tidy six losses.
So now trailing Wakeford by just a mark it was Cowley's turn to struggle at Hancock's Wood where he added a mighty 14 to Wakeford's four.
Hancocks was also a problem for James Fry, whose gearbox got stuck in third and he was forced to ride the last two groups as it was and did well to just lose two marks on time.
Although time was identical to previous years with the same course it was noticeable that after the first seven riders had gone through, there was a 25-minute gap before the next wave arrived at Hancocks.
That created longish queues at the difficult Weston Wood sections and put many on the verge of exclusion.
Chris Pearson was actually excluded but for another reason. His entry was late as he forgot to post it and that lost him second spot in the trial.
What is surprising is that only ten of the opening round's top 15 scored more S3 points, while in the Non-Championship class only three of the first round's top 15 scored again.
