Doug the Master is back at School
By TMX Archives on 11th Aug 10
Dougie Lampkin was back in teaching mode last week as he took control of his annual Master Class Trials Schools, which take place in early August each year. This was the twelfth consecutive year that the multi FIM Trial World Champion has conducted his training sessions with the event proving as popular as ever with the classes packed full on each of the three days.
Dougie was joined by a star-studded cast of supporting instructors that included his father, 1975 World Champion Martin Lampkin, reigning British Trials Champion James Dabill, FIM Youth Trial Vice World Champion Jack Sheppard, ex World championship minder Woody Hole and Harry Lampkin who remains the best bike catcher in the business. The 20 pupils who attended each day, which encompassed a wide range of ages and abilities, enjoyed no less than fours hours of riding as part of their experience as they benefitted from an unrivalled wealth of knowledge offered by this highly decorated team of teachers.
Riders from all over the UK travelled to Dougie's home town of Silsden in West Yorkshire to be a part of this year's event, with some participants having come from as far afield as Cornwall and Scotland to get tuition from Dougie and his team. This year's venue provided a good mixture of terrain with the riders tackling a variety of different sections to develop their skills across a whole range of testing situations. Even ex FIM Superbike World Champion Neil Hodgson popped in to polish up his off-road skills on one of the days, which provided an extra treat for those who happened to be present.
Confirming the appeal of the sport, riders from as young as five years old right through to 60-plus attended over the three days of action, with them all enjoying a hearty lunch kindly provided by Red Bull to ensure they had plenty of energy for the afternoon session each day. Dougie treated his pupils to a private demonstration to bring things to a close each afternoon, before he personally handed out certificates and awards to all those who had successfully completed the course.
Commenting on the twelfth edition of his Master Class Dougie said. "It's been a great few days once again. We have had a good mix of riders who have put in a lot of effort and who have really got a lot back in return. There is no better feeling than seeing a big grin on a kid's face when he has just cleaned a section that ten minutes earlier he was telling you he couldn't do.”
Reinforcing this point, Kevin Waldron from Gloucestershire wrote. "My ten year old son Joe has just done the Dougie Lampkin trials school and said it was the best day of his life! I have to say all those involved, Jake, Woody, Harry, Martin and Dougie, were all absolutely brilliant and gave him all the encouragement and advise he needed. He made great improvement during the day, not only in his riding but also in his confidence. I'd like to say thanks to everyone who was there and that we'll be back next year!”