...and a bit on the Side'
By TMX Archives on 6th Sep 07
The Inter Centre Team Trial was exceptionally well organised and the Grand Prix' start was ably conducted by Torridge Club officials with commentary from the former British Sidecar Champion, Colin Dommett. The first sidecar team were away bang on time and made their way to the sections which were laid out in the wooded valley below the start area.
The recent spell of fine weather gave early indications that thetrial would be dry, but in places, that firm top gave way to underlyingmud, and by the second lap riders found that several sections hadchanged considerably.
The first few sections were good openers for a trial that attractsriders with such a varying skill range and the scores did not startaccumulating until section four. On their first visit, the YorkshireTeam floundered here with only Robin Luscombe and Les Ashby goingclean. The East Midland Team were faultless to this point taking atwo-mark lead from the contenders of the Wessex and South EasternCentres who remained head-to-head until sections seven and eight, wherethe whole entry scored heavily in the unforgiving mud. The exit fromsection eight proved impossible, and clerk of the course, AndyCheeseman, decided to remove the climb out for the second lap.
NATIONAL INTER CENTRE TEAM TRIALS
Lower Wembsworthy Farm, Hartland, North Devon (Torridge & DMCC)
OVERALL SIDECAR TEAMS
1 SOUTH EASTERN - Total 63 (Best 3 Scores) (Mick Treagus/ Barry Pocock(300 Gas Gas) 39, Pete Dale/ Daryl Dale (270 Beta) 33, Rupert Kimber/Chris Kimber (290 Sherco) 25, Kevin Nolan/ Karl Jarvis (290 Sherco) 5).
2 EAST MIDLAND - Total 101 (Robin Morewood/ Gill Morewood (290 Sherco)12, Lee Granby/ Amelia Haigh (320 Gas Gas) 20, Tony Crabtree/ JamieHowe (290 Sherco) 37, Ali Haigh/ Goad (250 Montesa) 32).
3 WESSEX - Total 66 (Roger Tuck/ S Chandler (250 Montesa) 36, SteveRadford/ Mike Redston (250 Scorpa) 26, Phil Sparkes/ David Tuck (270Beta) 32, Jon Tuck/ Matt Sparkes (270 Beta) 8).
OTHERS: 4 ISLE OF MAN 74, 5 YORKSHIRE 159, 6 SOUTH WESTERN 130, 7 EASTERN 157, 8 CORNWALL 181, 9 SOUTHERN 231.
Individual Sidecar: Nolan/ Jarvis (SE) 5 marks lost, Luscombe/ Ashby(Yorks) 6, Tuck/ Sparkes (Wsx) 8, Morewood/ Morewood (East Mids) 12,Kelly/ Baxter (IoM) 18, Granby/ Haigh (East Mids) 20.
For full story and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, September 7, 2007.
