Backtor reality!
By TMX Archives on 11th Nov 10
Reigning British Trials Sidecar Trials Champions Jon Tuck and Matt Sparkes retired from the sport on a winning high, just, on Sunday on the slopes of menacing Backtor, that solid expanse of rock north of the north Derbyshire village of Hope.Sad to report that the popular crew from Bristol will leave the Sidecar scene after Sunday's brilliant albeit shortened finale in the Challenge Lusky backed series.Of course the series sponsor, Robin Luscombe, added spice to the Merle Morewood by riding the eight sections at Elmore Hill for 17 marks compared with Tuck and Sparkes, who clocked a cool 13 after failing Phil Granby's climbing section out on the moors above Elmore Farm.Report: BARRY ROBINSONPictures: ERIC KITCHEN
The initial four beck sections featured very greasy exits and a gripless third climb which cost Rupert and Chris Kimber on lap one when they a missed a blue flag in their barnstorming attack. Judicious marking by Robin Morewood and clerk of course Terry Crabtree lifted a stack of marks in the four beck subs which normally are just a passage control to nearby Offerton Hall.
In the top Championship class even the resourceful son and father duo of Rupert and Chris Kimber piled on 27 penalties as did clear Inter winners Adrian and Aaron Smith, leaving Peter Dale and Barry Pocock to try and jump the 15 penalty void at Backtor.
For Clubman Champions Dale and Pocock it was a trip into the Inter class with their 270 Beta so runner-up to the all conquering Smiths was a bonus especially with Tony Crabtree and Lee Granby with Jamie Howe and Paul Norman in very close contact. With Dale and Pocock out of the equation, Phil Sparkes and Roger Tuck worked wonders with their barking Wessex BVM Beta four strokes, especially on the unforgiving Backtor rock maze.
It was no easy day for Sparkes with David Tuck and Steven Chandler getting their Wessex Beta through Elmore on 15 marks while Sparkes and Roger Tuck foundered out on the moors to the tune of 18 marks. Ali Haigh and daughter Amelia (Bill) stopped or failed Elmore's sections four times so 20 was a respectable starter for the day.
Portsmouth pairing Mick Treagus and Steve Gould were on two missions. One was to make the podium while the other was to educate Kieran Hankin and Andy Cripps on the art of sidecar trialling. As Crippsy and Hanks swapped roles on a section to section basis the finer points, such what the passenger did and where he stood was total guesswork. Steve Gould did the eductating while Mick ran alongside the Lancashire comedians giving the verbals. Apart for the language barrier it did seem to bear fruit!
If Elmore Hill provided the soggy stuff, Backtor was going apply the muscle sapping sting in the tail. The new look Peak Trial was intentional in some ways, but not in others.
For a start Oxlow House had been made redundant as it did entail a long ride through Castleton which a permanent tourist haunts fifty two weeks in every year. Berrystall Lodge had also been given its marching orders as Offerton Hall contained all the right ingredients for chairs and solos but the landowner was at odds with the three wheeler brigade and permission was not forthcoming for the sidecars but ok for the solo riders that make up the filling in the Sheffield & Hallamshire club's event.
Robin Morewood hatched the two lap plan for Elmore and Backtor, and it worked well with the Sidecar lads and lasses more or less clear of Backtor by the time the solo riders climbed that long long ascent to the ten sections under the giant crag.
In the Expert class Tuck failed the first part of the double sub that formed the third and fourth sections observed by Davy Morewood. The slick grass and buried rocks were treacherous for all classes. Smith, Granby and Kemp all lost marks wedging on what appeared were grassy humps but concealed limestone hardware.
The sixth featured a king sized rock which halted the Luscombe charge as they closed down on Tuck and Sparkes. The pendulum swung in favour of Robin and Sam when Tuck failed the mild eighth then copped three on the very hard ninth where the line through the rocky maize was non-existent.
The sidecars did not tackle eight or nine a second time so Team Lusky signed off conceding on thirty nine penalties and watching Tuck and Sparkes tackle the final section with a six mark buffer which turned into a one mark winning margin as Jon and Matt foundered half way up the vicious rock garden. And Lusky's final comment – "We lost by a dab, now how close is that?”
In the Solos Dan Thorpe held sway over Chris Pearson and Richard Timperley in the Expert class where only Dan Farrer, Andres Cook and Craig Robinson clocked-in without time penalties!
With a generous time allowance and only 34 sections the only explanations offered or suggested was that it was a nice day for a picnic. Strange that Sam Clarke, Mick Boam and Daz Wasley were not afflicted by the galloping clock.
The organisers thank Lafarge for the provision of the parc ferme at the Blue Circle Cement Factory, the landowners and tenants, the observers and Ruth Pearson and Judy Farrer for the results compilation.
CHALLENGE LUSKY BRITISH SIDECAR
TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 10 – Merle Morewood Peak Trial (Sheffield & Hallamshire MCC)
CHAMPIONSHIP SIDECAR: Jon Tuck/ Matt Sparkes (290 Beta) 38 marks lost (Stan Jenkins Cup & NS Lee Trophy), Robin Luscombe/ Sam Luscombe (290 Craigs Beta) 39, Rupert Kimber/ Chris Kimber (Beta Stick) 73.
FINAL SERIES STANDINGS after 10 rounds (best 9 scores to count): 1 J Tuck/ Sparkes 177 (192) points (CHAMPION), 2 Luscombe/ Luscombe 154 (169), 3 Kimber/ Kimber 138, 4 Granby/ Baxter 92, 5 Chambers/ Allaway 67, 6 Flowers/ Smith 56, 7 Nolan/ Jarvis 40, 8 Morewood/ Morewood 13, 9 Teare/ Birchall 13, 10 Andrew/ Morcom 11, 11 Stephens/ Davey 11, 12 Knight/ Molyneux 11.
INTERMEDIATE SIDECAR: Adrian Smith/ Aaron Smith (300 Gas Gas) 43 marks lost, Peter Dale/ Barry Pocock (270 Beta) 68, Tony Crabtree/ Jamie Howe (290 Sherco) 75, Lee Granby/ Paul Norman (Kelly Blinds Beta) 77, Mark Kemp/ Ian Allaway (250 JAM Sherco) 93.
FINAL SERIES STANDINGS after 10 rounds (best 9 scores to count): 1 Adi Smith/ Aar Smith 171 (188) points (CHAMPION), 2 To Crabtree/ Howe 155, 3 Kemp/ Allaway 113, 4 Dale/ Shore 45, 5 Granby/ Norman (Baxter) 33, 6 Dale/ Pocock 17, 7 Bimson/ Owen 15, 8 Hornsby/ Welch 13, 9 Morley/ Ashby 13, 10 Hankin/ Cripps 11.
CLUBMAN SIDECAR: Phil Sparkes/ Roger Tuck (300 BVM Beta) 42 marks lost, David Tuck/ Steven Chandler (300 Beta) 43, Ali Haigh/ Rosie Haigh (290 Sherco) 44, Mick Treagus/ Steve Gould (300 Gas Gas) 73, Chris Dellow/ Kathryn Dellow (Montesa) 77, Kieran Hankin/ Andy Cripps (Montesa) 79, Andy Scrivens/ Paul Manning (???) 105.
FINAL SERIES STANDINGS after 10 rounds (best 9 scores to count): 1 Dale/ Pocock 167 points (CHAMPION), 2 P Sparkes/ R Tuck 161, 3 D Tuck/ Chandler 132, 4 Treagus/ Gould 105 (115), 5 Haigh/ Haigh 56, 6 Dakin/ Stanley 39, 7 Churchill/ Parnell 38, 8 B Christian/ L Christian 34, 9 M Jewell/ Collins 33, 10 Rees/ Rees 30, 11 Kissack/ Woods 30, 12 Abraham/ Crabtree 30, 13 Walker/ Norman 22, 14 Head/ Jacobs 21, 15 Jenkin/ Highland 19,
NEWCOMER SIDECAR: Alistair Allan/ Nick George (250 Beta) 90 marks lost.
FINAL SERIES STANDINGS after 10 rounds (best 9 scores to count): 1 Allan/ George 112 points (CHAMPION), 2 Jenkin/ Jenkin 40, 3 Rule/ Udy 17.
SUPPORT CLASSES
SOLO EXPERT: Dan Thorpe (300 JST Gas Gas) 27 marks lost (Raymond Bailey Trophy), Chris Pearson (290 MRS Sherco) 40 (National Benzole Trophy), Richard Timperley (290 MRS Sherco) 42 (VS Bentley Trophy).
SOLO CLUBMAN: Sam Clarke (250 Beta) 11, Mick Boam (280 BMS Scorpa) 13, Darren Wasley (300 Gas Gas) 14, Stuart Woodfield (Beta) 16, Neil Jones (250 Beta) 20, Anthony Cooper (Gas Gas) 21. Matt Timperley (Gas Gas) 26, Mark Timperley (Sherco) 26, Luke Meredith (Gas Gas) 27.
BEST SHEFFIELD & HALLAMSHIRE MEMBER: Chris Pearson (MRS Sherco) (Dudley Hinde Trophy)