Big Wigg's Well-ace!
By Mike Wood on 28th Feb 11
With the entry full' signs going up several weeks ago, the North Berks MCC promoted National Wallace Cup Trial at West Hagbourne, near Didcot, again proved what a very popular event it is!
This year, the Wallace Cup also incorporated the opening round of the S3-Parts National Clubman Trials Championship – formerly backed by Novogar – and although the title sponsors were different the quality as expected of any ACU competition was extremely high.
Taking the S3-Parts round one honours was South West based Ricky Wiggins with the loss of just two marks ahead of defending Clubman champion Dan Thorpe and Ossa-mounted Guy Kendrew. In the Experts class, Ben Morphett took the win with just a single dab whilst Sam Connor and Ross Danby finished the contest locked together on a deficit of two marks apiece.
The first challenge to be tackled on a course expertly plotted with great imagination and consideration yet again by clerk of the course Stu Robinson and his assistant Mick Bayliss was the group at Nappers Bank. Despite heavy rain just over 24 hours before the start of the event, leading S3-Parts contenders Wiggins, Thorpe, Kendrew, Shaun Fox, Richard Sadler and Phil Disney mastered the steep climbs of Nappers without loss. Indeed most of the entry must have enjoyed a fairly comfortable introduction to the trial with only the third section in the opening group creating any real problems.
After Nappers it was another group of three hazards on the muddy banks at Cress Beds and again all of the above mentioned riders safely negotiated the sections without loss. Ben Wibberly and Ben Sprigg had both been penalised at Nappers but bounced right back into contention for the Clubman honours by also going through the Cress Beds clean, so now the entry travelled onto Seymour's Arena but what would await them on their arrival? Incredibly, every year Stu Robinson weaves his magic at Seymour's to reposition the rocks and logs to create totally different sections. As expected the seven man-made hazards plotted for the 2011 Wallace event were again naturally tough but fair, whilst also providing an easy route.
The last two sections at Seymour's, which featured exit routes out over a sheer rock face, was to entertain the watching crowds and take marks from just about all of the entry on the hard route.
Therefore the loss of just one by both Wiggins and Thorpe was to be a particularly terrific effort with Sprigg penalised for two being the next best performance. Of the entire 135 strong entry, only top Experts Ben Morphett, Sam Haslam, Jon Richardson, Sam Connor and Ross Danby were now boasting unpenalised punchcards.
From Seymour's, the next challenge at the tree root littered, chalky climbs of Lollingdon awaited the riders.
With Thorpe taking another dab, it meant that as the contest passed the half-way point, Wiggins was the S3-Parts Clubman leader on just a single mark ahead of Thorpe on two closely followed by Kendrew, Wibberly, Sprigg and Sadler all on five.
After the battles of Lollingdon Hill there was another 15 sections to be tackled at Aston Pit, Pump House, Air Raid Shelter, Dickie's Rocks and Chilton Hollow. Whilst the immaculate Wiggins and Kendrew brilliantly went through clean, Thorpe was to lose another three crucial marks in his bid to take the Wallace win, penalised on the fifth hazard of the climbs plotted on the side of a deep former railway cutting at Chilton Hollow.
With the contest almost over, there was just the three sections at Bucknell's Copse and Strange's Gate, all within walking distance of the start point at The Horse and Harrow Public House to be tackled. However, these final challenges certainly held a major sting in their tail, taking marks from a majority of the entry.
Even the eventual winner Wiggins was to lose just his second mark of the contest here with a dab in the opening section at Bucknell's.
FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES SEE T+MX FEBRUARY 25
S3-PARTS NATIONAL Clubman
TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 1 – Wallace Cup Trial at Horse & Harrow,
West Hagbourne (North Berks MCC)
S3 CLASS: Ricky Wiggins (RCM Gas Gas) 2 marks lost, Dan Thorpe (JST Gas Gas UK) 5, Guy Kendrew (Ossa Moto UK) 8, Ben Wibberly (Inta Gas Gas) 9, Shaun Fox (BVM Gas Gas) 14, Phillip Disney (Appleyard Beta) 15, Richard Sadler (MRS Sherco) 16, Ben Sprigg (Gas Gas) 17, Andy Blackman (300 Gas Gas) 20 (30x0), Ross Crosby (Pidcock Montesa) 20 (28x0), John Crinson (Birkett Scorpa) 21, Richard Timperley (MRS MIAL Sherco) 24, Rob Warner (Raw Montesa) 25, Josh Woods (Beta) 26, Chris Barnfather (300 Gas Gas) 27.
S3 OVER 40 CLASS: Mark Hicken (300 Gas Gas) 33, Dave Clinkard (250 Beta) 34, Richard Allen (ABC Gas Gas) 35, Chris Koch (Beta) 37, Darren Wasley (Gas Gas) 41, Mick Boam (Scorpa) 42, Steve Grindle (Raw Montesa) 43, Ian Shankie (Sherco) 52, Mike James (Beta) 52, Chris Brightmore (300 Gas Gas) 76.
S3 125cc CLASS: Billy Craig (125 Gas Gas) 59.
NEXT ROUND: February 27 – Colmore Cup Trial at Sheldon Bosley Hub, Pittway Lane, Shipston-on-Stour (Stratford on Avon MCC).
NON-CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSES
EXPERT: Ben Morphett (MRS Sherco) 1 mark lost, = Sam Connor (Beta) & Ross Danby (JST Gas Gas) 2 (37x0), Jon Richardson (MRS Sherco) 2 (36x0), Alexz Wigg (MRS Sherco) 4, Chris Pearson (MRS Sherco) 7, Sam Haslam (JST Gas Gas) 8, James Fry (MRS Sherco) 10, Craig Robinson (Gas Gas) 14.
50/50 ROUTE: Kevin Morphett (Montesa) 6, Ian Watts (290 Beta) 9, Stefan Walters (250 Beta) 11, Gary Doyle (290 Sherco) 13, James Welch (300 Gas Gas) 15, Sean Parsons (Montesa) 18.
TWIN-SHOCK: David Pye (250 Fantic) 39, Phillip Wiffen (300 Fantic) 56, Kevin Nolan (320 SWM) 70.