Brown's Low mark victory
By TMX Archives on 15th Jan 09
SCARBOROUGH'S Michael Brown and Leeds international ace James Dabill met in combat for the first time this year at the National Cliff Collinson Trophy Trial at Low North Park, Harwood Dale, near Scarborough, where, along with 17-year-old Jack Challoner, the pair were riding their new machines.This eagerly awaited battle resulted in a win for local hero Brown and his MRS Sherco from Dabill, first time out on the JST Gas Gas Raga Replica, while Challoner rode his 290 Beta-UK machine. This eagerly awaited conflict has been rattling round the Yorkshire club nights for weeks, which probably explains the strong spectator attendance at the venue which will see British Champ-ionship action in just six week's time.
With 125 riders on the entry list, 17 title contenders, 24 Inters and a massive 79 Clubmen starters, the pressure was on to get round 32 sections in daylight. They
didn't! Dabill matched Brown on the first half
of the event but the Scarborough rider put in a blistering finish by riding the last 16 sections for a single mark. Challoner demonstrated the skills that won him his world Youth title by registering a lower score than Dabill in the second half.
The action started 20 yards from the Parc Ferme where the imported rocks were coated in mud after half a dozen churning wheels. Roger's Rocks followed with the same result. The action then dropped to Aubrey's Gulley with an opener of four sections which did grab the penalties. The claggy mud jammed front wheels, made walking impossible, and it prevailed all day in Low North and even worse over at Ravensgill where the ten sections played their part. The huge step at the fourth sub was the stopper for the Experts with only Brown, Challoner and Dabill clean. Ian Austermuhle dropped his first mark right on the crest of the rock. Inter winner Adam Milner straight lined the Inter route, same as the clubman section but here Shaughan Galway and Mark Harrison were the rocket-ship speedsters. Gary Collinson, son of Cliff, was on the boil, as was Cliff's grandson Josh Sprintall, who clocked-in a ninth placing which would have made his grandad a very happy man.
The final section in Aubrey's was the double rock step. The notable Clubmen waving a boot were Andy Duiga, Mark Lamplough and Andrew Lockett. Dale Robson had the spectators cheering down the valley at Twin Falls where Keith Ellis watched the changing tactics necessary to clear one or the other torrents of water.
The action then moved to Ravensgill, where ten sections were a gear up on the first five. Guy Kendrew was the first to sample the cold depths of the beck when he missed the first big step in the third sub. Guy will testify that the water was very cold!
John Crinson was on his way to a clean on the Birkett Scorpa but the chain broke right at the critical moment. The top three grabbed king sized airtime to top the final five-foot step out of the beck where Josh Sprintall got very close to the left hand edge and less than a tyre width separated Sprint from an early bath. Best on that nasty exit were Gary McDonald,
Jonny Walker, local youth Andy Chilton and Ian Austermuhle.
NATIONAL CLIFF COLLINSON TROPHY TRIAL
Low North Park, Harwood Dale, nr Scarborough
(Scarborough & DMC)
EXPERT: Michael Brown (MRS Sherco) 6 marks lost, James Dabill (JST Gas Gas) 12, Jack Challoner (Beta UK) 14, Ian Austermuhle (Beta UK) 30, Gary McDonald (MRS Sherco) 37, Sam Ludgate (Birkett Scorpa) 42, Jonny Walker (Gas Gas) 49, Andrew Chilton (Gas Gas) 57, Josh Sprintall (Beta) 60, John Crinson (Birkett Scorpa) 67.
CLUBMAN: Mark Buckworth (Beta) 15, Andy Lockwood (Beta) 16, Mike Watson (Montesa) 18, Neville Pybus (Montesa) 23, Alex Bennett (Sherco) 24, Mark Lamplough (Montesa) 25, Paul Lamplough (Montesa) 26, Colin Chapman (Beta) 27, David Archer (Gas Gas) 30, Andrew Dennis (Gas Gas) 33.
FOR FULL REPORT SEE T+MX NEWS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2009
Local hero, Michael Brown, takes his Sherco out of Ravensgill Beck en route to a convincing win.