Bumpy ride for Youths
By TMX Archives on 20th Sep 13
Bumpy visited Howden Clough on Sunday to stage the fifth round of the ACU Luscombe Suzuki Leeds British Class C and D Championship.The club and training organisation, utilised the nine-acre Howden Clough venue to the full as clerk of the course Julian Ford and his advisor Dan Thorpe presented the most varied championship event this year.
Harry Hemingway ruled the Youth D Small-wheels from series leader Henry Stephenson by a dozen marks.
Little Hemmo though has no drop-score on his mind as he missed the rain-lashed Tow Tops round back in May, meaning Henry is looking at dropping 17 from Hope Farm in August.
Buxton's Harry Turner has rattled off three podium finishes but is only six championship points in front of Dominic Horne.
In the Youth D Medium-wheels it is safe to say Horsham boy Jack Dance has the class for Surrey Schoolboys now.
His 100 score means Scotland can be missed as Banbury's Dale Freeman is 23 points in arrears but only six clear of Catterick's Elliott Laws and Silsden charger Josh MacParland. The latter means business and is attacking sections hard.
On the face of it Edward Earle is more or less home and dry in Youth C Medium-wheels but Charlie Mosley took him to a tie-breaker via most cleans on Sunday and beat the Ilkley contender at Zona 1.
Mosley lost out to Alice Minta and Londoner Mathias Salin at Hope Farm, where he finished fourth and Mosley's drop at present is an 11.
Billy Green chalked up his third Youth Standard-wheels victory on Sunday but Whitwick's ever-present Daniel Slack was on hand to keep Billy company on the podium with Joe Faunthorpe.
Joe's rival, Jacob Snowdon is three points up but Joe missed Tow Tops so can forget the drop score, as long as he rides the Stevenston round at the end of this month.
As for the sections? The opener did a double up and down over roots, mild rocks, and a couple of steps, up and down for the Class C boys and girl.
Only six competitors dropped marks, Cynan Jones, Arran Sherwin and Harvey Mosley waving a boot.
The second sub stepped up a gear with a plunge into a narrow stream and up a steep angled slope for Class D.
Only Jacob Smith and Harry Turner nailed it on lap one while Harry Hemingway and Elliott Laws failed the climb.
The Class C line was more ambitious and the right approach was vital
to surmount the steep gradient.
Edward Earle was right on line and listening to what minder Dan Clark was shouting out but Mathias Salin, Alice Minta, Jacob Snowdon and Ben Heycock lost the battle with the hill.
The double switchback over roots and rocks at the third caught all but Dominic Horne for three while Hemingway cleaned. Dance and Jacob Smith set the benchmark in Class D Medium Wheels.
The fourth was similar with two steep climbs and a tricky downhill drop onto a muddy morass and only Stephenson and Dance got near to cleaning this section.
The long stream made up a fine sixth section and all classes performed well but the sheer gradients in sections seven eight sapped the power.
Significantly the Class C riders found the seventh unforgiving if they strayed off line.
The final section nestled under a 32k power line which hissed and crackled as the section was cleaned by most riders.
The penultimate hazard, though, was a different animal, with a total of seven one-foot diameter tree trunks, all at awkward angles and wet.
It was a very different and testing trial but all the riders seemed happy with their day.
