Calvert rises to the Challenge!
By TMX Archives on 7th May 08
The going was quite tough for riders on day one. Clerk of the course, Alex Smith, and his merry men, had plotted a course going the opposite direction to many previous years. Late spring snow falls had ensured that the moors were much wetter than usual and the long haul over the Meall na Cruaidhe path was more energy sapping than at former events. Uncharacteristically of the Pre-65 Scottish was a massive log-jam queue at Camas na Muic on the south shore of Loch Leven a point noted for next year by the organisers.
The weather turned nasty at around three in the afternoon with hailstones and torrential rain which, for a while, had Pipeline running in a mini spate. Seven times TT winner, Mick Grant, who has for many years, hoped for that illusive win, blotted his copy book just after the down-pour by crashing out on the top section of Pipeline. Mick knew at that point the Challenge Trophy' was once again out of his grasp!
There were quite a number of riders suffering from gearbox failures, including Scot Alex Carmichael (250 Royal Enfield), Spaniard Carlos Bosch (Tiger Cub) and also Berwick's John Palmer, returning to the trial after breaking his pelvis on Pipeline last year. French rider Joel Corroy also retired with his Miller replica Ariel suffering wet-sumping problems, so an early bath for the JCM
reator. Fellow countryman Jean Caillou (Ariel), sporting his trade mark bow-tie, collected time penalties by following Scottish father and son team John and David Moffat who, in company with some others, took the wrong path up on to the Meall na Cruaidhe moorland, wasting an energy sapping 30-minute excursion, only the hi-visibility observers waist-coats pin-pointing the Coire na Cruaidhe sections saved the intrepid trio from a possible exclusion.
Dawn broke on day two with riders wondering if it would rain but, happily, the weather was just perfect for them and the leaders nervously stalked the traditional second day route with only some detail changes to the Callart Cottage sections on the Mamore Road.
Mention of some sterling performances over the weekend are credited to Clive Dobson, who cleaned Pipeline on his very original 1954 500T Norton but, it wasn't quite good enough to claim best Rigid, that went to Peter Carson riding, of all things, a 125 BSA Bantam, put together by ex-RAF man Jonathan Tye.
The tension did its work with a clear winner, much to the relief of the organising committee, who knew that this should be just the way it works! Riding Walter Dalton's Triumph Cub, Carlos Casas threw it all away with a very slack five on Mambrec and he too saw the Challenge Trophy once more fall from his grasp. Undeterred, Carlos vowed to return and the Catalonian rider picked up the T Arnott Moffat Memorial Quaich as best foreign rider.
So it was down to three riders on day two to decide the victor, Davy Morewood and Scott Dommett tied on three marks apiece with Sheffield's Morewood taking runner-up spot on most cleans and previous winner Dommett holding third. But it was Tony Calvert with steady nerve who was best man on the day with a solitary mark on his sheet and the 2008 trial was his.
A short speech, as his results do the talking for the shy six-foot two-inch York-shireman, followed by a loud cheer which raised the roof of Kinlochleven Community Centre when he hoisted the premier award, presented by former factory Ariel, Triumph and AJS rider Gordon Blakeway. It was all over for another year...
FUCHS SILKOLENE SCOTTISH PRE-65
TWO-DAY TRIAL
Kinlochleven (Edinburgh & DMCC)
MAIN TROPHIES
Best Performance The Challenge Trophy: Tony Calvert (246 Triumph) 1 mark lost
2nd Best Performance Duncan Smith Trophy: Davy Morewood (250 Royal Enfield) 3
3rd Best Performance Ralph Venables Trophy: Scott Dommett (270 BSA) 3
Best Foreign Rider T Arnott Moffat Trophy: Carlos Casas (200 Triumph) 6
Best Newcomer Willie Pitblado Trophy: James Newstead (175 BSA) 13
Best Scottish Rider Eileen Randall Trophy: Murray Whittaker (250 Triumph) 4
Best Rider Over 60 Nick Nicholls Trophy: David Thorpe (200 Triumph) 4
Best Trade-Supported Rider Motorcycle Trader Trophy: Jim Pickering (175 BSA) 34
Best Rider on a Rigid Machine Mick Andrews Trophy: Peter Carson (125 BSA) 18
Best Woman Competitor Joan Westbrook Trophy: Victoria Glover (175 BSA) 96
Best Over 350cc Bob Patterson Trophy: Neil Gaunt (500 Ariel) 3
Best 251-350cc John Draper Trophy: Joan Rovira (350 BSA) 9
Best 201-250cc Lampkin Trophy: Leslie Winthrop (250 Triumph) 7
Best up to 200cc Allie Cameron Trophy: Peter Carson (125 BSA) 18
Best Performance on First Day Bob Adamson Trophy: Tony Calvert (246 Triumph) clean.
SPECIAL FIRST CLASS AWARDS: 4 Neil Gaunt (500 Ariel) 3 (57x0), 5 David Thorpe (200 Triumph) 4 (57x0), 6 Murray Whittaker (250 Triumph) 4 (56x0), 7 Graham Du Feu (500 Ariel) 5, 8 Carlos Casas (200 Triumph) 6, 9 Leslie Winthrop (250 Triumph) 7, 10 Len Hutty (410 Matchless) 8, 11 Joan Rovira (350 BSA) 9 (56x0), 12 Peter Salt (246 Francis Barnett) 9 (54x0), 13 Colin Bailey (500 Trifield) 10 (54x0,5x1), 14 Stephen Collins (250 Triumph) 10 (54x0,4x1), 15 Mick Grant (500 Ariel) 11 (53x0), 16 David Emmott (500 Triumph) 11 (52x0), 17 Alan Crayk (246 Cotton) 12 (53x0), 18 Andrew Richardson (346 Royal Enfield) 12 (51x0), 19 Angus Jenkinson (350 Royal Enfield) 13 (55x0), 20 James Newstead (175 BSA) 13 (53x0), 21 Mark Harris (230 Triumph) 14, 22 Paul Heys (???) 16, 23 Duncan MacDonald (499 Ariel) 18.
FIRST CLASS AWARDS: 24 Peter Carson (125 BSA) 18 (51x0,4x1), 25 David Postlethwaite (360 Triumph) 19, 26 Allister Stewart (199 Triumph) 20, 27 Steven Maxwell (249 Triumph) 21, 28 Matthew Millar (350 Royal Enfield) 21, 29 Jose Buixo (350 BSA) 22, 30 Matthew Neale (500 Ariel) 23, 31 George Emmott (500 Triumph) 24, 32 Eric McMeekin (350 BSA) 26, 33 Malcolm Cocking (349 Triumph) 27, 34 Bryn Matton (175 BSA) 27, 35 Alan Nicklin (250 Greeves) 27, 36 Alan Wright (246 James) 29, 37 Guy Favre (350 BSA) 30, 38 Roland Jones (500 Ariel) 30, 39 Manel Jane (200 Triumph) 32, 40 Peter Gaunt (247 Royal Enfield) 32, 41 Thierry Violini (200 Triumph) 33, 42 Mark Sturtevant (350 BSA) 34, 43 Jim Pickering (175 BSA) 34.
For full report and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, May 9, 2008