Dibs' on cloud nine
By TMX Archives on 8th Feb 09
JAMES Dabill went from the sunshine of Spain to Keighley Gate in less than 48 hours, but apart from the difference in the weather, from sunshine to snow, the result for Dibs was another victory in the Yeadon Guiseley Motor Club event.
"I was practising with Adam Raga and Marc Freixa at the Gas Gas factory. Maybe I should have stayed in Spain a little longer” commented Dabill as he checked out section one in the trial!
A total of 125 riders competed, riding the two-lap, 20-section course, whilst Y-G official Mike Hinch departed with his Small-wheelers to some soggy grassland near the bridge where they rode eight sections and three laps. The fact that most of them had never put a leg across a trial bike seemed irrelevant!!
The main trial rode an assorted of streams and banks to the big hill blast at the ninth where Mick Shorrock was the busy man scribbling in fives. The hard men were dispatched to the opener of four in the meadow where the narrow stream featured along with some drastic hardware.
The second section was a tough narrow mud ledge, part frozen then a left turn up the jagged rocks, and that was the problem. Anthony Cooper lost the front end of his Gas Gas whilst Chris Pearson was the only double clean of the day. Dabill flew up on lap one launching the JST Gasser into space with a daring blast that got the bike clear of all the hardware.
The third was easy but the fourth was hard and tricky. Dabill was superb on this one and matched by Disney and John Sunter. However this section went downhill on lap two when the snow flurries homed in.
The fifth to ninth tracked to valley and dived in and out of the beck with some very interesting flights up round distant trees.
A dab on the logs and rocks at John Lampkin's tenth section then another at the next section was enough for Dabill until he turned to the North Valley where the final six sections nestled.
The narrow tributary formed the 14th section, but the hard bit was the flight up round a tree on the right hand bank which got Disney on lap one.
Mike Jennings was upstream where the main beck widened and allowed for a nasty little stepped kink on the jagged rocks. Ludgate needed a hefty prod to clear this step on lap two while Disney also took two.
Pearson faltered after the hillclimb for no apparent reason and that stacked eight marks on his first lap scoreline. Sadler was well clear of Josh Maude and Chris Hunt.
Chris Greenwood got the Clubman class on a tiebreaker from Paul Kettlewell with Darren Mitchell in tow. Paul lost the plot on the angled steps at 16 on lap one where his rivals went clean.
The fact that Dane Smith had the Clubman sections dead on the target was emphasised by a scoreline that rose in single marks up the top 20 finishers.
COBB AND JAGGER TROPHY TRIAL
Keighley Gate (Yeadon Guiseley & DMC)
Hard Course
Expert: James Dabill (JST Gas Gas) 9 marks lost, Chris Pearson (MRS Sherco) 20, Sam Ludgate (Scorpa) 31.
Inter: Gavin Black (Montesa) 92, Zac Sherwin (Beta-UK) 101, David Petty (Beta) 112.
Novice: Anthony Cooper (Gas Gas) 95, Ben Robinson (Beta) 109, Rob Sheldon (Gas Gas) 106.
Youth A: Richard Sadler (Sherco) 40, Josh Maude (Sherco) 80, Chris Hunt (Gas Gas) 103.
ClubmAn: Chris Greenwood (Gas Gas) 10, Paul Kettlewell (Sherco) 10, Darren Mitchell (Gas Gas) 11.
Youth A: Tom Stewart (Sherco) 18, Edward Haley (Gas Gas) 25, Jonathan Waterhouse (Sherco) 91.
Youth B: Sam Beecroft -Penny (Sherco) 36, Chris Alford (Gas Gas) 41, Danielle Whitham (Beta) 67.
Youth C: Sam Johnson (Beta) 79.
Youth C Small-wheel: William Trigg (Beta) 15, James Jackson (Beta) 27, Natalie Richmond (Beta) 32.
Youth D Small-Wheel: Daniel W Hole (Beta) 42, Jcob Snowden (Beta) 48, Gabby Whitham (Beta) 49.
Fresh from his training days in sunny Spain, James Dabill leapt to an easy Expert class victory at chilly Keighley Gate at the weekend.