Double, double, toil and trouble
By Barry Robinson on 5th Apr 11
The Jack Wood National Trial, staged at High Bradfield, near Sheffield, on Sunday, rose above the average traditional National trial by providing joint winners in Alexz Wigg and Michael Brown.
In the 51 year history of the Hillsborough club's trial, Sunday's event broke the mould by yielding a joint first result, which, considering the 50 section route, was a sensational finale to another fine national trial.
It was a real battle of the rising stars because Ben Morphett also joined the one dab club, albeit taken two sections lower than the two winners, down the stream in fearsome Rocher End. Rocher had been shorn of its forest of trees and shrubs and for once it was actually broad daylight in the group. The seven subs tracked the beck, culminating in the narrow deep ravine where the trickle of water hardly concealed the flat slabs.
Wigg was hitting every section like a man possessed and meant business from Hill House where the the drying wind lifted the moisture off the grass and angled rocks. Commented Alexz on Monday morning from MRS headquarters, "I dabbed right near the ends cards at the 39th section. I thought I was just out of the section. Michael lost his mark just about the same spot. I am happy with the result,” was how Wiggy summed-up another cracking ride in seven days.
The S3-Parts Championship, round three in the nine round series, was a different kettle of fish. Richard Timperley produced a cracking result riding at the tail end of the 150-strong entry to finish fourth overall. A dab on the horizontal fallen tree in Lumbush, where Richard Sadler, Wigg, and Jon Richardson flew over the woodwork and Sam Haslam took the height record landing in a narrow rut. An inch to the left and all would be in big trouble. Guy Kendrew opted for the safety dab to get through. Series leader Dan Thorpe was the notable who maxed the camber that lay below the tree trunk where Over 40s supremo John Shirt, Adam Norris and Ian Austermuhle stuck a boot down. Norris was one of the few that lost a mark on an almost dry and dusty Hill House where Rob McElnea, riding number one, missed the ends flag on the second sub. He and Roman Kyrnycky rode two and one last week at the Bemrose - and changed order for the Jack Wood!
Thorpey was not having a good day, by his standards so the stop in deep soggy Ughill more or less settled the day with 17 points which sees him heading for the Chris Carter in two weeks time on 54 championship points while Timperley, Guy Kendrew and Phil Disney will be in the mix against on-form Ricky Wiggins and his RCM Gas Gas. The Yeovil rider came out of the Wood with three championship points on Sunday.
The TCC trio did test some riders. The twists and climbs of the first sub were really SatNav stuff. The big step at the top of the second looked hard but the left flick at the top took dabs until Sam Haslam took the JST GG straight past the turn and onto a square yard of grass with a very deft flick. Sam was sitting on clean as was Sadler, Wigg, Richardson and Ross Danby after a dozen sections. That was to change. A stop on the slabs in Ughill, then dab two sections on was irretrievable for Ross. Milky Bar Wood delivered a hammer blow to Richardson when he lost the MRS Sherco in the last steep sub and his clean sheet expired. Disney and Kendrew also dropped a boot where Richardson foundered but Timperley was on three when the trial dropped into Hoyles Folly where nine spectator-free sections tracked the narrow beck leading up to the edge of Strines Moor. Richard added a dab in the group then two in the twisting rocky stream bed that formed the first of seven subs in Rochers which is now bereft of its forest.
Strange to walk up the plantation in experience daylight for a change. The big step at the second sub caught Timp for a slack dab but Craig Robinson took three stabs at the rockery and despite cleaning all the famous River Kwai subs it dropped him from fourth to sixth. The Kwai has been tamed in recent years so a complete clean through its ten sections does not make a headline whereas Rocher End is now the villain in the realms of Jack Wood trial folklore.
Jack Wood himself would have been very happy with the 2011 trial. Andy Longden excelled with his slaves Tony Peat, Dave Aspinall, Mexican Pete aka Pete Vickers, Darren Wasley, and Kwai Commander Mick Glaves.
S3-PARTS NATIONAL CLUBMAN TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 3 – Jack Wood Trial at Stannington,
nr Sheffield (Hillsborough MCC)
S3 CLASS SCORERS: Richard Timperley (MRS Sherco) 6 marks lost, Dan Thorpe (JST Gas Gas) 10, Phil Disney (Appleyard Beta) 13, Guy Kendrew (280 Ossa Moto UK) 16, Adam Norris (250 Beta) 17 (41x0), John Shirt (280 JST Gas Gas) 17 (39x0), Ian Austermuhle (Beta) 18 (40x0), Tony Scarlett (250 Beta) 18 (38x0), Richard Sadler (MRS Sherco) 19 (42x0), Darren Wasley (Gas Gas) 19 (41x0), John Crinson (Birkett Scorpa)) 20 (39x0), Nigel Crowther (Gas Gas) 20 (38x0), Ben Wibberley (Inta Gas Gas) 22, Russell Rooksby (300 Gas Gas) 23, Ross Crosby (Pidcock Montesa) 25.
SERIES STANDINGS (S3 Class) after 3 (of 9) rounds: 1 Thorpe 54 points, 2 Kendrew 37, 3 Wiggins 35, 4 Richard Timperley 35, 5 Disney 25, 6 Blackman 20, 7 Fox 19, 8 Regan 17, 9 Sprigg 14, 10 Wibberley 13, 11 Norris 11, 12 Shirt 10, 13 Hicken 10, 14 Crinson 10, 15 Austermuhle 9,...
S3 OVER 40 CLASS SCORERS: John Shirt (280 JST Gas Gas) 17 marks lost, Darren Wasley (Gas Gas) 19, Nigel Crowther (Gas Gas) 20, Mick Boam (Scorpa) 37, Richard Allen (ABC Gas Gas) 57, Paul Turner (Gas Gas) 60, Chris Koch (250 Beta) 65, Dave Clinkard (250 Beta) 83, Stuart Robinson (250 Gas Gas) 94 (16x0), Michael James (Beta) 94 (15x0), Graham Tales (300 Beta) 101, Steve Swanson (Beta) 103, Gary Pears (250 Scorpa) 105, Chris Brightmore (300 Gas Gas) 141,
SERIES STANDINGS after 3 (of 9) rounds: 1 Wasley 45 points, 2 Clinkard 40, 3 Hicken 40, 4 Allen 36, 5 Koch 35, 6 Boam 34, 7 Shirt 20, 8 Grindle 18, 9 Crowther 15, 10 Paul Turner 10, 11 Brightmore 8, 12 Shankie 8, 13 Stuart Robinson 7, 14 Mike James 7, 15 Michael James 6, 16 Tales 5, 17 Swanson 4, 18 Pears 3,...
S3 125cc CLASS SCORERS: Billy Craig (125 Gas Gas) 105 marks lost.
SERIES STANDINGS after 3 (of 9) rounds: 1 Billy Craig 60 points.
S3 TWIN-SHOCK CLASS SCORERS: David Pye (240 Fantic) 105 marks lost.
SERIES STANDINGS after 3 (of 9) rounds: 1 Pye 60 points, 2 Nolan 17, 3 Wiffen 15.
NEXT ROUND: April 10 – Chris Carter Trophy Trial (Yeadon Guiseley & DMCC Ltd).
NON-CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSES
Expert Class: Alexz Wigg (Sherco) and Michael Brown (Gas Gas) 1 mark lost (fc - tie), Ben Morphett (Sherco) 1, Ross Danby (Gas Gas) 7, Craig Robinson (Gas Gas) 8, Jonathan Richardson (Sherco) 10, Sam Haslam (Gas Gas) 16.
EASY ROUTE: Mark Holland (Gas Gas) 19 marks lost,Mark Coulson (Gas Gas) 22, Steve Peat (Beta) 23, Paul Bennett (Sherco) 24, Phil Scott (Beta) 26, Michael Benn (Gas Gas) 27, Paul Jepson (Beta) 28, Andy Hipwell (Gas Gas) 32 (33x0), Katy Sunter (Gas Gas) 32 (28x0), Luke Meredith (Gas Gas) 34.
