Double header is Devon sent
By TMX Archives on 15th Apr 15
THIS weekend, Saturday Sunday April 18/19 sees the third and fourth rounds of the 2015 RT Keedwell sponsored British Trials Championship, as two rounds named the Anthony Rew Trial and staged in deepest Devon.
Each day represents a full Championship round with full points on offer on each day and the organising West Of England Club are expecting to mark out different sections for each trial so there's a different challenge each day.
Kelly Farm at Lustleigh is the venue, which is just 15 minutes off the A38 Bovey Tracey turning. The all-important postcode is TQ13 9SW. Action on both days starts at 9.30am with the full Championship class getting underway some 45 minutes later. All groups will have a six-hour time limit, half of which can be spent on the opening circuit.
The ‘Anthony Rew' will be somewhat different kettle of fish from the first two rounds, which were staged at Hookwood and Butser Limeworks respectively and will feature plenty of large dry (or wet if its raining) boulders on offer on the steep Devon hillside.
Parking is excellent and the course is easily watchable once you have made the initial short walk uphill from the car park so a big spectator turnout would be good. On the cards is yet another James Dabill versus Michael Brown battle.
James convincingly won both season openers at Hook Woods and Butser on the all-new Vertigo Combat but Browny was on form on Sunday, winning the Chris Carter National and could well be a lot harder to beat over rocks.
No one was able to get on terms these two in the opening rounds although it was great to see Sam Haslam bag a brace of third places. Said Sam: "I'd never been on the podium before and then I get two in one weekend.”
Also fighting it out for the top five should be Alexz Wigg, Sam Connor and Ross Danby but these are not the only three in the mix.
Jack Sheppard must surely have his eye on a podium place, while Jorge Casales, the Catalan drafted-in by John Lampkin, ought to find the boulders more to his liking than the slippery opening rounds.
The British youth interest centres around Jack Price, Dan Peace, Billy Bolt and Iwan Roberts and all are fine prospects and have shown the ability to mix it up with the more established riders.
The Expert class has plenty of interest with two different winners from the two rounds held so far. Both are very experienced competitors in Jonny Starmer – who won the opening round – and Dan Thorpe, who took maximum points in round two.
Everyone knows Dan, but the return of Jonny is interesting. The former A class champion was a top National runner a few years back before ‘disappearing' and it is good to see him back on a regular basis.
Reigning champ Guy Kendrew will also be looking for a return to form before the Scottish Six Days.
The Youth A class has been incorporated into the adult series this year and Toby Martyn is currently unbeaten – and won the open European round in Italy last weekend. Can he keep the run going?
Jack Peace is currently his nearest rival but there are plenty of rounds remaining for challenges to be made.
FOR MORE TRIALS TORQUE STORIES SEE TMX NEWS, APRIL 16 (ISSUE 1967)
