First Dibs on that!
By Colin Bullock on 25th May 12
After just a weeks break following the Scottish Six Days Trial, top UK trials action returned with the second round of the British Trials Championship last Sunday with the Rock Oil Westwood event staged near Barnsley, Yorkshire, which attracted healthy entries in both Championship and Expert classes for this ACU/TRC sponsored series with its three short laps of a dozen sections.
After the opening round in Nevis Range, Fort William, where Gas Gas rider Michael Brown bagged the first win in the new ‘no stop' observing era with local ace Gary McDonald second and reigning champ James Dabill third, all eyes were on the Westwood round. The venue could not be more different to the natural rockery of Scotland and featured lots of slippery bankings interspersed with man-made rock steps.
There were 29 riders competing in the championship class but no James Fry who was a frustrated spectator with a Scottish leg injury meaning no ride.
The first three subs were at the far end of the venue featuringnatural stream slippery bankings and first round winner Michael Brown suffered a five on the opening sub, certainly not the start that Michael had planned. There were many cleans on the hazard although Ross Danby on the Jotagas and Gary Macdonald both needed dabs to get through. No real problems were encountered at the second but the steep climbs and difficult camber at the third did take marks, including fives from Sam Haslam and Dan Clark.
By the time riders got to section six, in the centre of the venue, Browny was back well on top of his game. It was a nasty sub with nowhere to put your feet if it went wrong. Michael just flowed with a blip and go approach to earn a superb clean which was only matched by Alexz Wigg. Ross Danby was next best on a dab. James Dabill had not put a foot wrong until this section but he was adjudged to have stopped and incurred a maximum. It was certainly a tricky no stopper.
Last year at Westwood the man made pond with stepping stones was a real spectator draw. This time it had been radically altered but it still took plenty of marks and outside of the top two only Sam Connor made it through clean on the first circuit.
FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES SEE TMX NEWS MAY 25
TRC ACU BRITISH SOLO TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 2 – TRC Rock Oil Solo Trial at TRC Westwood, nr Sheffield (DirtBike Action)
CHAMPIONSHIP CLASS
1 James Dabill (Beta) 11 + 9 + 3 = 23
2 Michael Brown (Gas Gas) 7 + 11 + 15 = 33
3 Alexz Wigg (Gas Gas) 17 + 11 + 12 = 40
4 Ross Danby (Jotagas) 16 + 13 + 13 = 42
5 Sam Connor (Beta) 20 + 13 + 20 = 53
6 Gary Macdonald (Sherco) 23 + 16 + 24 = 63
7 Sam Haslam (Gas Gas) 28 + 22 + 15 = 65
8 Dan Thorpe (Gas Gas) 28 + 29 + 23 = 80
9 Ian Austermuhle (Beta) 32 + 27 + 24 = 83
10 Ben Morphett (Sherco) 30 + 30 + 26 = 86
11 Dan Clark (Beta) 35 + 22 + 35 = 92
12 Jake Evans-Luter (Beta) 38 + 25 + 32 = 95
13 George Morton (Beta) 32 + 35 + 32 = 99
14 Richard Sadler (Sherco) 35 + 29 + 38 = 102
15 Guy Kendrew (Ossa) 36 + 38 + 29 = 103
SERIES STANDINGS after 2 (of 6) rounds: 1 Brown 37 points, 2 Dabill 35, 3 Macdonald 27, 4 Danby 26, 5 Wigg 23, 6 Connor 22, 7 Haslam 18, 8 Austermuhle 17, 9 Thorpe 14, 10 Clark 12, 11 Morphett 10, 12 Wiggins 5, 13 Evans-Luter 4, 14 Morton 3, 15 Chilton 3, 16 Sadler 2, 17 Cox 2.
EXPERT CLASS
1 Richard Timperley (Sherco) 4 + 2 + 5 = 11
2 John Crinson (Beta) 10 + 4 + 3 = 17
3 Adam Milner (Beta) 6 + 12 + 0 = 18
4 Dan Farrer (Beta) 12 + 5 + 15 = 32
5 Andrew Blackman (Ossa) 12 + 10 + 14 = 36
6 Buster Regan (Beta) 15 + 13 + 9 = 37
7 Tom Affleck (Gas Gas) 18 + 10 + 9 = 37
8 Danny Gamble (Beta) (25x0) 15 + 11 + 13 = 39
9 Tom Hick (Beta) (21x0) 22 + 10 + 7 = 39
10 Joel Edwards (Beta) 12 + 16 + 13 = 41
11 Ben Sprigg (Gas Gas) 10 + 24 + 8 = 42
12 Jack Howell (Beta) 21 + 18 + 13 = 52
13 Mark Cottingham (Gas Gas) (21x0) 23 + 17 + 17 = 57
14 Russell Rooksby (Beta) (17x0) 13 + 29 + 15 = 57
15 James Carr (Ossa) 24 + 14 + 20 = 58
SERIES STANDINGS after 2 (of 6) rounds: 1 Timperley 37 points, 2 Crinson 37, 3 Milner 28, 4 0 22, 5 Blackman 20, 6 Regan 18, 7 Affleck 14, 8 Farrer 13, 10 Woods 10, 11 Edwards 9, 12 Gamble 8, 13 Lee 7, 14 Potter 6, 15 Ben Sprigg 5.
YOUTH SUPPORT CLASS (Non-champs)
1 Luke Walker (Sherco) 5 + 7 + 3 = 15
2 Jack Price (Gas Gas) 4 + 4 + 9 = 17
3 Rob Waite (Beta) 16 + 13 + 9 = 38
4 Iwan Roberts (Beta) 14 + 13 + 19 = 46
5 Dec Bullock (Gas Gas) 17 + 18 + 13 = 48
6 Billy Bolt (Beta) 15 + 20 + 21 = 56
7 James Stones (Gas Gas) 19 + 21 + 18 = 58
NEXT ROUND: June 10 – Scarborough British Solo Trial at Low North Park, Harwood Dale, nr Scarborough (Scarborough & DMC).
