Heys' good looking
By TMX Archives on 19th Mar 09
SUNDAY saw the Bootle Scrambles Club stage the second half of what was a superb weekend double-header with rounds two and three of the ACU Traditional Trials series. Following the exertions of the massive entry at Saturday's Lancs County-organised round near Lancaster the majority headed north to Fell Green on the exposed Cumbrian west coast.
The order of the day was two laps of 20 sections joined-up by a gallop across the fells and with fine weather, conditions were nigh-on perfect for trials riding.
Sections were a mix of bankings, rocky outcrops and of course plenty of moorland streams and rivers.
And the first of the slippery streams was an old favourite alongside a wall low down on Bootle fell which, after a gentle opener, saw almost the entire entry parked-up waiting for some unfortunate to take the slime off the rocks - it really was slippery!
The course progressed up the fellside to the often-used but still tricky riverbed at Buckbarrow Bridge. This rocky number showed the vast difference between the modern monos and the Twin-shocks as while a mono rear suspension flows over the rocks it took a good effort on a Twin-shock - or a Pre-65 - to earn a clean.
The majority of the sections were tricky rather than downright hard and required contenders to really concentrate as slack dabs add-up! Even the penultimate sub at Avalanche Alley was in a fairly benevolent mood - even if observer Keith Quinn wasn't!
Andy Hipwell thought he was the first clean but Quinny thought otherwise and docked the Gas Gas rider five for riding outside the line of the flags. Ouch! Compared to some years, when winter floods wash big boulders into the tight, steep gully, the section as fairly straightforward but the odd loose rock still caused big problems. Eventual Twin-shock winner Nigel Birkett was progressing nicely when his Suzuki rear wheel spit a small round rock out just as he approached the step - and that was five of his eventual 10 marks gone.
NORMANDALE ACU TRADITIONAL TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 3 – Bootle Classic Trial (Bootle SC)
CLASS A – PRE-75 BRIT BIKE: Paul Heys (Triumph) 5 marks lost, Neil Gaunt (Ariel) 6, Carl Batty (James) 14, Dave Thorpe (Triumph) 17, Chris Gascoigne (James) 20, Anthony Cooper (Triumph) 22, John Maxfield (Triumph) 24, Scott Dommett (BSA) 26, Phil Wickett (Triumph) 28, Mark Quinn (Triumph) 37, Colin Bailey (Triumph) 40 (23x0), Alan Wright (James) 40 (21x0), Martyn Wilmore (BSA) 44, Ben Robinson (Triumph) 52, Peter Gaunt (Royal Enfield) 69.
CLASS B – TWIN-SHOCK: Nigel Birkett (Suzuki) 10 (34x0), Chris Koch (Cotswold) 10 (33x0,fastest time), Ian Baker (Honda) 10 (33x0), David Pye (Fantic) 13, Mark Batty (Suzuki) 17, Stuart Gaskell (Yamaha) 23, John Holland (Yamaha) 25, Mark Barrow (Honda) 25, Chris Greenwood (Honda) 26, Steven Davies (Yamaha) 26, Barry Roads (Fantic) 34, Dave Wood (Yamaha) 37, Daniel Watson (Honda) 41, Paul Jackson (Fantic) 47, Andrew Keel (Fantic) 48.
CLASS C – AIR-COOLED MONO: Chris Dixon (Yamaha) 3, Mark Reason (Fantic) 17, David Bathe (Honda) 20, Dave Postlethwaite (Yamaha) 24, Pete Ruscoe (Gas Gas) 25, Robin Oliphant (Yamaha) 28, Chris Grundy (Yamaha) 30, Lee Hutchinson (Scorpa) 46, Peter Blowers (Montesa) 50, Kevin Peters (Fantic) 70, Steve Ransom (Yamaha) 72.
CLASS D – OVER 40 MODERN: Darren Wasley (Gas Gas) 6, Gary Bingley (???) 7, Phil Scott (Beta 4T) 11, Ashley Hall (Beta) 12, David Braithwaite (Beta) 13, David Hardy (Montesa 4RT) 16, David Burrows (Gas Gas) 18, Simon Levett (Montesa) 20, Steve Hitchcock (Gas Gas) 26, Graham Teasdale (Gas Gas) 28, Dave Knaggs (Gas Gas) 32, Angus Jenkinson (Gas Gas) 35, Andy Hipwell (Gas Gas) 36, David Smith (Scorpa) 37.
CLASS E – OVER 50 MODERN: Clive Charlton (Beta) 26, Antony Brockbank (Sherco) 28, Stephen Farrall (Gas Gas) 29, Tommy Haddow (Montesa 4RT) 34, Simon Thornhill (Sherco) 37, Mick Glaves (Gas Gas) 46, John Penfold (Beta) 59, Kevin Stannard (Gas Gas) 61, Phil Clarkson (Gas Gas) 62, Mike Husband (Gas Gas) 75, Stuart Kayley (Montesa) 84.
CLASS F – OVER 60 MODERN: Brian Cooper (Beta) 56, Jon Bliss (Sherco) 77.
NEXT ROUND: April 5 – Welsh Trophy Trial (Mid Wales Centre ACU).
FOR FULL STORY, SEE T+MX NEWS, FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2009
Chris Dixon stays feet-up through the soggy rockery on his way to a firm win in the Air-cooled Mono class.