Ian put the Kettle' on!
By TMX Archives on 12th Jul 07
OVER 90 riders enjoyed the traditional Allan Jefferies National trial, staged as ever in the Yorkshire Dales surrounding Kettlewell and with a cracking line-up of possible winners including Dan Thorpe, Ben and Dan Hemingway, Liam Walker, Ian Austermuhle, Sam Ludgate and James and Harry Lampkin it took a brave man to put money on a winner!
Over the long history of the Jefferies, the wordKilnsey has been mentioned many times - but not in the last couple ofyears. On Sunday though, those five limestone sections tripped up onepotential winner in Dan Thorpe, who foundered on the double-steppedwaterfall, (no liquid in it on Sunday though) while eventual winner IanAustermuhle and danger-man Liam Walker sailed through.
All the front-runners on the Trophy course blitzedthe steps, after dozens of early pioneers spun to a halt on thegripless surface, including Thorpe. Dan had cleaned the mild narrowbeck Halton Gill openers, up above the start in the remote valley, ashad Walker. But the new group, fresh for the Jefferies last year, atArncliffe, had already got Dan for his first stop so by the time he hadfailed at Kilnsey he was carrying ten irretrievable marks in such topflight company.
Austermuhle was on a real roll though and blastedKilnsey's green slime-covered sections but required some serious legwork to get the Repsol Beta up the grassy exit out of section 19.Walker did well with a dab after a slackish attack.
Arncliffe was interesting. The first sub wound upthe loose scree where Hilda and Rupert Ellison clocked fleeting dabs,but no serious marks. Worst offenders were Phil Disney and JonathanFrost who located some extra-loose rollers on the climb.
Richard Naylor, bless him, claimed the honours forflagging section eight where Aran Drachenberg and Graham Tales did sometap-dancing on the initial soft ground. Harry Lampkin hashed the finalclimb when he fired the Montesa a tad early as did Anthony Ayrton andScott Davison as all the top finishers slotted-in well controlledcleans.
ALLAN JEFFERIES NATIONAL TRIAL Kettlewell, Yorkshire
Expert: Ian Austermuhle (Repsol Beta) 11, LiamWalker )JST Gas Gas) 13, Dan Thorpe (JST Gas Gas) 16 - 37mc, SamLudgate (Repsol Beta) 16 -mc, Dan Hemingway (Repsol Beta) 18, BenHemingway (Repsol Beta) 25, Nathan Wrigglesworth (Sherco) 30, RossCrosby (Montesa) 30, Phil Disney (Beta) 36, Aran Drachenberg (Beta) 37,Graham Tales (Gas Gas) 38, Boyd Webster (Montesa) 40, Harry Lampkin(Montesa) 41, James Lampkin (Beta) 43, Martin Craven (Beta) 46.
Inter: Ross Crosby (Montesa) 30, Phil Disney (Beta) 36, Danny Gamble (Beta) 49.
Novice: Martin Craven (Beta) 46, Scott Davison (Montesa) 49, Glen Scholey (Beta) 62.
Clubman Inter: David Hardy (Montesa) 39, Darren Mitchell (Beta) 49, Geoff Fielding (Gas Gas) 53.
Clubman Novice: Mark Forster (Gas Gas) 33, David Braithwaite (Montesa) 37 - 31mc, Stewart Oughton (Beta) 37 - 28 mc.
For full story and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, July 13, 2007.