Ian's on the Cliff top!
By TMX Archives on 16th Jan 08
IAN Austermuhle and Michael Phillipson put Beta UK at the top of the inaugural Cliff Collinson National Trial results on Sunday after covering 36 sections in close company when the event, attracting a cracking entry of 125 hopefuls, was stagedat Low North Park, Scarborough.
Austermuhle took the top award by just a single pen-alty after the top three riders incurred time penalties.
Kinlochleven visitor, Gary MacDonald, matched the Beta riders but eight marks for eight minutes lateness broke the tow for the
much-travelled Scot. Jon Richardson posted a good sixth overall on his 125 MRS Sherco, especially with two monumental hillclimbs that required power and a big heart. Richo had the heart but not the cubes. That MRS Sherco revved to the next planet on the Gary Collinson-contrived Ravens Gill climb which ventured from the valley bottom to the skyline.
Kirkbymoorside heating engineer Mark Harrison was the best Inter class rider while Phil Dukes and Mark Buckworth tied for the Clubman award. The course plan was unusual in that it kicked-off in Aubrey's Gulley with five stingers that roamed up to a section five finale at the head of the ravine, and that fearsome double-stepped climb was tuned for a second visit later in the day when Steve Brown ‘sunbathed' in the final minutes of the trial when the light was vanishing and the clock ticking into overtime mode. Only Richardson, Tom Hick and Russel Rooksby managed to beat the clock in the Hard course Expert class. Only five cleaned the fourth where the pallet turn at
the top of the bike-width gully was a skating rink. MacDonald hurled the big four-stroke Sherco to the first clean, then Phillipson and Austermuhle, followed by Zac Sherwin with an all-action finale from Simon Kershaw. Style marks for MacDonald and airtime for Kershaw.
The big step at five was cleaned by all the main names, apart from Kershaw who had to suffer the indignity of having a five punched – after the Beta ran back off the top step – by his mother Christine. Oh dear.
After clearing Low North, the batting order was Austy, Phillipson, Sam Ludgate, Liam Walker and a
dangerous MacDonald with Richardson and speedway rider cum trialer Guy Kendrew ringing the bells. Mark Harrison was leading the Clubmen from Josh Sprintall, grandson of Cliff Collinson, and also back on Beta. That alone would have made Cliff smile as he only knew one make of trials iron – Beta.
The jaunt over to Ravens Gill, about two miles, took in a no-go section, so Ravens fired ten subs into the equation, mostly in the beck but with three on the green rocks up the hillside in the trees. The navigation of the deepish beck was easier than it seemed, but 24 hours prior to the trial, Dave Wilkinson had four feet of water thundering down the ravine.
Gary Collinson, son of Cliff, had a hand in the third section that flew 70 yards up the wood, with a gap between two sets of trees and some big nasty rocks. Shaughan ‘Elvis has left
the building' Galway was
on the skyline but only Austermuhle, Walker and Phillipson got up, with a lot of huffing and puffing. Liam's fourth gear blast on the full house JST 300 was mind bending. He rocketed bet-ween the trees in mid-air. Kersh was was doing well, then the back tyre let go and an hour later, on the run back to Low North, the piston brought the Beta to a halt. Richardson clipped a flag on Tonia Carr's 14th rock climb. Few cleaned this green horror. Jim Carr was up the beck at thirteen where Phillipson had a horror ride with three on the hill and a slack dab in 13 but he was still under Austy, by one, at the punch change. Walker was level with Phillipson but Gary Mac had stacked a five on the Collinson Classic when the back wheel kicked high on the step between the trees. That loss of traction at the wrong moment was enough to gap Gary from Phillipson.
CLIFF COLLINSON NATIONAL TRIAL
Low North Park, Scarborough (Scarborough and DMC)
Experts: Ian Austermuhle (Beta-UK.Com) 25 marks lost, Michael Phillipson (Beta-UK.Com) 26, Gary MacDonald (MRS Sherco) 32, Liam Walker (JST Gas Gas) 38, Sam Ludgate (Beta-UK.Com) 48, Jonathan Richardson (MRS Sherco) 64.
Inters: Mark Harrison (Montesa) 30, Josh Sprintall (Beta) 38, Andy Chilton (Beta) 40, Gary Collinson (Scorpa) 51, Ian Hopley (Gas Gas) 51, Adam Milner (Beta) 60.
Clubmen: Philip Dukes (Gas Gas) 15, Mark Buckworth (Beta) 15, Craig Little (Montesa) 20, Stephen Walker (Gas Gas) 26, Mike Watson (Montesa) 30, Mark Taylor (Montesa) 30.
For full report and pictures see T+MX News, January 18, 2008