Novogar victory for Crease...
By TMX Archives on 11th Mar 09
SAM Connor became only the sixth person in 98-years to win the Stratford-on-Avon Club's Colmore Cup more than twice, but it was Colin Crease who took the honours in round two of the Novogar series in the rain and windswept Cotswolds, on Sunday. All the four seasons turned out for the Colmore. At the start, and for a couple of hours it was glorious wheel gripping sunshine. Less welcome was the heavy rain that followed before the early afternoon snow flurries and ensuing high winds that soaked and lacerated the 120-strong entry.
The early arrivals had the best of the conditions and Sam took full advantage. At the opening sub deep in Dovedale Woods he joined a dozen other Novogar championship and eight 50/50 Route riders to be unpenalised on the slippery rooted climb.
The twisting turns of section three were less difficult and were cleaned by half the main class but Scott Dommett found wheel spin aplenty to register one of only eight ‘fiascos'.
The straight, slippery and enormous climbs of subs four, five and six caused chaos. The ‘Three Sisters', were again in evil mood. Fourth was the only gear for each one, and only large handfuls of it allowed 13 men to conquer Sister 1.
Sister 2 required a lot more finesse as the deceiving opening was both cambered and heavily rooted in its first ten-metres. Gary Chandler was the first success and only ten others followed unpenalised. The most exciting by far, was a rejuvenated Mark Hicken who used the torque of the new 290 Evo to get out of a mighty mess. His approach was all-wrong but after losing both speed and direction he recovered by regaining both grip and speed when all seemed completely lost.
As usual, the consistent Colin Crease was in his element and never looked in any trouble on Sister 2, or indeed up the even steeper ‘graded' climb of Sister 3 where again only 17 of the entry made it through unpenalised.
Connor had already made a mess of Sister 1 and footed hard to exit so only seven men conquered the three hills – Crease, Hicken, Thorpe, Wigg, Chandler, Buster Regan, and a delighted Stephen Rees.
By the time the entry had left Dovedale only Hicken, Wigg and Rees were still clean with Regan and Thorpe on a dab.
At the deep mud in Bridges, Regan, Chandler and Ben Wibberley matched Thorpe, Crease and Mick Boam in perfection, as Hicken bounced wildly off a tree, but only lost a dab, as did Experts Wigg and Sam Haslam.
NOVOGAR TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 2 – Colmore Cup Trial
(Stratford on Avon MCC)
NOVOGAR POINTS SCORERS: Colin Crease (250 Gas Gas) 28 marks lost, Mark Hicken (290 Beta) 33, Chris Pearson (MRS Sherco) 35, Tom Nicholas (250 Montesa) 38, Ben Wibberley (Stevens Gas Gas) 43, Andy Blackman (Monster Gas Gas) 46 (22x0), Gary Chandler 290 (Bel-ray Sherco) 46 (18x0), Simon Welch (270 BVM Beta) 49, Shaun Fox (270 Goode Beta) 50, Matthew Jones (MRS Sherco) 51, Gary Jenkins (MRS Sherco) 52, Stephen Rees (250 Montesa 4RT) 66, Jonathan Richardson (125 MRS Sherco) 67 (17x0), Mick Boam (250 Scorpa) 67 (15x0), Craig Talbot (290 BVM Beta) 69.
SERIES STANDINGS after 2 (of 8) rounds: 1 Pearson 35 points, 2 Jones 23, 3 Wibberley 21, 4 Crease 20, 5 Hicken 17, 6 Turner 15, 7 Richardson 14, 8 Blackman 14, 9 Welch 14, 10 Nicholas 13, 11 Regan 13, 12 Jenkins 12, 13 Chandler 9, 14 Disney 9, 15 Crinson 8,...
Novogar 125cc Series Standings: 1 Jonathan Richardson 40 points.
NOVOGAR OVER 40 CLASS: Mark Hicken (290 Beta) 33, Stephen Rees (250 Montesa) 66, Mick Boam (250 Scorpa) 67, Dave Clinkard (250 Beta) 69, John Cowley (300 Gas Gas) 76, Richard Allen (250 Gas Gas) 101, Stuart Robinson (250 Gas Gas) 106, Michael James (300 Gas Gas) 107, Tony Cowley (250 Beta) 109, David Burrows (300 Gas Gas) 110, Kevin Morphett (250 Inta Beta) 111.
SERIES STANDINGS: 1 Boam 30 points, 2 Allen 30, 3 Clinkard 24, 4 Hicken 20, 5 James 18, 6 Morphett 18, 7 Rees 17, 8 Kevin O'Reardon 17, 9 John Cowley 11, 10 Robinson 9,...
NEXT ROUND: Apr 12 – Chris Carter Trophy Trial (Yeadon Guiseley & DMCC Ltd).
NON-CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSES
Expert Class: Sam Connor (290 Beta UK) 8, Alexz Wigg (290 Beta UK) 12, Sam Haslam (300 JST Gas Gas) 20, Dan Thorpe (300 JST Gas Gas) 27, James Fry (290 MRS Sherco) 45.
50/50 Route: Darren Butcher (270 Beta) 53, Stuart Woodfield (250 Beta) 72 (16x0), James Connor (250 Beta) 72 (13x0), Tim Blackmore (250 Gas Gas) 80, Scott Dommett (250 Beta) 81 (17x0), Gary Doyle (290 Sherco) 81 (13x0), Mark Thornhill (250 BVM Montesa) 81 (11x0).
FOR FULL STORY SEE T+MX NEWS, FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2009
Veteran Mark Hicken and his new Beta Evo 290 managed to get out of one hell of a mess at Sister 2 and finished runner-up in the Novogar.