Party in the Park!
By Barry Robinson on 8th Jul 11
Yeadon Guiseley ran round six of the seven rounds that comprise the 2011 ACU Ladies and Girls trials championship at Dob Park, near Otley, Yorkshire, on Sunday in the sun bathed Washburn Valley where the contenders fought a pitched battle in the dense woodlands in Dob and the adjacent Browns Wood.
Starting at the top Becky Cook won the day and slotted six championship points between her and Ossa star Emma Bristow.
Taking into account the drop-score series rule Becky cannot be beaten and is crowned 2011 British Ladies Champ for Sherco. Ossa-mounted Emma has given Becky a real run for her title this year but taking all possible permutations into account she will still be three points adrift come the end of the final round. By the same token all the other five classes are also sorted with Ladies Inter going to Caz Alford, Youth A going to Chloe Richardson, Youth Inter A Jess Brown, Youth B Nikita Smith and Youth C Beth Waite.
It was a long day, a long lap, six in Dob Park and six in Browns Wood that piled the pressure on the minders and on the time allowance of five hours. Cook was at the back with Bristow somewhere in the dense shrubbery but the simple ‘four' on the results sheet spelt out that Becky had lingered too long and dropped time penalties. Cook grabbed the lead on lap one with a seven, one under Bristow, who failed the big rock at the bottom of the eighth where Cook, Donna Fox and Katy Sunter scrabbled up. Hannah Styles drew number one but got stuck-in with a brilliant first section flight over a triple angled set of slabs. The JST Gas Gas girl had her mother Sandra calling the lines on the day and it was good enough to grab her second adult podium.
Danielle Whitham, who unfortunately missed two rounds playing football for England Under 19s, contained a determined Chloe Richardson on the day. She managed to get round in time but dropped 15 on the last three subs in order to beat the clock.
Virtually the same mathematics In Class B where Nikita Smith sits on 120 while Simone Wallis has totted up 102. Regardless of what happens at the final round Nikita is the champ. The Karate Kid did what she has done all season, win. Simone stuck 28-26 and 23 mark laps but Nikita's strong last lap stretched the gap. That 13 from Miss Smith was ten under Simone's effort.
It would have closer but the cobbles in Brown's at the penultimate section got the Hull girl for three marks after she cleaned it on lap one.
For Class C read Class B. Beth Waite just took off into the distance while Niamh Richardson beat Barnsley's Meg Savage. If the latter had not failed the muddy slot in the middle of the fourth section in Browns Meg could have upset the Richardson game plan. Brian Ayrton was right on this beck section where most of the action was on the west bank. It looked innocuous but only Cook, Bristow and Waite cleaned the section, on the two lines involved.
The east end stream featured in the action. Cook dabbed the step at the top of the fifth, same spot as Foxy while Styles and Sunter copied Bristow with fast, clean rides. The Waterfall, or dry waterfall on the day, came into play to end the Dob part of the action. Styles and Cook were the best on lap one with a single dab.
Lap two and Bristow matched Cook. Styles footed but redoubled her efforts for a real go on lap three when the boot flicked the rockery once. And the Ladies Inter class? Well, 17 year-old Caz Alford has stitched up the title by winning the penultimate round from erstwhile front runner Harriet Shore. Harriet, Bury girl Charlotte KImber and Natalie Harris all lost time penalties.
The Earl Shilton contender was right on the brink with 19 minutes on her card. Harriet missed two events when she was in the sidecar with Daryl Dale riding the British Sidecar Championship series and the point's gap is an unbridgeable.
The series finale is courtesy of the Richmond club at The Woodyard on Sunday, August 7
ACU LADIES TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 6 – Dob Park, nr Otley
(Yeadon Guiseley & DMC Ltd)
LADIES CLASS (Route A): Becky Cook (250 BVM Sherco) 26 marks lost, Emma Bristow (280 Ossa UK) 31, Hannah Styles (250 JST Gas Gas) 86, Donna Fox (Acklams Beta) 94, Katy Sunter (250 JST Gas Gas) 111.
SERIES STANDINGS after 6 (of 7) rounds: 1 Cook 114 points, 2 Bristow 108, 3 Fox 86, 4 Styles 82, 5 Sunter 22.
YOUTH A (Route A): Danielle Whitham (Beta) 118 marks lost, Chloe Richardson (Sherco) 133.
SERIES STANDINGS after 6 (of 7) rounds: 1 Richardson 108 points, 2 Whitham 80.
YOUTH B (Route B): Nikita Smith (Beta) 57 marks lost, Simone Wallis (Gas Gas) 78, Hannah Richardson (125 Gas Gas) 96, Victoria Payne (125 Beta) 114.
SERIES STANDINGS after 6 (of 7) rounds: 1 Smith 120 points, 2 Wallis 102, 3 Payne 76, 4 Hunter 69, 5 Richardson 67, 6 Payne 51, 7 Alford 26, 8 Bown 9, 9 Holmes 7.
LADIES INTER (Route B): Caz Alford (125 Gas Gas) 80 marks lost, Harriett Shore (250 Beta) 99, Charlotte Kimber (250 Gas Gas) 138, Nathalie Harris (200 Gas Gas) 177.
SERIES STANDINGS after 6 (of 7) rounds: 1 Alford 114 points, 2 Shore 91, 3 Kimber 88, 4 Harris 73, 5 Cannom 15, 6 Wraight 15, 7 Lamb 13, 8 Lang 11.
YOUTH C (Route C): Beth Waite (Beta) 21 marks lost, Naimh Richardson (Beta) 38, Megan Savage (Beta) 40, Gabby Whitham (Beta) 67, Beth Watling (Beta) 87, Alicia Robinson (Gas Gas) 90, Alice Minta (Gas Gas) 96, Leah Robinson (Gas Gas) 130.
SERIES STANDINGS after 6 (of 7) rounds: 1 Waite 117 points, 2 Richardson 101, 3 Savage 90, 4 Whitham 76, 5 Minta 58, 6 Robinson 33, 7 Watling 32, 8 Atrill 24, 9 Robinson 23, 10 Rowett 18.
YOUTH INTER A (Route B): Jess Brown (125 Gas Gas) 107 marks lost.
SERIES STANDINGS after 6 (of 7) rounds: 1 Brown 100 points, 2 Braithwaite 17.
NON-CHAMPIONSHIP CLASSES
YOUTH NEWCOMER (Route C): Millie Ray (80 Beta) 52 marks lost.
FINAL ROUND: August 7 – Woodyard, nr Reeth, North Yorks (Richmond MC (Yorks) Ltd).
