REPORT: KIA National Twinshock
By John Dickinson on 2nd Sep 15
CUMBERLAND County MCC were in charge of the sixth round of the eight event 2015 Kia National Twinshock Trials Championship and, with Paul Norman in the driving seat, came up with a venue at Thorlieshope Farm, Newcastleton, in the Scottish borders, not having been used for trials in some 30 years.
While admitting it was fairly remote - around half-an-hour's drive from Carlisle – it still proved a perfect venue for the Kia format allowing a good off-road loop out on the hills taking in 20 sections to be lapped twice and well worth making the effort for.
Clearly competitors thought the same and just short of 90 riders entered the event with the largest entry, by far, being in the Clubman Twin-shocks.
The sections were, as you'd expect, mainly of the rocky variety and after years of never having seen a trials bike some of the burns had become totally overgrown and needed a lot of clearing out. A few local lads helped out here, including Graham Smith from Hawick, a leading Scottish rider back in the 1980s.
Although it remained fine on the day, heavy recent rain made it difficult for the section plotters as the water level in the burns was rising and falling and some were a bit stiffer than envisaged but every section was conquered on the day, including the waterfall at the sixth which intimidated some and excited others.
Colin Ward Sr, from Consett, posted the lowest score on the Expert course, just two marks dropped by Wardy in the Air-cooled mono class dominated by TY Yams. Cumberland County riders Graham Teasdale and Jasper Little completed the podium.
Mark Batty topped the Pre-65 class on his James by just three marks from Stealth Cub-mounted Lancastrian Paul Heys with Davy Morewood a few marks back in third.
North east visitor Gary Younghusband had a great ride in the Twin-shocks dropping just 16 on his 340 Bultaco to take a comfortable win from David Carter with Richard Allen third on his Honda, enjoying a weekend away from his southern base having taken in the previous day's Nostalgia Trial in Cumbria.
Lowest score of the day came on the eased sections of the Clubman course by Jim Tennant with a measly single dab on his 200 Honda in the well-supported Twin-shock. Similarly-mounted Chris Moiser parted with just three and David Braithwaite on his nicely turned out 325 Suzuki was third.
Clubman Pre-65 was taken by Ossy Byers on a fairly rare 250 Cotton, comfortably ahead of Kendal's Mike Batty, on his James as ever with Stephen Shaw's Cub right behind.
(No results at time of going to press).
