Sam comes up 'roses
By TMX Archives on 12th Mar 08
WHEN Sam Haslam cleaned Kidtor Dale on Sunday morning, the writing was on the wall of the 79th Bemrose National. The 19-year-old JST Gas Gas rider, from Chalfont St Peter, joined defending Novogar champion James Fry and fellow MRS Sherco jockey Matthew Jones to clean the four subs in the deep ravine that borders the A6 trunk road out of Buxton and Sam went on to claim the Premier. The first two subs opened up a fine bright day with the second being the infamous hillclimb, where Liam Walker dropped his first mark. Observer Phil Granby was standing at precisely the same spot as last year at the third sub where the grassy banks and rocks had 2007 winner Dan Thorpe for a couple.
Local ace Craig Robinson also had to get his boots down. Walker and Ben Wibberley fived out along with John Shirt and Aussie Grant Morris. That innocuous section took 19
failures out of 32 Bemrose Trophy runners.
From Kidtor, the course tracked back to slippery Staden Quarry where Ross Danby chimed in with a triple clean and Thorpe doubled his score in the second sub. Haslam lost a single on the first sub, as Staden was about as bad has it got, with all three subs
hammering marks out of the entire field.
The slippery limestone rocks at Wrights were, as usual, mark-takers. Sam H dropped one on the second sub as did Thorpey, Danby, Timperley and Robinson. The head count after the first three groups put Haslam on two dabs, Fry on four, with Thorpe and Danby on five, but it was early days.
The Easy route contenders five Expert, 23 Inter, 42 Novice and 58 Over 40 riders, were all finding the going tough.
Paul Bennett headed the Experts but Michael James arrived at Etchings on a brace of marks. Bennett lost a five at Kidtor. Sheffield brothers Lewis and Gavin Black ruled Inter and Novice while Mick Boam got a run on the vast Over 40 brigade.
Etchings was bathed in sunshine but those limestone outcrops up on the hilltop were up to their usual trickery. Brian Farrer was spotting trout in the easy opener down near the farm but the tree roots caught Danby, Matthew Jones, Robinson and stopped a very sharp Ben Wibberley.
Ruth Pearson was up the hill under the twin trees that shade the second sub. The left kick over the angled limestone did not surrender at all. Only Wibberley got near with a brilliant attack. Danby was also on the case, on a different angle, then up popped Shaun Fox to make it three on a single dab.
Thorpey recovered from the brink with the strongest and longest two marks of the day. Haslam held on to clean all three Booths subs along with Thorpe.
The top three arrived at the impossible first sub at Churnet with four for Haslam, Thorpe seven and Danby ten. Only Craig Robinson and Chris Pearson graced the ends cards in the first section. Haslam dropped three more marks, one in the top sub at Manor Steps where the beck-hopping section caught many. Many Clubmen took the wrong exit and earned a failure. Thorpe's hopes of another Bemrose went when he stopped in the final sub at Churnet where Haslam went clean.
Only the slabs of Danebower and the double sub up the beck at Cheeks stood in his way so he could afford a dab at Robinsons and another at Danebower. Paul Bennett never faltered and claimed the Easy Expert premier.
Gavin Black stormed the Inters on his 4RT, emphasising how the Sheffield rider has made the change to four-stroke grunt. The ride of the day, excepting Sam Haslam, was by Mick Boam who did a five score over 40 sections.
North Derby Youth, Manchester 17 and Macclesfield TC again provided a top class trad national.
BEMROSE TROPHY TRIAL
Haslin, Derbyshire (North Derby Youth MC,
Manchester 17 MCC and Macclesfield TC)
Premier: Sam Haslam (Gas Gas) 12.
Runner-up: Dan Thorpe (Gas Gas) 17.
Other Experts: Ross Danby (Gas Gas) 20, James Fry (Sherco) 29, Craig Robinson (Gas Gas) 29, Matthew Jones (Sherco) 33, Liam Walker (Gas Gas) 38, Ben Wibberley (Gas Gas) 41, Chris Pearson (Sherco) 41, Richard Timperley (Beta) 41.
Clubman Experts: Paul Bennett (Sherco) 13, Michael James (Montesa) 24, Jonathan Sanderson (Beta) 68.
Clubman Inter: Gavin Black (Montesa) 23, Liam Robinson (Gas Gas) 31, Stuart Woodfield (Beta) 36.
Novice Cup: Lewis Black (Sherco) 24, Chris Lord (Sherco) 30, Katy Sunter (JST Gas Gas) 36.
Over 40: Mick Boam (Sherco) 5, Steve Williams (Gas Gas) 18, John Hulme (Scorpa) 19.