Seeing Red'
By TMX Archives on 25th Mar 11
A MASSIVE entry of just short of 170 riders turned out on an overcast Saturday morning to contest the Angela Redford Trial, the second round of the Normandale-sponsored ACU Traditional Trials Championship, at Brookhouse Brickworks, just outside the village of Caton in northern Lancashire.Pictures: ERIC KITCHEN
They came as the Lancs County MCC promotion and its Sunday partner, the Bootle SC's Bootle Classic event have earned a reputation in recent years at events worth riding, and both fixtures duly drew large quality fields to contest the six classes that the series caters for.
Best performer, in one of the smallest classes – for air-cooled monos – was nationally ranked Dan Thorpe, who rode round with girlfriend Katy Sunter on a pair of Yamaha TYR monoshocks to finish on just two dabs. (Katy was fifth in class on 20!).
Kiaran Hankin and Andy Cripps, both entered for the following day's Tough One Extreme Enduro, used the event as a bit of a warm-up and circulated together, to finish second and fourth respectively with Richard Allen splitting the duo. Hankin ended the day on 12, with Allen on 14 and Cripps on 15.
By far the largest entry – 52 competitors – was for Class D, which caters for riders over the age of 40. The class was headed by Wokingham's Ashley Hall, who completed two laps of 22 sections for just four marks. However, Simon Levett was just a mark further adrift, while Mick Thompson was third on nine.
NORMANDALE TRADITIONAL TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 2 – Angela Redford Trial (Lancs County MCC)
CLASS A (PRE-65): Norman Shepherd (Francis Barnett) 8 marks lost, Miles Jones (200 Triumph) 10, Carl Batty (250 James) 13, Dave Thorpe (200 Triumph) 18, Rob Bowyer (400 Triumph) 19, Paul Heys (225 Stealth) 21, Roger Williams (James) 22, Eddie Aitkin (Triumph) 26, John Maxfield (???) 32, Martyn Wilmore (420 BSA) 36, Nigel Palfreyman (Triumph) 37, Colin Bailey (500 Ariel) 38, Paul Anstey (250 BSA) 40, Mark Quinn (Triumph Cub) 50, Tony Swidenbank (BSA) 51.
CLASS B (TWIN-SHOCK): David Pye (300 Fantic) 6 marks lost, Chris Koch (125 Scorpa) 9, Nick Shield (Majesty) 14, Phil Houghton (Honda) 17, Kev Nolan (350 SWM) 24 (8x1), Chris Garlick (250 Fantic) 24 (7x1), Richard Gaskell (Whitehawk) 26, Stephen Dixon (Yamaha) 27, Mark Barrow (Honda) 28, Andy Tales (Fantic) 30, Michael Irving (Majesty) 31, Chris Greenwood (250 Honda) 32, Stuart Gaskell (Yamaha) 36, Will Brockbank (Cotswold) 38, Dave Wood (340 Bultaco) 42 (26x0).
CLASS C (AIR-COOLED MONO): Dan Thorpe (Yamaha) 2 marks lost, Kiaran Hankin (250 Honda TLM) 11, Richard Allen (Honda) 14, Andy Cripps (Honda) 15, Katy Sunter (Yamaha) 20, Chris Grundy (Yamaha) 33, Chris Berry (240 Beta) 38, Pete Ruscoe (250 Gas Gas) 40, Dave Oswald (Yamaha) 53, Chris Heyes (Montesa) 61 (22x0), Jonathan Wren (Yamaha) 61 (15x0), Michael Healey (250 Yamaha) 67, Steven Ransom (250 Yamaha) 82, John Dugdale (Scorpa) 90.
CLASS D (OVER 40 MODERN): Ashley Hall (290 Beta) 4 marks lost, Simon Levett (290 Beta) 5, Mick Thompson (250 Beta) 9, James Lamin (250 Montesa) 10, Sean Isherwood (Beta) 13, Andrew Paxton (???) 15, David Braithwaite (280 Beta) 16 (35x0), Mark Reason (250 Beta) 16 (34x0), Ian Watts (Beta) 17 (fc), Kev Hipwell (250 Gas Gas) 17, Paul Bennett (Sherco) 19, Daniel Watson (Sherco) 21, Andres Cook (Montesa) 25, Ian Haigh (Beta) 29 (28x0), Andy Turner (Gas Gas) 29 (27x0).
CLASS E (OVER 50 MODERN): Neil Gaunt (Beta) 10 marks lost, John Oliver (Gas Gas) 14, David Lamin (250 Montesa) 21, Cliff Metcalfe (Sherco) 26, Antony Brockbank (Sherco) 28, Willie Wood (Beta) 29 (31x0), Tim Blackmore (250 Beta) 29 (30x0), Andrew Kenyon (Beta) 30, Clive Charlton (250 Beta) 35, Dave Smith (300 Gas Gas) 38 (27x0), Nic Draper (290 Sherco) 38 (25x0), Richard Ferrier (200 Beta) 40, Ian Myers (Sherco) 44, Tony Haddow (Montesa) 46, Mick Marshall (280 Gas Gas) 48.
CLASS F (OVER 60 MODERN): Allen Collier (250 Beta) 43 marks lost, Mick Whitlow (Beta) 59, Peter Salt (250 Scorpa) 72, Jon Bliss (125 Gas Gas) 73, Dave Ketteringham (Beta 4T) 75, Peter Gaunt (250 Beta) 79, Colin Bowers Snr (250 Gas Gas) 119.
NEXT ROUND: March 13 – Bootle SC (Bootle Classic Trial).
Absolutely Boot'iful
BOOTLE Scrambles Club hosted the second part of the weekend double-header ACU Normandale National Traditional Champs at its excellent Fell Green moorland venue high above the Cumbrian coast, which followed-on from the Lancs County Club's Saturday event near Lancaster.
Both trials boasted superb entries in the 150 region and both provided very different terrain,
giving everyone a good weekend's sport.
Report: John Dickinson
Pictures: Eric Kitchen
Despite threats of possible snow and rain, the day remained cold but thankfully mainly dry although conditions were certainly wet and slippery with the rivers and streams having plenty of icy water waiting to catch the unwary.
The organisers rung the changes by switching the direction of the course to that normally used and the 20 sections, lapped twice, kicked-off with an early attack on the old-favourite loose-stoned climbing gully named Avalanche Alley.
Not surprisingly, a long queue soon developed here but at least early numbers found the section surprisingly rideable.
It was then away out onto the moors to tackle a succession of extremely slippery becks, first at Kaiser Bridge and then up on Corney Fell where there was enough water in the river to give anyone who was unlucky to fall in a pretty cool bath. Dave Wood admitted to having a ‘half bath' while heading upstream on his Sherco as Cive Charlton was rubbing a sore knee after a quick crash in a rocky hazard took Charlo by surprise.
NORMANDALE TRADITIONAL TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 3 – Bootle Classic Trial (Bootle SC)
CLASS A (PRE-65): Carl Batty (250 James) 8 marks lost, Rob Bowyer (400 Triumph) 27, Paul Heys (225 Stealth) 38, Dave Thorpe (200 Triumph) 45, Martyn Wilmore (420 BSA) 50, Paul Anstey (250 BSA) 51, Mark Batty (DMW) 63, Nigel Palfreyman (Triumph) 66, Barry Burton (250 James) 86, Andy Downham (Triumph Cub) 93, Colin Bailey (500 Ariel) 96, Alan Wright (250 James) 113, David Strank (350 BSA) 120, Mike Batty (250 James) 126.
CLASS B (TWIN-SHOCK): David Pye (300 Fantic) 13 marks lost, Chris Koch (125 Scorpa) 18, Nick Shield (Majesty) 19, Chris Garlick (250 Fantic) 30, Will Brockbank (Cotswold) 34, Chris Greenwood (250 Honda) 37, Kev Nolan (350 SWM) 41, Dave Wood (340 Bultaco) 46, Geoff Herbert (250 Fantic) 54, Robert Taylor (349 Montesa) 55, Nick Eagleton (Majesty) 74, Simon Mepham (250 Honda) 78, Martin Beech (Ossa) 83, Harold Whiteway (340 Bultaco) 149.
CLASS C (AIR-COOLED MONO): Dan Thorpe (Yamaha) 4 marks lost, Dave Postlethwaite (Yamaha) 18, Richard Allen (Honda) 27, Katy Sunter (Yamaha TLR) 35, Daniel Watson (250 Gas Gas) 37, Pete Ruscoe (250 Gas Gas) 48, Chris Grundy (Yamaha) 62, Mark Carradus (Honda RTL) 67, Chris Berry (240 Beta) 71, Jonathan Wren (Yamaha) 77, Derek Wilson (Yamaha) 90, Michael Healey (250 Yamaha) 94, Michael Little (Yamaha) 100, Graham Teasdale (Yamaha) 102, Steven Ransom (250 Yamaha) 150.
CLASS D (OVER 40 MODERN): Mick Thompson (250 Beta) 25 marks lost, James Lamin (250 Montesa) 26, David Braithwaite (280 Beta) 28, Ashley Hall (290 Beta) 31, Paul Bennett (290 Sherco) 36, Ian Watts (Beta) 37, Mark Reason (250 Beta) 39, Andy Turner (Gas Gas) 45, Ian Haigh (Beta) 46, Nick Coleby (Gas Gas) 52, David Richards (250 Beta) 52, Dave Bathe (Honda) 53, Andres Cook (Montesa) 62, Perry Meeten (Montesa 4RT) 63, Steve Hitchcock (250 Gas Gas) 63.
CLASS E (OVER 50 MODERN): Antony Brockbank (Sherco) 30 marks lost, Tim Blackmore (250 Beta) 31, Neil Gaunt (Beta4) 32, Willie Wood (Beta) 47, John Oliver (Gas Gas) 52, David Lamin (250 Montesa) 57, Ian Myers (Sherco) 61, Simon Thornhill (250 Beta) 63, Clive Charlton (250 Beta) 68, Richard Ferrier (200 Beta) 71, Paul Garrett (250 Beta) 72, Geoff Brooker (250 Sherco) 84, Tony Haddow (Montesa 4RT) 89, Kevin Stannard (250 Gas Gas) 89, Peter Woof (Gas Gas) 91.
CLASS F (OVER 60 MODERN): Allen Collier (250 Beta) 67 marks lost, Peter Salt (250 Scorpa) 105.
NEXT ROUND: March 20 – National Bemrose Trophy Trial (North Derbyshire Youth MCC).
FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES SEE T+MX MARXH 18