TGI Fry day!
By Mike Wood on 24th Feb 12
Once again the hard working and friendly North Berks MCC opened the major British Trials Championship season with their annual staging of the Wallace Cup and the opening round of the 2012 S3-Parts National Clubman series. This years event though appeared to be extra demanding for both riders and club officials with heavy rain followed by a sharp overnight frost which threatened to make the early going decidedly tricky!
Typical of the great trials sporting spirit though, Stu Robinson and North Berks MCC plotted the sections with great consideration, creating both challenging but fair hazards, allowing the riders to roll up their sleeves, keep moving and just get on with the job in hand!
Taking top honours in the Clubman Championship was Sussex based MRS Sherco rider James Fry ahead of Yorkshire's Richard Sadler and Dan Clark while factory Ossa pilot Emma Bristow produced a strong performance to finish a fine 14th overall. Other S3-Parts class winners were Phil Disney (Over 40) and Ben Heane (125cc) whilst Dan Thorpe and Sam Connor finished level at the top of the main Experts contest, losing just one mark each and dropped on section eleven.
So, back to the start and despite the frost, the superb 135 strong entry were raring to go and tackle the first group of sections at Napper's Bank. Although the first two subs in this group failed to trouble a majority of the S3-Parts Championship riders, the final hazard at Napper's did still surprisingly take a solitary mark from both North East ace John Crinson and eventual winner James Fry. Indeed remarkably this was to be the super Fry's only loss of the trial!
Onto the Cress Beds and Crinson, Chris Pearson, Richard Sadler and Jake Evans-Luter all took dabs as former MTB star Rob Warner forged an early lead in the S3-Parts Over 40 contest on a loss of just one mark. Next up was the famous Seymour's Arena where Clerk of the Course Stu Robinson had his organisational skills tested to the limit rearranging the logs and rocks to produce six testing no-stop,exciting challenges for the entry to tackle. Typically,Stu passed his test with flying colours!
Entering the Arena, Guy Kendrew, James Graham and Dan Clark were all still boasting a clean score sheet in the main S3-Parts battle. Watched by a large and enthusiastic crowd at Seymour's famous trials arena, Kendrew and Graham were to both stop in section eleven and blot that untroubled punch-card. Meanwhile the super Clark, Fry and Sadler produced immaculate performances to keep themselves firmly in the hunt for the top honours at the Wallace.
FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES SEE T+MX FEB 24
S3-Parts National Clubman Trials Championship
Rd 1 – Wallace Cup Trial (North Berks MCC)
S3 CLASS SCORERS: James Fry (MRS Sherco) 1 mark lost, Richard Sadler (MRS Sherco) 4, Dan Clark (Appleyard Beta) 5, John Crinson (300 Beta) 8, Jake Evans-Luter (Beta UK) 10, Chris Pearson (MRS Sherco) 13, Guy Kendrew (Ossa Moto UK) 17 (33x0,2x1), Simon Welch (RAW Gas Gas) 17 (33x0,1x1), Ben Bowkett (RawSport Gas Gas) 20, Shaun Fox (BVM Gas Gas) 21, Ross Crosby (300 Montesa) 22, James Graham (Gas Gas) 23, Ben Wibberley (Inta Gas Gas) 24, Emma Bristow (Ossa Motor UK) 29, Grant Laming (RCM Gas Gas) 30 (29x0).
S3 OVER 40 CLASS SCORERS: Phil Disney (Appleyard Beta) 12, Rob Warner (RAW Montesa) 20, Darren Wasley (Gas Gas ) 35, Chris Koch (300 Beta) 36, David Clinkard (250 Beta) 44, Steve Swanson (John Lee Gas Gas) 47, James Boggis (Gas Gas 300) 51, Jonathon Lee (John Lee Gas Gas) 61, Neil Bowker (Beta) 77, Andrew Kilby (Gas Gas) 79, Paul Doney (250 Beta) 81.
S3 125cc CLASS SCORERS: Ben Heane (S on it Beta) 67.
NEXT ROUND: March 4 – Colmore Cup Trial at Shipston-on-Stour (Stratford on Avon MCC).
