Timperley's Peak time
By TMX Archives on 16th Jul 08
RICHARD Timperley and his Beta spoilt a JST Gas Gas party on Sunday in the splendid scenery of the Peak Park where Manchester 17 excelled at their Dave Rowland Trophy Trial with a brilliant sunny day, a well stacked entry (97 Clubman starters) and not a single drop of rain!
Timp did the business on single figures, five dabs from the Holsmfield ride and along with 2007 winner, Dan Thorpe, was the only clean on the outward visit to Cheeks where the slabs in the narrow stream took marks from the rest of the hard course riders.
The Rowland runs in three counties (so permits are sought from five centres) and ran over 41 sections, face-lifted after torrential rain right up to Saturday afternoon. Course-plotters Harvey Lloyd and Ade Mellor were right on the case while Man 17 club president, Ken Roberts, was lurking and officiating as centre steward.
Liam Walker headed the local JST brigade. Said Liam as he surveyed the green slime on the rocks at Manor Rocks: "I entered late due to other plans that were changed and got an early number, as I expected, so I have just got to get on with it”. Liam flew up both sections clean. Only downside for Walker was a three in Cheeks and two dabs on Robinson's Rocks.
John Shirt Jnr was out of his Buxton office and giving a good account, dropping three on Cheeks and running right to Manor Rocks and that first sub before he parted with two dabs. Shirty collected a five in the second sub at Tunnicliffes where the narrow stream tracked down from Robinson to the ochre depths of Manor Steps where a single section failed to take serious marks. John cleaned Three Shires while ‘Timp' and Walker surrendered a single dab.
‘Thorpey' pipped a recovering Craig Robinson who had just completed a course of antibiotics that sorted his brake finger, and which had caused his exit from the recent Allan Jefferies.
The Clubman class was a battlefield and a dozen riders were in the frame when they headed for the rocky outcrop at Haslin and then Etchings, and they all cleaned the lot. The plunge to Ben's Scarrs caught out Mark Wray when he did a big endo. Eventual winner John Hulme, Katy Sunter, Factory Kev Hipwell, former sidecar ace Phil Scott and Stuart Woodfield all lost marks in the fourth sub.
Norman Eyre's legacy, Norman's, got the marks moving, but not for Rob Faulkner who wriggled his Scorpa through clean. Katy, ‘Yoomee', Kev Hipwell and Stuart Woodfield all dropped a dab. Hulme locked in on a clean run right up to Sharpley's limestone boulders where he added another single dab.
That dab then put Mick Boam in the driving seat along with Richard Allen. Factory Kev was up to seven and Lakelander Nick Shield was near on two dabs but a three in the first sub at Sharpley's stuck the Milnthorpe rider on five.
Boam was on a roll until he hit Hawks Nest but then stopped in section 34. Just seven sections to go, so near yet so far for the Bonsall rider.
Hulme was home and dry fending off Richard Allen on most cleans and Factory Kev's winning bonus evaporated as Nick Shield closed him down.
Katy Sunter did well with a sixth on most cleans from Phil Scott ahead of local stars Andreas Cook, Mike Edwards, Liam Robinson and Stu Woodfield.
DAVE ROWLAND TROPHY TRIAL
Peak Park (Manchester 17 MCC)
Hard course: Richard Timperley (Beta-UK) 5 marks lost, Liam Walker (JST Gas Gas) 11, John Shirt (JST Gas Gas) 12, Dan Thorpe (JST Gas Gas) 13 (mc), Craig Robinson (JST Gas Gas) 13, Dan Farrer (JST Gas Gas) 15.
Novice: Scott Davison (Montesa) 38.
Clubmen: John Hulme (Sherco) 4, Mick Boam (Scorpa) 7, Richard Allen (Gas Gas) 7, Kevin Hipwell (JST Gas Gas) 8, Nick Shield (Beta) 8, Katy Sunter (JST Gas Gas) 12, Phil Scott (Montesa) 12, Andreas Cook (Montesa) 15, Mike Edwards (Gas Gas) 16, Liam Robinson (JST Gas Gas) 17, Stuart Woodfield (Beta) 18, Andy Hipwell (JST Gas Gas) 20.