Triumphant Haslam's keeping Brittain tidy
By TMX Archives on 9th Jan 08
THE traditional National season opener, the Vic Brittain Trial, took a very different turn this year. Instead of the usual 25-mile road event around the Clee Hills, the 2008 trial was based at Farley Quarry, near Much Wenlock, where the organising Bewdley MCC team had put in a huge amount of work to ensure it all went ahead efficiently.
What was also different was the availability of two routes and this gave a big boost to the well supported ‘B' group who had plenty to have a good go at.
Sam Haslam was number one away and this would have been a great advantage had the Quarry been as icy as some of the roads leading to the venue. As it was, Sam held back a bit on lap one and rode early subs not far in front of Dan Thorpe and Ross Danby. The current British number five, Haslam, did not have the best of starts with a dab on section three and a maximum, five, on the very next hazard. It was, however, of little consequence as his main rivals suffered a similar fate on number four.
Riders then dropped down to the centre of the quarry which featured a mixture of banks and muddy rocks. Haslam managed to keep his scores down to single dabs for the rest of lap one where Ross and Dan both were awarded a five on section nine. Chris Pearson got back into contention as he lost just two on this particular sub. A three from James Fry and Danny Haslam were two other good rides there.
The hill-climb of section 11 looked massive and stopped a couple of early runners on the Hard route but the top men literally flew up the fourth gear blast that actually offered plenty of grip.
NATIONAL VIC BRITTAIN TRIAL
Farley Quarry, Much Wenlock (Bewdley MCC)
CLASS A: Sam Haslam (300 JST Gas Gas) Lap One 11 + Lap Two 0 = 11 marks lost, Ross Danby (250 JST Gas Gas) 17+0=17, Dan Thorpe (300 JST Gas Gas) 18+7=25, Chris Pearson (290 MRS Sherco) 14+13=27, James Fry (290 MRS Sherco) 18+15=33, Buster Regan (250 Repsol Beta) 28+18=46, Ben Wibberley (250 Gas Gas) 34+21=55, Danny Haslam (250 Montesa) 32+30=62, Becky Cook (250 JST Gas Gas UK) 46+34=80, Ben Sprigg (270 Beta) 53+33=86.
YOUTH: Tom Foulkes (125 Gas Gas) 20+17=37, Guy Kenyon-Bell (125 Gas Gas) 24+20=44, Connor Evans (125 Beta) 27+26=53, Chris Wickham (125 Gas Gas) 65+61=126.
CLASS B: Charlie Lee (290 John Lee Sherco) 3+5=8, Stuart Robinson (300 Gas Gas) 4+5=9, Michael James (250 John Lee Montesa) 8+6=14 (36x0), John Cowley (290 John Lee Sherco) 12+2=14 (34x0), Richard Wells (250 S Goode Beta) 6+8=14 (32x0), Steve Reece (250 Montesa) 12+3=15, Ian Watts (300 Gas Gas) 11+10=21, Martin Podesta (125 Gas Gas) 10+12=22.
For full report, results and pictures see T+MX News, Friday, january 11, 2008