Tuck in Spark'ling form
By TMX Archives on 6th Feb 08
JON Tuck and Matt Sparkes got the defence of their first British Sidecar Trials Championship title off to the best possible start with a clear victory in the Isle of Man on Saturday.
JON Tuck and Matt Sparkes got the defence of their first British Sidecar Trials Championship title off to the best possible start with a clear victory in the Isle of Man on Saturday.
Storm force winds in the Irish Sea caused the organising Peveril MCC major headaches as ferries from the UK to the Island were cancelled on the day leading up to the event.
Combined with the added threat of heavy snow, Robin and Gill Morewood and fellow multiple British champions Robin Luscombe and Les Ashby decided not to make the trip across on the overnight sailing. In total only three other crews failed to sign-on, making a still healthy starting list of 10 Expert, five Intermediate and nine Clubman outfits.
In addition, a further 33 solo Twin-shocks rode the support class of the fourth annual Andy Smith Trophy Trial.
Conditions on the day of the event were much improved, despite liberal falls of snow in the east of the Island on Friday evening.
The opening hazards at club HQ, Knock Froy, were rattled off with no major problem by the leading riders in both the sidecar and solo classes, as was the small bombhole at Ballahowin Farm near St Mark's, but the terrain was considerably stiffer at Old Stoney Mountain Quarry where the man-sized lumps of spar were typically unrelenting.
Still wincing with pain from the cracked ribs he suffered when going over the bars of his Ossa in the speed trial class of the Tough One event near Oswestry seven days earlier, former British Enduro champion Juan Knight blotted his and passenger Chris Molyneux's clean card with consecutive fives on the first two subs at the exposed and bitterly cold venue. Tuck and Sparkes managed to guide their way through for a dab on the first and a particularly impressive two on the second which ultimately proved the toughest section of the trial.
The mixed crews of Jamie Teare/ Jane Birchall and Lee Granby/ Amelia Haigh matched the British champions for a dab on the first sub, as did the father and son team of Adrian and Aaron Smith, but they and all remaining six Expert crews failed the second one enabling Tuck and Sparkes to leap into a clear lead.
The Wessex BVM Beta duo further stamped their authority on the event by cleaning the remaining two sections at the quarry, where all of their rivals suffered at least a single five, before riding the four sections on the rocky peaks at Cooilingel, overlooking the Highlander on the TT Course, for a single dab.
Such was the severity of the Kings Forest group on the opposing side of the Island's central valley that the steeply graded second and third sections saw the entire Expert entry grind to a halt.
Tuck and Sparkes rattled up a further two and a five on the same card, but still enjoyed a healthy 22-mark lead over last year's Masters' class champions Granby and Haigh at the approximate halfway point in the trial.
BRITISH SIDECAR TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 1 – Andy Smith Trophy Trial (Peveril MCC)
Sidecar Expert: Jon Tuck/ Matt Sparkes (Wessex BVM Beta) 57 marks lost, James Teare/ Jane Birchall (Knight Scorpa) 80, Juan Knight/ Chris Molyneux (Gas Gas) 90, Lee Granby/ Amelia Haigh (Gas Gas) 96, Adrian/ Aaron Smith (Gas Gas) 98, Kevin Nolan/ Karl Jarvis (Jam Sherco) 108, Gary Flowers/ Antony Smith (Gas Gas) 119, Jonathan Kelly/ Ealish Baxter (Beta) 121, Rupert Kimber/ Jamie Arnold (Sherco) 125.
Sidecar Intermediate: Mark Bimson/ Julie Owen (Sherco) 97, Mick Treagus/ Steve Gould (Gas Gas) 105, Peter/ Daryl Dale (Beta) 106, Ali Haigh/ Barry Pocock (Gas Gas) 106, Robert Head/ Aaron Jacobs (Beta) 121.
Sidecar Clubman: Craig Baxter/ James Caine (Sherco) 79, Trevor Moore/ Jim Davidson (Beta) 80, Dave Haynes/ Wendy Brennan (Montesa) 82, Andy Abraham/ Sam Luscombe (Sherco) 94, Martyn Kissack/ Nigel Woods (Gas Gas) 109 (13x0), Dougie Christian/ Kevin Watterson (Gas Gas) 109 (11x0), Brian/ Stuart Bedford (Sherco) 141, Brian Christian/ David Gurney (Sherco) 143.
Sidecar Newcomer: Jason McNee/ Hilary Swan (Montesa) 121.
Next Round: February 17 – DK Mansell Trial @ Clee Hill Village (South Birmingham MC).
Solo Support Classes
Expert: Nigel Crellin (Yamaha) 6 marks lost, Stephen Collins (Triumph) 8, Damian Owen (Yamaha) 12, Mick Thurman (Yamaha) 19, Kevin Whiteway (Honda) 24, Phil Readshaw (Triumph) 26, Michael Owen (Honda) 31, Phil Ward (Yamaha) 37, Jez Bray (Yamaha) 37, Mick Jackson (SWM) 40, Stewart Hallam (Bultaco) 48, Grant Harding (BSA) 49, Neil Gibson (James) 49, Steve Lace (Fantic) 54, Peter Christian (Triumph) 54, Martin Pratt (Fantic) 59, Graham Christian (Triumph) 69, David Harding (BSA) 73, Jason Brown (Fantic) 79, Shaun Clennell (Bultaco) 106, Simon Brown (Montesa) 112.
Clubman: Stuart Clague (Fantic) 18, Paul Ansermoz (Honda) 19, Dave Megson (Yamaha) 30, Geoff Griffiths (Fantic) 37, Peter Lace (BSA) 38, Howard Sharkey (Triumph) 38, Graham Thomas (Honda) 39, Steve Hudson (Triumph) 52, Chris Morris (Yamaha) 54, Tom Mason (BSA) 77, Mick Dunn (James) 115.
For full report and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, February 8, 2008