Wet! Wet! Wet! Wet start to the Scottish
By TMX Archives on 6th May 09
On Monday Dougie Lampkin started his defence of the SSDT in great form, not losing a single point
DOUGIE Lampkin started the defence of his Scottish Six Days Trial crown in the best way possible – by completing Monday's 30 sections without loss of marks – once again inviting speculation as to whether he can go the whole week with a clean sheet! And to the delight of British importer, cousin John Lampkin, Doug led home a Beta 1-2-3, with a third cousin, James Lampkin, rolling in third, and East Yorks ace, Ian Austermuhle, sandwiched in between Doug and ‘Jim'!
It was a wet beginning to the week with all 274 starters setting out on the short road ride to opening group Trotters Burn well-wrapped up against the wet stuff with plenty of new waterproofs on display. Better still, several had fitted heated handlebar grips - including Gas Gas duo James Dabill and John Shirt.
The leaders all eased through the narrow, sandstone stream bed clean but Alexz Wigg had an unfortunate start to the week when his Beta appeared to lose power and he had to leg out of the second sub. He only dropped one more mark all day, in final group Lagnaha.
From Trotters it was a short ride to Annat for three subs, the first of which caught James Lampkin for two, before hitting the road for a long wet ride down the road before peeling off-road and heading across country to take in three subs at Loch Shiel A, two at Loch Shiel B and the usual five up the steep burn at Coire Dubh. Ian Austermuhle, always a challenger in rocky trials, dropped both his daily marks, one each in consecutive hazards, at Loch Shiel A.
At Coire Dubh it was the last section that was the stiffest but still gave-up plenty of cleans with Thomas Hick, Craig Robinson, Ben Hemingway and George Morton claiming nice feet-up rides.
Spectators could then pick up the action at Inversanda where a new section had been plotted. However, with the incessant rain the hazard contained several flooded deep holes and the early arrivals declined the opportunity of a swim or a drowned bike so the sections were swiftly put back to how they are normally marked! Said Alastair Morrice, riding number 2, with a bunch of fellow Scots at the head of the field, "No way were we going to ride into that!”
Three sections up the tight, steep, burn at Gearadh followed and the middle sub took one of the pre-trial favourites, James Dabill, for a sickening five. And Shaun Morris, after cleaning the first 19 sections, suddenly lost concentration and a three at Inversanda was compounded by a five in the same sub as Dibs took a maximum.
So it was then all down to a trip across the Corran ferry, then across Ballachulish bridge and down the Oban road to the spectator favourite group at Lagnaha. As ever, the seven sections set in the wide, climbing burns, got progressively tougher yet proved virtually perfectly set-out as even with the heavy levels of water, half a dozen riders rose to the challenge and cleaned all seven. Fittingly, Dougie and second placed Ian Austermuhle headed the list but were matched by superb rides from Dan Thorpe, Phil Disney, Chris Pearson and Liam Walker. Dan was on his early start day, with riding number 29, but he rode a blinder to stay in touch with the lead on just four marks and will be hoping to stick in there with nice late numbers coming up over the next few days.
What of joint pre-trial favourites James Dabill and Michael Brown? For Dibs, a big five at Gearadh spoiled his day good and proper as with three other dabs he got his campaign away to an eight mark start. To compound the pain, his Gas Gas UK team boss, John Shirt Jr, led by example with a superb four mark ride to sit in seventh place. Coincidentally Browny, riding right at the back with riding number 271, also dropped four, all in ones including two in separate subs at Lagnaha.
The two teenage Jonathans, Richardson and Walker had amazing starts to their Scottish careers finishing just a single mark apart in 16th and 19th places – looks like a battle to watch over the week. They easily lead the Newcomers list from ‘slightly older' Cumbrian Darren Brice who is surprisingly making his SSDT debut.
Of the five girls entered, first-timer British Champion Becky Cook jumped into a commanding lead with a fine opening day's score of 39, well inside the top 100. Emma Bristow, Donna Fox and Katy Sunter look like scrapping for position throughout the week and while plucky Aussie Christie McKinnon struggled in the sections - she's used to practising in dry river beds - the girl has plenty of resolve and is as fit as a fiddle. They are the Famous Five!
So the 2009 Scottish Six Days Trial is underway – don't miss next week's paper for a full report – and of course Eric Kitchen's excellent pics!
2009 SCOTTISH SIX DAYS TRIAL
Results – Day 1 – Monday
1 Dougie Lampkin (Beta) - clean
2 Ian Austermuhle (Beta UK) - 2
3 James Lampkin (Beta UK) - 3
4 Sam Haslam (JST Gas Gas) - 3
5 Dan Thorpe (JST Gas Gas) - 4
6 Alexz Wigg (Beta UK) - 4
7 John Shirt (JST Gas Gas) - 4
8 Michael Brown (MRS Sherco) - 4
9 Sam Ludgate (NBK Scorpa) - 6
10 Gary MacDonald (MRS Sherco) - 7
11 Tom Sagar (Beta) - 7
12 James Dabill (JST Gas Gas) - 8
13 John Crinson (Scorpa) - 8
14 Jack Challoner (Beta UK) - 8
15 Philip Disney (Appleyard Beta) - 9
16 Jon Richardson (MRS Sherco) - 9
17 Dan Hemingway (Beta UK) - 9
18 Shaun Morris (Beta) - 10
19 Jonathan Walker (Ace Gas Gas) - 10
20 George Morton (Beta UK) - 10
21 James Fry (MRS Sherco) - 10
22 Chris Pearson (MRS Sherco) - 11
23 Ben Hemingway (Beta UK) - 12
24 Adam Norris (Beta) - 13
25 Craig Robinson (JST Gas Gas) - 13
Dougie's fellow Beta rider Ian Austermuhle set sail up a Lagnaha section.