Wigg wam bam
By TMX Archives on 16th Oct 08
ALEXZ Wigg nailed the Premier award in the weekend's top trial, the Lakes Two-Day National, losing just five marks through a total of 80 sections, 40 per day, in this always-popular annual event based on the village of Broughton-in-Furness in south west Cumbria. In a closely-fought battle, the Sandiford Montesa rider just held-off the attentions of newly re-crowned British Champ Graham Jarvis who had swapped his meaty 320 four-stroke MRS Sherco for a 290 two-stroke, in preparation for a full-on assault on Saturday's Scott time and observation epic.Third place actually went down to a tie-break and it was British Expert class trials champion Joe Baker on the Birkett Scorpa two-stroke, who like Jarvis had retained his crown at Skyrakes the previous weekend, who nailed the final podium place from the second Sandiford Mont of James Dabill.
With a quality entry of over 40 riders on the National course the outcome was always expected to be tight but it wasn't really expected that four riders would all end the weekend in single figures! Graham Jarvis was the winner of the Lakes when it was last held in 2006 as last year the event was cancelled due to the spectre of a Foot and Mouth outbreak that thankfully never happened.
Graham's biggest challenge was expected to come from Italian Open champ James Dabill and the meaty Future Montesa with James' team-mate Alexz Wigg returning to form following a knee-op. Gas Gas had its usual multi-pronged attack with Shaun Morris, Dan Thorpe, Sam Haslam and Ross Danby while Beta's main contenders were Ian Austermuhle and George Morton.
To some extent the unknown quantity was Expert champ Baker; the Devon rider puts in lots of miles to the British Champs but doesn't contest too many northern Nationals but the regulars were about to find out just how well Joe rides slippery streams and rocks.
Saturday's 40 sections were split into 13 groups with two or three sections in each with there being a good mix of hazards from Cumbrian becks, steep earth banks and of course all kinds of variations on rock outcrops, many of which were pretty slick following plenty of rain. Groups included a brand new one with steep banks at Mireside plus old favourites Station Hill and Wallenrigg.
Wigg was in front virtually from the start (9pm from the Auction Mart) and after the 20 morning sections he was sharing the lead with Dan Thorpe on just a single dab apiece with Jarvis Dabill and Baker on two and so the die was cast for the entire weekend.
After lunch at Top o' Cross the 20 remaining daily sections saw Alexz again posting the lowest score, two, this time along with Jarvis, to end his day on three with Jarvis four, Dabill and Baker five with Thorpe losing his chance of the win thanks to an afternoon card of six.
Right down the entry most competitors lost similar scores morning and afternoon but local ace Darren Brice, on the four-stroke Scorpa, dropped 20 in the morning before striking back with a fabulous two mark loss after lunch hoisting himself into the top dozen.
Sunday saw the old-faithful tried and tested route starting with four subs in the steep rocky stream on Dunnerdale
fell where Alexz dropped his only mark of the day. "But we all dropped one in that section so it doesn't matter!” he sagely commented as he surveyed a hazard at third group, Newfield after tackling the rock slabs on Top o' Cross. The last two sections at Newfield, on really slippery rocks, made everyone work hard and there was plenty of excellent riding right down the field.
Few marks were being lost up at the sharp end but as the morning's punch cards were handed in Sherco riders Chris Pearson and Lee Sampson had excelled themselves with seven mark efforts.
The final 20 subs were all situated just off the Torver-Broughton road on the run-in to the finish, all groups with a similar level of difficulty and Alexz kept his feet on the rests right up to the final group before parting with what he calle a "really slack dab!”
So as they gathered at the finish Alexz clocked-in with just two for the day and a total of five and waited for Graham Jarvis to arrive. Grimbo had posted a superb clean crad through the afternoon's 20 sections - the only clean card all weekend on the National course but his loss of two in the morning meant that the win went to Wiggy on the barking four-stroke and Graham was the first to congratulate the youngster.
Dabill and Baker had remained glued together on marks lost virtually all weekend and in the end it came down to a most cleans tie-break after both ended their weekend on just nine marks - the final podium going to Baker - 72 cleans to 71.
The large Clubman field of over 100 riders tackled 80 simplified sections and while the win was all about Mark Reynolds, the event was enjoyed and hard-fought over by the vast majority of contenders. And there was huge interest in the superb battle between the two lady riders, Katy Sunter and Maria Conway, as they enjoyed their own tussle for supremacy.
Reynolds, the High Peak Kelkote Beta rider, was in a class of his own and virtually assured himself of the Premier after Saturday's 40 sections when he had earned a 10 point cushion over nearest challenger Michael James while Andrew Wilkinson, who lives overlooking the start, was just a single point adrift with Katy right behind, the result of a fantastic day on the pegs, especially in the afternoon when she dropped just four marks. In contrast Maria, who had led Katy 16 to 20 in the morning session, had a ‘mare of a day losing 19 on her second card to start day two on 35.
Irish rider Jonathan Hagan was right in the mix in fifth place on 26 while in sixth was leading air-cooled twin-shock contender, veteran Chris Myers on his well-travelled TY Yamaha.
Sunday saw Reynolds consolidate his lead and turn it into the Premier and as fellow rider Scott Rowland commented, "He deserves it, he is riding so well at the moment!”
Sunday's first punchcard change saw Reynolds joint best on 1 along with Darren Wasley with Wakefield's Nigel Crowther next on two while Maria rode a stormer on just three to peg back Katy who was on 15.
There was now next to nothing in it as the girls entered the final 20 hazards and despite tiring, "I feel absolutely knackered!” laughed Maria at Rosthwaite with five sections to go, but pulled-herself together to take yet another clean.
As they signed-off, with Katy just getting the nod on the final card, six marks against seven, the unthinkable had happened and both girls ended their weekend on 45 marks - with Maria just getting the verdict 58 cleans against 54.
Daz Wasley jumped into the runner-up berth with a good day's work while Wilkie consolidated his overnight third.
The Lakes might have missed a year - but it came back as popular and as strong as ever.
Alexz Wigg heads for victory with a cracking ride at Newfield on Sunday morning.
NATIONAL LAKES TWO-DAY TRIAL
Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria (Lakes MTA)
NATIONAL COURSE
OVERALL
1 Alexz Wigg (Sandiford Montesa) 3 + 2 = 5
2 Graham Jarvis (MRS Sherco) 4 + 2 = 6
3 Joe Baker (Birkett Scorpa) (72x0) 5 + 4 = 9
4 James Dabill (Sandiford Mont) (71x0) 5 + 4 = 9
5 Dan Thorpe (JST Gas Gas) 7 + 7 = 14
6 Shaun Morris (Gas Gas) 12 + 10 = 22
7 Gary MacDonald (MRS Sherco) (68x0) 16 + 7 = 23
8 Sam Haslam (JST Gas Gas) (67x0) 11 + 12 = 23
9 Ian Austermuhle (Beta UK) 14 + 17 = 31
10 Ross Danby (JST Gas Gas) 18 + 15 = 33
11 Chris Pearson (MRS Sherco) 27+11=38, 12 George Morton (Beta UK) 13+33=46, 13 Darren Brice (Birkett Scorpa) 22+28=50, 14 Lee Sampson (Ace Sherco) 36+15=51, 15 Sam Ludgate (Beta UK) 30+22=52, 16 Richard Ellwood (Sherco) 38+21=59, 17 Jonny Walker (Wren Sherco) 56+29=85, 18 Gary Jenkins (MRS Sherco) 51+35=86, 19 John Crinson (Birkett Scorpa) 53+44=97, 20 Josh Woods (???) 58+40=98, 21 Myles Jones (Montesa) 50+50=100, 22 Tom Hick (NTB Beta) 62+42=104, 23 Stephen Dixon (Birkett Scorpa) 52+52=104, 24 James Carr (Feet Up Scorpa) 56+54=110, 25 Buster Regan (Beta UK) 57+56=113.
CLUBMAN COURSE
OVERALL
1 Mark Reynolds (Kelcote Beta) 11 + 3 = 14
2 Darren Wasley (Gas Gas) 28 + 5 = 33
3 Andrew Wilkinson (Birkett Scorpa) 22 + 16 = 38
4 Jonathan Hagan (Birkett Scorpa) 26 + 14 = 40
5 Stuart Gaskell (Scorpa) 29 + 12 = 41
6 Michael James (John Lee Montesa) 21 + 23 = 44
7 Maria Conway (Beta) (58x0) 35 + 10 = 45
8 Katy Sunter (JST Gas Gas) (54x0) 24 + 21 = 45
9 Nigel Crowther (Gas Gas) 31 + 15 = 46
10 Stephen Murphy (Gas Gas) 36 + 13 = 49
11 Leigh Jepson (B&S Beta) 29+21=50, Chris Myers (Yamaha) 27+24=51, Gavin Black (Montesa) 37+18=55, Matt Spink (Gas Gas) 32+24=56, Chris Lord (Scorpa) 35+22=57, Michael Clarke (Beta) 31+27=58, Gary Bingley (Gas Gas) 36+24=60, Lewis Black (Sherco) 30+30=60, Kieran Hankin (Honda) 43+18=61, Nick Shield (Birkett Beta) 40+22=62, Aled Price (Gas Gas) 31+32=63, Pete Ruscoe (Gas Gas) 40+24=64, Scott Dommett (Beta) 48+17=65, Paul Heys (Beta) 44+23=67, James Walker (Wren Sherco) 44+24=68.
Alexz Wigg heads for victory with a cracking ride at Newfield on Sunday morning.