Haver-go heroes - KIA Twin-shock series reaches halfway point
By John Dickinson on 24th May 17
HAVING travelled North, South and East in the four rounds run to date the KIA National Twinshock Trials Championship approaches its half way point by heading West to South Wales for the next round on Sunday, June 18, says Alan Wright on behalf of the organising team.
West South Wales Centre in glorious, rugged, natural trials terrain near Haverfordwest, the fifth round has all the prospective hallmarks of what the series is all about.
Rocky stream beds abound which don't require a sea of marking flags while the club is spoilt for choice with wooded cambers and steep climbs.
Indeed, one of the attractions of the series is the variety of terrain -
Round one at Congleton having mud and cambers, Round two at Consett being full of solid but dry rockery.
Round 3 at Northampton being typical South Midland Centre climbs and drops and then Round four at Scunthorpe was an escarpment full of twists and turn.
Such variety is brilliant - some riders hate rocks while some just love them.
But talking of change there are certainly going to be some new class winners for 201.
Gary Younghusband, 2016 Historic Spanish class winner, is taking a year out while fellow north east based 2016 Air-cooled Mono winners father and son team, the Colin's Ward, are riding selected rounds only while Gary Hawkins has this year switched to the Pre-72 class.
Regarding eligibility matters this year there have been few problems.
A 305 Fantic fitted with 38mm forks was excluded from the Consett results while a 250 Gas Gas (Air-cooled mono) with 38 mm forks fell foul of eagle eyes at Congleton.
Interestingly, there is no formal machine examination. Fellow riders keep an eye open for abuse.
Full details of eligibility are on the series website where entry forms can be downloaded for all rounds.
The fifth round venue is Brawdy Quarry, Pen y Cwm, Haverfordwest, SA626LA, and you can camp on site or there are several campsites nearby.
The start is just one mile from shop/ pub/ beach on the Pembrokeshire coast.
Current series standings see Ossa enthusiast Steve Bisby leading Historic Twinshock on 74 marks while Rob Faulkner heads a Yam-fest in Air-cooled Mono, 53 against Steve Bird's 46 and Dean Devereux on 44.
Ian Peberdy's Bantam heads the Pre-72 Britshock on 37 against all-rounder Nigel Scott on a Cub this year hawving switched from his shiny Honda RTL mono. In the Twinshock there's a great battle brewing between Roman Kyrnyckyj on the SWM, Honda's Richard Allen and the Fantic of Olly Wareing.
There's so much variety of machinery.
In the Clubman section Historic Twinshock is headed by the 175 Yam of Eirian Davies on 67 followed by Gary Daykin's 350 Ossa on 63 while Martyn Goodall on the Yam heads of Mr Rockshock Gary Fleckney on an RTL Honda in the monos, 40 points to 38.
Britshock Pre-72 has the Bantam of Pete Edwards just ahead of Owen Hardisty's Cub 61 versus 55 while finally the Twinshock has Honda's David Wilkinson heading off the Majesty of Oli Foulke, 50 to 32.
