RT Keedwell British Trials Championship kicks-off this weekend
By John Dickinson on 13th Apr 16
THE 2016 RT Keedwell British Trials Championship kicks-off this weekend with the opening two rounds.
They are in the hands of the Lakes Motorcycle Trial Association and will take place at the excellent Fell Green venue at Bootle on the Cumbrian coast.
Reigning champ James Dabill will arrive to begin the defence of his
National title in top form having just bagged a fine podium placing in the opening 2016 World Championship round in Spain at the weekend on his factory Vertigo.
Opposition will come from young pretenders Iwan Roberts and Jack Price who also come straight from Spain after their own success, Iwan having taken a convincing win on day two in the Trial2 (Junior World Cup) class and Jack having been on the podium.
With Dan Peace and Dec Bullock having also been well into the points in Spain the opposition like Michael Brown, Sam Haslam and Alexz Wigg now know that these lads are on their game.
You can't ever rule out Ross Danby either and Ross now has the TRS under him and many will be watching the progress of this exciting newcomer on the trials scene.
James Fry has been on fire in the home Nationals this year having won all five S3 Parts rounds so far and it will be interesting to see if he can take this form into the Championship.
Jack Sheppard is also concentrating on British trials this year and he looked sharp while finishing second to James at last Sunday's Chris Carter trial – and Jack likes the bigger Championship sections.
There's a big Expert class entry of around 40 riders including defending class champ Dan Thorpe on the Gas Gas UK machine. But it's anyone's guess who will jump out of the pack to bag points in the Lakes and that is the beauty of the class.
The small group of Youth A will have their work cut out to stop Jack Peace who ran away with the Youth class on both days in Spain last weekend.
Nigel Birkett is masterminding the sections at Fell Green and has planned a course where the hazards get harder as the trial progresses.
And there will be plenty of steep, loose climbs as well as the expected rock outcrops and river sections.
There will be three short laps, all on the fell, of 12 sections and start time is 9.30am each day.
Fingers crossed that the weather is kind, unlike last time the British Champs visited Bootle and the rivers were in flood.
Don't miss next week's issue to find out how it all went in the first
British Championship rounds of the season.
