Sam Connor claims premier award at 2026 Sidcup Sixty Trial

By Dick Law on 20th Jan 26

Sam Connor claimed victory in the 2026 edition of the Sidcup Sixty Trial, the 12th Sidcup Sixty win in his long career, once again mastering the 20-section, two-lap test laid out around the perimeter of the club’s famous Canada Heights motocross circuit, tucked just inside the M25 in Kent. Riding his 300cc Beta, Connor completed the hardest route with a loss of 39 marks.

But with Youth ace Max Dance finishing just a single point behind, on the same route, questions are starting to be asked about how long Connor’s grip on this prestigious event will last. Dance, riding a 125cc GASGAS, will soon move into the adult ranks – a prospect that adds an intriguing subplot for future editions of the trial.

Brett Harbud had a solid ride on his TRRS finishing fifth on the Expert Elite route

Setting out a trial at this time of year is never straightforward, but the Sidcup organisers put in countless hours of work to give the 155-strong entry something to think about. Dry weather and wind can turn the event into a low-scoring affair, while rain quickly sees the points rack up. This year, conditions landed somewhere in between – greasy underfoot and relentlessly demanding, extracting a price from every rider and taking a toll on both man and machine.

In the Expert Elite class, Daniel Dabreo (GASGAS) emerged as Connor’s only serious challenger. Both riders made the early sections look deceptively simple, although Dabreo dropped a costly five in the rocks on section four. Connor, by contrast, opened with three ones and a two during a first half of the lap that seemed to take an age to complete.

Later in the lap, Connor incurred a pair of fives on sections 17 and 20, while Dabreo also fived 17 but escaped with a single dab on the final section. After lap one, the scores stood at 17 for Connor and 19 for Dabreo - very much game on.

Lap two saw the pair almost inseparable, both losing 22 marks. That left Connor two points clear overall, enough to secure another Sidcup Sixty victory.

Jack Stiles cleans this hazard on his GASGAS

George Clark (Beta) rode a solid trial to take third place in the difficult conditions, with Thomas Moss (TRRS) fourth and Brett Harbud (BVM TRRS) fifth. Thomas McCabe (TRRS) and Max Golla (GASGAS) finished level on marks, with McCabe taking the higher placing courtesy of more cleans.

The Expert class was equally close, with just two points separating Ashley Newbery (TRRS) and Gus Oblein (GASGAS) at the top. Ben Smith (Beta) and Dean Heathfield (Sherco) followed in third and fourth, split by only three marks.

Aaron Richardson (Beta) dominated the Intermediate class, winning by a commanding 26-point margin over Glenn Kett (Honda). George Chilman (Vertigo) finished a distant third.

On the blue route, Simon Bird rolled back the years aboard his classic 212 Fantic to win the Over-40 class, showing plenty of modern machinery - and riders - how it should be done. Ashley Hail (Vertigo) was second, with James Yearley (GASGAS) close behind in third.

Martin Carter (Bultaco) took victory in the Novice class ahead of Richard Chamley (GASGAS) and Mark Teal (Fantic). Mick Marshall (GASGAS) won the Over-50 class on the red route, with second and third decided on a tie-break. Gareth Price (Beta) and Andrew Pierce (Beta) both finished on 25 marks lost and 27 cleans, with Price taking second on the countback thanks to eight single dabs to Pierce’s seven.

As expected, Max Dance comfortably topped the small but brave group of young riders tackling the Expert Elite route. Richie Keet (Sherco) finished second, with Kai Fisher (TRRS) third.

Rosy Connor took top honours in the Youth Intermediate class

Tommy Keet (Beta) won the Youth Expert class, while Sam Connor’s daughter Rosy (Beta) claimed victory in Youth Intermediate. Matthew Hann (Beta) took the Youth Novice win ahead of Reuben Keet (Beta) and Lucy Hooper (Beta).

2026 Sidcup Sixty Trial Results

Expert Elite

1 Sam Connor (Beta) 39 marks lost.

2 Danial Da Breo (GASGAS) 41

3 George Clark (Beta) 76

4 Thomas Moss (TRRS) 84

5 Brett Harbud (BVM TRRS) 87

6 Thomas McCabe (TRRS) 94 (12 cleans)

Expert

1 Ashley Newbery (TRRS) 65 marks lost

2 Gus Oblein (GASGAS) 67

3 Ben Smith (Beta) 86

4 Dean Heathfield (Sherco) 89

5 James Graham (GASGAS) 90

6 Julian Harvey (Sherco) 93

Intermediate

1 Aaron Richardson (Beta) 73 marks lost.

2 Glenn Keet (Honda) 96

3 George Chilman (Vertigo) 99

4 James Booker (GASGAS) 102

5 Steve Golla (GASGAS) 104

6 Mark Robinson (TRRS) 105

Over 40, Blue Route

1 Simin Bird (Fantic) 51 marks lost.

2 Ashley Hail (Vertigo) 56

3 James Yearley (GASGAS) 58

4 James Williams (Montesa) 74

5 Mark Reason (Beta) 79

6 Robbie Nutbrown (Sherco) 80

Novice

1 Martin Carter (Bultaco) 35 marks lost.

2 Richard Chamley (GASGAS) 40

3 Mark Teal (Fantic) 42

4 Marcus Wright (Beta) 47

5 George Hann (Beta) 58

6 Willow Kemp (GASGAS) 72

Over 50, Red Route

1 Mick Marshall (GASGAS) 18 marks lost.

2 Gareth Price (Beta) 25 (27 cleans, 8 ones)

3 Andrew Pierce (Beta) 25 (27 cleans. 7 ones)

4 Anthony Slater (EM) 28

5 Toby Dobbs (Montesa) 30

6 Matthew Rowden (Beta) 32

Youth Expert Elite

1 Max Dance (GASGAS) 40 marks lost.

2 Richie Keet (Sherco) 111

3 Kai Fisher (TRRS) 119

Youth Expert

1 Tommy Keet (Beta) 112 marks lost.

2 Edward Mowat (GASGAS) 129

3 Samuel Le Fevre (GASGAS) 136

4 Mason Tidd (TRRS) 144

5 Joseph Baker (SXS TRRS) 155

6 Fin Penny (GASGAS) 168

Youth Intermediate

1 Rosy Connor 120 marks lost.

2 Liam Reaney (Beta) 127

3 Coben Brand (Beta) 140

4 Tristan Phipps (TRRS) 162

Youth Novice

1 Matthew Hann (Bets) 41 marks lost.

2 Reuben Keet (Beta) 56

3 Lucy Hooper (Beta) 57

4 Dexter Rowden (Beta) 60

5 Hector Kemp (Beta) 61

6 Joshua Griffin (GASGAS) 73

A solid day saw Ed Mowat secure second in Youth Expert