SSDT start looms ahead
By Team TMX on 2nd May 25
The 2025 Scottish Six Days Trial (May 5-10) gets underway bright and early on Monday morning as the Edinburgh and DMC play host to a mighty 288 riders at the event's Fort William base.
As ever, the event attempts to challenge some of the best riders in the world while attempting to keep things sane for the ranks of keen Clubmen who keep this, the biggest, best, most famous trial in the world, alive!
And heading the elite group is last year's first-time winner Jack Price - who went on to make it a memorable Scottish/Scott Trial double in 2024. One welcome surprise entry is from Sherco factory rider Adam Raga, the two-time World Champ returning to Scotland for the first time since 2000 when he finished ninth.
"I’d love to add an SSDT victory to my CV and I’m working hard ready to give it my all,” reckoned Adam. “Winning the Six Day would be a dream!"
Should Raga achieve his ambition he would almost certainly become the event's oldest first-time winner!
Next, who can ever rule out Dougie Lampkin who stands head and shoulders as the most successful SSDT rider of all time with an incredible 14 victories? The last of which was only two years ago (2023) and even at the age of 49 Doug will still be the rider all others will be watching. Although with younger son Fraiser making his Scottish debut alongside the more experienced Alfie, Doug will have a lot going on around him!
Other former winners entered include Sam Connor, Alexz Wigg and James Dabill – Dibsta is well capable of bagging another premier award. Dan and Jack Peace along with Billy Green are young(ish) guns looking for that elusive victory. And talking of young guns, what about the firepower in the Hemingway family, this year George makes his eagerly awaited debut alongside older bro Harry. With Dad Dan and Uncle Ben in the crew, anything could happen!
A win by a Scottish rider is long overdue although Kinlochleven all-round athlete Gary MacDonald has come agonisingly close several times and at a healthy 41 will still be giving it his all while up-and-coming Jamie Galloway and Duncan MacColl will surely be in the mix.
Nigel Birkett is back to tackle his 51st consecutive SSDT simply because at a sprightly 71 he just can't stay away!
Four Ladies are taking on the challenge this year headed by the awesome 10-time World Champion Emma Bristow who leads fellow Brits Chloe Richardson, Alicia Robinson and Manx girl Kaytlyn Adshead.
The Scottish is a unique event with extended daily mileages combining long road sections, tiring moor crossings and twisty forestry tracks with up to a dozen groups of sections each day. Traditionally there were 30 sections each day but last year, incoming Clerk of Course David Dignan dropped this to between 26 and 28. After some criticism regarding keeping the number of sections the same each day – in fairness to the early starters (the entry is rotated each day) – Davy has settled on an even 28.
