Trials Torque: North Berks ready to play a Part
By John Dickinson on 22nd Feb 17
North Berks MC will be running its National Wallace Cup Trial this Sunday.
The event is round two of the 2017 ACU S3 Parts Championship, following on from the Stratford club's Colmore Cup just two weeks ago.
Starting as usual at the Horse & Harrow public house, West Hagbourne, Oxon, the series this year includes a full Clubman Championship as well as Expert so everyone is chasing Championship points!
First rider on the road-based course, at 9.31am prompt, will be Mark Woodburn a local lad who will get the trial underway on the S3 Clubman Championship route.
He will be followed by challengers including Billy Craig, Tony Moulder, while it's great to see local lady Maria Longdon coming back out to enjoy her local national.
Then there's Joe Bayliss and Darren Wheeler followed by the Cowley brothers Tony and John, while another lady rider is the experienced Louise Alford from Lincoln.
Riders will first head to the opening group of sections at Nappers Bank, which is an old disused railway line, that used to run from Newbury to Didcot. After this opening group they will ride along Nappers Lane to The Moores, where there will be six sections set in the streams.
The field will then move on to the famous Seymours Arena which has no fewer than eight sectionsplanned with great spectating, parking, a food van and also a toilet.
With Seymours completed Lollingdon Hill is next and will feature banks with tree roots which can be very slippery if the weather stays wet.
It is then away to Aston Pit, Air Raid Shelter and back to Bucknells with three sections which can be a sting in the tail and usually sort the winner out.
Finally it is over the road to the very last section, Strangers Gate, before heading back to the pub where you can sink a pint and recall how your day went.
The first S3 Expert runner is Lloyd Price followed by Chris Alford older brother of Louise Alford and it's great to see local lad Bradley Cox back riding and doing some nationals.
Luke Walker took maximum S3 Parts points in the Colmore and the Sherco rider from Ashby de la Zouch will be looking to get on a roll and extend that early Championship lead.
The girls are out in force at the Wallace with Jess Bown and Becky Cook plus reigning World and British Champion Emma Bristow, who loves her traditional National outings.
Defending Champ James Fry could only manage fourth in the Colmore and will be looking to bounce back while Simon Welch and local MTB legend Rob Warner, who finished in excellent second and third places in the opening round, all competing for top spot. Watch out also for Sherco's former multi S3 Parts champ Chris Pearson and recent Beta convert James Stones who won the final round of the 2016 series.
S3 Parts series sponsor John Shirt is back riding regular trials – on the run-up to the SSDT – and really enjoying it having finished eighth in the Colmore giving his Gas Gas the beans on the big slippery climbs.
It's also great for the North Berks guys and gals to see four riders from the British Championship competing for the Wallace Cup (not being eligible fior the S3 Championship) in Jack Price, Sam Haslam, Ross Danby and Sam Connor.
In the Clubman Championship, a points-scoring series in its own right for the first time this year, Ian Wakeford and Barry Roads resume hostilities on slightly different terrain.
It should be a great day and if you can, get along to Seymours Arena and enjoy the action.
