Trials Torque: Seconds out as BTC heads West
By John Dickinson on 12th Apr 17
THE second round of the ACU RT Keedwell British Solo Trials Championship takes place on Easter Sunday (April 16) when the Westmorland club stage the round having accepted the challenge at short notice, when the nearby Lakes MTA dropped out with land issues, so the event remains in the Northern centre.
The trial will take place at a brand-new venue for the British Championship at Tow Tops, High Newton, Cumbria, LA11 6JH and will be signed off the A590 at Lindale.
The sections will be a little bit more spread out than is now usual for a British Champs as the trial will run – all off road of course – over the hilltop to the club's own land near Witherslack.
As expected with a new venue the sections will be new to everyone and club members have been busy hacking out undergrowth and promise a dozen testing sections featuring rock outcrops, stream gullies and steep woodland hazards.
As of Monday night just short of 60 entries had been received and all three classes promise to be hotly contested with all the main protaganists entered.
As we know, with reigning champ James Dabill contesting the Spanish series for Gas Gas there will be a new British Champ this year.
And first blood was drawn by Jack Price when the series got underway last month at Hookwoods in Surrey.
Pricey only just pipped his Gas Gas UK team-mate Michael Brown though, just a single dab separating them after a tough competition.
Browny has been there and done that, though, the Scarborough ace having lifted the British crown in 2013.
Last Sunday Michael returned the compliment, beating Jack by that single mark in the Chris Carter National so another cracking contest is on the cards between these two.
Beta's Jack Sheppard will be looking for another podium after being just a single mark astern of Pricey at Hookwoods and faces another long trip north from East Anglia.
There will be plenty of opposition, though, and veteran Sam Connor ruffled a few feathers when he finished fourth in his home round at Hookwoods.
The Peace boys, Dan and Jack, finished fifth and sixth in the opener followed by the experienced Sam Haslam, young Cornish prospect Toby Martyn on the Vertigo, Dec Bullock and in tenth was Iwan Roberts following a shocker of an opening lap.
And Iwan will be looking to rocket up the order on Sunday. Also you can never rule out the stylish Ross Danby, campaigning the TRS.
In the Experts class reigning champ Tom Minta has moved up to the Championship and former champ Dan Thorpe was in a class of his own in the first round.
Dan was not on top form at the Chris Carter though and this is a very competitive class and he will want to up his game with the likes of James Fry, Richard Sadler, James Stones, Chris Pearson, Tom Affleck and co all right on the case.
Local lads from the host centre include Will Brockbank, James Hayhurst, Tom Hudson, Tom Swindlehurst and Owen Gilchrist.
Devon's Billy Green heads the ten-strong Youth A class and looks the class of the field having taken a strong victory first time out.
Ulster's Josh Hanlon continues to improve though and will be looking to improve on his second place while Scotland's Duncan McColl will hope to edge Oli Smith off the podium this time out.
The Tow Tops venue is only around 20 minutes from J36 of the M6 and LA11 6JH is the clue for your SatNav.
There's a bright and breezy 9.30am start and a cracking Easter Sunday sport in prospect.
