Motorcycling - Wild rides at national youth bike trials (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Motorcycling - Wild rides at national youth bike trials

11:03am Saturday 1st November 2008 in Sport By Gazette Sports

ON A weekend when Cumbria experienced a month's rainfall in under 24 hours which resulted in extensive flooding, the final round of the National Youth motorcycle trials championship was held at Tow Tops near High Newton on Saturday and Sunday.

Four classes took part, for young riders aged 16/17 years (A), 13/15 years (B), 10/12 years (C) and 6/9 years (D) and it was the first time an event in the series had been held in Cumbria.

The younger riders rode on Saturday over a short, fellside course of three laps which included 12 observed sections, while the older boys tackled a longer, more difficult course on Sunday.

The aim in every class is to ride the marked areas of the course without putting feet to the ground or stopping.

There was everything to ride for in the highly competitive C class on a day when the wind blew at gale force and the rain came down in horizontal sheets as visiting riders Iwan Roberts and Billy Bolt were separated by just one championship point, so the best rider on the day would become the 2008 champion.

Organised by the very experienced Westmorland Club, the two young riders rode supremely well in the atrocious conditions and at the end of the trial it was Iwan Roberts, the older rider who won outright, to take the 2008 championship in his class, perhaps leaving the category open for Bolt, his close rival, to take next year.

Eighteen of the C class riders completed the trial, a glorious effort in such bad conditions and even the D class only saw three retirements from an event that was comprehensively nailed by Jack Peace who had already sewn up the Youth D class at the penultimate round.

James Hayhurst from Natland rode well to finish sixth in C class, while Sam Metcalfe from Over Kellet finished 18th. Daniel Bingley from Carlisle and Tom Hutchinson from Broughton were forced to retire because of varying problems In D class Joe Hiley from Nether Kellet finished sixth and James Postlethwaite from Broughton took seventh.

Sun shines for Sunday's action IN TOTAL contrast to the previous day, the weather on Sunday was dry, bright and sunny which enabled fantastic views from the hilltops of the flooded Lythe Valley below.

Both class A and B had previously been decided in favour of Ben Morphett (A) and Richard Sadler (B), so the Sunday trial was all about establishing a last-round moral advantage to take over into 2009.

The same format as Saturday was used, 12 sections ridden three times and the hazards were super tough.

Jonathan Richardson from Yorkshire set the opening lap pace with a lap of 26 marks from Keswick's Jonny Walker who had yet to win a round this year.

The style of section was not new to Walker and he revelled in the conditions on lap two, touring round for 19 which gave him a two-lap advantage of seven marks over Richardson and ten over Morphett.

Morphett posted the best final lap score of 21 which was only one better than Richardson while Walker dropped off the pace with 27, but his second lap had been good enough to ensure that he sneaked the win on 75 by just two marks from Richardson.

“I’ve not won a round this year,” said a relaxed Walker at the finish, “but I think I've been there or thereabouts for much of the year.” as he waited for the final scores from the punch cards to be totalled.

Chris Short was the winner of B class from Cornwall's Keelan Hancock, the scores being 58 to 70. The sections for the younger lads were eased versions of the A class hazards, but still mighty tough and though the weather had eased, the land was still so very wet which made the hazards more difficult than probably intended.

In A class, Will Brockbank from Staveley was ninth, Chris Ellwood from Broughton was tenth while the Whitefield twins, Arron and Ryan were non- finishers.

In B class only two Cumbrian lads took part, with Jamie Bingley finishing 11th and Will Hayhurst 20th.