Claggy Clawthorpe takes the marks
Some 23 years ago, Darren Brice won his class in the French 4 Day trial at Sardent, south of Limoges, sometime before son Cameron was born. In a couple of weeks time, father and son are off to France to see if father Darren can repeat his 2001 result. But there has been a hiccup to their plans as the older Brice hurt his ankle a few weeks back and retired from the Bootle Club’s Fell Green Trial.
So the appearance of Darren at the Lakes GTRC club trial at Clawthorpe was simply to see how his injury would stand up to four laps of ten sections at this limestone rock venue above Burton-in-Kendal, and it would appear that all is now well for he went through the trial without losing a single mark, the only rider in the event to so do.
Burt Crayston and Mike Instance were his closest rivals, both losing 6 marks with the decision going to Crayston on the greater number of cleans tie-decider.
The result was almost as close in the Clubman class with winner Martin Jackson finishing just one mark ahead of Richard Taylor with three riders vying for third place on eight marks eventually having to result to the furthest clean decider for a result. Pete Blowers, Jeremy Hackett and Ben Hanson were the three who had the result decided in that order.
The strong entry of near 50 riders also featured a dead easy route which went to Toby Knowles from Ephy Wilson, now able to return to riding following some treatment to his hip problem with Gareth Edmondson of the organising club in third place.
Really muddy sections are a rarity in Cumbria, most trials relying on rocky streams or rock outcrops to feature as sections, but section seven at Clawthorpe in a tight, enclosed copse of trees where the cows get out of the weather was a really gloopy mess that never dried out all day, and it was there that most marks were lost. Only Brice and Gavin Hazlett notched up four cleans over the harder route; there were no four lap cleans on the clubman route, the best with a dab being Simon Brice and best on the easy route was the winner Knowles and Carl Atkinson who both lost two.
Full results from the link on the Home page with Erick Kitchen pictures now in the Gallery