Dixon truly on the rails
Scores were generally high following the four laps of 11 sections at the Barrow Club’s Boxing Day Fun trial, with only two riders from the 52 strong entry managing to record a single figure score. Chris Dixon lost just two marks – an incredible ride no matter who else could have been at the trial and he won the event from James Johnson who lost nine. The rest were all into double figures over the harder course with scores by the 16 riders deciding to tackle the more difficult sections finishing at 109 by Ian McKean, an occasional visitor to Barrow Club events.
Giving his newly acquired Gas Gas a ride out after a full 20 years allegiance to Sherco, Anthony Brockbank topped the Clubman course by the narrow margin of a single mark from Ben Thompson with Erik Buckley on his recently refurbished 250 Beta in a fine third place, beating a whole host of regular Northern Centre riders who lost anything between the winner’s 18 and the final finisher’s 165 by Ewan Benson. Such a high score must not be discredited as there’s no doubt that Benson, a Clubman Novice, put as much heart and soul into his ride as did the winner.
Anthony Brockbank
The popular venue was The Old Railway Line at Torver, a much used location but which never fails to produce a good event no matter the level of severity chosen by those who set out such trials. No frost has yet to take a hold in the area so the ground was incredibly muddy and slippery and chewed up fairly badly, but it always recovers well and continues to provide some of the best trialing action available anywhere. A mix of rocky streams, greasy banks littered with rocks and slippery grass between boulders is always the offering and provides aa good challenge to determined riders.
Barrow include a Black course in most of their club trials which is aimed at beginners, youngsters and enthusiastic oldies, and is generally classed as dead easy, but not this time as winner Mike Rapley, tackling his first trial since last Easter having avowed that after 60 years he was retiring from trials riding, was determined to get at least one trial during his 61st year in the sport and claimed the class win having achieved the same result 12 months earlier. Only 3 riders in the class finished, for there was no doubt it was far tougher than intended, and even though Rapley’s score of 57 was high, he was still 31 marks better than Ryan Tippett with Mike Mellen, struggling through to achieve a well deserved finish.
. Mike Mellen
Full results from the link on the Home page with Kitch pics in the gallery