Don’t take it for Granted
Dale Metcalfe hadn’t ridden a trial for over a year, indeed his Sherco had not been moved until he came to help the local team set out the Westmorland Club’s Grant Trial, yet he still went on to win the Clubman class of this Northern Centre Championship round, losing 14 marks to beat John Gornall – another returning to the sport after many months off his Vertigo – with local regular rider David Braithwaite finishing third.
The Grant is seen as one of the premier trials in Cumbria, it runs over a challenging moorland lap of several miles with very sensible sections, 14 of them in fact with the course ridden three times. Riders were certainly tired come the end of the competition, but unanimously they voted that it had been a brilliant event – which was good news for all involved except for the fact that the entry was so few in number – just 32.
Tom Swindlehurst Paul Anderson
There were certainly some comments made as to why bother organising such trials when so few riders turn up, but the location and the level of the course is one that should not be lost for once it has gone, could it ever come back?
It was certainly a trial worth contesting for the 32 who made the effort and whilst the time of year may well influence the number of entries, it has to be in the height of summer due to local concerns about wheel tracks over the open hillsides, and being bone dry again will certainly have enhanced the organisers comments that no obvious trace of the trial having taken place will be seen.
Luke Standring
Sam Metcalfe. Erik Buckley
The bulk of the entry rode the clubman course (missing out section 9) with six on the hard course and seven on the green course. Tom Swindlehurst had an over-whelming win on the hard course, dropping just 4 marks with Gary Pears taking the green course win on 12.
Full results are linked from the home page and the pictures from the trial are courtesy of Mike Rapley.