Erik posts Firbank win
If the rider’s surname started with the letter B, then only one of four riders in the Westmorland Club’s second Wednesday evening trial could be the winner, so it was going to be either Carl Batty, Cameron Batty, Donald Baines or Erik Buckley who would prove to be the winner.
Ten year old Cameron Batty took third
So when the results were calculated, it was Westmorland committee member Erik Buckley who by the margin of just a single mark beat Carl Batty on the night with Carl’s 10 year old son Cameron next a further mark behind. The three riders were on 3, 4 and 5 marks lost respectively.
So what of Donald Baines? He finished mid field on 21 marks lost and the best performer on an EM electric bike from the four that were being ridden.
Held at Firbank, above the Cumbrian, formerly Yorkshire town of Sedbergh, it was on the club’s own land that the trial took place which is only a couple of hundred yards from the historical hillside known as Fox’s Pulpit,
where, on June 13, 1652, George Fox gathered a thousand seekers inspired to hear his message, the meeting being the first of importance of what was to become the Society of Friends known as Quakers. (A history lesson in every trials report!!)
Divided into two routes for Clubmen and Easy Clubmen, the trial was over four short laps of ten sections, all pretty easy to encourage riders into the sport. Indeed it was successful in that respect with several first timers and new riders attending and with only one rider retiring, finding three laps plentiful.
From left: Malcolm Mason, Luke Furness, David Taylor, Matthew Edmondson, Tyler Knowles
David Chapman was the best of the eight on the easy course, just a single mark ahead of veteran Lakes GTRC committee man Colin Benson. Chapman was on an almost new TRS and Benson a very aged 500 Ariel which proved if nothing else that the machine doesn’t matter over easy courses.
Full results are linked from the Home page.