Manx guys test the Cumbrian locals at Graythwaite
The riders who tackle the hard course in trials often say they like the sections to be tough. Well, they got their wishes at the Barrow Club’s D.R.Burrow trial in Graythwaite Forest, which was a round of the Northern Centre Championship, in fact it was the last round until the next round in a month.
With the series leader Tom Swindlehurst on holiday and a few other hard course riders absent from this event, there were just ten riders on the hard course from the 50 competitors who signed on at the start. Former multiple Centre Champion Stephen Dixon proved to be the best, losing 85 marks over the three laps of 14 sections with Will Brockbank second on 91 and Ross Bainbridge third on 99 – the only riders over the hard course with scores under 100. Being tough it did mean that losing a five was definitely not a disaster, and there were plenty of failures by all riders.
SteveDixon
John Holland 
Visitors from the Isle of Man swelled the entry and certainly showed locals the way over the Green course with the ultra experienced Juan Knight a very clear winner on 36 lost from local Green course regular Sam Metcalfe well adrift, with Owen Chestnut and Tom Knight, both visitors taking third and fourth. Section 5 for the Green course defeated the entire course entry of 9 riders, but the results showed that those who set out the trial, Peters Mawson and Huddleston, probably got it all about right, especially as this heavily decimated forest is a real tough place to ride round.
The last time John Holland ventured north from his Lincolnshire abode, a month ago for the last Centre round by Westmorland, he won the Clubman course and did the same again at this Barrow trial, losing 17 marks, three less than Nick Shield who undoubtedly lost the potential win with a slack 4 mark ride on section 7 where numerous clubman class riders went clean.
The long double sub of section 7 and 8, a gently twisting, narrow, but steep rocky stream proved challenging to most of the entry, as it always has in this trial, though nobody mastered it three times this year, the best being Sam Metcalfe who lost just one and Patrick Wardle who lost three.
Despite the general severity of the trial, particularly the going between sections, there were just five retirements so all credit to the entry who ploughed through, tired and aching after a full day’s sport.
Full results are from the Home page link with Eric Kitchen pictures likely to appear in the Gallery over the next couple of days.