Martyn Boots his way to victory
Round 3 of the prestigious Trial GB series was hosted by the Bootle Club on Easter Sunday where current British Champion Toby Martyn was victorious just 40 hours after his brilliant fourth place finish in the Bordeaux round of the X-Trial World Championship series.
The ever-smiling Cornishman aboard a privateer Montesa claimed a narrow win over series leader Jack Peace by just four marks in a tough trial at Po House near Millom, a venue used previously for club trials but never for such a class event as a BTC round.
Held over three laps of 12 super difficult sections, it was Billy Green, another Westcountryman, who finished in third place after more than five non-stop hours that proved physically demanding to the 51 starters who took part in the event which featured five classes, Trial GB, Trial 2, Trial 125, Trial Electric and Trial Expert.
The high-scoring event proved more testing than anticipated as the grass between the rocks became increasingly slippery and the granite outcrop offered only minimal grip for the sometimes huge steps but at other times, was equally gripless in loose shale in the moist soil.
Peace led the opening lap with the loss of 18 compared to Martyn on 22, but on lap two as the sections became more difficult Martyn pulled six marks back to move into a narrow two mark lead and whilst Peace had the best lap of the trial of 15, Martyn was only one mark more which was enough to clinch the victory. Green was never in the hunt for better than third and only just pipped World 125 Champion Harry Hemingwayby a single mark as the youngster nudges his way to a podium placing before the series ends in September.
George Hemingway The always smiling Alexz Wigg
Harry’s younger brother George, only just turned 16 years old, blitzed the Trial 2 class, and did it riding a 125 Beta against the rest of the entry on much larger capacity bikes. George took 67 marks through the trial, Andy Chilton, an occasional rider in the championship series was second on 77 and for the first time, Oliver Smith was third, proving that his upbringing on Oset machines imported and developed by his father, works wonders.
Only three riders rode the 125 class with Harry Blackwell the best on a huge score of 126, loudly encouraged by his dad through the sections, whilst the very experienced Chris Pearson won the Electric class on an EM with a score that would have seen him take a podium place in the Trial Expert category.
When the 28 riders in the Expert class faced the sections, the one man they all knew they needed to beat to be successful was Dan Thorpe, but none managed to challenge the oldest rider in the class as the 44 year old overcame what he considered to be a slow start, to then dominate the class and finish with a winning score some 13 marks better than Brad Bullock, his nearest rival, before shooting off to Wales to defend his S3 Championship crown from 2022.
Dan Thorpe
Thorpe was only one mark adrift of Bullock after the first lap but both had been roundly eclipsed by local ace Cameron Brice who held a commanding 5 point lead after the first 12 sections before fading to ninth at the end. Oliver Sharp, perhaps better known as a minder for now retired World Round campaigners, proved he can be a class rider in his own right by taking third.
Full results can be accessed from the home page link.