The British national season got off to a great start this weekend with the opening round at High Wood Farm near Brimham Rocks in North Yorkshire. The trial was set over eight sections set on the top of the hillside and along the wooded slopes. There was a mix of long and gruelling, short and technical and downright massive sections, testing all aspects of the riders’ abilities. The weather was on our side and the 50 riders and 150 or so spectators who came to watch throughout the day were treated to glorious sunshine all day.
Despite the high turnout however, several of the ‘top’ elite riders were conspicuous by their absence and it was a real shame not to see them competing in their national cup. Long-standing event sponsors Onza were on hand, supplying the medals
and displaying their range of bikes and parts, with the all important spare tubes etc. on sale for those riders unlucky enough to need them!
As usual, riders had to complete two laps of eight sections giving a total of 16 sections and a possible 80 points! The sections did their job and separated the riders out nicely, with scores from clean to the full 80 points. All of the riders and spectators that we spoke to at the end of the trial said that they had a great day, and we did too!
Elite
The Elite sections set by Mick Carthy, Paul Hesling, James Hyland and co. were daunting to look at, with huge ups, gaps and drops, short run ups and technical passages. Most people had said that even walking the sections was beyond them! Danny Butler (Atomz/Fox) did not take well to the sections, retiring after fiving his first section and not handing his punch card in. Jack ‘Clean Machine’ Carthy (Tribal Zine/Koxx/Tarty Bikes took the huge rocks, gaps and banks in his stride, flying round his first lap with just one point on his card. His second lap saw a few more points and he finished on just seven points to take the win in Elite 26”. He was joined on the podium by Joe Seddon (Onza) who finished on 24, and Tom Rigg came third in his first Elite Cup round. Mahomet, a rider form the old guard who has been out of the scene for a while, made his return to competition trials at Brimham, but was put out of action by a bad fall in his third section which saw a bad gash in his leg forcing him to retire. Get well soon Wayne! Unfortunately, Sam Oliver (Rockman Bikes) had to cancel his entry at the last minute and Rob Poyser had to retire early as he was relying on Danny Butler for a lift home, so there were no riders in Elite 20” this time.
Elite 26” Podium
| Pos. | Rider | Pts. |
| 1. | Jack Carthy | 7 |
| 2. | Joe Seddon | 24 |
| 3. | Tom Rigg | 80 |
Expert
The Expert sections were no less daunting, with a good range of big moves linked with technical passages and gruelling uphill climbs, downhill passages and big drops. They claimed the second casualty of the day as Ben Moore took a tumble on his second lap which saw him on his way to hospital with a suspected broken elbow. As it stands we still don’t know whether it was broken as the swelling was too severe for anything to show up on the X-ray – good work Ben! Hope you’re OK! Alec Wray (Team 3SIXTY), who recently made the move to 26”, romped home on just 11 points, having either cleaned all but three sections, to take the win in Expert 26”. Steven Robson finished in second on 59, followed by Tribal Rider Ben Swales on 70. Oliver Battye had a strong ride in Expert 20”, dropping just nine points on his first lap and six on his second to take the win on just 15 points. Tribal Rider Jamie Bew was just one point behind him on 16, despite a bad fall on one of the more technical and scary drops taking a big chunk out of his leg – that’s dedication! Jack Chapman finished off the podium with 25 points on his card.
Expert 26” Podium
| Pos. | Rider | Pts. |
| 1. | Alec Wray | 11 |
| 2. | Steven Robson | 59 |
| 3. | Ben Swales | 70 |
Expert 20” Podium
| Pos. | Rider | Pts. |
| 1. | Oliver Battye | 15 |
| 2. | Jamie Bew | 16 |
| 3. | Jack Chapman | 25 |
Cadet
Owen Gawthorpe, who has been improving steadily and who has started of the season with some strong results in the club trials, put in another great performance to take the win in Cadet class, finishing with 14 points. His second lap was a great improvement on his first, finishing as he did with 12 on his first lap and just 2 on his second. This ability to learn from his mistakes and stay focused will stand him in great stead for future events! Second place went to Bradley Stead, another promising young rider, who finished on 27 points, ahead of and ever determined Jed Hesling on 47. These three guys are all very promising young riders who we are sure will continue to move up through the ranks and challenge some of the big names.
Cadet Podium
| Pos. | Rider | Pts. |
| 1. | Owen Gawthorpe | 14 |
| 2. | Bradley Stead | 27 |
| 3. | Jed Hesling | 47 |
Intermediate
Unsurprisingly, Intermediate class saw podium regulars Charlie Rolls, Adam Morewood and TJ Reynoldson battling it out for the top spot. Tribal Rider Charlie came out on top, dropping just four points on each lap to finish on eight, ahead of Adam (Tarty Bikes) on 13 and TJ not far behind on 17. These three will be pushing each other all season, there’s not a lot between them and Intermediate is one of the more exciting classes to watch as a result. It’s also great to see such young lads beating riders twice their age over the intermediate sections. The day’s only female rider, moto trials rider Donna Fox, finished in 7th place on 41 points. It would be great to see more ladies entering these events – perhaps the Trials Queens should step up to the plate and represent the ladies?.
Intermediate Podium
| Pos. | Rider | Pts. |
| 1. | Charlie Rolls | 8 |
| 2. | Adam Morewood | 13 |
| 3. | TJ Reynoldson | 17 |
Novice
Tribal Rider Sam Rolls had a great day, finishing on 0 for the perfect trial and the win in Novice class. Harry Francis was not far behind, in second place with one point on his card. Toby Smith finished on five after his first lap, picking himself up and cleaning every section on his second lap to finish in third. These boys should soon be moving up to Intermediate class to make things a bit more difficult for Charlie, Adam, TJ and co. – watch out boys!
Novice Podium
| Pos. | Rider | Pts. |
| 1. | Sam Rolls | 0 |
| 2. | Harry Francis | 1 |
| 3. | Toby Smith | 5 |
Primary
Reece Seymour dropped four points on his first lap and five on his second to take the win in Primary class on just 9 dabs, followed by Jamie Smith on 13 and Paul Grange on 21.
Primary Podium
| Pos. | Rider | Pts. |
| 1. | Reece Seymour | 9 |
| 2. | Jamie Smith | 13 |
| 3. | Paul Grange | 21 |
Full Results
The next national competition is in Fort William with the British Championship on the Saturday 4th of June and round two of the British Cup on Sunday the 5thof June. As usual they are being run alongside the UCI World Cup, with all the usual trappings: trade stands, demonstrations, famous faces and plenty of mountainbike and trials action! The sections in Fort William are always challenging and fun; composed of a mixture of natural sections in the woods and along the river, and artificial sections dotted about the main arena. It’s an amazing weekend and certainly not to be missed! Contact Ben Swales at [email protected]
Pictures:
Thanks to Paul Hesling, Dave Barrat, Kellie Rolls and Robin Morewood for some of the pictures.
Check out the video of Jack Carthy during and after the competition, made by Adam Read at Tarty Bikes, here: Jack Carthy at High Wood Farm.
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