Riders get in gear for Rock trophy
A WET and windy day greeted Huddersfield Falcon M.C.C. riders at Horn Hill, New Mill, for the first in a series of ‘Dead Easy’ trials run by Huddersfield Falcons aimed squarely at firsttime riders and more mature riders who might want to return to the sport.
The winner of the series will receive the Michael Rock Trophy in memory of club stalwart, Michael, who lost his life in a road traffic accident nearly three years ago.
Richard Beever and Howard Marsden laid out a course of 10 sections.
Very wet ground conditions caused the sections to become slippery, demanding a good blend of balance and throttle control from the riders.
Not many riders can say that they won their very first trial but that is just what Youth B rider Joe Thornton did. He looked confident all day but even he recorded a maximum on section six.
Another first-time rider, Anthony Dyson, was runner-up, while Alanna Eagleton tied with Harry Booth for third.
On the slightly harder course, experienced Ben Francis was aiming for a clean ride but dropped two slack marks, although that was good enough to win.
Riding on his home patch Curtis Johnson got off to the worst possible start with a maximum on the first section by riding the wrong side of a marker flag and another five on section three dropped him down to third.
Several riders including Ian Livingstone and Bill Swallow brought out their pre-65 bikes but struggled with the slippery conditions.
Youth Class B: Joe Thornton (Gas Gas) 63. Beginner: Anthony Dyson (Gas Gas) 80. Youth C: Harry Booth (Oset) 112 mc, Alanna Eagleton (Oset) 112, Harry Jackson (Beta) 144.
Novices: Ben Francis (Gas Gas) 2, Alan Oliver (TRS) 14, Curtis Johnson (Sherco) 16 mc. Twin Shock: Nick Eagleton (Honda) 23, Andrew Walters (Honda) 31, Stephen Wilde (Honda) 54. Over 40s: Dave Morley (Sherco
25, Danny Turnbull (Beta) 42, Martyn Pinder (Sherco) 46. Over 60s: Ian McMillan (Gas Gas) 61. Pre-65s: Nick Atha (James) 46, Ian
Roper (Triumph) 63, Martin Greenwood (Triumph) 73.