Peace reigns after a thrilling duel in Neath
THERE was a tight finish as Neath Motor Club’s St David’s Trial was staged above Aberdulais.
With the driest conditions of recent years, clerk of the course James Lamin and his team along with the ACU Trial GB staff at the event – the second round of the Wulfsport ACU Trial GB Championship – spent the early morning modifying and toughening up some of the sections high on the mountain.
The biggest change was at the loose and challenging Big Hill Climb of section seven. It is normally a test with stream water flowing, but following the long dry spell and no water in sight, it was decided to upgrade the Expert and 125 class route on the rock-strewn hillside.
More changes lay in wait ahead at section nine, with a completely new ending included to climb out over the bank of the traditional stream section.
Series manager Brian Higgins said: “James and his team did a fantastic job on this natural piece of land in such dry conditions.
“We were confident that top riders would still show through after a hard 36 sections over the three laps.”
And so it proved initially, with round one winner Toby Martyn showing his potential for another victory on his TRS machine.
He held an advantage for the first four sections of the first lap, before the Truro rider was pushed back by Jack Peace on his MRS Sherco 300.
The York rider clearly meant business as he left the mid-route steep stream bed section three points clear of series leader Martyn.
That battle continued all through the event, with Martyn and Peace both looking to establish their dominance.
The final lap, however, saw the biggest points loss for round one winner Martyn, finishing the trial with a nine-point lap deficit which reversed the result from the opening round at the Hookwood Trials Centre in Surrey.
He took second with Peace the winner, though a protest could yet be lodged.
Meanwhile, round one of the JD Tyres Welsh Tarmacadam Championship – the Marshall & Hicks Caerwent Stages – was won by
Damian Cole and Ian Davies in the Get Connected Skoda Fabia R5.
Dave Willett’s Escort took second from the Darrian T90 GTR of Wayne Jones.