British Championship Solo/Ladies/Sidecar/Youth
It was time to move ‘up North’ for round five of the 2018 ACU British Championship from the previous round at Kelly’s Farm in the south, and with it came a change of weather from the warm summer we have enjoyed. With a new venue for the John Hardaker Trophy at Aislaby, above the seaside resort of Whitby in North Yorkshire, the wind and rain returned to fall on the event. With a dry opening lap the rain then came and changed the nature of the mandatory twelve hazards to be ridden three times. In an easier than expected British Championship round the leaders in all the four classes remained clear at the top of the points tables with both James Dabill (Beta) and Ross Danby (TRS UK) keeping their one-hundred-percent winning records intact. A total of 38 riders were entered across Championship, Expert, Masters and Elite Youth classes in this Guisborough DMCC Ltd event. Championship Class
Never a rider to look under pressure even at a low-scoring event, the combination of James Dabill and the Beta continue to dominate this year’s championship. His opening lap score of three was made up of a single mark on section seven and a two on section nine, which was bettered by both of his closest championship rivals Jack Price and the older of the two Peace brothers Dan as they lost one mark each. As for many of the other championship class riders, parting with a five pushed them way out of the equation. As the rain started to fall at the opening of the second lap all the riders upped their pace as it started to affect the hazards. As any top-class rider would, Dabill opened up the advantage with a faultless lap looking very confident as Price lost his advantage, whilst Peace chased Dabill losing just a single mark. On the last lap the heavens opened and the hazards all became more difficult as the rain changed their nature completely. Dabill was now at his very best and once again, as we have seen all season, he left his rivals with no answer to his consistency as he had another clear lap to record his fifth win and increase his advantage in the points table.
CHAMPIONSHIP CLASS
RESULTS: 1: James Dabill (Beta) 3; 2: Jack Price (JST Gas Gas UK) 6; 3: Dan Peace (JST Gas Gas UK) 9; 4: Jack Peace (JST Gas Gas UK) 16; 5: Toby Martyn (RG Montesa/Honda UK) 24; 6: Iwan Roberts (TRS UK) 24; 7: Jack Sheppard (MRS Sherco) 28; 8: Tom Minta (BMS Scorpa) 32; 9: Billy Green (Beta-UK) 33; 10: Jack Challoner (Craig’s Montesa) 39; 11: Andy Chilton (BMS Scorpa Andy Metcalfe) 41; 12: Dec Bullock (Gas Gas) 65; 13: Hugo Jervis (AB TRS) 76.
POSITIONS AFTER FIVE ROUNDS
RESULTS: 1: Dabill 100; 2: Price 81; 3: Dan Peace 75; 4: Martyn 61; 5: Jack Peace 57; 6: Sheppard 52; 7: Chilton 42; 8: Minta 35; 9: Green 25; 10: Roberts 20; 11: Challoner 20; 12: Bullock 20; 13: Connor 19; 14: Wigg 16; 15: Jervis 13.
Masters Class
Take nothing away from TRS mounted Ross Danby in this poorly supported class as he nevertheless continues his total domination of the Masters class, who ride the easiest half of the Championship sections and the hardest half of the Expert sections. As he demonstrated in the previous round he has the upper hand over his rivals with, once again, a clear victory over local rider Adam Milner (TRS UK) as his closest championship challenger Tom Affleck (180° Vertigo) was pushed into third. Adding some international flavour to the event was Australia’s Connor Hogan (Gas Gas) who finished fourth.
MASTERS CLASS
RESULTS: 1: Ross Danby (TRS UK) 14; 2: Adam Milner (TRS UK) 26; 3: Tom Affleck (180° Vertigo) 34; 4: Connor Hogan (Gas Gas) 68. 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS RESULTS: 1: Danby 100; 2: Affleck 77; 3: Haslam 51; 4: Jones 39; 5: Milner 17; 6: McColl 15; 7: Smith 13; 8: Hogan 13.
Expert Class After Joe Baker totally dominated the class at Kelly’s Farm it was the turn of another Sherco rider Luke Walker to win this very closely contested class. Having a seven-week break from trials appears to have done Luke good as he put in a superb ride to push the Beta pairing of series leader Paul Sadler and second-placed championship contender Guy Kendrew down the results. Three single marks on each of the three laps on different hazards gave the victory to Walker as, once again, with low scores the case of incurring a single five-mark penalty meant it was game over to challenge for the win. None of the top three incurred a five, which resulted in the close finish. Paul Sadler still remains clear at the top of the championship with a healthy advantage. EXPERT CLASS RESULTS: 1: Luke Walker (Sherco) 3; 2: Guy Kendrew (Beta-UK) 5; 3: Richard Sadler (Beta-UK/Acklams) 6; 4: James Fry (Sherco) 9; 5: Chris Stay (TRS UK) 10; 6: Sam Yeomans (JST Gas Gas UK) 20; 7: Dan Thorpe (JST Gas Gas UK) 20; 8: Conrad Atkinson (Sherco) 20; 9: Emma Bristow (Sherco) 20; 10: Tom Culliford (TRS) 27; 11: Josh Hanlon (Beta) 36; 12: Iwan Jones (TRS) 43; 13: Aldis Blacker (Gas Gas) 56; 14: James Saunders (TRS UK) 106; 15: Jake Eley (Beta) 107. 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS RESULTS: 1: Sadler 89; 2: Kendrew 77; 3: Walker 63; 4: Thorpe 56; 5: Fry 52; 6: Stay 48; 7: Bristow 41; 8: Yeomans 41; 9: Atkinson 21; 10: Baker 20; 10: Morphett 20; 12: Hanlon 14; 13: Pearson 13; 14: Child 13; 15: Starmer 11. Elite Youth Championship leader Mitch Brightmore (JST Gas Gas UK) must have thought he had lost the chance to fight for victory as championship challenger Charlie Smith (Inch Perfect Trials Beta) scored the lowest lap of the trial on his first of the three. Returning to action after a broken collarbone, Brightmore came fighting back to even things up on the second lap with it all to play for on the final lap. It was sheer determination that gave Brightmore the victory as the hazards deteriorated with the rain, as his lap score of nine was head and shoulders above the rest of the riders. With Gus Oblein (Sherco) pushed down to third the championship advantage has opened up slightly in Brightmore’s favour. EXPERT CLASS RESULTS: 1: Mitch Brightmore (JST Gas Gas UK) 31; 2: Charlie Smith (Inch Perfect Trials Beta) 40; 3: Gus Oblein (Sherco) 48; 4: Brett Harbud (BVM Beta) 64; 5: Ryan Brown (Beta) 75; 6: Adam Juffs (TRS) 119. 2018 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS RESULTS: 1: Brightmore 94; 2: Oblein 83; 3: Harbud 71; 4: Smith 71; 5: Brown 50; 6: Juffs 38; 7: Wright 31.