White Rose Trial
It was the second national trial I ever rode on my Ossa in 1977, which was the day after the Bemrose Trial in my native Derbyshire. It would turn into an event I would return to year after year, such was the superb nature of the trial surrounded by such stunning countryside. Seeing the iconic landmarks such as Cam Head and the impressive Ribblehead Valley Viaduct, which took seven years to construct and opened on 1st May 1876, remained with me as I drove to White Rose Trial in September 2020.
Originally named the Dancaster Trial in 1947, after the first President of the club, Harry Dancaster, it remained until it was awarded National status in 1976. The White Rose Trophy, donated by the Royalty Inn, which was the pub in Pudsey where the club met for their business meetings at the time, remains an iconic event to win and has a reputation as a very good, traditional type of event.
Following the government’s Covid-19 guidelines, it attracted a full entry of 150 riders with Andy Chilton (BMS Scorpa) adding his name to a long list of winners dating back to 1976.
With a single-lap course of just over 30 miles consisting of mainly open moorland, the riders would enjoy a broad spectrum of hazards included in the 40 sections.
A wet misty day greeted the riders to the start at the back of the mighty ‘Cam Head’ hill which dominates the surrounding area. So many riders were a little ‘rusty’ with time away from riding trials but all agreed what a grand day out the West Leeds Motorcycle Club had put on in these challenging times.
Clerk of the Course Nigel Crowther and his band of helpers, observers and officials put on an event the club should be very proud of in these unchartered waters of Covid 19.
WHITE ROSE ROUTE
With the ambitious steep rocks of section five stopping the whole entry on this hardest of routes, it was all about those loose marks where the winner would be found. In the end, it was just a single mark that separated Andy Chilton and Richard Sadler. With only a single five-mark penalty each, they pulled out an advantage over third-placed Dan Thorpe, who could not find the consistency to challenge them. He finished well clear of the fourth- and fifth-placed finishers Danny Gamble and Sam Beecroft-Penney, who were also separated by just a single mark.
RESULTS: 1: Andy Chilton (BMS Scorpa) 15; 2: Richard Sadler (John Shirt Motorcycles GASGAS) 16; 3: Dan Thorpe (John Shirt Motorcycles GASGAS) 26; 4: Danny Gamble (Sherco) 39; 5: Sam Beecroft-Penney (TRRS) 40.
50/50 COURSE
Competing in this event for the first time in 1989, John Shirt enjoyed a nice gallop around this enjoyable trial with his supported riders to finish as a clear winner, parting with just three single marks on his way to victory. A single stop in section 27 just over halfway around stopped Gavin Black challenging him. Enjoying a ride out on his new Vertigo, Danny Cockshott admitted to being one of the rusty ones with little riding time but still came home third out of the 46 riders on this middle route.
RESULTS: 1: John R Shirt (John Shirt Motorcycles GASGAS) 3; 2: Gavin Black (Sherco) 12; 3: Danny Cockshott (John Lee Motorcycles Vertigo) 18; 4: Patrick Dukes (Beta) 21; 5: Richard Fraser (Sherco) 22.
CLUBMAN COURSE
Interestingly, the winning margins of a single mark separated both the White Rose course winner and the Clubman course winner. Philip Hammond and Paul Jackson were very evenly matched throughout the day, and neither conceded a stop. With Alan MacDonald finishing just behind the winners, the fight for fourth position would go to the tie-break decider with three riders all on 27 marks. It was the many-times ACU British Sidecar Champion Robin Luscombe who used all his experience and came out on top riding his Pre-65 BSA Bantam, also carrying the number one riding number! As popular as ever, this class had a huge 78 riders competing.
RESULTS: 1: Philip Hammond (Sherco) 18; 2: Paul Jackson (Montesa) 19; 3: Alan MacDonald (Montesa) 21; 4: Robin Luscombe (BSA) 27; 5: John Holdsworth (Beta) 27; 6: Neil Sharp (Vertigo) 27.
As one of the best road-based National trials still running, here we have a look back at its many past winners from when it first moved from a Regional restricted trial to a National in 1976. The event has run every year apart from 2001 when the dreaded Foot and Mouth disease stopped proceedings.
WHITE ROSE TRIAL WINNERS 1976-2019
RESULTS: 1976: Rob Shepherd (Honda); 1977: Nick Jefferies (Honda); 1978: Rob Shepherd (Honda); 1979: Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa); 1980: Peter Cartwright (Bultaco); 1981: Peter Cartwright (Italjet); 1982: Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa); 1983: Peter Cartwright (Italjet); 1984: Steve Saunders (Armstrong); 1985: John Reynolds (JCM); 1986: Ian Weatherill (Fantic); 1987: John Lampkin (Beta); 1988: Glen Scholey (Honda); 1989: Ian Weatherill (Yamaha); 1990: Philip Alderson (Yamaha); 1991: Philip Alderson (Yamaha); 1992: Robert Crawford (Montesa); 1993: Dougie Lampkin (Beta); 1994: Dougie Lampkin (Beta); 1995: Robert Crawford (Yamaha); 1996: Steve Colley (Gas Gas); 1997: Dougie Lampkin (Beta); 1998: Wayne Braybrook (Montesa); 1999: Dan Thorpe (Yamaha); 2000: John Lampkin (Beta); 2001: No Event Foot and Mouth; 2002: Graham Jarvis (Sherco); 2003: Dan Thorpe (Gas Gas); 2004: Graham Jarvis (Sherco); 2005: Graham Jarvis (Sherco); 2006: Graham Jarvis (Sherco); 2007: Ian Austermuhle (Beta); 2008: Dan Thorpe (Gas Gas); 2009: Sam Haslam (Gas Gas); 2010: Sam Haslam (Gas Gas); 2011: Phil Disney (Beta); 2012: Ian Austermuhle (Beta); 2013: Ian Austermuhle (Beta); 2014: Ian Austermuhle (Beta); 2015: Richard Sadler (Beta); 2016: Guy Kendrew (Beta); 2017: Richard Sadler (Beta); 2018: Tom Minta (Gas Gas); 2019: Dan Peace (Sherco).
In the very early days of mobile phones, I was driving back from the event with John R Shirt when we heard the news that the 1993 winner was Dougie Lampkin (Beta), his first adult National win on the same day Steve Colley (Beta) won his first FIM World Championship round in Finland!