Crystal ball
Who could have predicted the way 2020 has turned out?
It was just brilliant to get out and enjoy a day motorcycling again. We've lost so much this year
Well, first off you don't need me to tell you what a weird – but by no means wonderful – time we are currently going through. And you'll certainly need someone a lot cleverer than me to tell you what the future has in store. In reality, I doubt Nostradamus himself would have a clue what to predict if confronted with Covid-19.
When we all eagerly turned out for the (excellent) opening KIA National Twinshock round, staged way back on Sunday, March 15, little did we know what lay ahead. All present revelled in a perfect sunny day at Fell Green, Bootle, on the Cumbrian fells, enjoying everything that is good about trials. Bucolic bliss indeed.
The ensuing sporting downtime turned out to be a long, long four months before a competitive classic wheel would turn again. Indeed, there has been no mad rush by clubs to run events, some being very tentative, not wishing to upset landowners or antagonise farmers or locals. Indeed, some clubs have called time on the entire 2020 season, banking on a return to whatever 'normality' looks like in 2021.
This piece is being churned out – in splendid isolation of course – following the Westmorland club's Bultaco Covid Nostalgia Trial (Saturday, July 26), the first time many of us had been to a trial since Bootle.
The Westmorland club were able to run the Nostalgia, a suitably stripped-back version of the usual all-singing, all-dancing production, shorn of its whistles and bells (and beer – no Bluebird ale in sight!) on its own land, Firbank Fell, close to J36 on the M6.
The land was bought by the club back in 1993 with the late Hughie Hudson a prime mover in its purchase. It is a big lump – around 90 acres – of scrub land, neither fell nor foul, and it proved absolutely perfect for the Nostalgia on this occasion, the day being as much a get together as a serious event.
One of the challenges of running an event at the moment of course is staying within the Government guidelines of keeping Covid at bay. Entries in advance and providing your own riding number keeps the secretary quiet on the day, while sensible parking with a two metre distancing needs to be factored in.
Groups of six riders are allowed, so with 15 sections, 90 hopefuls proved a perfect number. Sending each group to a different section ensures everyone is on the course come start time.
This works amazingly well. It is a much fairer system, with each group having to go first in one section. It means that no observers have to wait two hours for riders to reach them. It means a much earlier finish. It is win, win, win.
The downside is if any one rider has a problem and drops out of the group. At the Nostalgia, all groups stuck together like glue.
Of course, the group system would not replicate easily on a single lap course, although it could possibly be no different to starting riders individually. And if you are running a 10 section five-lap trial with 120 riders it would clearly get a bit messy.
But, as the sport makes the first moves to getting back to business, it is all very much a case of suck it and see. There will be downsides, but also unexpected bonuses – like early finishes!
Whatever, it was just brilliant to get out and enjoy a day motorcycling again. We've lost so much this year, Scottish Pre-65 Two Day, Scottish Six Days, Highland Two Day, Reeth Three Day, Manx Two Day (both versions). The reinvigorated Kinlochleven club hung on manfully until they too had to cancel their popular Two Day in September (although they are hoping to rescue a one day Classic trial at the Chairlift in Glencoe) in order to protect the remote village. The Lakes Two Day has gone, as has the greatest one day trial in the calendar, The Scott.
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