CLASSIC COMPETITION

1980 Review

Here we round up our look at the 1980 ACU British Trials Championship from the last issue of Classic Trial Magazine, with the late great Martin Lampkin (Bultaco/SWM) the worthy winner. His move in the April from Bultaco to SWM had interrupted his form, but he came out with a winning statement at the Allan Jefferies Trial, Martin Lampkin was still a winner! After a knee injury put Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) out of his home event, round six the Allan Jefferies Trial, he came back into action at round seven but ran out of rounds to challenge his good friend for the title he held in 1979.

Words: Yoomee, Alan Wright, Alan Vines and Mike Rapley • Pictures: Alan Vines and Eric Kitchen. The images used in this article are from a selection we have from various events during 1980. Once again, I would like to say a huge thank you to the photographers and riders who have helped generate this article: editor, John Hulme.

With five of the ten rounds contested, the 1980 ACU British Trials Championship had Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) in front of Martin Lampkin (Bultaco) with Rob Shepherd next, putting these three head and shoulders above the rest of the pointsscorers. With a total of 19 points scorers in the first half of the Championship, it was still a battle to get into the top ten. Larger engined machines dominated the points-scoring rides, but it was soon all about to change.

1980 ACU BRITISH TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP FIVE ROUNDS COMPLETED

POSITIONS: 1: Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) 59; 2: Martin Lampkin (Bultaco) 54; 3: Rob Shepherd (Honda) 51; 4: John Reynolds (Beamish Suzuki) 29; 5: Nigel Birkett (Montesa) 20; 6: Mike Skinner (Montesa) 19; 7: Mick Andrews (Majesty Yamaha) 19; 8: Peter Cartwright (Bultaco) 12; 9: Chris Sutton (Montesa) 10; 10: Alan Wright (Bultaco) 8; 11: Chris Clarke (Montesa) 8; 12: Dave Thorpe (Bultaco) 6; 13: Chris Myers (Bultaco) 6; 14: Tony Calvert (Ossa) 6; 15: Kiyoteru Hattori (Honda-JPN) 6; 16: Steve Wilson (SWM) 5; 17: Bernie Schreiber (Bultaco-USA) 5; 18: Norman Shepherd (Ossa) 3; 19: Nick Jefferies (Montesa) 1.

ROUND 6: ALLAN JEFFERIES TRIAL

With financial problems at the Bultaco factory forcing Martin Lampkin to SWM, he was now settling into his riding. With some world round experience under his belt, he was back on form for his ‘Home’ national.

The early championship leader Malcolm Rathmell was out of action after damaging his leg at the ‘Kickstart’ arena trial, and it was Rob Shepherd who took the championship fight to Lampkin on the fourstroke Honda.

It was a rejuvenated Tony Calvert on the new yellow Ossa ‘Gripper’ model who rocked the boat with an excellent third place. Nigel Birkett battled on with the Montesa Cota 349, which turned out to be his last British championship round on the machine. John Reynolds slipped down the Championship table with a disappointing seventh as Glen Scholey rounded off the top ten.

RESULTS: 1: Martin Lampkin (SWM) 46; 2: Rob Shepherd (Honda) 48; 3: Tony Calvert (Ossa) 55; 4: Chris Sutton (Montesa) 63; 5: Nigel Birkett (Montesa) 64; 6: Chris Myers (Bultaco) 64; 7: John Reynolds (Beamish Suzuki) 71; 8: Peter Cartwright (Bultaco) 71; 9: Mick Andrews (Majesty Yamaha) 72; 10: Glen Scholey (Bultaco) 74.

ROUND 7: RED ROSE TRIAL

With a reputation for a tough day’s sport, the Red Rose Trial threw up one of the biggest upsets in the British Championship that almost mirrored the change of Sammy Miller from the 500cc Ariel to the Bultaco 250cc in 1965. In a brave move by the Montesa importer, Jim Sandiford, he put Nigel Birkett on the Montesa Cota 200, moving him from the larger-engined Montesa Cota 349! Never one to shy from a challenge, Birkett only went out and won!

Also on a larger-engined Montesa, Malcolm Rathmell made a return from injury to finish second. For Martin Lampkin, it was a day to forget, finishing in – for him – a lowly seventh. It’s also worth noting the first ACU British Championship point for Fantic with Chris Griffin in tenth position on the 200 model — actual engine size 156cc! Times were changing, as the red Fantics arrived in the UK.

RESULTS: 1: Nigel Birkett (Montesa) 64; 2: Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) 66; 3: Rob Shepherd (Honda) 75; 4: Peter Cartwright (Bultaco) 75; 5: John Reynolds (Beamish Suzuki) 77; 6: Martin Lampkin (SWM) 85; 7: Chris Sutton (Montesa) 90; 8: Dave Thorpe (Bultaco) 93; 9: Norman Shepherd (Ossa) 95; 10: Chris Griffin (Fantic) 95.

ROUND 8: TRAVERS TROPHY TRIAL

It was that man Birkett and the Montesa Cota 200 that once again dominated the headlines as he stormed to the Travers win and a maximum points haul. On a dry, warm day he left his fellow championship challengers stood looking in amazement as he worked wonders on the little 200 Montesa. On one particular occasion, he watched Rob Shepherd, on the mighty 360 Honda, come to a stop on a very steep hill climb. Not fazed by this at all, he left Shepherd speechless as he cleaned the very same hazard.

Holding the championship lead, Martin Lampkin finished just two marks behind Birkett. Sheffield’s Chris Clarke was bang on form with a good strong third-place finish. Having missed the Allan Jefferies Trial through injury, the defending champion Rathmell lost further ground on Lampkin, finishing in fourth position. With Birkett showing good form he was slowly moving up the championship table with the addition of the recent maximum points at the Red Rose and now the Travers.

RESULTS: 1: Nigel Birkett (Montesa) 35; 2: Martin Lampkin (SWM) 37; 3: Chris Clarke (Montesa) 42; 4: Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) 47; 5: John Reynolds (Beamish Suzuki) 54; 6: Rob Shepherd (Honda) 59; 7: Chris Sutton (Montesa) 58; 8: Mike Skinner (Montesa) 69; 9: Peter Cartwright (Bultaco) 69; 10: Tony Calvert (Ossa) 70.

ROUND 9: PRESIDENTS TROPHY TRIAL

It was a very dark day for the sport when Malcolm Davis was tragically killed by a drunk driver while competing in the trial. It cast a cloud over the whole proceedings, and it was a sombre end to the day when the results were announced that Malcolm Rathmell had won. With Lampkin finishing second, it allowed Rathmell to take the title fight to the final round with the points standing very close between them.

Rob Shepherd was missing from the event with a badly twisted knee, which ended his championship challenge for Honda.

The Birkett & Montesa 200 combination struggled on the predominantly steep demanding hazards as the machine simply did not have enough strong power.

John Reynolds was in trouble as he struggled with severe back pain. At one point he was in so much pain he nearly retired before some strong pain killers got him going again.

RESULTS: 1: Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) 23; 2: Martin Lampkin (SWM) 28; 3: Chris Sutton (Montesa) 32; 4: Nigel Birkett (Montesa) 38; 5: John Reynolds (Beamish Suzuki) 40; 6: Peter Cartwright (Bultaco) 42; 7: Chris Clarke (Montesa) 43; 8: Tony Calvert (Ossa) 43; 9: Nick Jefferies (Montesa) 46; 10: Chris Griffin (Fantic) 47.

ROUND 10: WELSH TROPHY TRIAL

Very much taking the bull by the horns, Martin Lampkin set off on a mission at the Welsh Trophy. In a relatively low-scoring event, Malcolm Rathmell tried all he knew to defend his title but Lampkin, riding very much his own trial, was having none of it. Lampkin was greeted by a very happy SWM importer Jock Wilson at the finish of the trial as the winner and the new British Trials Champion. It was the first win for an Italian motorcycle manufacturer after the Championship had been dominated by the Spanish since 1965, and the last for the eldest of the three famous Lampkin brothers.

Despite missing the last two rounds, Rob Shepherd (Honda) managed to hold on to third place in the Championship just in front of Nigel Birkett (Montesa). With 21 points-scorers over the ten rounds, the Championship had once again been a huge success. It received a good number of entries with intense competition right down the order at all the events.

RESULTS: 1: Martin Lampkin (SWM) 11; 2: Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) 15; 3: Mick Andrews (Majesty Yamaha) 17; 4: Nigel Birkett (Montesa) 19; 5: Chris Clarke (Montesa) 23; 6: John Reynolds (Beamish Suzuki) 23; 7: Peter Cartwright (Bultaco) 25;

8: Mike Skinner (Montesa) 30; 9: Chris Sutton (Montesa) 31; 10: Chris Griffin (Fantic) 37.

1980 ACU BRITISH TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP

RESULTS: 1: Martin Lampkin (Bultaco/SWM) 113; 2: Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) 106; 3: Rob Shepherd (Honda) 78; 4: Nigel Birkett (Montesa) 72; 5: John Reynolds (Beamish Suzuki) 57; 6: Chris Sutton (Montesa) 38 7: Peter Cartwright (Bultaco) 34; 8: Mick Andrews (Majesty Yamaha) 31; 9: Chris Clarke (Montesa) 30; 10: Mike Skinner (Montesa) 23; 11: Tony Calvert (Ossa) 20; 12: Chris Myers (Bultaco) 11; 13: Dave Thorpe (Bultaco) 9; 14: Alan Wright (Bultaco) 8; 15: Kiyoteru Hattori (HondaJPN) 6; 16: Steve Wilson (SWM) 5; 17: Bernie Schreiber (Bultaco-USA) 5; 18: Norman Shepherd (Ossa) 5; 19: Nick Jefferies (Montesa) 3; 20: Chris Griffin (Fantic) 3;21: Glen Scholey (Bultaco) 1. WINS: Martin Lampkin 4; Nigel Birkett: 2; Malcolm Rathmell 2; John Reynolds 1; Rob Shepherd 1. MACHINES: Bultaco: 7; Montesa: 6; Honda: 2; Ossa: 2; SWM: 2; Beamish Suzuki: 1; Fantic: 1; Majesty Yamaha: 1.

Martin Lampkin (SWM): Jock Wilson shakes hands with a very happy Martin Lampkin after the last section at the final BTC round, the Welsh Trophy.

Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa): After an injury-interrupted season, he finished as runner-up despite missing one round.

John Reynolds (Beamish Suzuki): Despite a championship round-one win he could not find the form to challenge for the overall championship. Peter Cartwright (Bultaco): A much improved rider in 1980 with more consistent results. Rob Shepherd (Honda): It was a case of ‘Fourstroke Finale’ for Shepherd as Honda UK pulled out of the BTC at the close of the season Nigel Birkett (Montesa): It was a happy close to the season that was rescued by the move to the Montesa Cota 200, and with it two championship wins. Chris Sutton (Montesa): Despite the move from the Beamish Suzuki to the Sandiford Montesa, ‘Sooty’ remained sixth in the BTC, the same position as in 1979.

Chris Clarke (Montesa): The third place at the Travers was his best BTC result. Tony Calvert (Ossa): Moving to the new 350 yellow Ossa ‘Gripper’ produced a third place in the Allan Jefferies Trial. Alan Wright (Bultaco/Fantic): Smaller capacity machines were now coming back into fashion, and Alan made the move to the 200 Fantic in the latter part of the season. Mick Andrews (Majesty Yamaha): ‘Magical’ proved he could still produce the form when he competed in selected BTC rounds. Mike Skinner (Montesa): Another rider to receive support from Jim Sandiford, the official Montesa UK importer.

Dave Thorpe (Bultaco): After the move from the CCM project back to the Bultaco, Dave was back in the championship points raising the occasional smile. Chris Griffin (Fantic): Getting his career back on track, ‘Griffo’ became the first rider to score BTC points for the Italian manufacturer Fantic. Norman Shepherd (Ossa): Standing out from the crowd with the yellow Ossa was the younger of the two Shepherd brothers, Norman. Glen Scholey (Bultaco): Rounding off the championship points with a solitary hard-earned point was the reward for this young Yorkshire rider.