BRITISH EXPERTS VIVA MONTESA
Jim Sandiford was a very proud sponsor at the prestigious British Experts trial. He had two winners with Malcolm Rathmell in the solos, and the pairing of Adrian Clarke and Mick Bailey in the sidecars. For Rathmell, it was his third win in the previous 11 years – he had last won in 1970 and 1972, and for Clarke and Bailey, it was their fourth consecutive victory. Having won the Scott Trial but lost the ACU British Championship title, Malcolm Rathmell wanted to finish the year with some strong results and the British Experts was high on the agenda. In an injury-interrupted season, we see him in action here at the Greensmith Trial on his return to full fitness. Based around the Welsh town of Knighton, the organising Birmingham Motor Cycle Club had plotted 50 sections for the solo riders and 40 for the sidecars in its single road-based event. The sidecar entry would travel with its own complement of observers to record the scores. On an overcast, cold day, the entry had a lenient time limit of six hours to complete the course, which kept the entry moving.
Words: Yoomee – Mike Rapley • Pictures: Alan Vines
SOLO
Of the 19 solo entries, Rathmell was balloted with riding number six and the eventual runner-up, Reynolds, number 17. He started confidently, and it was soon evident that the fight for the ‘Experts’ crown would be between Rathmell, John Reynolds and Martin Lampkin.
After a duelling day where Rathmell was headed only twice, the fight for the win was played out in the closing stages. With four groups of sections remaining Lampkin stopped twice, leaving the battle for the win between Rathmell and Reynolds. It was in the last-but-one of the two groups remaining where Reynolds lost the
trial as he was leading by a single mark. Four sections from home Reynolds stopped, and with it lost the win as Rathmell lost just one.
One name you see missing from the results is Rob Shepherd. In the same week his main sponsor Honda UK announced they were pulling out of trials, Shepherd crashed out of the British Experts, hurting his knee and badly cutting his hand. It was to be the last time spectators would see and hear the definitive sound of the red four-stroke machine in action. It was the end of an era.
SOLO: 1: Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) 41; 2: John Reynolds (Beamish Suzuki) 47; 3: Martin Lampkin (SWM) 49; 4: Nigel Birkett (Montesa) 78; 5: Chris Sutton (Montesa) 83; 6: Steve Moore (Bultaco) 89; 7: Peter Cartwright (Bultaco) 89; 8: Nick Jefferies (Montesa) 92; 9: Mike Skinner (Montesa) 95; 10: Mike Leddy (Beamish Suzuki) 97; 11: Chris Griffin (Fantic) 100; 12: Steve Wilson (SWM) 100; 13: Norman Shepherd (Ossa) 102; 14: Dave Clinkard (Beamish Suzuki) 109; 15: Chris Clarke (Montesa) 119.
SIDECAR
The shock in the sidecar class was the entry of the previous year’s winners Adrian Clarke and Mick Bailey (Montesa). They were now both concentrating on enjoying riding solo machines and entered the Experts on a borrowed Montesa outfit. After an enjoyable day’s action, they were more than happy to have beaten the new ACU British Sidecar Champions Colin Dommet and Eric Chamberlain and their old rivals John Gaskell and Harry Wood.
The 1979 ACU British Champions and Expert winners, Clarke and Bailey, knew they would have a challenge on their hands if they were to retain the Experts title. In the closing stages of the event, the fight for the victory was very similar to the solos. As Gaskell held a slender onemark advantage over Clarke, he went to pieces and added a further 20 marks dropping him into a tie-break decider with his constant rival Colin Dommett.
With the majority of the sidecars losing marks on time, it was Gaskell who finished second, having recorded more cleans.
SIDECAR: 1: Adrian Clarke/Mick Bailey (Montesa) 50; 2: John Gaskell/Harry Wood (Suzuki) 62; 3: Colin Dommett/Eric Chamberlain (Bultaco) 62; 4: Mick Wilkinson/Kevin Lockwood (Ossa) 63; 5: Malcolm Ellis/Frank Griffiths (Montesa) 74; 6: Brice Melville/Chris Lambe (Suzuki) 81; 7: Joe and Paul Howells (Suzuki) 84; 8: Bill and Kath Sherras (Suzuki) 90; 9: Dick Ramplee/Alan Bungay (Suzuki) 106; 10: Roger Martin/John Cartmel (Ossa) 113.