FLASHBACK 1971

Colmore Cup Kickham Trial

Now more focussed on a trials career in the off-road world than scrambling, Yorkshire’s Malcolm Rathmell had won the opening round of the 1971 ACU British Trials Championship at round one on the new ‘Kit Campeon’ slimline Bultaco. Believe it or not, Rathmell and the 1970 ACU British Trial Champion Gordon Farley (250 Montesa) both dropped 23 marks and had to be separated on the best time in the special test, which Rathmell won. Round two, the Colmore Cup, would be another battle for supremacy between these riders. Run by the Sutton Coldfield & North Birmingham Automobile Club, it would take an entry of 73 solo riders around its single-lap course to take in 40 hazards and the special test. Starting just outside Moreton-in-Marsh in the northern Cotswolds, the single-lap course would take the riders into the area in the Evenlode Valley to find a winner of the 48th running of this competition for the Colmore Cup.

Having dominated the British Championship from 1959–1969, Sammy Miller had retired from major competitions. He was now the Bultaco team manager for the importers Comerfords looking after Geoff Chandler, Malcolm Rathmell and Paul Dunkley. Whilst Chandler and Rathmell had the new model 80 ‘Kit Campeon’, Dunkley’s machine was the old model 49 Sherpa. It was using Miller’s latest ‘Hi-Boy’ frame with the bottom frame rails removed.

A second team, the Bultaco Shell team, used Comerfords-supplied machines sponsored by Jim Sandiford Motorcycles and included the man himself on the model 80 and the two Lampkin brothers, Alan and Martin, on the older model 49 Sherpa. Montesa still had its supported riders, including Gordon Farley, Rob Edwards and Lawrence Telling on the Cota 247 model 21 M-2 with its trademark bulbous red fuel tank. Another rider also desperately waiting for a new machine was Dave Thorpe on his two-year-old Ossa ‘Pennine’ model.

POOR START

Despite some encouraging results in his home Southern Centre over the Christmas period, 1971 had not seen a good start to the year for Geoff Chandler. He finished eighth at the British Trials Championship opening round and knew that a good finish at the Colmore would help get his season started.

Postal problems had affected the running order for this year’s trial, which meant that the club ran to its usual time schedule. Still, penalties for late starting and finishing were removed so that it would not interfere with the overall results. Any tie-break deciders in the results would revert to the special test time on the single hazard.

On many occasions, when someone is having an exceptionally good ride in an event, it becomes overshadowed by the fight for any potential winners, and that is exactly what happened at the Colmore. Gordon Farley was riding at number 11 and his rival Malcolm Rathmell was right at the back as number 88. Some riders argue that an early number can be an advantage at this event, and some say not as the sections tend to ‘bed-in’ and good lines can emerge with the passing of riders. As it turned out, the eventual winner, Chandler, was in an ideal position with his number 41, around halfway in the entry.

MICRO POWER

Not everyone in the UK had moved to the vastly expanding Spanish Armada of Bultaco, Montesa and Ossa. On the many climbs and muddy banks in the selection of hazards, you would have expected the smaller-capacity machines to struggle, but this was not the case. Many of the hazards featured difficult turns and the passing of tree branches, and small machines were in their element — particularly Jack Galloway. The pairing of himself and the 125cc Saracen performed miracles, as did Mick Bowers on the 175cc BSA, both riders finishing in the championship points.

As the riders passed the halfway stage, it was a three-way fight for the win with Geoff Chandler, Malcolm Rathmell and the middle of the three Lampkin brothers, Alan, all on equal marks with Farley just off their pace.

As the event progressed through the dry but cold day, Chandler started to push for the overall victory. Passing through the rocks and climbs at Dovedale with the best ride, parting with just ten marks — he was a man on a mission. He got even better on the mud and exposed roots in Weston Wood which were very similar to his ‘home’ terrain, as he parted with no marks to take the win with a ten-mark advantage over Rathmell.

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

Farley did enough to claim third, with Alan Lampkin a close fourth just two marks in arrears. However, the special-test times had to be used to separate both Dave Thorpe and Rob Edwards, with Thorpe’s time just 1.4 seconds faster than Edwards.

Working wonders on the micro-engined Saracen, Jack Galloway had attracted the attention of the small crowd, and his seventh-place finish was just reward for his efforts.

The fight for the final championship points down to tenth position included Ian Haydon, Mick Bowers and another fastrising star from Yorkshire, Rob Shepherd. After two rounds, it was beginning to look like Gordon Farley would have a fight on his hands if he were to retain the much sought-after British Championship title as Rathmell held a five-point lead at the head of the points table.

COLMORE CUP TRIAL

SUNDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 1971

RESULTS: 1: Geoff Chandler (250 Bultaco) 26; 2: Malcolm Rathmell (252 Bultaco) 36; 3: Gordon Farley (250 Montesa) 44; 4: Alan Lampkin (250 Bultaco) 46; 5: Dave Thorpe (250 Ossa) 49; 6: Rob Edwards (250 Montesa) 49; 7: Jack Galloway (125 Saracen) 50.

FIRST CLASS AWARDS: 8: Ian Haydon (250 Montesa) 58; 9: Mick Bowers (175 BSA) 58; 10: Rob Shepherd (250 Bultaco) 58; 11: Paul Dunkley (250 Bultaco) 59; 12: Derek Adsett (175 Greeves) 60; 13: Brian Hutchinson (175 Cotton) 61; 14: Lawrence Telling (250 Montesa) 63; 15: Tony Davis (250 Bultaco) 63.

SECOND CLASS AWARDS: 16: Allen Collier (250 Bultaco) 64; 17: Mick Wilkinson (175 Greeves) 64; 18: Mark Kemp (250 Bultaco) 64; 19: Mick Andrews (250 Ossa) 68; 20: Jim Sandiford (250 Bultaco) 68; 21: Don Smith (250 Montesa) 68; 22: John Kendall (250 Bultaco) 70; 23: John Close (250 Montesa) 71; 24: Chris Leighfield (125 Sprite) 71.

MACHINES: Bultaco: 10; Montesa: 6; Greeves: 4; BSA: 1; Cotton: 1; Saracen: 1; Sprite: 1.

BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS: 1: Malcolm Rathmell (252 Bultaco) 27; 2: Gordon Farley (250 Montesa) 22; 3: Geoff Chandler (250 Bultaco) 18; 4: Alan Lampkin (250 Bultaco) 16; 5: Martin Lampkin (250 Bultaco) 10.

Malcolm Rathmell (252 Bultaco): With two rounds completed he held the advantage at the top of the points table.

Gordon Farley (250 Montesa): It was damage limitation for Farley, who finished third.

Jack Galloway (125 Saracen): Working on the production line led by the company’s owner Robin Goodfellow at the Saracen factory had its advantages for Jack, he could also work wonders on the 125cc Sachs engined machine.

Mick Bowers (175 BSA): How an earth did the once mighty BSA let this superb trials model pass through its hands? ‘Bonkey’ Bowers proved how good it was time after time.

Ian Haydon (250 Montesa): A move to Montesa had worked wonders for Haydon and he proved his worth with his to win the threeway tie for eighth position.

Dave Thorpe (250 Ossa): The Ossa shows the battle scars of almost two years of competition.

Paul Dunkley (250 Bultaco): This is the old-model 49 Bultaco Sherpa fitted with the Sammy Miller ‘Hi-Boy’ frame. Miller had first applied this improvement to the Bultaco in 1969 but the factory had not followed suit due to the poor-quality steel tubing used on the production machines.

Brian Hutchinson (175 Cotton): Well-known for his exploits on smaller-capacity trials machines, his hard work was rewarded the day after the Colmore when he signed to ride the 170cc Minarelli engined model for the company as a supported rider.

Chris Leighfield (125 Sprite): Sprite owner Frank Hipkin had supported many riders on his machines, including Chris. They proved very popular as an alternative to the Spanish Armada.

Derek Adsett (175 Greeves): Another once great name in the world of motorcycle trials, Greeves was entering its final years of producing trials models with the ‘Pathfinder’ model.

Rob Shepherd (250 Bultaco): With support from Norman Crooks Motorcycles ‘Shep’ was starting to challenge the established stars.