MacDonald retains Pre-65 title
FOLLOWING an exceedingly close-fought event, Kinlochleven rider Gary MacDonald managed to retain the Challenge Trophy for the Scottish Pre-65 Trial, staged at Kinlochleven at the weekend.
After two days covering 60 technical sections, it was a threeway tie between MacDonald, Dan Thorpe and Dan Clark.
It therefore came down to the rules the Edinburgh Motorcycle Club – which has organised the event since 1911 – has in place for just such an eventuality, and as MacDonald’s motorcycle was the biggest machine of the three, he pipped the others to retain the title he won last year when he was the first Scottish rider to win it.
Second place was determined by age, with Dan Clark pipping Dan Thorpe by a month as they were on similar motorcycles.
Competitors from across the globe, including Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica and the USA, flocked to Lochaber for the Pre-65 event and for this year’s Scottish Six Days Trial (SSDT), based in Fort William.
After the Pre-65 event on Friday and Saturday, Sunday saw glorious sunshine attract a crowd of between 3,000 and 4,000 to Fort William High Street for a parade of riders and their machines taking part in this year’s Six Days Trial.
Every day this week, several hundred competitors start and finish their stages at the West End car park on Fort William’s shoreline.
The start of the 2018 trial carried no less anticipation than previous events and opened in typically damp fashion with six riders tied at the top of the initial leader board after a first day that passed without any headline dramas.
Having completed the opening 30 sections spread around the 71-mile course, in their various groups, Jack Price – Gas Gas, Gary Macdonald – Scorpa, Tom Minta – Scorpa, James Dabill – Beta, Sam Connor – Beta and Andrew Chilton – Scorpa each had a share of the interim lead after they all remained faultless in the first of the six days – Monday – contested in the hills around Fort William.
Following the two opening hazards, the field of 285 riders, representing 18 nations, were then greeted by four boulder-strewn sections at Leanachen, which had attracted a large crowd despite the rain arriving not long after the action got under way.
Monday’s offering included the classic sections at Bradilieg and Loch Eilde Mhor before the riders enjoyed a well-earned lunchbreak on the outskirts of Kinlochleven, this being in advance of them visiting further traditional hazards at Blackwater, Garbh Bhein and Cameron Hill en route to the climax of the day at Lagnaha.
Defending champion Dougie Lampkin held seventh spot on Monday night, just ahead of Joe Baker – Sherco, who also finished Monday on one mark, as Sam Haslam – Gas Gas and Jack Sheppard – Sherco rounded out day one’s top 10 respectively having both dropped two marks apiece.
Aside from the battle for the main award, the fight for the other class trophies looks to be as fierce as ever. France’s Arnaud Seyve – Gas Gas and Czech Jiri Svoboda – Beta currently share the spoils as the best newcomers on day one, having dropped 11 marks apiece.
Reigning FIM Women’s Trial World Champion Emma Bristow – Sherco has already started to open up a healthy lead over Sandra Gomez – Gas Gas in the female category, taking a 26-mark advantage into day two.
Tuesday was due to see the riders cover a similar distance to Monday – 76 miles – as they made the first of two excursions this week over the Corran ferry.
Tuesday’s route followed a clockwise direction around the peninsula. Friday’s route will see the riders tackle the groups in the opposite direction.