TRADITIONAL Pre-65 Scottish
Dan Thorpe was just eight years old when his famous world-round winning dad Dave won the first of the six Pre65 Scottish trials in which he triumphed, and it was questioned then whether his little lad would ever be able to emulate that classic win of 1987. In the intervening 32 years, the sport knows only too well that little Dan grew up into big Dan, and in his long and very successful career he has secured more than 100 wins of national trials but the Pre-65 Scottish, which is now a two-day event, has so far eluded him. Until this year, that is, as Dan is now a married man of 40, claimed a victory in this year’s trial. There is no doubt it was an immensely popular victory and one that not only Dan savoured but so did his dad Dave, who finished in 111th position. Of course his mum and Katy, his wife, and the rest of the Sunter family, it was a case of ‘Dan’s the Man’.
As he rode into the finish he was able to tell anyone who asked that he had gone clean for the second day, and he learned through the usually reliable grapevine that the other four riders with whom he had shared the first day’s lead on one mark lost were all reputed to have lost at least one mark. If the eventual results proved to align with the grapevine’s information, then Dan would be home and dry. But, of course, nothing is ever as easy as rolling into the finish confident in the knowledge that you have won, for it has to be clarified officially, and many will know just how official results can vary from the claimed marks lost. So Dan and his fans — and there are a great many of them — had to wait until the official prize presentation that evening in the Kinlochleven school hall. Eventually, the list of names not called out became forever smaller, until the moment itself when Graham Archer was delighted to announce that the winner of the 2019 and 35th running of the Scottish Pre-65 Trial was Dan Thorpe on one mark lost riding a Triumph Cub, making the Thorpes the first father and son winners.
The Pre-65 ‘Scottish’
Each year the Highland village of Kinlochleven is happy to play host to the Pre-65 Scottish with the organisation in the hands of the resourceful and capable Edinburgh and District MC, although it’s a different group from that organising the Scottish Six Days which follows the Pre-65 event.
As is always the case, entries were dramatically over-subscribed when the entry list closed before Christmas, and despite the number of riders being increased to 200 from last year, there was still a 25-strong reserve list of eager riders who wanted to take part. However, that list was soon whittled down to zero in the weeks preceding the trial itself, and come Thursday evening when scrutineering and signing on took place if you had a previously accepted machine with you a last-minute ride was available — a rare occurrence indeed.
It was chilly, overcast and dull when the popular parade around the town, which always attracts the crowds, took place prior to the 10.00am start when Murray Whittaker and John Charlton left the start ramp to go in different directions around the figure-of-eight course which took in 30 sections laid out in 15 groups.
The regular pair of hazards called Aluminium Works had to be cut out due to the bridge leading to Pipeline being under repair and was therefore replaced by extra two sections in Loch Eilde Burn.
Scotland had reputedly enjoyed a very dry winter, which was borne out by the fact that so many riders commented that the ride across Blackwater, which the even numbers undertook first, was drier than anyone could remember. What boggy parts there were caused few problems, and the stony one-line tracks that wind around the hills and tussocks of the remote land were bone dry and dusty, with the sharp rocks incredibly unforgiving.
The iconic Pipeline, the third group for those about to tackle Blackwater, rode well, to begin with, but as the loose rocks moved, it became more difficult. There were many clean ascents, but equally many marks were discarded on the higher reaches of the infamous hill which for many is the iconic vision of the Pre-65 Scottish. However, it was on the odd-number loop with the fourth section of the opening group, Cnoc A Linnhe, that caused so many problems, where clean rides were few and far between. It is a section that has in the past been the trial decider.
Dan Thorpe was one of the neatest cleans, his riding in the weeks prior to the trial being exemplary having won both the April S3 Championship rounds, so his clean was not unexpected. However, the very next section, Pollock Hill, a single sub section that is tricky but, by no means considered a trial decider, was the location where Dan had a quick dab – only five sub sections into a two-day trial of 60 hazards.
With the even numbers out on the Blackwater loop, the odd numbers had six groups alongside the southern road below the loch before the two groups swapped loops after a refuelling stop back at the Kinlochleven base.
Come the end of the opening day five riders had lost just a single mark: Thorpe, Ben Butterworth, Colin Bailey, Steven Murphy and Dan Clarke who would retire on day two, and meanwhile the winner for the past two years, Gary Macdonald, had a surprising two dabs on Coalasnacoan right at the end of the day.
Concentration
Day two, Saturday, saw a bigger gathering of spectators in the Highlands to see some more action with the 30 sections again in two loops, once more alongside the loch with the ‘hill’ loop being along the old military Mamore Road, in the cold but fine weather that would eventually turn to sunshine.
Annoyed with his two slack dabs towards the end of his first day, Macdonald remained feet up on day two determined to make it a hat-trick of wins if at all possible as he was not due to ride the Six Days the following week.
Equally determined was Thorpe who also remained feet up, encouraged by sixtime winning parent Dave and wife Katy, who was forever on hand to provide the encouragement and, of course, the vital food and drink.
For the riders at the top level, the trial is not that difficult; it’s concentration as much as ability that brings the results, and Dan Thorpe has as much talent in that direction as he does in riding, he is very much a thinking rider. Dan knew that to secure this first victory, it was so important to keep the feet ‘glued’ to the footrest of the Triumph Tiger Cub, and that’s exactly what he achieved; a clean day.
As is usual with this trial, the second day witnessed retirements due to both machine failure and rider fatigue, with 181 official finishers.
The weather had been warmer for day two, but it was nowhere near as warm as the applause Dan received at the presentation for his success. No doubt Dave may well have said “that’s the first lad, you’ve still got five more to win before you catch me”, but there’s few who would begrudge Thorpe Junior the chance to emulate his famous father, who remains the winner of more Pre-65 Scottish trials than any other rider. Like father, like son; popular winners of the classic scene’s most popular trial.