1970 Northern Experts

Once again, a scanned batch of pictures from the Malcolm Carling collection in the Yoomee Archive brought back memories of a young John Hulme from 1970. Along with the rest of his family, they were observing the top hazard at Hawk’s Nest. A long rock-filled gully of exposed sandstone, it was infamous back in the ’60s and ’70s as a very challenging hazard and tested the top riders to the limit. It is still used in the present day, but with the passage of time, it is not the feared hazard that it once was. As was usually expected in late December, the start at the Cluelow Cross Garage near Wincle,

Macclesfield, was shrouded in early morning mist and a light drizzle of rain for the 10.00am start. There was plenty to look at as

Mick Andrews was riding the prototype Ossa and Malcolm Rathmell was out for the first time on the pre-production 250 Bultaco Kit Campeon. To encourage observers the club had a collection bucket at the start for riders to throw any loose change in. After the start, a raffle was drawn of observers’ names, and Len Eyre was the lucky recipient of four pounds.

In more recent time times, Trial Magazine editor, John Hulme, had called to see Eric Adcock and had a very educational afternoon in his company going through his good friend Malcolm Carling’s pictures. Eric sadly passed away earlier this year, on the 18th March. Both Eric and Malcolm had contributed reports and photos to both the weekly motorcycle newspapers

Motor Cycle and Motor Cycle News. They were a mine of information, always more than happy to help with both Trial

Magazine and Classic Trial Magazine articles.

THE ONE TO WIN

Run by the Manchester 17MCC on Sunday 13th December, the Northern Experts was the end-of-season ‘One to Win’ in the north of the country. It had attracted a strong, healthy entry of 42 solo and ten sidecars to compete over a 35-mile single-lap course which wound its way across the Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire borders.

One of the main focusses of attention was Mick Andrews and the new Ossa. His appearances in the UK had been limited as the Spanish motorcycle manufacturer had sent him as far away as the USA on promotional riding tours to help with brand awareness of the Ossa name in the rapidly expanding off-road motorcycle market. Andrews and Montesa-mounted Rob Edwards had held a very close level-pegging early on, but a succession of stops and the five-mark penalties that go with it had pushed Edwards down the order at the close of the day.

With spectators wanting to see Andrews at his best on the prototype Ossa, a crowd of close-on 100 leaned forward to see him stay feet-up on the dreaded Hawk’s Nest, where his father, Tom witnessed a rapturous round of applause.

Andrews never stopped all day, with his highest single loss being a three-mark penalty in the water at Plantation near Wildboarclough. As Edwards slipped down the leaderboard, it was 21-year-old Martin Lampkin who was out on his recently acquired Jim Sandiford supported Bultaco. He looked strong and confident, and along with Andrews cleaned the notorious Hawk’s Nest hazards on his way to the runner-up position. It was a significant result for the youngest of the three Lampkin brothers.

THREE-WAY BATTLE

The fight for third position was much closer as Dave Thorpe (Ossa), Edwards and motocross rider, Malcolm Rathmell, remained only a handful of marks apart at the end, with Edwards getting the fourth place from Rathmell on the most cleans tie-break decider. Rathmell had won the previous month’s British Experts trial riding with a broken wrist, but now the plaster cast had gone, he was now well on his way to recovery.

Despite the news that Suzuki UK was pulling out of trials, John Hemingway took the 125cc Alta Suzuki to sixth position just in front of many-times North-Western centre champion Jim Sandiford on the Bultaco.

With time at a premium so late in the year, it was Great Britain’s ex-motocross champion, Jeff Smith on his 175cc BSA Bantam, who set the pace at the front of the field, but in the process, he parted with a massive 122 marks lost. He had attended a Manchester 17 MCC function as a guest of honour the night before and stayed at the home of Dave

Rowlands, the head of the section-marking team for the Northern Experts. He had just returned from the Trans-AMA motocross series in America and admitted being a little ‘rusty’ on a trials machine. The only consolation was the huge smile on his face at the finish after he admitted he had really enjoyed the event.

Out on new Sprite machines were the previous year’s Northern Expert winner, Brian Hutchinson, and Midlands-based rider, Dennis Jones. Under the watchful eye of the Sprite’ Gaffer,’ Frank Hipkin, neither riders featured in the final results. Despite the charge of the Spanish Armada of Bultaco, Montesa and Ossa, the entry still contained some of the many ‘Micro’ engine machines that had sprung up from a cottage industry in the UK. They included Cotton, Dalesman, DOT, Sprite and, of course,

Peter Gaunt with his amazing 90cc Jawa engine machines. Having taken his first major success on the Jawa at the Irish Experts a few weeks before, he struggled on the steep, demanding rocky outcrops found in the Northern Experts.

SIDECARS

It was the ex-motocross rider ‘Jumping’ Jack Matthews with a new ‘virgin’ passenger in the sidecar, Gordon Ruffley keeping the third wheel down in the Ariel, who took the win. It was a clear 17 marks in front of Steve Kenworthy and Frank Griffiths on the Ariel.

The Pre-65 four-stroke machines were still the ones to have in the three-wheel trials world, and the entry included a good mix of Ariel and BSA. Matthews was on the 500cc BSA Goldstar model.

A haulage contractor by trade, Jack and Gordon had been good friends for years. They would eventually open a trials dealership between them, Town and Country Motorcycles based at Ashton Under Lynne. It’s perhaps significant that they would become the very first sponsors of John Hulme in the mid-70s on an Ossa.

1970 NORTHERN EXPERTS

SOLO 1: Mick Andrews (250 Ossa) 17; 2: Martin Lampkin (250 JAS Bultaco) 21; 3: Dave Thorpe (250 Ossa) 28; 4: Rob EdwardS (250 MONTESA) 31; 5: MALCOLM RATHMELL (250 BULTACO) 31; 6: JOHN HEMINGWAY (125 ALTA SUZUKI) 35; 7: JIM SANDIFORD (250 BULTACO) 37.

SIDECAR 1: Jack Matthews/Gordon Ruffley (BSA) 23; 2: Steve Kenworthy/Frank Griffiths (Ariel) 40.

REMEMBERING

In this article, we also remember three riders who are no longer with us and who were very much a part of the Manchester 17MCC in the ’70s: Norman Eyre, Dave Rowland and Jonny Roberts. We also remember Dave ‘Chippy’ Murray, who was a casualty of Covid-19 earlier in the year.

Mick Andrews (250 Ossa) – Solo 1970 Northern Experts winner.

Jack Matthews/Gordon Ruffley (500 BSA) Sidecar – 1970 Northern Experts winner.

Martin Lampkin (250 JAS Bultaco).

John Hemingway (125 Alta Suzuki): A master of the ‘Micro’ machines, John would soon move to Montesa with the Cota 247 before moving later to the new Cota 123.

In the background is the bridge at ‘Washgates’ where, from left to right, Martin Lampkin and Malcolm Rathmell enjoy the moment with Jim Sandiford. During their respective successful trials careers Jim would help to steer these two riders to greater success.

Rob Edwards (250 Montesa): With Gordon Farley crowned the new ACU British Trials Champion just a few days before, Montesa were taking the fight to Spanish rivals Bultaco as the red Cota models became more popular in the UK.

Malcolm Rathmell: Taken at Dane Bower Quarry, this machine was one of the first pre-production 250 Bultaco Kit Campeon models to arrive in England. The first three had arrived at the end of November in the hands of Geoff Chandler, Ignacio and Oriol Bulto and were ridden at the European Championship round run by the Hillsborough Motor Cycle Club.

Dave Thorpe (250 Ossa): Just a few weeks before this the Sheffield based rider had taken his first international trials win in Great Britain, starting at the Sheffield Wednesday Football Ground. Dave was still riding the old Ossa Pennine trials model with its dominant green fibreglass fuel tank and rear mudguard.

Dave Rowland (250 Montesa): Based at Chapel-en-le-frith, Dave will always be remembered for his runner-up position on the ‘Thing’, his 175 BSA Bantam, at the 1967 SSDT. He was also instrumental in the introduction of the ‘Two Marks Lost’ addition to the marking in ACU trials when he was a committee member.

Norman Eyre (250 Ossa): A manager at the nearby Duron Brake Linings factory, as a youngster in 1961 he rocked the trials world on his 200 Triumph when he beat the legend Sammy Miller on his 500 Ariel in the Victory trial at just 16 years of age.

Yes this is the man, Henry Rosenthal, who along with the late Andrew Renshaw would bring us the many-time world championship winning aluminium Renthal handlebars, chain and sprockets.

Jeff Smith (175 BSA): It’s a foot down in the river for ‘Smithy’ at ‘Worsley’s Wash’, named after Chris Worsley, who used to come from his Manchester home on his BSA sidecar outfit with his wife and family to observe week after week.

Dave Murray (250 Bultaco): ‘Chippy’ as he will be remembered passed away in 2020 due to the dreaded Coronavirus. He was a regular rider in Cheshire Centre events for many years, always with a smile on his face and words of wisdom, He owned a fish and chip shop at Macclesfield for many years.

John Roberts (250 Montesa): His wife Pat was the secretary of the Northern Experts. He was also the man behind the successful Motorcycle Centre dealership based at Stockport, as well as a member of the James and Francis Barnett trials teams.