SAM’S THE MAN
When youth challenges experience, you can guarantee that you will witness a good battle for supremacy. Vertigo mounted, Sam Yeomans, took the win at round one at the Hookwood trials venue. It was a very close victory in front of Lloyd Price (John Shirt MC/s GASGAS) and Dan Thorpe (John Shirt MC/s GASGAS) – all separated by a single mark. Little did Thorpe know at the time that this third-place finish would determine the outcome of the series at its conclusion. Under pressure to perform at the final round, Yeomans proved that it’s not always experience that wins the day as he stayed calm to take the title by a single point. With 19 points scored over the four rounds and strong entries, this class still proved as popular as ever. The nature of the hazards makes it a good class if you want to test your British Championship aspirations.
RAIN MASTER
Already said before, the two points-scoring rounds over the varied terrain at the Peter Tavy venue for round two included a wooded area with a river passing through and a very exposed open headland of rocks. It would test the resilience of the riders on both days in the persistent heavy rain and high winds. The rain master was Dan Thorpe, who pulled himself right back into championship contention with a maximum haul of points.
On day one, he and Yeomans had their own battle as the three-mark penalties controlled who won and, on this occasion, it went to Thorpe by two marks as Tom Affleck lost on the tie decider for second position – how important was that for Yeomans!
On day two, it was also a battle for survival as the river levels came up to worrying levels. Thorpe was once again at his best and took a clear victory as his constant threat Yeomans finished second once again, setting up a grand finale at the final round.
MY TRIAL
Dudwood Farm in Matlock is very much a more modern venue as opposed to the more traditional hazards, and this suited Yeomans down to the ground. When he parted with just a single mark on the first of the three laps of 12 sections, he fired a blast at Thorpe that said he wanted the win and the title. For Thorpe, all the damage was done on the opening lap with a score of six. On the second lap, Yeomans increased his advantage and, even though Thorpe posted the best last lap score, the Trial Expert title would go to the green corner and the combination of Yeomans and the Vertigo. As Lloyd Price held on to third in the championship after an attack from Tom Affleck, who beat him on the day, it was the FIM TrialGP Women’s World Champion Emma Bristow who showed her true form to take the final step on the podium.