BRAD’S BACK
With the most entries, Trial Expert is the largest class by far in the ACU British Trials Championship. It is an excellent feeder to the more difficult Trial 2 category for those wishing to move up. Continuing to attract considerable interest, attention was on our top lady trials rider, Emma Bristow, as she mixes it with her male counterparts in her quest for her first title in this class; remember, she was second in 2021. In a hugely rewarding and decorated career, this is now one of her main focuses, but first, she has to become more consistent to push her rivals down the results. With the 2021 champion Tom Affleck missing, it was down to Brad Bullock (Beta) to take the early championship advantage in front of Dan Thorpe (GASGAS) with the first win of the season, as Bristow finished third.
DEAD LEVEL
With a wide choice of sections on offer, it would be a challenging course that would eventually find the winner but, such is the high standard of riding, the first lap closed with Dan Thorpe and Emma each parting with eight marks. Both received a five-mark penalty on the scorecards as Thorpe had stopped in section four and Bristow in section eight, and both had three single-mark losses to make the total of eight. Following a small point gap, the next riders, including the eventual winner, had Brad Bullock and Thomas Swindlehurst on
13, with Corey Dubik (Vertigo) on 14 and Joseph Collins (Beta) on 15, which kept it all to play for on the remaining laps.
RAISING THE GAME
As both Bullock and Thorpe lost a further 11 marks on the second lap, Bristow parted with 14, pushing her just off the pace but still leaving it all to play for on the final lap. For the rest of the challengers, their lap scores moved towards the late teens, keeping them away from the leading trio.
On the final lap, Brad Bullock pulled it out of the bag for the win with a super lap of just ten marks lost as both Thorpe and Bristow parted with 18 and 22, respectively.
Further down the order, Charlie Smith (Vertigo) managed to hold a hard-charging George Gosden (Beta) by a single mark to round off the top five finishers.
TRIAL EXPERT: ROUND 1
RESULTS: 1: Brad Bullock (Beta) 34; 2: Dan Thorpe (GASGAS) 37; 3: Emma Bristow (Sherco) 44; 4: Charlie Smith (Vertigo) 53; 5: George Gosden (Beta) 54; 6: Corey Dubik (Vertigo) 59; 7: Thomas Swindlehurst (Sherco) 60; 8: Tyler Rendall (Vertigo) 74; 9: Joseph Collins (Beta) 78; 10: John Sunter (Montesa) 79; 11: Bevan Blacker (GASGAS) 79; 12: Samuel Woolridge (Vertigo) 79; 13: Oliva Kendra (Beta) 81; 14: Thomas Hawthorne (Sherco) 82; 15: Steven Harris (TRRS) 84.