Bumper entry for South West Centre opener

MORE than 300 competitors are in action in three major trial events in the region tomorrow.

The biggest entry by far is in the West of England Club’s annual Knill Trophy event at Ilsington, on the lower slopes of Dartmoor.

By late Wednesday, 165 riders had pre-entered the first round of the 2019 South West Centre Championship event, which will be decided over three laps of a dozen tough sections at the infamous Ruby Rocks group, a mile-long rock-filled ravine near Newton Abbot.

Lynton-based Sherco rider Joe Baker has dominated the series for the past 19 years and the 38-year-old will be aiming to make it a round 20 before he goes into semi-retirement.

His main rivals in tomorrow’s event are expected to be Toby Martyn, winer of last weekend’s Kernow Trial in Cornwall, and world and British youth champion Billy Green.

However, there are a number of other regular award-winners who may well upset the form book.

One is Chris Stay, from the Isle of Wight, and others include Tyler Rendall, Connor Atkinson, Toby Churchill, Simon James and in-form Stefan Goodman.

A further 100 riders are contesting the first round of the Western Centre Championships at a venue near Monmouth, which will be marked from the A40 approaching the town.

This is being organised by the Gloucester and Cotswold Club and the main silverware is the Drake and Gibb Trophy. The entry is limited as parking is restricted, but those in action include Tom Culliford, Kurt Brain, Simon Welch, Craig and Gareth Talbot and John Luff.

The other event is the Wells Club’s Miller Cup Trial, which is being held in Highcroft Quarry at Binegar, three miles north of Shepton Mallet on the A37 Bristol Road.

Those expected to be in the forefront of the action include Dean and Ben Lovelace, Jon Bees, Lee Hassall, Rob Scott and Jeremy Cross.

Several rounds of the age-related Normandale National Trials series are to be staged in the West Country this year. The series gets under way with the Phil King Cup event near Colchester on February 3, followed by the West Cornwall club’s event near Penzance on April 14.

The remaining rounds are the South Birmingham Club’s D K Man- sell event near Ludlow on April 28, and the Lyn Club’s National Traders Trial in North Devon on May 26.

The Cumberland County Club are promoting the fifth round on June 2 and this is followed with the Mansfield Maun Club’s Derbyshire Dales event on June 16.

There is a long break then before the West of England Club’s seventh round on October 5, but the eighth round is the following day being run by the Otter Vale Club in conjunction with their President’s Cup event, near Honiton. The series is completed with the Sheffield and Hallamshire Club’s round on October 22.