> POSTED: 11/3/18 18:37

Emma gives a masterclass in the first round of the Ladies & Girls Championship at Seymours

Yet again North Berks got the 2018 season underway, this time it was the turn of the ACU, Acklams Beta Ladies and Girls Trials Championship. After a successful Wallace Trial a couple of weeks ago taking in various groups of sections around Berkshire and Oxfordshire the Ladies Trial was confined to Seymours.

There were 12 sections plotted in the rocky banks of the Arena, each section was ridden three times. We had 38 entries spread over the four routes which accommodated the various riding abilities. Stu and the team had once again laid out a good set of sections which tested the riders to the max, there were a few crashes over the duration of the day but everyone went home in one piece and seemed pleased with their efforts in the first round of the National Championship.

Riding the top class was World, European and British Trials champion Emma Bristow – as usual she was in a class of her own dropping a mere two marks and took top spot. Jess Bown had a great ride taking second position on her Scorpa with the loss of 22 marks, Hannah Styles returning after a time off took the third step on the rostrum on 37, Louise Alford was forth on 43, closely followed by Nikita Smith on 44. Our own champion, Alicia Robinson had an awesome ride on home turf dropping just 56 marks which placed her in sixth position in the top class. Alicia is riding the European and World rounds this year and we wish her the best of luck as we do all the British ladies travelling around the World this year. Rounding out the top class were Victoria Payne on 89 and Gabby Whitham on 103.

Chloe Baker topped the Ladies Championship 50/50 class on her TRS 250 dropping just 76 marks, she was some 35 marks ahead of second place rider Beth Dunning who finished on 111, Beth had a heavy fall on one of the rock sections but dusted herself down and finished the trial, she was closely followed by Jennifer Stephen dropping 117 on her gasser.

There were only two entries for the Girls A Championship 50/50 class and it couldn’t have been tighter. Olivia Brooksbank beat Alice Minta to the glory by one dab dropping 43 marks to Alice’s 44, both had inspired rides on the tough, technical Arena sections.

The Ladies Intermediate class was well supported with six riders taking part. Catherine Alford took the win on 28 marks. Donna Fox was riding on a no award basis on her Honda TL125 twinshock, she finished on 36 marks lost which was a brilliant ride. The official second place went to a massively improved Jazz Hammond from Haslemere dropping just 60 marks, closely followed by Charlotte Kimber on 64 on her Beta. Victoria Holmes on 82 and Jo Minns back on 138 who had a painful looking crash but bravely rode on to finish the trial.

Again, there were just two entries for the Girls A Intermediate class. Sarah Bell won convincingly for the loss of 76 marks ahead of Amy Clarke on her Sherco 125 dropping 137.

Girls B class, following route two was supported by seven riders. The winner of this class was Daisy Parsons on 45, Elizabeth Tett was second on 62, closely followed by Kaytlyn Adshead on 64 who had made the long trip from the Isle of Man. Sophie Bailey, Emily Copp, Lucy Ayrton and Kira Sarsero-James all put in great performances on route two.

Young Summer Peters was the only Girls C class competitor this year, she dropped just 2 marks over the three laps, she also made the trip from the Peveril Club on the Isle of Man, great ride Summer!

Girls D Class was competed by four young riders, all on Beta 80’s. Matilda Arbon had a great ride dropping just 7 marks to take the win from Grace Ward back on 38 dabs and Evie Hayward on the third step of the rostrum on 40. Isobel Skehan came forth on 43. Well done to you all, amazing effort.

Chloe Cross took the honours on the Ladies Sportsperson Non-championship class, riding route three dropping 43 marks. The popular Jennifer Crabtree rode the three laps for the loss of 69 dabs.

The Girls Sportsperson, Non-championship class was ridden by Jess Basford alone, dropping 84 marks.

Thanks to all the ladies and girls for entering and we wish all the best for the rest of the championship, keep those feet up!

Thank you to everyone involved, you know who you are, brilliant team effort as usual. Thank you to Mr Seymour for the ongoing use of the Arena and our observers for the day, we’re so grateful for your continued support. We hope all riders and spectators had an enjoyable day, hope to see you again soon.

There are some more pictures on the Gallery page.

> POSTED: 25/2/18 20:25

Jack Sheppard Wins the 2018 Wallace Cup

This weekend saw the first round of the ACU S3 Parts National Championship taking part in and around the Berkshire Downs. This popular event was yet again well supported with over 100 riders eager to enjoy the 20 mile single lap route taking in some breathtaking views across Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

The trial had attracted some of the countries top riders including last year’s winner Ross Danby; Sam Haslam; Jack Sheppard; Alexz Wigg; Tom Minta and James Fry riding the Elite class, it was a close run thing but Jack Sheppard came away with the win on his Sherco dropping a mere 7 marks. The top British ladies, Emma Bristow; Jess Bown, Louise Alford and Victoria Payne were with us again, they will be returning in a couple of weeks time for the Ladies National Trial taking place at Seymours Arena on 11th March. Riding the S3 Expert route included Luke Walker, Chris Pearson and Richard Timperley, who were all in the top four last year but going home with the win this year was Richard Sadler dropping just 9 marks over the 36 section route. There was a large field of 61 riders competing in the S3 Clubman class and the rider who came out top this year was Steve Swanson riding for John Lee Motorcycles, dropping just 2 marks.

The first rider, Sam Atherton from Northwich started from the Horse & Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne at 9.31 on a very chilly Sunday morning, followed by the rest of the field at 1 minute intervals. The first group of sections as usual were on the old disused railway bank less than a mile from the start. Once completed it was a cautious nip down Nappers Lane which was lethal with the frozen rutted ground to contend with, to the old cress beds in the stream at The Moors, there were 7 sections to deal with here. Once done, the riders moved on to the infamous Seymours Arena where 7 technical sections amongst the rocky banks had been plotted, this was the main group of sections and always a favourite with spectators where they can get in and amongst the riders, a good crowd of spectators had turned out in the chilly February weather to watch the action unfold.

The riders changed punchcards after section 17 before they left the arena. They then rode on to three new sections at The Lynch, this piece of land has been used for the Classic Downland Trial but new for The Wallace this year, its a great bit of land with plenty of potential for the future. The riders then came back on themselves to the 7 sections at Lollingdon Hill which are stretched out along this popular steep bank, once finished they dropped down through the farm and turned right on the A417 for a mile to Aston Pit where they will found a couple of sections before riding up the hill to the group of sections at The Air Raid Shelter, another 5 sections here in the woods on the steep bank which is renowned for its hidden roots and cambered turns. It was then a ride along the downs to Bucknells Copse, which, if things are close at the top usually sorts out a clear winner. It’s was then just a matter of crossing the road to the final section in the stream at Strange’s Gate. This is the final hazard, just down the road from the Horse & Harrow where the riders started earlier in the day.

A massive THANK YOU! to everyone that helped out as usual, you know who you are. Thank you to the landowners and all of our observers who stood out in the cold weather.

We hope all riders and spectators had a great day, hope to see you again next year. Pics up on Gallery page.

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