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Posted – 16/10/23. 10.37
Frosty morning for our Autumn Trial at Standlake
We were back at Standlake for this one, we were really keen to run after the disappointment of having to cancel our 2-Dayer back in the Summer for the lack of entries, the weekender had sadly clashed with four or five other local events. Yet again, as it turned out, this one clashed with a fair few other events which resulted in us having to work hard to get those entries in, not sure what we can do about this but we are looking at tweaking our dates going forward. We eventually got up to 30 entries which was pretty good.
Standlake is a fantastic bit of ground, it’s a great ride round through the woods. Ben and Ashley had been over there a few weeks before the event working hard to cut out some new sections.
When the team turned up on Friday evening before the event to start marking out – the heavens literally opened and we got absolutely soaked through to the skin as we walked round, it was pointless putting any markers out, they would have been immediately trashed. So, the guys met over there again early on the Saturday morning, and were lucky to have beautiful sunshine for most of the day. We got cracking with the marking out, as mentioned… Ash and Ben had found so much in there, we got to use some completely new areas, there is so much more to use in the future too. We are also looking at running a practice day in there soon, we’ll let you know the date when it’s arranged.
Sunday morning dawned with a fairly decent frost on the ground but bright sunshine, ideal trialing weather. The trial got underway at 10 sharp with Stu giving the rider briefing. It was to be 4 laps of 10 sections and the riders were keen to get going.
Frazer Strutt was the only expert entry, a lot of the local top guys had obviously been up to the Scott the previous day or riding the other local events. All the same, well done Frazer good ride on the technical expert sections.
Stu Robinson took the win on the Clubman 50/50 route, always good to see Stu riding, he’s still got it. We did get 13 marks off him though, seven of those on section four which was a really tricky turn up a steep bank turning at the top, ducking under a fallen tree and then another tight turn back up and over a gnarly tree stump. Bailey Tibbs was only three behind on 16 and Sean McCullagh three behind him on 19.
Clubman B class was won by Reynard Norris dropping a couple of marks on section 10. Mark Elms on 5 and Mark Woodburn on 10. This was a well supported class with 11 riders which was good to see.
Brian Tomkins topped the Clubman C class, going round on a clean. Brian hasn’t ridden for a while so went for a steady ride on the yellows. Paul Toplis was second on 3 aboard his CCM. Nicholas Thomas was in third place on 17.
There were three entries on the Clubman D route. Brian Taylor took the win on 23, Adam Gray on 32 and Michelle Thompson on 66.
We only had four youth entries. Again, the event had clashed with the final round of the ACU Belle Trailers Youth National Championship being held at Surrey Schoolboy Trials Club. Joshua Hadrill topped the youngsters dropping 19, Rudi Brownlow on 24 and William Hadrill on 48.
Committee member, Ashley Thomas’ daughter Mollie was out for her first proper trial and she did herself proud completing the event for the loss of just 52 marks. Well done Mollie, we hope you enjoyed yourself, keep it up!
As usual lots of people to thank. Ashley and Ben for putting the hard work in cutting out the sections prior to the weekend. The marking out team. Mark, Ash, Mick and Todd.
Well done Sue for Secretary duties, getting everyone signed in on the morning and getting the results keyed in and up on Facebook super-quick.
Thanks to our loyal observers, Mark and Sarah Anderson, Sue O’Sullivan, Ian Toplis, Dave Ilsley, Gordon Faulkner, Jim Axford, Nigel Preston and Todd Jones. We were two down this time round, can you believe Mick Baylis and Liam Young had gone off go-karting – outrageous ;-) Hope you had a good time guys.
Finally a huge thank you to James French who allows us to use this fantastic venue, the club really appreciate it. As mentioned earlier the committee are hoping to run a practice day here in the near future.
Next event is our Hangover Trial on Boxing Day which is already live on the ACU website, so get those entries in, its always a well supported one and lovely to see everyone enjoying the day out.……
Posted – 02/10/23. 17.53
Fantastic turnout at the North Berks Charity Supertrial this weekend!
North Berks MCC held their Charity Supertrial this weekend. All proceeds were in support of The Race Against Dementia Charity.
A bit different to the usual Supertrial, this one was open to everyone – giving the opportunity to ride alongside some of the country’s top riders. We had the usual trial classes, ie. Adult Expert, Clubman 50/50, B, C, D and Youth A, B, C and D, with the addition of an Expert Elite class.
The trial ran over four laps of 8 sections which had been plotted by the team over the course of the two weeks prior to the event, the elite route consisted of 3 laps of the eight super-challenging sections to test these top level competitors.
The day dawned overcast but pretty warm for the time of year, the dark grey clouds loomed over and around the Arena for most of the day with a few breaks of sunshine, but thankfully the rain kept away, it would have completely transformed the sections and ruined the day had the clouds opened on us.
Claire got the competitors signed on, while Mark dealt with the observers first thing, the trial got underway at 10 sharp after the initial rider briefing by Stu.
We were lucky to have the Hemingway brothers and Ben Dignan join us from up North to ride in the Expert Elite Class, together with local guys Brett Harbud and Joe Snelling who were up for attempting the massive sections that Stu’s team had been busy plotting.
Harry Hemingway took top spot, fresh from his fantastic win at round eight of the 2023 ACU Trial GB British Championship in Geddington the previous weekend. Harry had a brilliant ride dropping just 6 marks, five of those on his last attempt at the waterfall – he didn’t quite get the launch he needed to get up to the first ledge of the massive wall. Dad, Dan was there to grab his forks, saving him from plummeting back down to the base of the section. Younger brother George, who came first in this years Trial 3 World Championship (huge congratulations George!), took second place on 24 marks. Ben Dignan was in third position, Ben was in the safe hands of Michael Brown (Brownie) who has ridden at the Arena in a good few Supertrials himself. Brett took fourth spot and Joe fifth, it was a tough day for these two, the sections were very technical with massive rocks and they did themselves proud. Well done Frazer Strutt for volunteering to mind for them both, no mean feat catching one rider, let alone two.
The Expert class was well supported with 9 riders. It was tight at the top, the win being taken by Hugh Barker on 18, our Alicia Robinson three behind on 21 with Kaytlyn Adshead one mark adrift on 22. Well done all, some very tough sections on this route too.
Nate Robinson was the only entry in the Adult 50/50 class, he completed the four laps dropping just 47 marks, well done Nate, great ride.
Clubman B route had 3 entries, Ben Owens took the win on 8 marks lost, Steve Golla on 28 and Michael Hyden on 43.
Callum Young came top on the Clubman C route for the loss of 12, Zak Jones a way back on 54.
There were four riders in the Youth A class. Jake Challice took the glory on 23, Max Golla was second on 29, closely followed by George Clark on 32 and Thomas Packham on 34. Well done guys, great results on some seriously challenging sections.
Three young ladies took the top spots in the Youth 50/50 class. Holly Dixon first on 29, Kayleigh Rich second on 60 and Brianna King on 68.
There were two finishers on the Youth B route. Young Sam LeFevre had a fantastic ride, dropping just 7 marks, Joseph Baker had a tough day on 61 points. Well done to you both, some big stuff to take on.
George Wareing had a good trial, completing the four laps for the loss of a mere two dabs, Jack Rich took second spot on 24, dropping 20 of those on section 4, he obviously didn’t like that section, or he’d upset the observer beforehand.
Young Thomas Tidd had a brilliant ride on the Youth D route, dropping a single mark, Rudi Brownlow placed second on 11, with Joshua Hadrill on 17.
As usual the event was a great success, everyone had a fantastic days sport, to add to it every time the riders passed by the lock-up from section 8 to section 1 they got an amazing waft of the Hog-roast cooking. Stu had got over there early – it had been roasting since 7am and was cooked just right when he got into carving it as the last riders were finishing. Well done Stu and Claire for getting everyone fed, you just can’t beat a Pork Roll with Apple Sauce, YUM!
We also held a Raffle with some great prizes, thank you to everyone who donated the prizes and all that purchased tickets. As mentioned earlier all money raised, which totals approx £700 to date, was in support of The Race Against Dementia, which was the clubs chosen charity for this years event.
Thank you to all the riders that put on a great show for the spectators, we hope you enjoyed the challenge. We had a lot of people join us to watch the action – club members old and new which made it a thoroughly enjoyable day, great to see you all.
Thank you goes out to The Drewe family for donating the pig and Ed for supplying the pig roaster and gas. Thank you to the ice-cream van for your donation.
Lots of people to thank as usual. Claire and Stu brought this one together with all the behind the scenes work as well as the up-front work, awesome job. Well done and thank you as usual to the marking-out team, Stu, Alicia, Mark, Liam, (congratulations mate) Mick, Todd and Ben. Amazing effort as usual.
A huge thank you to the observers on the day. Section 1 – Mark/Sarah Anderson; Section 2 – Nigel Preston; Section 3 – Jimmy Axford; Section 4 – Liam York; Section 5 – Mick Bayliss; Section 6 – Kaz Rich (Thank you for stepping in last minute Kaz, you’re a star); Section 7 – Richie Harbud and Section 8 – Ray Pekala. We are forever grateful.
Thank you to everyone that stayed behind after a long day to help clear up and return the Arena to the lovely tranquil spot in the Oxfordshire countryside that it is.
There are some pictures up on the Gallery page. Gazza was also there with his camera, click the button above to go to his picture website.
Stu says… He’s looking forward to 2024 to get the Supertrial back!
NEXT EVENT – Our Autumn Trial at Standlake on 15th October. Entry is available now on the ACU:Sport80 system, get booked in, it’ll be a good one!……
Posted – 30/08/23. 13.06
SC Bike Trial – Sunday 10th September
South Coast Bike Trial are running their sixth comp of the season at Seymours Arena.
It will be run to the POSITIVE SCORING system. 6 categories, White, Green, Blue, Red, Yellow, Pink. Any age can ride any category. Start times and the format will be dependant on the entry level.
Sarah's Little Snack Shop will be providing hot food, snacks and both hot and cold drinks. Toilets will be provided.
Venue open from 9am, sign-on open from 10am and start at 10:30am. If you are choosing the route on the day, please arrive in plenty of time as you will need to have selected your route by 10am.
CLASSES – Primary White route Novice Green route Intermediate Blue route Expert Red route Elite Yellow route
Entries will close 8th September 2023, no entry on the day. Click the button to go to the website for further information and entry.
Competition entry – £20.00
……Posted – 20/07/23. 16:05
Joe takes the Expert win at our Evening Club Trial
Following the cancellation of our two-day trial in June the team were keen to get this one up and running. They were over the Arena plotting last week and finishing and tweaking the early part of this week. The Arena is in good shape at the moment, even though we had some fairly heavy rain at the weekend the ground was pretty dry. We were lucky with the weather last night however, a few threatening dark clouds but no rain to spoil what was a great evening. There was a really good atmosphere with a lot of parents watching their youngsters do their thing.
We went back to the ACU Sport80 online entry for this one and had a decent entry of 43 riders, and were expecting a few entries on the day. We ended up with 48 In total, which was really positive. Most classes were well supported with a good number of youths which is fantastic to see.
The expert class had 5 riders entered. The win was taken by Joe Snelling for the loss of just one mark, Joe has been competing in the nationals and it is certainly showing, great ride Joe. Closely followed by Brett Harbud who is also competing at top level. Brett had a single 5 on the log yard section, mis-timing his assault on the big angled log but that’s how it goes, apart from that he had a clean sheet.
Clubman 50/50 route was also tight at the top. The win being taken by Bailey Tibbs on 5 marks. Committee member’s Ashley Thomas placed second on 6 marks and Ben Owen two behind on 8, great rides – those top route 50/50 sections were tough.
Clubman B class only had two entries. Steve Golla took the glory dropping 48 marks, Oliver Hill dropped 56.
Clubman C was well supported with ten riders. Simon Clark had a great ride dropping 6 marks, bearing in mind he was helping a couple of youths with their lines throughout the trial so not concentrating fully on his own riding, well done Simon. Callum Young took second place on 12, one mark ahead of Alex Griffin on 13.
Curtis Merry was the only Clubman D entry to finish, he had a final score of 57.
On to the youth classes, again we had a fantastic youth entry last night, 24 would you believe, which is great to see and really encouraging.
Youth A comprised of eight riders riding the top route, these young guys weren’t scared to hit the big rocky sections that the marking out crew had plotted. Jake Challice took the glory on 18 marks lost, Max Golla second on 21 and Jake Bush on 32, great effort all of you, fantastic to watch!
Mason Tidd was the winner of Youth B dropping just 7 marks, well done Mason. Tommy Keet second on 12 and Archie Bush on 25.
Youth C was won by Rudi Brownlow on 10, Reuben Keet was second on 19 and a little way back on 46 was Daisy-mai Mitchell hot from competing on her Electric Motion bike at the Ladies/Girls National at the weekend held by Berko club.
Finally on to the Youth D class. Young Thomas Tidd was the sole entry here, he completed the 4 laps of 8 sections for 51, well done Tommy!
A big thank you to all of the observers, – Liam York, Mick Bayliss, Todd Jones, Sue O’Sullivan, Jimmy Axford, Sarah Anderson, Mark Anderson and Nigel Preston, as always we're really grateful to you for giving up your time to help us out. Thanks to the marking out team and Sue for getting everyone signed on. Sorry, but no pictures this time round, busy observing.
Great effort from everyone as usual, so thank you, see you next time.
Next events…
Seymours Arena will be open from 5pm on Wednesday 6th September for summer practice.
The Charity Supertrial on 1st October, Stu is trying to get some of the country’s top riders down to support the event, watch this space for further information………
Posted – 01/06/23. 14:03
Seymours open for practice Wednesday 12th July & Wednesday 2nd August
A couple of dates for your diary! Seymours Arena will be open from 17:30 on 12th July and 2nd August. Open to all, membership not required but you do need to be an ACU member for the insurance to cover you. If not a current ACU member you can purchase a day licence when signing on.
Entry on the day – £10 Adult/Youth.……
Posted – 11/05/23. 14:21What a week!
Well done to our four riders flying the North Berks flag up at the Scottish Six Days Trial last week, you all did yourselves proud.
We were so lucky with the weather this year, a few drizzly mornings, but it soon cleared to dry and sunny conditions every day. Well done to Brett on his first trip to the Highlands, he absolutely loved the experience saying that it was his favourite event to date. 288 riders left parc fermé at the West-end car park in Fort William at one minute intervals on Monday morning heading out for the gruelling six days of rocky sections and strength sapping moor crossings.
First Class Awards Brett Harbud – Position: 103 – Score: 234 Tom Hawthorne – Position: 109 – Score: 244
Second Class Awards Dan Woody Hole – Position: 139 – Score: 326 Alicia Robinson – Position: 176 – Score: 423
Well done to Matt Dixon who was riding round with Alicia for the week, Matt came down with a belter of a cold on Monday but pushed on and got through the six days nevertheless.
Fantastic achievement, well done to our four and to all of the riders that finished the six days.
Good luck to Alicia heading out to Japan for the next world round, Matt will be on minding duty. Brett is minding for Alice Minta out there too, so I hope it goes well for them also. All the best to all the Brits heading out there, keep those feet up!……
Posted – 11/04/23. 08:25
Eggcellent result for Alicia at the North Berks Spring Trial on Easter Sunday
Sorry, it had to be done!
Easter Sunday saw the North Berks Spring Trial take place at Seymours Arena with a good entry of 48 riders. The day started a little fresh but got warmer as the clouds cleared and the sun started to shine.
As always, it was good to welcome some new riders to the Arena and we hope you all enjoyed yourselves.
Provisional results are posted here. There were a few of you who swapped classes so apologies if anyone is in the wrong class. Let the Secretary know and she’ll swap you to the correct class.
Well done to all winners of their classes - Alicia Robinson, Stephen Douglas, Ben Owen, Tony Billingham, Hugh Robertson-Payne (just beat Stephanie Tombling on most cleans) Tom Vining, Billy Guildford, Oliver Nicholas, Joey Sturgess.
Thanks as always to the Observers and the marking out crew and everyone else who helped run the event. Gazza was at the Arena with his camera, click the button to see if he got you with your feet on the pegs. There are pictures up on our Gallery page.
We will soon be starting our practice events at the Arena so please look out for dates on the website and our Facebook page.
……Posted – 21/03/23. 13:36
Double top for Alice
North Berks held the second round of the 2023 ACU Belle Trailers Ladies & Girls National Trials Championship this weekend. A great entry of 41 riders joined us at Seymours Arena and we had a fantastic event.
Well done to Alice Minta taking the win at the first round held by the Nene Valley Club at Cranford Firs on Saturday and then repeating the win with us on Sunday, a fantastic result. Our Alicia Robinson and Kaytlyn Adshead were on the rostrum with Alice at both rounds too, brilliant effort ladies
Some of the sections had been left up after the Wallace, which had taken place a couple of weeks prior to the Ladies event. The marking out team laid out some new sections and made substantial tweaks to the existing hazards. We had a fair bit of rain in the week running up to the event which did change the severity of the routes, so a few further changes were made and by Sunday morning everything was ready to get underway.
The morning dawned with a bright blue sky, but that disappeared fairly soon and was replaced with rather menacing grey clouds overhead, luckily they came to nothing, we had a few spots throughout the course of the day but nothing more than that, so perfect riding conditions for the entrants who were eager to get going.
Donna Fox was the first lady to start on her Montesa 4RT in the top class Ladies Championship at 10.31 precisely. Pat Hemmings, the club Vice Chairman was in charge of getting the riders off at their allotted times. Donna was closely followed by the rest of the field at one minute intervals.
Congratulations to all of the riders, you put on a very impressive show and the families and spectators were treated to a great days entertainment.
As mentioned above, Alice Minta took the top spot in the Ladies Championship class dropping 19 marks over the 3 lap, 12 section course. North Berks’ own Alicia Robinson was a mere 5 marks behind on 24 and Kaytlyn Adshead, part of the Station Garage entourage that make the trip from the Isle of Man finished in third place on 35 marks lost.
Ladies Championship 50/50 class only had two riders entered, Megan Savage came out on top with an impressive ride on 30 marks, Lucy Ayrton was second on 77.
Ladies Intermediate Championship was a well supported class with seven riders. Millie Duval won the class on 49 marks, Niki Louis second, a few behind dropping 61 on her Vertigo and Melissa Chambers came third on 81, Melissa drew with Isobel Coopey on marks lost but took third place on the most cleans.
Ladies Sportsperson Non-Championship class consisted of two riders. Lucy Baker took the win of this class on 13 marks. Helen Tatlock sadly took a tumble over her handlebars, she was OK but decided to pull-out. Helen would like to thank everyone who contributed to her Cancer Research challenge. £180 cash and £40 in contributions was gratefully received.
On to the youth classes… Top class, Girls A 50/50 route had three entrants. Sophie White headed this class dropping 57 marks, second spot went to Ruby McCubbin on 72 and Brianna King a few marks behind on 80.
Girls B 50/50 class only had two riders. Holly Dixon on 40 marks and very closely followed by Summer Peters just two marks adrift on 42, next time Summer.
Girls B Intermediate Championship class, again only had two riders. Kayleigh Rich took a convincing win on 29 marks, with Sophie Ferguson finishing on 84.
The biggest class with 8 riders was the Girls C Championship class. Daisy Craig had an inspired ride dropping just a single dab over the 36 sections, fantastic ride Daisy. Sophie Sellers was second on 12 and Jodie Cummings third on 22.
Girls Sportsperson Non-Championship had two riders in the class. Gemma Kerruish won this one on 24, Alann Eagleton was a way back on 102.
Finally… The Girls D Championship was well supported with seven riders. Daisy Brookes had a great ride on 8 marks, Clodagh Higgins four behind on 12 and Isla Kennington from the Isle of Man on 27.
As always the club would like to thank the observers, you are amazing and we thank you so much. Thanks to all the usual team who organise our events. The marking out crew, Sue for secretary duty getting the event set up on the dreaded Sport80 system and getting everyone sorted out and signed in on the morning, Mark for sorting the observers and off to their allotted sections. Pat for starting the ladies, girls off. Jimmy for scrutineering, Gordon Lawley and Steve Greenen for keeping an eye on everything in their official capacity as ACU Stewards. Pat and Pat for helping with the punchcard changes at the end of each lap. Well done to the guys on the Refreshment van, you were kept busy throughout the day. Thank you to the Seymour family for their continued support letting the club use the Arena.
Lastly thanks to all of the riders and their families for joining us, we hope you had an enjoyable day, always a great atmosphere with you guys. There are some pictures in the Gallery. Nigel McGoldrick was also at the Arena with his video camera, Nigel gets some fantastic footage and has created some brilliant video’s, he attends most of the big national events, click on the link to his YouTube channel it’s a great watch.
Our next event is our Spring Club Trial at the Arena on the 9th April, check out the Events page.
Droitwich Youth Trials Club (DYTC) are running their first round of the Summer MK Off Road Midlands OSET Cup and Youth Championships at Seymour’s arena on Sunday 16th April, 10:30 start. Electric and petrol bikes welcome. Visit their Facebook page for more information, support these guys they put in a massive effort for youth trials. www.facebook.com/groups/mkoffroadosetcup
……Posted – 27/02/23. 11:43
Sam Haslam on top form at the 2023 Wallace!
North Berks held the third round of the 2023 ACU S3-Parts National Trials Championship this weekend. As always, it was a great day’s sport, the weather was fantastic, a brisk wind but the sun shone for most of the day. We had an initial entry of 110 riders again this year.
The competitors started at Seymours Arena at 9:31 sharp, getting underway at one minute intervals. Gary Brown was the first rider to be sent off by Pat Hemmings, the club’s Vice Chairman, leading the Clubman over 40 class away. The riders soon got warmed up, completing 3 steady sections in the Arena before leaving and heading down the road following the route markings to group 2, the Lynch, where they were met with 5 sections along the top of the bank. Once completed, the riders headed back along the top of the field and across Westfield Road, up the track to the popular group at Lollingdon Hill – consisting of 6 sections, two of which were a real test of skill and determination for the S3 Expert class on the steep banks.
A ride down the other side of the hill, through the farm to emerge onto the A417. Aston Pit was found after half a mile or so on the left, where there were two sections on the slippery chalk banks next to the road.
The riders then rode up the hill, changing their punchcards at the barns before carrying on up the track to Air-raid Shelter where they found group 5, consisting of 5 sections. Some great sections here on the steep wooded hillside. As we’ve had a fairly long spell of good weather the ground on this steep bank was amazingly dry for this time of year.
Once the riders had completed this group it was a lengthy off-road ride following the markers across the gallops to Upton village, back onto the A417 again, where they found Bucknell’s Copse. When the marking out crew turned up at the copse to plot the sections the week before, the drain that runs under the road was blocked, consequently, there was about 6 foot of water lying in the bottom of the sections. These two are always pivotal in the trial and can be the decider on the winner of the overall event. Stu Robinson made a quick phone call to the landowner who went down there the following day with a machine to clear the drain, which literally returned the water level back to the normal depth within hours. So, thankfully, the two sections were back on, they both have massive climbs up very slippery banks, a popular spot for spectators and there were plenty there watching the action.
Once they have dragged themselves out of Bucknell’s, it’s a quick hop across the road to Strange’s Gate, which is a single section in the stream which proved tricky. It was then a short ride to group 8, Nappers Railway Line, the riders found 3 sections here – steep adverse cambers and climbs on the old disused railway banks.
They then headed down Nappers Lane to The Moors which was the next group to challenge the riders, 3 sections, two in the lane itself and a quick blast across the field to the stream over the back. Once these were completed, the riders were nearly done – it’s was a steady road ride back to Seymours Arena where they found the final 6 sections amongst the rocky banks and steps, a few steady ones and a couple of challenging ones to sign off.
It was so close at the sharp end. Congratulations to Sam Haslam, who won the S3 Expert class, completing the 36 sections in and around the Berkshire Downs for the loss of just 4 marks. Richard Sadler was a close second on 5 and last years winner Alexz Wigg one mark behind on 6.
James Grist took the win on the S3 Clubman route, dropping just 2 marks, which was a brilliant result, closely followed by our Alicia Robinson on 4 (awesome ride Lici, well done). Last years winner of this class Sam Atherton took third place on 11 marks lost.
The top end of the S3 Clubman Over 40 class was again very close and low scoring. Philip Wiffen took the win again this year dropping just 2 marks, Steve Swanson a close second on 3 and Kevin Nolan on 6 marks lost.
Congratulations to the winners, we hope you all had an enjoyable day with us and look forward to seeing you again next year. Looking at the results it seems that the marking out team did a good job, the top end of the three classes was fairly low scoring and very tight, but we took a good few marks off the remaining field. I’m certain you all enjoyed riding round the beautiful countryside in the sunshine.
The club would like to thank everyone that helped make the event a great success. A massive well done to Claire, who spent about three days banging her head on the wall setting up the new Sport80 event entry system, this was our first trial on the new system and Claire had persevered with it and got it sorted and all the entries came in with no problem.
Well done to Claire and Leah for getting the riders signed on first thing, Mark for sorting the observers out. Pat & Pat on the clock at the start, getting the riders away at their allotted times, Sue and Sarah on punchcard duty at the barns on the way up to Air-raid Shelter. Pat & Pat for de-bibbing the riders at the end. Sue getting the results done and out on the evening. Thank you to the catering guys, you did a great job keeping everyone fed. Well done to Stu who works tirelessly to make this event what it is, his cutting/marking out team who put in the hours leading up to the event – Mark, Mick, Todd, Ben and Ash. Scott for breaking the back of the route marking, and the back markers clearing everything up at the end. Thank you everyone, fantastic effort as always and lots of positive feedback from the riders.
Lastly, a massive thank you to all of the observers that stood out in the chilly wind all day, we are forever grateful to you.
Our next event is the ACU, Belle Trailers Ladies & Girls Trials Championship round on 19th March at Seymours Arena. There are some pictures up on the Gallery page. Nigel McGoldrick was also at the event with his video camera and has put his footage up on YouTube, take a look its a great watch, click button on left. -
Posted – 28/12/22. 12:43
Oliver takes the win at the North Berks Hangover Trial down the Moors.
Boxing day dawned with a light ground frost as the 45 entrants arrived at the Moors to take part in the popular North Berks Hangover Trial, just outside East Hagbourne.
The team had been out the previous weekend, and in the week leading up to Christmas. Thanks go out to Norman Drewe for lending us one of his guys (Charlie) for a couple of hours to help move some large rocks and logs from Seymours Arena, it has been a long time since we have done any serious work at the Moors and the existing logs had deteriorated over the years so were in need of refreshing.
The cutting out crew had marked out 8 challenging sections to test the riders, nothing too extreme but some tight turns in and out of the trees on the banks in the lane with the experts taking on the new log sections, this was a very popular viewing point for the spectators that had come out to blow the Christmas cobwebs away. Once these first four sections had been completed it was on to the muddy section in the corner of the field which always takes marks, after emerging from this one, a short ride across to the bank by the car park where the riders had to ride over the logs and rocks across the top of the bank. Once done, it was a blast across the two fields to a couple of sections in and out of the stream at the back of the venue which had been cleared, and with the addition of a couple of decent lumps of rock which had been strategically placed on the bank and more logs to test the top class riders.
We had a good entry of 10 riders taking on the expert route. Oliver Smith took the glory on his TRS dropping just a single mark on section 4, great ride Ollie! Tom Hawthorne was in second place on 7 and Will McBain who has won the event many times over the years took third spot on 9 marks lost.
Clubman 50/50 class was won by Ashley Thomas losing 10 marks, Ashley is usually in a tight contest with his riding mate Ben Owens in this class, but Ben sustained a leg injury practicing a week or so prior to this event and had stepped down a class so as not to aggravate his injury, being a sports therapist he knows what he’s talking about regarding injuries! Kevin Nolan took second place on 23 with Bailey Tibbs one mark behind on 24 securing third spot.
Clubman B was won by Ben Owens on 5, Justin Heavans took second place on 8 marks lost with Mark Elms two marks behind on 10.
The Clubman C class was well supported with 12 entrants. Paul Jackson won the class dropping a mere 3 marks, which is a fantastic ride bearing in mind that Paul only gets out to ride once a year nowadays. Dale Caswell took second place on 12 and Edward Gardner two marks down on 14.
We only had two riders on Clubman D, top spot was taken by Caroline Rich dropping just 10 marks, well done Caz, great ride, you’ll soon be up on the yellow route. Jeremy Twitchen second on 98 marks.
Sadly, we only had four youth riders this time. George Clark riding the Expert route in Youth A class, dropping just 24 marks, great ride George. Kayleigh Rich riding Youth B dropped 52. Then two riders on the Youth D class, Jack Rich took the win on 1 and Tommy Wakeford a little way back on 20, great effort all of you.
It was good to see Max Agar back on a trials bike. Max rode from a very young age at the club and was great to watch, he was a small lad but had no fear and was always fully committed in a section, whatever the severity. Max went on to ride Enduro with a lot of success and has now crossed to Motocross and is taking part in the British Motocross Championship this year. Good luck Max, don’t leave it too long mate.
Thanks as usual to all of the observers: Liam York, Mick Bayliss, Justin Howells, Jon Probitts, Jimmy Axford, Sarah and Mark Anderson and Nigel Preston, we a so grateful for your help. We hope you enjoyed the wine and tub of choccies.
Well done to the cutting/marking out team, Stu Robinson, Mark Anderson, Mick Bayliss, Todd Jones, Ben Owens and Ashley Thomas, great effort all of you.
Finally well done and thanks to Sue for getting everyone entered and signed-in on the morning and getting through the results after the trial sitting in front of the fire number crunching with a festive glass of wine, no mistakes either... ;-)
There are more images up in the Gallery. Gazza was also there, click the button to take you to his gallery.
We hope you enjoyed the day. Do try to join us at the AGM on the 17th January.
The North Berks committee wish you all a Happy New Year, let’s hope that 2023 is a good one.
…….Posted – 22/12/22. 10:48
Notice of Annual General Meeting 2023
To be held on Tuesday 17th January 2023 at 8pm at The Conservative Club, The Barn, Foxhall Rd, Didcot OX11 7AD. You are invited to The North Berks MCC Annual General Meeting, come along and have your say or catch up for a chat.
The committee invites nominations for the election of officers for the year 2023. Please send you nominations to northberksmcc@gmail.com. Note: No nomination may be made without the approval of the person concerned. Nominations to be received no later than 14 January 2023.
Agenda
1/ Apologies for absence
2/ Minutes of previous AGM where applicable
3/ Chairman's report
4/ Treasurer’s report
5/ Election of committee members
6/ Any other business
If you are interested in joining the North Berks MCC committee or would like further information, please contact club Chairman, Mark Anderson on northberksmcc@gmail.com or 07770 652512.
If you cannot attend the AGM but have any issues you would like raised at the meeting, again, please contact Mark Anderson on the contact details above by 14 January 2023.
Hope to see you all there. Regards and Merry Christmas.
Mark Anderson – Chairman.…….
Posted – 14/12/22. 11:16
The new ACU Sport:80 member platform
As I’m sure the majority of you know…The ACU have now moved over to the Sport:80 platform for member event entry and club event setup. It is a completely different platform from the existing one, we are working on setting it up, bear with us.
Claire has now set up the Club Membership side of it, if you click the button below it will take you to the new platform where you can renew your Club Membership, which you need to do before you can renew your ACU licence.
This bit is quite straight-forward, so follow the link and log in with your NEW ACU login details that you should have updated in the last week or two. Any problems email: northberksmcc@gmail.com
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> Posted 20/11/22. 13:24
Boxing Day, Hangover Trial
MONDAY 26 December 2022, 10:00 Start.
THE MOORS – Nappers Lane, East Hagbourne, Didcot, Oxon OX11 9LE.
North Berks are delighted to be holding their traditional Boxing Day Trial on Sunday 26 December 2022 at The Moors, Nappers Lane, East Hagbourne.
Online entry is open. With the launch of the new ACU website, there's lots of confusion around how to register on-line for trials in the remaining weeks of 2022, but you can still enter on the old ACU website. You'll need to enter your old login details as you have done previously, click the button below.
We will take entries on the day but the preferred method would be for you to enter on-line - you know how confused Sue gets with all the paperwork!!
Everyone is welcome to come along and have a bit of fun for a few hours. Starts 10:00am with 8-10 sections.
We look forward to seeing you on the 26th December.
…….
> Posted 09/11/22. 09:56
Youth Trial at Seymours
Round 1 of the West Midlands OSET Cup and Youth Winter Championships was held at Seymour’s Arena last weekend, Sunday 6th November. It was a fantastic day, have a read of the report from Andy Rich below, and visit their Facebook page to read the positive feedback they get from the family’s who attend their events. If you have young children who are, or want to get involved in trials these are the events to enter.
A huge thank you to our observers who stood out and braved the wet weather for us!
And also a big thank you to North Berks MCC and Stuart and Alicia Robinson for all your help, support and guidance.
Finally, to our sponsors MK Off Road (us), Woodrobes, Central Scanning and of course OSET Bikes.
The day got off to a dry (ish!) start and the presentation for our 2022 summer series was carried out at 10:30am. Huge thank you to Caz who plucked up the courage to speak in front of a big crowd! She did a great job and she wishes me to thank you all for bearing with her. The kids seemed happy with their trophies handed out by superstar Alicia Robinson, and our sponsors Nick Godfrey & Les Wood.
The intention of the sections was to set them a little easier than summer, with the blue especially dropped down a notch. However this made a big gap up to red, and when the weather changed all the sections became quite a challenge for most.
The white beginner had 5 entries (3 of them girls!) Ruby Wareing got the win, and our first with us, almost halving the score from 2nd place Huw Edmunds. Huw has had a break from riding recently and got back going at Seymour’s. His score of 41 an impressive result. 3rd was Abigail Clark, competing in her first trial! Abigail was in good hands with Alicia minding for her and pointing out lines. Ollie Hinckley brought home a 4th, with Jessica Herbert in 5th. Both these young kids doing well to get round and negotiate some of the slippery grass banks, especially on section 8.
The yellow route OSET cup had a massive entry with 16 riders. Summer champion Daisy Brookes took the win, cleaning the trial and Daisy tells me she won £20 off Dad in the process! A good day out all round for Daisy! Kasia Pekala – Dayment was right on Daisy’s heals on 4 dropped, with Amelie Godfrey in 3rd on 5. A girl top 3 again! Everyone was close together at the top with Thomas Herbert in 4th on 6, Harlo Chapman all the way from South Wales on 9 and Oliver Edmunds on 12. Young Harry Brookes had a good day in 7th place, and another young lad from South Wales, Freddy Green was in 8th. Krystian Pekala-Dayment on his new OSET 24 was next, with Louis Wood rounding out the top 10. Thomas Gladwyn was 11th, another riding his first ever trial, followed by Harper Oliver and Braeden Bryson Podesta, who are improving all the time. Emily Thompson had a tough day out having moved up from the white round. Emily is a talented rider and with time and practice, like all the kids will keep on improving. Well done yellow route!
Jake Stokes was the yellow route petrol winner, dropping 31.
The blue route OSET cup had just the 4 riders this time, and with George Turner moving up to red it left Oliver Bird and Josh Wood to battle it out for the win. Both riders were very evenly matched apart from section 4, where Josh on his smaller bike had some trouble. Oliver got the win in the end with Josh 2nd. 5 year old Harvey Reynolds got a 3rd amongst a very busy weekend celebrating brother Zach’s birthday. Beau Perry was 4th, having not been on his bike for several months. Beau is full of joy, just like his Dad, the aptly named ‘Happy Farmer’ (look up Myles Perry; he sells meat that is of the highest quality from his farm near Warwick)
The blue petrol’s were missing Jack Rich, who moved up to red, and Max Hastings who couldn’t attend. It was lovely to see Daisy Craig back riding with us and she tied on just 4 dropped with George Wareing. Daisy just taking the win with one more clean. James Harper was 3rd with just 17 dropped.
The red OSET cup is down on numbers now as Sam Lefevre, Alfie Shaw and Samuel Millmore have all moved onto Beta 80’s! This is showing the OSET bikes value in the trials world, the bikes have helped them progress and learn trials skills with all the benefits an electric bike offers. This left just two riders to battle for the win. Billy Guilford edged it in the end, with George Turner on his new OSET 24 in 2nd. Both riders very similarly matched.
The red petrol’s was a class of two halves. Birthday boy Zach Reynolds got a well deserved win! Dropping just 10. Our very own Kayleigh Rich got a little casual with a 2 on section 1, and a 5 on section 2 for a roll back on lap 2. Kayleigh went on to clean the last two laps but it was only enough to tie with Zach, who won the day with 1 more clean than Kayleigh! Sam Lefevre carried on from where he left off on his OSET 24. Sam had a 3rd place with just 19 dropped. Aaron Watson was 4th on his new beautiful Vertigo 125. Aaron had a little trouble on section 6, but matched the top 2 elsewhere. Hayden Pimley had a great ride and was just a handful of points back from Aaron. The bottom 3 here had a bit more of a struggle. Alfie Shaw was next, and despite the higher score actually rode very well. This was Alfie’s first trial on his medium wheel 80, coming from a much lighter OSET 20. Samuel Millmore was having a good day until some mechanical issues. And finally our own little Jack Rich, who just had everything going wrong! A 3 on section 1 wasn’t too bad, but a 5 on section 2, obliterating his mudguard and new custom graphics, followed by more crashes, one pretty big off on his mum’s section 7, and injured knee and shoulder, revs hanging on his bike and from there I sent him back to the camper to get some dry clothes! Maybe another day for Jack, who has been riding very well lately but still has a ton to learn. Not his day!
Thank you all so much for coming. 41 kids these days is unbelievable. Me and Caz are really trying our best to let the kids have fun and to ride in a friendly but competitive set of trials. Seymour’s is a top venue, and we are so lucky to be able to use it. Our next venue is more local to us and is totally different. Old school trials in the woods, all natural. We hope to see you there on December 18th at Birchwood Farm, Shatterford.
Andy.…….
> Posted 18/10/22. 08:28
Autumn Trial at Standlake
This Sunday saw the North Berks Autumn Club Trial which was held at Standlake woods, the exceptionally warm summer weather had made a massive impact on the venue. There is usually a lot of standing water in the middle of the woods, but the marking out crew were spoilt for choice, with a great deal of scope to create some new sections in areas that are usually unusable. The crew had been out the week earlier and plotted a good lap of 10 sections which turned out to be fairly challenging, nothing silly but certainly took some marks in all classes. The days leading up to the event the weather had remained fairly dry, a few short showers, but nothing to wreck the sections. The day itself – The 38 entered riders were treated to full on sunshine for the duration of the trial which was fantastic.
Brett Harbud took the win in the Expert class dropping 10 marks, having hot-footed it back from riding at the Scott on Saturday, it was his first attempt at the gruelling timed and observation trial up in Yorkshire and he placed a very impressive 53rd position, which is a fantastic result riding against the countries top riders, well done Brett. Back to our trial…Alicia Robinson took second place on 18 marks lost, closely followed by Ben Owen on 23.
The Robinson’s were out in force, Stu Robinson came top of the pile on the Clubman 50/50 route dropping just 6 marks (he’s still got it!) Tony Moulder was a fair few marks back on 28, followed by Nate Robinson on 48.
We only had three riders in the Clubman B class. Aaron Tame finished the four laps on 28, cousin Kieran Tame on 37 and Andy Rich a little way back on 54.
Clubman C route was well supported with 12 riders, the class was won by Brian Tomkins who went round for a clean, well done Brian – inspired ride. Neil Pettit took second on just 4 marks. Gordon Pusey grabbed third spot dropping 18 marks.
Well done to Hugh Robertson-Payne who had a great ride on the Clubman D route, Hugh mentioned to me that is was exactly one year since his first trial which was at Standlake, he has come on leaps and bounds and is now going to move up to the Clubman C route going forward. Well done Hugh, he won the class dropping just 7 marks, Iain Clark came in second place losing 9 marks. Jake Cordery took third place on 36, well done Jake, keep at it.
On to the Youth classes which were a little sparse sadly, only 7 entrants but there was a Youth Championship event going on at Surrey Schoolboys so not a great surprise.
Youth B class was won by Matthew Clark on 42, followed by Kayleigh Rich on 58.
Jack Pettit topped the Youth C class dropping 21, Jack Rich second on 65 and Oliver Edmunds on 148.
Finally, Youth D was headed by Emily Thompson dropping 77 marks and Harley Maverick-Hill was doing really well but failed to finish.
Thank you to James French for the use of the venue, such a fantastic piece of ground which we are very grateful for the opportunity to run our trials from. Thank you to all of the usual suspects. The marking out crew, Mark Anderson, Ben Owen, Mick Bayliss and Todd and Zak Jones. Well done to Sue for setting up the online entry, getting everyone signed on (even though she did misplace all the rider numbers at one point, having a panicky 5 minutes until they turned up in the middle of the main pile of numbers which weren’t being used.) Also well done Sue for doing the number crunching and getting the results out on Sunday evening.
As always a huge thank you to all the observers that helped out with the sections. Sarah and Krysti Anderson, Mick Bayliss, Liam York, Jimmy Axford and friend (sorry, we didn’t get his name), Nigel Preston, Caz Rich, Dave Ilsley and Rich Harbud, we are forever in you debt.
Thanks to Gazza for popping over to take some pictures, click the link below to take you to his gallery site to see if he got you in action.
We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did, we hope to see you at the next Club Trial which is the Boxing Day (Hangover Trial) at the Moors, Nappers Lane, East Hagbourne.…….
> Posted 03/10/22. 11:57.
They did it!
Congratulations and a huge well done to Claire and Leah who completed the London Marathon this weekend, a fantastic achievement. They were raising money in memory of all those people who have lost their lives due to Epilepsy, everyone living with Epilepsy or living with a family member who has Epilepsy and to raise awareness of Claire’s charity – SUDEP which is Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, and Leah’s – Epilepsy Action. Between them they raised a massive £4000 in total which will be donated to their two charities. Well done ladies!
…….Autumn Club Trial
SUNDAY 16 OCTOBER 2022, 10:00 Start.
STANDLAKE WOODS – Standlake, Oxon OX29 7PR. (Signposted off A415 Standlake To Witney Road)
We return to Standlake for this one. The event is open to all, online entry only via the ACU website. It should be a good ride round with 4 laps of 10 sections. The expert sections will be challenging as you would expect but the lower class sections will be set out on the easier side, so should be a fun day for everyone. We hope to see you then.
The trial is open to non-members. Entry fee is £15 Adult, £10 Youth.
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> Posted 26/09/22. 15.53
Great result for Alicia at the TDN in Italy this weekend
Alicia was selected again this year to represent Great Britain in the 2022 Ladies Trials des Nations (TDN).
Alicia was teamed up with multi British, European, World Champion Emma Bristow and Katlyn Adshead from the Isle of Man. The ladies had some really tough competition but pushed all the way. They ended up on the same score as first place Spain on just 6 points, but dropped to second place down to time, a brilliant result. Well done all of you, you did us proud again.
Well done to the men’s team too, who got on to the third step of the podium. Fantastic result from all the British team.
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> Posted 23/06/22. 13.17
Summer 2-Dayer – What a fantastic weekend!
This weekend saw the North Berks Summer 2-Dayer go ahead, cancelled from earlier in the year we moved the venue to Seymours Arena instead of Standlake woods. The forecast was good and it certainly didn’t disappoint, we had wall to wall sunshine over the whole two days. The Arena was in great condition albeit fairly scorched from this years hot spell that we’ve been enjoying. The marking out crew had spent a good few days preparing for the event, a lot of effort to get those wooden pegs into the ground.
The weekend consisted of a normal club trial on Saturday, where we had a fair entry of 30 odd riders, tasked with riding eight sections four times. The trial got underway at 3pm and looking at the final scores the sections were just about the right severity over the four routes.
Here are the top three in each class from Saturday (if there were three)
Expert – Brett Harbud (3) Joe Snelling (4) Alice Minta (9)
Clubman 50/50 – Finley Belcher (4) Daniel Hole (7 (30 cleans)) Scott Faulkner (7 (29 cleans)) Ben Owen (7 (27 cleans))
Clubman B – Reynard Norris (13) Niki Louis (19) Sean McCullagh (25)
Clubman C – Richard Harbud (15) Ian Cross (32)
Clubman D – Kaz Rich (15)
Youth B – Kayleigh Rich (32)
Youth C – Jack Rich (40)
Youth D – Emily Thompson (23)
Most of the riders who had entered both days stayed over for the night, camping in the parking area at the Arena. We had a few who had travelled from as far away as Yorkshire to join us at the Arena, thanks for the effort guys, we hope you enjoyed it. It was good to see so many people take advantage of the glorious weather through the afternoon and into the evening.
Day two was Robinson’s Charity Trial. Claire and Leah are both taking part in the London Marathon on 2nd October this year, raising money in memory of all those people who have lost their lives due to Epilepsy, everyone living with Epilepsy or living with a family member who has Epilepsy and to raise awareness of Claire’s charity – SUDEP which is Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, and Leah’s – Epilepsy Action. The club are donating all entry fees and any money collected on the day to the two charities. The trial itself started at 10am, and consisted of four laps of ten sections. We had a good entry of some of the countries top riders so we had decided to include an Elite route which followed the normal expert route with deviations up some serious SuperTrial style rockery, these were to be ridden three times and certainly tested their skill. Well done to Ollie Smith for taking the win, amazing effort from you all though, some really impressive riding. The trial closed at around 2.30 with some very tired riders, the heat had taken its toll and the technical nature of the sections in the Arena had certainly drained their energy.
Sunday top three placings
Elite – Oliver Smith (16) Emma Bristow (28) Joe Snelling (61)
Expert – Toby Smith (13) Alicia Robinson (17) Ben Lovelace (22)
Clubman 50/50 – Finley Belcher (4) Daniel Hole (9) Ben Owen (11)
Clubman B – Nate Robinson (11) Mark Elms (12) Kieran Tame (22)
Clubman C – Neil Harris (5) Richard Harbud (14) Ian Cross (20)
Clubman D – Kaz Rich (14)
Youth B – Kayleigh Rich (45)
Youth C – Joshua Brown (15) Jack Rich (24)
Youth D – Braeden Bryson-Podesta (38)
Well done to everyone who rode over the two days, it was great to see so many people out enjoying the sunshine.
We finished the afternoon with a Hog Roast which had been prepared and put on to start cooking by Stu at 7am that morning, everyone stayed on after the trial to enjoy the food which had been carved and served by Stu and Claire. It was fantastic to see so many club members old and new, again, enjoying the food and amazing weather.
As always, there are so many people to thank... The marking out team, who had been out the previous week plotting the routes and hammering those pegs in. Sue for setting up the online entry on the ACU website. All of the observers that stood out in that heat for a good number of hours, some of them doing both days, so a massive thank you to you all. Then obviously, the Robinson’s for organising and taking care of the Hog Roast which went down very well, literally. Watch this space that could be a regular occurrence. Thank you to Sue for getting the results sorted and out quickly as usual. Then a final thank you to everyone that helped clean up after the event, and pulling all of those pegs back out.
The club hope that Adam Roulstone was OK after his off at the top of section 10, we hope you have a speedy recovery Adam.
We’ll let you know how much the event made and is sent to the two fantastic charities in due course. Thank you to everyone that kindly made a donation on the day and thank you for joining us over the weekend, it was great to see so many people, we hope you enjoyed it.
You can still support Claire and Leah’s charities, visit their just giving pages at the links below.
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North Berks Summer 2-Day Trial
The club will be running this years’ Summer 2-Dayer at Seymours Arena on the weekend of 20/21 August. It should be a fantastic couple of days, the sections will be set out on the easier side, the expert route will be tougher, but we know the top guys and gals like a challenge. There will be free camping on Saturday night, so bring the family and spend some time with your trials pals and have a night under the stars together. The online entry is now open, you can enter either day or obviously both. Get those entries in early.
Saturday – will be a normal Club Trial which will start at 15:00 in the afternoon and will consist of four laps of eight sections.
Sunday – Robinson’s Charity Trial. The club will be donating all entry fees to SUDEP and Epilepsy Action, Claire and Leah’s charities. The trial itself will start at 10:00, consisting of four laps of ten sections. We are looking at finishing the day with a Pig Roast in the Arena. So don’t rush off, stick around and enjoy your afternoon in the sunshine, it should be a great day.
Why a Charity Trial?
This year Claire and Leah have set themselves the hardest physical challenge that they think they will ever do – taking part in the London Marathon on 2nd October. They are taking part in the Marathon in memory of all those people who have lost their lives due to Epilepsy, everyone living with Epilepsy or living with a family member who has Epilepsy and to raise awareness of Claire’s charity – SUDEP which is Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, and Leah’s – Epilepsy Action.
Below is why these charities mean so much to them, please read it and if you feel you can help by sponsoring them at all – no matter how small, that would be fantastic! You’ll find links to Claire and Leah’s JustGiving pages below, Thank you.
Claire explains...
“My daughter Leah was just 14 months old when she had her first seizure and she was fitting for almost an hour. Following this she was in intensive care and then on the ward for a few weeks. After this episode as far as we knew she didn't have any more seizures. Unfortunately this all changed and at the age of 12 we were woken in the night by Leah having fallen out of bed due to having a seizure. Further tests revealed that Leah had a condition called Chiari Malformation and also a curved spine. Leah went on to have decompression surgery which helped her condition. Again unfortunately a few years later just before her 17th birthday Leah was diagnosed with Epilepsy. As a family we received a lot of support from our local hospital, but we never really knew all the dangers that came with Epilepsy. I only found this out from my own research and this is how I came across SUDEP Action. At the time Leah's seizures were only happening at night and little did I know that this is one of the most dangerous times to have seizures. People even said to me don't worry she cant die from Epilepsy, but how wrong is that!
Leah's epilepsy isn't fully under control but she's a warrior and keeps battling on and overcomes the hurdles that are in her way. She has pursued her dream to become a paediatric nurse, which as a family makes us all so proud of her.
I want to raise awareness of Epilepsy and the risks of SUDEP as I'm sure so many people don't know the dangers that people who suffer from Epilepsy have to face every day.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.”
Claire Robinson
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> Posted 24/07/22. 20.21
Seymours open for practice this Wednesday, 27 July
Seymour’s Arena will be open this Wednesday 27nd July. Gates open at 5pm. Club joining fee will apply if not already a member. Practice entry fee - £10. Adult club joining fee - £7. Youth club joining fee - £4.
Please click the button below to download the entry form, fill it out and bring it with you with the correct money if possible please, don’t forget to include the membership fee if not already a member, thank you.
We look forward to seeing you there!
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> Posted 14/07/22. 15.24
Tom and Oliver share the win at the Evening Club Trial
Yesterday evening North Berks held their annual Evening Club Trial. We had a decent entry of over 30 riders entered. We were spoilt with wall to wall sunshine, although it did cool a little toward the end of the evening which was quite refreshing for the riders who had completed four laps of eight sections which had been plotted around the Arena, there are only a couple of places to take any shade at Seymours so it was quite challenging for everyone.
The expert class was topped out by Thomas Hawthorne and Oliver Smith who were riding round together and despite some fairly technical sections they both managed to come away with a clean sheet and decided to shake hands on it and share the win. We had discussed a race around the Arena or first up the waterfall, or possibly stone, paper, scissors to decide the winner but agreed to leave it as a draw. Brett Harbud was a very close third dropping just 2 marks on section 3.
Ben Owen and Ashley Thomas were the only two riders taking on the Clubman 50/50 route. Ash came away with the win on 20 marks lost this time round just one point ahead of Ben on 21, well done to you both.
Joe Bayliss took the win on the Clubman B route for the loss of just 25 marks, a fantastic result bearing in mind he hasn’t ridden for a fair few years. It was good to see you back at it Joe. Steve Golla was second on 30 and Nate Robinson a couple behind on 32 taking third place.
Stu Belcher was top of the pack in the Clubman C class on his immaculate 320 Aprilia twinshock, dropping just one dab on section 8. Richard Hawthorne had a great ride in second place losing 13 and Alex Griffin third on 25.
Tim Brett won the Clubman D class on 5 marks lost. Robin Hirst second on 12 and Stephen Broadhurst on 23. Well done to all of the newcomers, there were a few with us, it was fantastic to see you and we hope you enjoyed your first trial, it can be pretty daunting, but you all did really well.
On to the Youth riders. Max Golla was the only rider in the Youth A class, well done to him for taking on the big rocky sections of the Arena, he dropped 74 marks but a fantastic effort.
Kai Fisher was again the only rider on the Youth B class and dropped 43 marks.
There were three young riders on the Youth D route. Tommy Sturgess top of the class on 24, Emily Thompson on 30 and Matilda Davis on 81 marks lost.
Again, well done to all of the competitors for putting in the extra effort in the scorching hot conditions, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did watching you.
Thank you as always to the marking out crews; Sue for dealing with the paperwork and getting the results up on Facebook sharpish; and a huge thank you to the observers that stood out in the sunshine all evening – Mark and Sarah Anderson, Derek Dodd, Mick Bayliss, Nigel Preston, Finley Belcher (not much longer until you can get back on it Fin), Jimmy Axford and Liam York.
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> Posted 15/06/22. 15.02
The Summer 2-Day Trial is cancelled
The committee have taken the difficult decision to cancel the Summer 2-Day Camping event. Online entry has been open for over a month and to date we only have 8 entries, 2 for the Saturday and 6 for Sunday. There are a number of other trials events taking place that weekend which may have resulted in this lack of entries. There is a huge amount of hard work put into running these events by the committee (and several other club members) – cutting-out, marking-out, getting observers, signing-on etc., and all this time and effort would be better channelled when there are higher numbers of entries.
To this end, we have decided to cancel the event. We will possibly run it later in the year when there are less events that may clash and hope that you will continue to support North Berks MCC in attending what have always been excellent and well attended trials events.
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> Posted 27/05/22. 11:14
Great turnout for practice at Seymours
The Arena was open for practice last weekend, a fantastic bunch of riders turned up early to make the most of the opportunity to ride the rocks and banks that the Arena is famous for.
We will be holding more over the coming weeks/months, so keep an eye out for dates.
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> Posted 17/05/22. 08.16
Seymours open for practice – Saturday 21 May
North Berks MCC will be holding a practice day at Seymour’s Arena on Saturday 21st May. 10am - 5pm, club joining fee will apply if not already a member. Practice entry fee - £10. Adult club joining fee - £7. Youth club joining fee - £4.
Please click the button below to download the entry form, fill it out and bring it with you with the correct money if possible please, don’t forget to include the membership fee if not already a member, thank you.
We look forward to seeing you there on Saturday!
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> Posted 17/05/22. 08.04
Youth Trials returns to Seymours Arena
Droitwich Youth Trials Club (D.Y.T.C) are running the 3rd round of their West Midlands OSET Cup and Youth Trials Championships at Seymours Arena on 5th June, starting at 10:00. Check out their Facebook page for further information on how to enter etc., click the button below.
The super-keen Rich family run these fantastic events, which are absolutely brilliant for the kids, whatever level they have reached. There are routes for the complete beginner up to the top level class and cater for both electric and petrol bikes, which are incidentally scored separately.
Don’t miss it!
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> Posted 12/05/22. 15.34
Well done to Alicia, Tom and Stu
A massive congratulations to Alicia and Tom for completing the week up at the SSDT on their first attempt, a fantastic achievement completing the six days of unrelenting slog across the moors and up the rocky gullies, riding 30 odd sections, covering approximately 100 miles each day. Unfortunately Stu had an off at the end of Wednesday, having a sleepless night that night and visiting A&E on Thursday morning to find that he’d broken three ribs – so that was the end of his SSDT. Stu has ridden it a number of times over the years but was looking forward to riding it with Alicia this year, at least he got three days out on the moors with her. Matt Dixon promptly stepped into Stu’s boots to look after Alicia, although I heard she had to return the favour a few times out there, nice one Matt. Alicia achieved a Second Class Award finishing 173rd overall, on 373 marks for the week, which placed her forth in the Ladies results table. Well done Lici.
Tom Hawthorne was also attempting the challenge for the first time, having caught up with him a few times, he looked like he was in his element and enjoying his week, he’d teamed up with a good bunch and were having a great laugh, I saw a clip of him going over the handlebars after dropping into a bog across one of the moors. We also crossed paths with Tom’s dad Richard a few times over the duration of the week, who has ridden the Scottish many times himself, he was full of cold chasing Tom round in support, great effort Richard. Tom had a fantastic ride coming 115th on a score of 254 for the week, he came away with a First Class Award. Well done Tom.
Well done and congratulations to all of the other riders that took part, especially those that are friends of North Berks MCC who ride our trials regularly, it was great to see so many familiar faces up there. Looking forward to next year…
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> Posted 26/04/22. 11.06
Good luck to the three flying the North Berks flag up at the Scottish next week
Stu Robinson is coming out of retirement to ride with Alicia up at the SSDT next week, something that has been on his list to do for many years. Thomas Hawthorne will also be taking on the gruelling challenge of six consecutive days trialing up in the Highlands for the first time. We wish them all the best, the weather is looking promising (at the moment, that can obviously change very quickly up there). Have a fantastic week all of you.
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> Posted 11/04/22. 18:38
Alicia takes a fantastic 2nd place at round one of the European Championship at the weekend
Team Robinson are out on tour for the European Championships for a few weeks. Alicia had a brilliant start to the championship at round 1 at Motoclub Pobladura R in Spain this weekend getting on to the second step of the podium. They are now moving on to France for Round 2 this coming weekend. Good luck Alicia!
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> Posted 04/04/22. 10:43
Triumph for Paul Ray at the Spring Trial
Paul Ray took the win on the Clubman C class riding his immaculate Triumph this weekend at the North Berks Spring Trial held at Seymours Arena.
Another fantastic club event –the morning dawned with a fairly heavy frost on the ground at the Arena, the sun was bright so it soon burned off which made for lovely riding conditions for the 35 odd riders. The ten sections had been left from the Ladies/Girls National the previous week, the team had tweaked a few of them to change it up a bit.
We were quite short on entries in the Expert class, largely down to the second round of the GB Championship, St Davids Trial up in Neath. We only had three riders attempting the hard route, Jack Taylor won on 16 marks lost, Frazer Strutt and Pete Tombling were both a way back on 141, pretty tough sections in amongst the Arena rocks.
Clubman B route was won by Michael Hyden on 15 marks, Aaron Tame came second on 17 which was a great result having not ridden at the Arena for 10 or so years, he was soon back in his stride and looking really steady. Steve Golla took third place in the class on 39.
As mentioned earlier Paul Ray was out on his beautifully restored Triumph and making light work of the yellow route dropping just 9 marks, Tom Nicholls had a great ride on 9 marks too. Neil Harris was third one mark behind on 10 points.
Hugh Robertson-Payne came first in the Clubman D class on a mere 3 marks, great result. Richard Peck second on 5 and Jonathan Evans on 7. It was good to see Caz Rich riding, Caz helps us observing quite frequently, so it was good to see her enjoying the ride round the Arena for a change.
On to the Youth classes. Max Golla took the win on the Youth 50/50 route dropping 50 marks just four marks ahead of Thomas Packham on 54, well done to you both, good to see you taking on some of the Expert route, impressive to see.
Edwin James was best in class on the Youth B route, he had a fantastic ride dropping just 16 marks, William Sparks second on 34 and Sam Lefevre on his new Oset 24 dropping 45.
Alfie Shaw was on his own in the Youth C class and he went round for 39.
Jack Rich took the glory on the Youth D route, completing the four laps dropping just a single dab. Thomas Tidd dropped 19 marks and Emily Thompson 66.
Well done to everyone that took part, we hope you enjoyed your day at the Arena.
Our thanks go out to everyone that helped out with this one. Thanks to the observers; Sarah and Mark Anderson; Derek Dodd; Mick Bayliss; Liam York; Nigel Preston; Jimmy Axford; Sue O’Sullivan and Todd Jones. Well done Sue for getting the results out sharpish on Sunday evening.
That’s it from us for a while, after a busy month or so with the Wallace, Ladies and Club Trial. Our next event is our Two Day Summer Trial at Standlake in June, watch the events page and Facebook posts for dates and times, we hope to see you there. Always a great weekend.
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> Posted 28/03/22. 08:11
Congratulations to Nikita who took the top step at the Ladies/Girls Championship opener at the Arena
A fantastic turn out for the first round of the 2022 ACU, Belle Trailers Ladies & Girls Championship held at Seymours Arena at the weekend. No less that 44 riders had entered. Considering a fair few of the top class ladies will not be taking part in the Championship this year it was a fantastic entry, and the spectators were treated to some top class action.
The Ladies Championship Class was won by Nikita Smith dropping just 11 marks over the three laps. Our Alicia Robinson came in a close second on 15 with Kaytlyn Adshead three marks behind on 18. Inspired riding from everyone in this class, the sections were very technical with some seriously big steps and drop-offs to overcome.
Jazz Hammond was the sole competitor to ride in the Ladies 50/50 Championship Class, sadly Sarah Bell, who had entered had sustained an injury previous to the event so couldn’t attend on the day, we hope she recovers well. Jazz completed the course for 22 marks lost, well done Jazz.
The Ladies Intermediate Class was well supported this year. Megan Savage was looking very confident throughout the day and came out on top on 16. Beth Dunning followed closely a few points back on 21, third place was Lucy Ayrton on 30, both traveling down from Bradford & DMC Club.
The top Girls A Intermediate Class was won by local Berko rider Seren Walters dropping 45 marks, Ruby McCubbin was second on 56, all the way from the Isle of Man. Isobel Coopey from another local club, Swindon & District was third on the day on 77.
Summer Peters had a great ride heading up the Girls B Championship Class, dropping a mere 14 points. Holly Dixon second on 25 and Matilda Arbon a few marks behind on 31.
The Girls C Championship Class had the biggest entry of nine riders. Sophie Ferguson had a fantastic ride dropping just 4 marks over the 36 observed sections. Daisy Craig took second place on 27, followed by Lilly Wright for 60 on her Oset 24.
Clodagh Higgins, another one of our visitors from the Isle of Man was top of the Girls D Championship Class, riding route 3, dropping 76 marks. Clodagh, just pipped Isla Kennington to first place by two marks. Ellyn Welch followed on 113 marks lost.
Carrie Dickinson on her Sherco entered the Ladies Sportsperson (Non-Championship) Class. Carrie completed the three laps around the Arena for the loss of just 28 marks.
We had three entries for the Girls Sportsperson (Non-Championship) Class. Gemma Kerruish took the win in the class – dropping just 10 marks, closely followed by Cerys Walters on 13, a few points behind on 22 was Lucy Baker riding her Beta 125.
The club ran a forth route again this year, catering for very young riders/beginners. We had two girls entered in the Girls D (Non-Championship) Class. Emily Thompson came away with the win on 58 marks, with young Isla Crabtree on her little Sherco 50 dropping 65 marks.
Well done to all of the class winners and congratulations to everyone, the Arena can be a fairly daunting venue to ride, especially for the little ones, but you all put on a great show and the club hope you enjoyed your day with us.
Thank you as always to everyone that helped out, especially to the observers, we had a few that didn’t turn up on the morning so a special thank you to those life-savers that stepped in at the last minute, very much appreciated.
There are more pictures up on the Gallery page. Gazza was at the Arena with his camera, click on the button below to go to his online gallery. Nigel McGoldrick was also at the event with his video camera and has uploaded his fantastic coverage to YouTube, click buttons below to view them.
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> Posted: 21/03/22. 11:58
Well done to our members flying the North Berks flag at Hookwoods this Weekend
Hookwoods Trials Club held the first round of the Wulfsport ACU Trial GB this weekend down at their fantastic ground in Surrey. There were 12 sections to be ridden three times.
Four of our members – Alicia Robinson; Finley Belcher; Brett Harbud and Thomas Hawthorne were entered in the ACU Trial Expert class. We hope you enjoyed your day, well done to them all.
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> Posted: 21/03/22. 11:19
National Cycle Trials Cup comes to the Arena – 24 April 22
We are delighted to announce that Round 1 of the National Trials Cup will be held at Seymours Arena, one of the U.K's premier Trials venues. Checkout Biketrial Federation UK Website or follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with the latest information and how to enter.
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> Posted: 07/03/22. 18:53
2022 ACU, Belle Trailers Ladies & Girls Trials Championship.
SUNDAY 27 MARCH 2022. First rider away at 10:31.
SEYMOURS ARENA – Aston Tirrold, Nr Didcot, Oxon, OX11 9AW.
Full details can be found on the ACU website. Any difficulties with entering, please contact the secretary of the meeting on: northberksmcc@gmail.com.
As in previous years, we'll also be running an easy beginners route for the very young girls amongst you. This will be a non-championship route and will accommodate those who are new to the sport but would like to compete in their first Ladies & Girls Championship.
We look forward to seeing you all on 27th March!
Secretary: Sue O'Sullivan.
T: 01235 510241 / 07796 445929. E: northberksmcc@gmail.com
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> Posted: 28/02/22. 08:06
Wiggy Wins The Wallace
North Berks MCC ran The Wallace, the second round of the 2022 ACU S3-Parts National Trials Championship this weekend. It turned out to be a fantastic day, the weather was amazing. A brisk cold wind was blowing across the exposed Arena where the event started and finished this year, but the sun shone all day. We had an initial entry of 110 riders, which filled up within the hour of the event opening.
Congratulations to Alexz Wigg, who took the top spot of the S3 Expert class on his Vertigo, completing the 36 sections in and around the Berkshire Downs for the loss of just 6 marks. James Fry was a close second on 8 and Emma Bristow a few marks behind on 18.
Sam Atherton was the winner of the S3 Clubman route who went round dropping just 3 marks, which was a brilliant result, closely followed by Richard Fraser on 7 and Ian Fortune on 8.
The top end of the S3 Clubman Over 40 class was again very close and low scoring. Philip Wiffen took the glory dropping just 3 marks, Martin Hawyes and Huw Price both finished on 5 marks lost, but Martin took second place having one more clean than Huw.
We had four riders in the Elite class this year. Ross Danby topped out these guys dropping 8 marks, Sam Yeomans one mark behind on 9, Chris Stay on 11 and Hugo Jervis on 15.
Congratulations to the winners, we hope you all had an enjoyable day with us and look forward to seeing you again next year. The couple of dry days before the event certainly made a difference to the sections, a small shower on the morning would have transformed them, I’m certain you all enjoyed riding round the beautiful countryside in the sunshine.
The club would like to thank everyone that helped make the event a great success again this year. Too many to name, but obviously Claire and Leah for getting the riders signed on, Mark and Gordon for sorting the observers out on the morning. Pat on the clock at the start, getting the riders away at their set times, Sue and Sarah on punchcard duty. Pat for de-bibbing the riders at the end. Sue getting the results done and out on the evening. Thank you to the catering guys, you did a great job keeping everyone fed. Lastly, a massive thank you to all of the observers that stood out in the chilly wind all day, we are forever grateful to you. Well done to Stu who works tirelessly to make this event what it is, his cutting/marking out team who put in the hours – Mark, Mick, Todd, Liam, Ben and Ash. Then there are the back markers Scott, Neil, Richard and Matt. Thank you everyone, fantastic effort as always.
Our next event is the ACU, Belle Trailers Ladies & Girls Trials Championship round on 27th March at Seymours Arena.
There are more pictures up on the Gallery page. Gazza was at the Arena with his camera, click on the button below to go to his online gallery. Nigel McGoldrick was also at the event with his video camera and has uploaded one and a half hours of fantastic footage to YouTube, click button below.
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> Posted: 27/01/22. 09:24
The Wallace Cup Trial – National
2022 ACU, S3 Parts National Trials Championship.
SUNDAY 27 FEBRUARY 2022.
SEYMOURS ARENA – Aston Tirrold, Nr Didcot, Oxon, OX11 9AW.
The Wallace Cup, which is part of the ACU, S3 Parts National Trials Championship is going ahead this year. This is a fantastic trial which will be starting and finishing at Seymours Arena, not the Horse & Harrow. It includes road work, so bikes obviously need to be road registered and fully legal. The various groups of sections are dotted in and around the Berkshire Downs and offers a great ride round the single lap of some 38 sections.
Online entry will be available from 8pm on Wednesday 2nd February, so keep an eye out to get your entry in early as this is a very popular championship.
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> Posted: 19/01/22. 11:04
AGM Postponed
It is with regret that due to the continuing COVID Pandemic and our duty of care to our members, the committee has decided, again to postpone this year’s AGM. All the elected committee will continue in their present roles moving forward into 2022.
If any member has any issues or suggestions that they would like to share with the club, please contact one of the committee who will bring it up at our monthly meetings. If required we can always arrange a general meeting to discuss with the members.
Again as a club we continue to look for new committee members and helpers, so if you feel you would like to get more involved please feel free to come and talk to us, we are a friendly bunch and any help is always appreciated.
For 2022 we have planned to run a full event diary and dates are published on the clubs website along with all the latest news.
Again we apologise for the postponement but our member’s safety and wellbeing is always a priority. -
> Posted: 27/12/21. 17:02
The Boxing Day Hangover Trial was a Christmas Cracker.
The club were really pleased to be able to run our Boxing Day trial this year after having to cancel last years event due to the COVID situation at the time, it was touch and go this year, we thought we were heading in the wrong direction again, but thankfully it went ahead and what a cracking event it was.
We had an online entry of 48 riders which included 13 Expert riders which was fantastic. A fair amount of rain had fallen through the night on Christmas Day, but luckily Boxing Day morning dawned overcast but dry. The sections had deteriorated a little since the marking out crew had been out on 23rd, so a few tweaks were made but on the whole everything was still doable, it would just make things a little more interesting on the slippery banks and logs. We had plotted 4 sections in the lane, two in the parking field and the final two across in the back field with the usual stream hazards.
The expert class was won by Brett Harbud dropping just two marks, a fantastic performance bearing in mind he only rides on the odd occasion nowadays, Will McBain in second place dropping a single 5 marks on section 4 which was the log/bank section in the field, the logs were really greasy. Third place was Tom Nicholas on 20.
Sean McCullagh topped out the Clubman 50/50 class dropping 36 marks, Ben Owen second on 44, followed by Lee Sullivan on 63.
Top of the pile in the Clubman B class was Ashley Thomas with an 11 mark loss, Mark Elms second on 18, then Reece Talbot pipped Nate Robinson into third place, both dropping 37 marks, but Reece taking the place on the more cleans rule.
Clubman C class was won by John Hawthorne, who had ridden his first North Berks Boxing Day trial 46/47 years ago when it was a one lap road trial. Well done John, great ride dropping a single dab on section 5. Club Chairman, Mark Anderson placed second on 6 marks lost, closely followed by Anthony Talbot on 11.
Just two riders finished the Clubman D route. Roger Thornton won the class on 36 points and Tim Brett second on 40 marks lost.
Young George Clark was the only rider in the Youth A class riding the tough Expert route. Jonathan Brett was the only rider in the Youth D class dropping 29 marks on his Oset.
As usual thanks go out to the Cutting/Marking out crew; Sue for dealing with the online entries and getting everyone signed on, on the morning; Obviously, a massive thanks to the Observers on the day… Todd & Zak Jones, Jimmy Axford, Sarah Anderson, Mick Bayliss, Rod Nicholas, Stu Robinson, Derek Dodd, John Wheeler and Sue O’Sullivan.
Thank you too, to the landowners, we are forever grateful for you allowing us to use your land.
We hope you all had a great day, it was lovely to see everyone, lots of old faces and a good number of new ones, so welcome to those, we hope to see you again.
The next event is the Wallace, if anyone is available to help out in any way observing etc. get in touch with us via the club email, northberksmcc@gmail.com it’s 40 odd sections so we need a lot of help on that one. Thank you. The next Club Trial is 3rd April at the Arena.
Until then, the committee wish you all a Happy New Year, lets hope we can have a full year of Trialing.
There are more pictures up on the Gallery page. Gazza was also there, he has put a lot more pictures up on his gallery site, click the button below to see if he captured you with your feet up.
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> Posted: 05/12/21. 15:09
Boxing Day, Hangover Trial
North Berks are delighted to be holding their traditional Boxing Day Trial on Sunday 26 December 2021 at The Moors, Nappers Lane, East Hagbourne. Online entries are now open through the ACU website. Everyone is welcome to come along and have a bit of fun for a few hours. Starts 10:00 am with 8-10 sections. You don't need to be a member to ride, however… You might want to take the opportunity to join North Berks MCC at the same time, particularly if you need to renew your ACU licence.
The Committee wish you a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing you on the 26th December.
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> Posted: 15/11/21. 09:03
MK Off Road OSET Cup Championship comes to the Arena for the final round
It was all quiet over at Seymours this Saturday… Well, except for the wirring of 40 or so electric engines and small tyres fighting to find grip on the banks of the arena.
The club had been invited to hold the final round of the MK Off Road Oset Championship by the super-keen Rich family who have put on this championship for the up and coming young riders across the country.
Andy, Kaz, Kayleigh and Jack are really into their trials as a family and they have been joining us down at our club trials and practice days for the last year or so.
Andy travelled down to the Arena at Aston Tirrold early on Friday morning from their home up in Worcestershire, and spent the day laying out the 8 challenging sections, each section having four routes catering for each class from complete beginner to seasoned young rider.
The event got underway at 10.30 Sharp on Saturday morning after the short rider briefing by Stu Robinson. We had an online entry of almost 40 young riders from across the country, the only stipulation for entry being they had to be riding an electric bike.
The 8 sections were dotted around the compact Arena which really suited the family nature of the event allowing dads and in some cases the mums to easily keep up with their youngsters as they attempted the sections four times, the tougher expert route took in some of the Rocky sections that Seymours is famous for, but the lower classes used the banks and tight turns with great effect, taking reasonable marks off the kids in each class.
Well done to all the youngsters that took part – you put on a great show and were an inspiration to us all. Thank you to all the families for joining us we hope you enjoyed it, we had some great feedback and everyone went away smiling. A lot of the families stayed on for a few hours after the trial had finished to make full use of the opportunity to ride at the arena and encourage their children to try out the harder routes for practice. The club would like to thank the observers who stood out in the chilly autumn weather. Lastly a massive thank you to the Rich family for your effort and commitment to this championship, North Berks really enjoyed partnering up with you to hold the last round at the Arena.
There are more pictures up in the Gallery section.
Our next trial is the Hangover Trial on Boxing Day at the Moors, we hope to see you then.
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> Posted: 18/10/21. 11.48
James Grist on top at the Autumn Club Trial
Our Autumn Trial took place this weekend, we returned to Standlake woods. The team had been out over the last couple of weeks cutting out and laid out 10 good steady sections. The top route was challenging as the expert riders like it. The lower routes were leaning toward the easier side as reflected in the results. We had an entry of over 40 riders which had all entered via the ACU website, which makes things a lot easier at the start. We had a good number of riders out on their first trial in both adult and youth classes which was fantastic to see. We were lucky with the weather, there was a sharp shower as people were signing on, we all thought here we go again, but luckily it only lasted a few minutes, the day stayed dry after that thankfully.
James Grist took top spot in the Expert class losing just 12 marks, closely followed by Will McBain and Ben Lovelace, both on 13, Will took the second place position over Ben with two more cleans recorded. Andrew Blackman was only just behind on 15, great ride from all four on the hard route. Most of their marks were lost on the tricky section 2 observed by Stu Robinson.
Clubman 50/50 class was won by Wayne Holdsworth with an impressive ride dropping just one single mark on section 3. Ben Owen placed second with 12 marks lost and Tony Moulder on 20.
Mark Elms was on top of the Clubman B route on 4 marks, Stu Belcher on 10 and Brian Tomkins dropping 14.
Clubman C class had the biggest entry, 11 riders in total. It was good to see Andy Rich riding, usually seen running around after Jack and Kayleigh, but obviously fancied a ride out, he topped the class by a good few points dropping just 7 marks. Colin Grist came second on 20, good to see Colin riding again too. Third place was taken by Nigel Hains on 23, a seasoned rider, but paying his first visit to a North Berks trial.
We had 3 riders entered on the Clubman D route. Hugh Robertson-Payne taking the win on 34, Tim Brett on his E-Motion dropping 50 and Gary Walker on 70.
Joe Snelling was the only Youth A entry, Joe had an inspired ride completing the day for 12 marks lost, matching James’ score at the top of the Adult expert class.
William Sparks won the Youth B class on 76, closely followed by Kayleigh Rich on 80 marks lost.
Jack Holdsworth was the only entry in the Youth C class, he finished the day on 74.
Young Jack Rich had a brilliant ride on the Youth D route, dropping just two marks, Jonathan Brett a way back on 69. The three other youngsters in this class did not finish this time round, but we hope to see them again.
A massive thank you to James French allowing us to run our trials at Standlake Arena, it is a fantastic venue with so much scope to plot great sections, with the addition of a nice ride round the wood.
As usual we thank our observers, who continue to help us out. Sarah Anderson and Celine; Stu Robinson; Derek Dodd; Mick Bayliss and Liam; Mark Anderson; Zak Jones; Nigel Preston; Gordon Faulkner; Kaz Rich and Jimmy Axford.
We hope you all enjoyed your day with us and we look forward to seeing you at our next trial at The Moors on Boxing Day.
We are running the final round of the MK Off Road OSET Cup Championship at Seymours Arena on 13 November, spectators are welcome to come along to watch the next generation of riders competing on these amazing electric bikes. Check out the website for further information.
There are more pictures up on the Gallery page. Until the next time…
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> Posted: 22/09/21. 17:14
Great result for our Alicia at the TDN in Portugal
Alicia was selected to represent Great Britain in the 2021 Trials des Nations (TDN). She was out in Gouveia, Portugal taking part in the final FIM Trial GP round with Stuart on the Saturday and the TDN was being held at the same venue on the Sunday. It is a fantastic achievement to be chosen to represent your country, hard work always pays off so well done Team Robinson.
Alicia was teamed up with Alice Minta who’s no stranger to the club, very often making the trip down from Shropshire to our Club Trials and taking the opportunity to practice at the Arena when it is open. The third member of the team needs no introduction – multi British, European, World Champion Emma Bristow. The ladies had some tough competition, but pushed all the way and came away with second place, a brilliant result. Well done all of you, you did us proud.
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> Posted: 06/09/21. 14:52
Bonanza Club Trial
Well it may not have been the SuperTrial this year but the Berks Bonanza Club Trial turned out to be a fantastic day all the same. We had a great entry of riders, some of our usual faces plus a lot of new ones testing their skill on the rocks and banks of the Arena which was great to see.
The marking out crew had laid out ten good sections. The Expert route was tough and technical as the top level riders like it, although the hot weather did add to the difficulty, and seemed to sap their strength for the later laps. The Expert class was won by Alice Minta travelling down from Shropshire, dropping just 7 marks, William Clark snatched second place from our Alicia Robinson by just one mark.
The Clubman 50/50 route was really tight at the sharp end. Top spot went to Lennie Tidd who had never ridden at the venue before, Lennie was a single point ahead of regular Luke Hora, who was one point ahead of Jazz Hammond, again one point ahead of Bailey Tibbs, great riding from you all.
Clubman B was won by Stu Belcher with an inspired ride losing just one dab on section 3. Sophie Bailey was a close second on 6 marks lost and Steve Golla following up in third.
Only three riders entered on the Clubman C route. Colin Grist had a great ride dropping just 4 marks, Tom Nicholls second and Rich Harbud third, Rich was on a mission and had to be away by midday so he was flying.
Tim Brett rounded out the adult classes on his EM Epure, dropping 20 marks on Clubman D route.
Joe Snelling was the only rider in the Youth A class and he had an amazing day, dropping just 5 marks on the expert route, well done Joe that was a really impressive ride.
Young George Clark took the win in the 50/50 class dropping 20 marks, Alex Buckle second on 31, followed by Max Golla on 53.
Youth B was topped by Edwin Maslin on 14 marks, closely followed by Edwyn James on 17, Rowan Stewart took third place on a 30 mark loss.
Young Sam Lefevre had a fantastic ride in the Youth C class on his little Oset, dropping just 6 marks, Mason Tidd second on 12, followed by Jack Rich on 43. These guys are names to watch in the future.
Jonathan Brett was the only rider in the Youth D class and completed the day on 46, well done Jonathan.
Thanks as usual to the marking out team, Sue for managing the online entries and getting everyone signed on and of course a huge thank you to all the observers, especially team Anderson, Mark, Sarah, Krysti and Celine (Liam had some poor excuse about having to work or something). Jimmy, MIck B and Liam, Mick A, Leah, Nigel, Simon, Todd and Sue. Thank you all we couldn’t do it without you. Thanks to all the riders for joining us for the day, we hope you enjoyed it and hope to see you next time.
There are a few more pictures from the day on the Gallery page. Gazza was also there taking photographs, Click the button below to go to his online gallery, all images are available to purchase.
Just want to say…
Good luck to Alicia and Alice who team up with Emma Bristow later in September representing Great Britain in the Trial des Nations out in Portugal. The same goes for the guys, Dan and Jack Peace and Toby Martyn. Best of luck to you all.
We hope you will join us for our Autumn trial to be held at Standlake Woods on Sunday 17 September, this is the venue of the Summer 2-Dayer we managed to run earlier in the year which is a fantastic piece of land with varying terrain and a good ride round. This will be online entry via the ACU website, keep an eye on our website and we’ll post up on Facebook when it is open for entry.
Until the next time…
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> Posted: 17/8/21. 20:48
Berks Bonanza Club Trial
SUNDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2021, 10:00 Start.
SEYMOURS ARENA – Aston Tirrold, Nr Didcot, Oxon, OX11 9AW.
We are running a Club Trial to replace the Supertrial which has been cancelled this year. The event is open to all, online entry only via the ACU website. We are planning to run 4 laps of 10 sections. The expert sections will be challenging as you would expect but the lower class sections will be set out on the easier side making it a fun days sport for everyone. We hope to see you then, get your entry in early, we are limited to 60 riders.
The trial is open to non-members. Entry fee is £15 Adult, £10 Youth.
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> Posted: 15/7/21. 14:27
Summer Evening Trial
We held our evening Club Trial at Seymours Arena last night, we were lucky to be blessed with a beautiful summer afternoon/evening. Having had a lot of rain over the past month or two the gang were out all week trying to get on top of the long grass and nettles which had taken hold in and around the rocky sections. Thanks to the team as usual. We laid out 8 steady sections, reducing the severity a tad, making the sections more flowing and using the banks for cambered turns etc. the odd rock was thrown in but overall it was set out on the easier side and is reflected in the marks lost.
This was the first club trial where we have used the ACU online entry system fully, we tested it out at our 2-dayer a few weeks ago but included entry on the day. Well done to Sue, who has now got her head around it and thinks it makes the whole signing on process and administration much easier, so we will be running ONLINE ENTRY ONLY moving forward, the majority of clubs have now embraced it.
Well done to all class winners…
Matt Dixon – Almost went round for a clean, dropped just one mark on section 4.
Alistair Haigh – 3 marks lost.
Tom Stonnel – Clubman B route dropping just 5 marks
Ben Nicholls – Inspired ride Ben, taking the win on Clubman C route, a fair few dabs over older brother Tom this time round, well done.
Edwin Maslin – 2 marks lost, great ride.
Jack Rich – 5 marks lost, well done Jack.
Thank you to all of our observers on the night, Jimmy, Mick/Liam, Stu R, Mark/Sarah, Sue/Todd, Nigel, Stu B and Rod/Oliver.
Well done to all of the riders, thanks for joining us. Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening and we had some great positive feedback, so thank you all. We look forward to see you next time, which we are hoping will be a Club Trial at the Arena on the date that the Supertrial should have been taking place, we’ll keep you posted.
Thank you to Adrian Summerfield for the great pictures, there are some more on the Gallery page.
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> Posted: 14/7/21. 14:32
North Berks Supertrial will not take place this year
The committee are sad to report that the 2021 Supertrial will not run this year. We know that many of you will miss this great event which has become one of the main go-to events in the British Trials calendar, but due to one thing and another, mainly Covid – there were just too many hoops to jump through to run such a big event this year.
Although the restrictions are currently being lifted, it was proving really difficult to organise the different aspects, including nailing the top riders down etc. So we have taken the difficult decision to cancel it this year. We aim to run it again next year, it may be a slightly different format from what we have done in the past, but rest assured it will be worth saving the date, which we will let you know as soon as the 2022 Trials calendar has been agreed with the ACU.
We are looking at running a Club Trial on the Sunday, we’ll give you more information on that soon.
WATCH THIS SPACE…
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> Posted: 1/7/21. 10:49
Evening Club Trial at Seymours is GO!!
Date: WEDNESDAY 14 JULY 2021, 18:00 Start.
SEYMOURS ARENA – Aston Tirrold, Nr Didcot, Oxon, OX11 9AW.
ONLINE ENTRY IS OPEN. We will not be taking entries on the day so make sure you get your entry in via the ACU website. We are restricted to 50 riders. The trial is open to non-members.
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> Posted: 22/6/21. 10:17
ACU Youth Championship
Heads up all youth trials riders, the entries for the Berkhamsted MCC, Belle Trailers and ACU Youth championship rounds 1&2 on July 3rd & 4th will be closing on Wednesday the 23rd June at 06.00 hrs.
You need to get your entries in before then as there's no entry on the day. Sign on at the ACU website for a superb weekend of riding.
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> Posted: 21/6/21. 13:28
It was fantastic to get back out this weekend
At long last we were able to run our first club trial since March 2020, it was our popular 2-Day Trial which was to be held at Standlake wood since we lost the ground we’ve used for many years at Besselsleigh. The team had been out in the week plotting the sections, we planned to run four laps of eight sections on the Saturday afternoon and four laps of ten on Sunday. They were marked out on the easy side, considering the weather forecast was promising a fair bit of rain for the end of the week. We certainly had a very wet day on Friday but when we got to Standlake early on the Saturday morning it wasn’t looking too bad in the wood.
Saturday morning was dry and looking promising, we had a good number of entries, with a few families travelling some distance to join us for the first time, it was really good to see some new faces as well as the regulars that we hadn’t seen for such a long time. It remained dry for the trial but we had a fairly big downpour later on in the evening until about 1am. The marking out team had been out after the trial to tweak the sections and open up the two new ones that we had not used on the Saturday. The weather was kind to us on the Sunday on the whole, we had the odd light shower but nothing too drastic. Yet again we had a good turnout of riders and we had some really nice feedback from everyone at the end of the day. Well done to everyone and thanks for entering, we hoped you enjoyed your weekend with us.
Thank you as usual to everyone involved with running the event, the usual marking out crew, cheers to Lee for volunteering to help out with the marking out on Saturday morning, Sue for working out the ACU online entry system, which was the first time the club have taken advantage of it and it seemed to work well, couple of minor issues (25 and 32 comes to mind which kept the observers on their toes). Thank you to all of the observers for picking up a board, especially those that helped on both days. We hope that the Mozzies didn’t make too much of a meal of you, they were quite lively in the wood, but the cooler weather probably helped on that front on Sunday.
We hope that Neil is OK after gashing his leg open on his foot-peg. Thank you to everyone that helped him, especially to Steve Nicholls who got him off to hospital.
We are hoping to run our evening club trial on Wednesday 14 July, obviously depending on the latest government guidelines at the time, we will keep you updated. We are also planning to run some more practice sessions at the Arena, again we’ll keep you posted with times and dates.
It was good to see Gazza out with his camera, click the buttons below to take you to his online gallery, there are some great shots on there.
Until next time…
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> Posted: 18/6/21. 12:32
The Summer 2-Dayer is going ahead this weekend
Our popular Summer 2-Day trial at Standlake will take place this weekend. Plenty of rain today but the forecast is improving. If you haven’t taken advantage of entering online you can still enter on the day. You can enter either day or obviously both. The mozzies were about when the marking out crew were over there in the week so make sure you have your insect repellant, long trousers are advisable if you are staying for the weekend. We hope to see you all, after such a long break due to Covid, the rules are still in place so please adhere to them as best you can.
Saturday 19th – 15:00 Start – 8 Sections, 4 laps.
Sunday 20th – 10:00 Start – 10 Sections, 4 laps.
STANDLAKE WOODS – Standlake, Oxon OX29 7PR. (Signposted off A415 Standlake To Witney Road)
The trial is open to non-members, club joining fee applies, £7 Adults, £4 Youth for the year, plus the normal trial entry fee which is £15 Adult, £10 Youth each day.
Please bring completed entry form/s with you and the correct payment to reduce handling forms/change etc. in line with Government guidelines. Click the button below to download the Trial Entry Form. Thank You.
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> Posted: 4/5/21. 15:15
Seymours Arena will be open for practice on Sunday 16th May
Entry Fee – £10 Adult & Youth. No need to book, just turn up with your entry and ride.
Please read the temporary rules referring to the current COVID-19 situation below. These rules may be updated depending upon the latest Government advice.
1. All people riding at Seymours Arena for practice do so at their own risk.
2. Riders must be current members of North Berks MCC, if a non-member you will need to join the club, download a member form below and bring it with you with appropriate payment.
3. Seymours Arena will be open for practice from 10:00 to 16:00 unless otherwise stated.
4. Each rider can attend the Arena with one friend or family member. ALL youth riders 16 or under MUST be accompanied by their parent or guardian.
5. No person who is feeling unwell or showing a high temperature should go to the Arena.
6. Social distancing recommendations of 2 metres for non-family members must be adhered to at all times where possible.
7. Practising riders must make every attempt to be in different areas of the Arena to other riders where possible.
These rules satisfy current government recommendations in terms of social distancing. North Berks committee members will be on site to monitor the situation and ensure that everyone is kept safe.
CLICK THE BUTTONS BELOW TO DOWNLOAD ENTRY FORM AND MEMBER FORM (IF NEEDED). PLEASE BRING THE COMPLETED FORM/S WITH YOU, TOGETHER WITH THE CORRECT PAYMENT.
We look forward to seeing you on 16th May 2021. We will obviously let you know if things change…
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> Posted: 24/2/21. 10:50
North Berks British Ladies/Girls Championship Round and our Spring Club Trial – CANCELLED
Sadly the club cannot run the popular Ladies and Girls Championship round that was to be held on the 14 March. Our Spring Club Trial also just misses out, which was due to be held at the Arena on 28th March. With the latest government announcements regarding the ongoing Covid situation, restrictions are not being relaxed until 29th March 2021. However, it does look like we are heading in the right direction now, so the committee will be looking to set another date for the Club Trial, so watch this space.
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> Posted: 4/1/21. 15:22
The Wallace – CANCELLED
Yet again, it is with regret that the club have now had to cancel the 2021 Wallace Cup Trial due to the ongoing Covid situation. Oxfordshire is currently in Tier 4. Many of the farmers who’s land the trial runs over are not happy to give us the access at this difficult time which is completely understandable. The ACU continue to monitor the situation closely and update everyone on a regular basis. With the increase in cases at the moment, restrictions are only going to get tighter before we start coming out of this sadly.
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> Posted: 17/1/21. 10:11
Message from the Chairman
Dear all, for obvious reasons it will not be possible to hold this year’s Annual General Meeting.
With the COVID Pandemic showing no signs of easing and restrictions in place it is just not possible to even second guess when we may be safe to get back together. This years committee have been contacted and are happy to continue in post, so all positions will remain valid until such times that we can arrange another AGM.
The club will continue to make every effort to run its planned events, but we will have to adhere to ACU guidelines and any local restrictions that are placed upon us.
We hope that things will get back to some sort of normality soon and we can all get back out on our bikes.
If any member has an issue or concern, feel free to contact us to discuss.
Please all stay safe.
Mark Anderson – Chairman NBMCC -
> Posted: 7/12/20. 13:14
Boxing Day Trial – Cancelled
It is with regret that we have to inform you that the Boxing Day Trial will not take place this year. After a lot of umming and aarring, the committee have agreed that it would be better for all concerned if we cancel this years event. A lot of our observers are elderly and we’re not comfortable asking them to help us at this difficult time. There are also a lot of local people walking along Nappers Lane currently to get their daily exercise. The Boxing Day trial is always a family occasion for a lot of riders and obviously that would not be possible this year with the restrictions that are currently in place. So, we will not be running this year. We are however, going to hold another practice day on 20th December at Seymours Arena which is open to all, as with the last one we held just turn up on the day with your completed entry form and payment and have a good day in the Arena. We are hoping to run the March Club Trial and the Wallace, so watch this space...
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> Posted: 7/12/20. 13:14
Seymours Arena will be open for practice on Sunday 20 December 2020
Entry Fee – £10 Adult & Youth. No need to book, just turn up with your entry and ride.
Please read the temporary rules referring to the current COVID-19 situation below. These rules may be updated depending upon the latest Government advice at the time.
1. All people riding at Seymours Arena for practice do so at their own risk.
2. Riders must be current members of North Berks MCC, if a non-member you will need to join the club, click button below to download member form and bring it with you with appropriate payment. Current and new memberships are to be carried over to the end of 2021.
3. Seymours Arena will be open for practice on Sunday 20 December 2020 from 10:00 to 16:00.
4. Each rider can attend the Arena with one friend or family member. ALL youth riders 16 or under MUST be accompanied by their parent or guardian.
5. No person who is feeling unwell or showing a high temperature should go to the Arena.
6. Social distancing recommendations of 2 metres for non-family members must be adhered to at all times where possible.
7. Practising riders must make every attempt to be in different areas of the Arena to other riders where possible.
8. People who live in a Tier 3 area on the date of the event may not travel and attempt to enter the practice event.
These rules satisfy current government recommendations in terms of social distancing. North Berks committee members will be on site to monitor the situation and ensure that everyone is kept safe.
CLICK THE BUTTONS BELOW TO DOWNLOAD ENTRY FORM AND MEMBER FORM (IF NEEDED). PLEASE BRING THE COMPLETED FORM/S WITH YOU, TOGETHER WITH THE CORRECT PAYMENT.
We look forward to seeing you on the 20th.
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> Posted: 1/11/20. 10:08
Wet ‘n’ Wild
Seymours Arena was open for practice yesterday, the weather was pretty appalling but we had a good number of people turn up, great effort for a few people who drove a huge distance to take advantage of the tough terrain at the Arena, a couple of guys came all the way up from Cornwall and others driving down from as far as North Yorkshire.
We hope you enjoyed your day out, we’re obviously not sure when the next one will be now we’ve been locked down again, watch this space.
Jamie and Helen O’Brien were also out braving the awful weather with their camera, they are a keen local action photography duo who run HJO Productions. They took some amazing shots, even in the wind and rain that was howling across the Arena. Click the link below to visit their gallery.
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> Posted: 14/10/20. 9:56
Seymours Arena open for practice
Saturday 31 October 2020
Entry Fee – £10 Adult & Youth. No need to book, just turn up with your entry and ride.
Please read the temporary rules referring to the current COVID-19 situation below. These rules may be updated depending upon the latest Government advice at the time.
1. All people riding at Seymours Arena for practice do so at their own risk.
2. Riders must be current members of North Berks MCC, if a non-member you will need to join the club, click button below to download member form and bring it with you with appropriate payment. Current and new memberships are to be carried over to the end of 2021.
3. Seymours Arena will be open for practice on Saturday 31 October 2020 from 10:00 to 16:00.
4. Each rider can attend the Arena with one friend or family member. ALL youth riders 16 or under MUST be accompanied by their parent or guardian.
5. No person who is feeling unwell or showing a high temperature should go to the Arena.
6. Social distancing recommendations of 2 metres for non-family members must be adhered to at all times where possible.
7. Practising riders must make every attempt to be in different areas of the Arena to other riders where possible.
These rules satisfy current government recommendations in terms of social distancing. North Berks committee members will be on site to monitor the situation and ensure that everyone is kept safe.
CLICK THE BUTTONS BELOW TO DOWNLOAD ENTRY FORM AND MEMBER FORM (IF NEEDED). PLEASE BRING THE COMPLETED FORM/S WITH YOU, TOGETHER WITH THE CORRECT PAYMENT.
We look forward to seeing you on the 31st.
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> Posted: 19/8/20 10:28
Membership Fee
Due to the majority of our club events being cancelled this year because of the ongoing situation with Covid-19, any current paid up member of the club will have their membership carried over to the end of 2021.
We thank you all for your support and hopefully we will see you at our Boxing Day (Hangover) Trial for the first round of the 2021 Championship, let’s hope we’re back to some type of normality by then. We’ll keep you posted…
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> Posted: 21/7/20 15:16
Cancellation of 2020 Calendar
North Berks MCC have taken the difficult decision to cancel the remaining events scheduled for this year. This includes the Supertrial which was due to be run on the weekend of 22/23 August. The Autumn Club Trial on 18 October and the Annual Christmas Dinner and Awards Night on 28 November.
We are hoping to kick off again for the Boxing Day Trial at the Moors, and hopefully we return to some type of normality next year and can run a full calendar.
The practice session at Seymours last Sunday was a great day and we had the full amount of 25 riders we planned for, so thanks for coming out it was great to see the Arena being used again. We are planning to run some more Wednesday evening sessions in the coming weeks/months so watch this space, we’ll also post it up on Facebook.
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> Posted: 15/7/20 09:20
Seymours Arena open for practice on Sunday 19 July 2020
Entry Fee – £10 Adult & Youth
YOU NEED TO BOOK IN ADVANCE TO RIDE (see point 5 below).
IF NOT A CURRENT MEMBER YOU WILL NEED TO JOIN THE CLUB.
The Committee has worked hard on making this happen and is very aware that this MUST be in as ‘safe an environment as possible’, whilst respecting the intelligence of our members, we do need to help ensure social distancing.
Please read the temporary rules referring to the current COVID-19 situation below. These rules may be relaxed or updated depending upon the latest Government advice as time progresses.
1. All people riding at Seymours Arena for practice do so at their own risk.
2. Only riders pre-booked and members of North Berks MCC will be admitted in to the Arena for practice, if a non-member you will need to join the club.
3. Seymours Arena will be open for practice on Sunday 19 July 2020 from 10:00 to 16:00.
4. Places are restricted to 25 riders.
5. Places must be pre-booked via email to northberksmcc@gmail.com or contact Mark Anderson on 07770 652512. Please do not just turn up assuming you have successfully booked on. Places issued on a first come, first served basis. If you have been successful you will be sent an entry form, please fill it out and bring it with you on the day with the £10 entry fee, including club membership fee if not a current member, we will not have change so the correct money is required, cheques will be accepted.
6. In your application for a practice slot you must acknowledge you have read these temporary rules and are fully aware of the latest Government Covid advice, check it out at www.gov.uk/coronavirus if not.
7. Each rider will be allowed to attend the Arena with one friend or family member. ALL youth riders 16 or under MUST be accompanied by their parent or guardian.
8. No person who is feeling unwell or showing a high temperature should go to the Arena.
9. Social distancing recommendations of 2 metres for non-family members must be adhered to at all times where possible.
10. Practising riders must make every attempt to be in different areas of the Arena to other riders where possible.
11. The session is for riding not for socialising.
12. The practice ground must be cleared by 16:30.
These rules satisfy current government recommendations in terms of social distancing. North Berks committee members will be on site to monitor the situation and ensure that everyone is kept safe.
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> Posted: 30/6/20 15:44
North Berks Evening Club Trial is cancelled due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19
The committee are looking at running some practice days at the Arena at the end of July, early August, we’ll keep you posted as the situation progresses over the next weeks.
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> Posted: 17/3/20 20:23
Rnd 2 Club Trial is cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak
North Berks MCC have been informed by the ACU that all competitions and social events are to be suspended until 30th April. Regrettably this means that Round 2 of the Club Championship on 29th March will be cancelled.
The full statement from the ACU is as follows:
Tuesday March 17, 2020 at 10:46am
Statement on Covid-19
On behalf of ACU
It is with regret that the ACU are suspending all competition and social activity until 30th April 2020, but this will be constantly reviewed. This is in response to the emerging guidance issued by HM UK Government in response to the outbreak of COVID-19.
All permits for events during this time will be cancelled and reimbursed in full to the organising club/ promoter. As the National Governing Body would ask all ACU Members to act responsibly and follow the Government’s guidance during this difficult time. We have a responsibility and duty of care to our staff who will be working from home, so please be patient with any queries you may have.
As of writing (17th March 2020) HM Government have advised:
• Persons to work from home where possible
• People over the age of 70 to minimise social contact
• Emergency services will not support mass gatherings
• Stop non-essential travel
• Avoid pubs, clubs, restaurants and cinemas
This statement is supported in its entirety by AMCA
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> Posted: 16/3/20 09:46
Donna on top form at a very wet Seymours Arena
Sunday 15th saw the opener of the ACU, Belle Trailers Ladies & Girls Trials Championship 2020 get underway. North Berks MCC had the honour of running the first round again this year and getting this popular championship off to a flying start. Sadly we weren’t so lucky with the weather, it was the fourth trial the club has put on which has been completely inundated with rain. We’d had 37 entries and all of them turned up and although the going got very wet and slippery, everyone seemed to revel in the conditions and attacked the rocky sections, the minders (mainly Dads) ended up getting muddier than the riders.
As always the club would like to thank all of the observers for standing out in the appalling weather, you are amazing and we thank you so much. Thanks also to all the usual team who organise our events. Main man – Stu Robinson, the marking out crew, Scott replacing pegs, markers, flags as needed. Sue for secretary duty, Mark for signing everyone on and Mark, Sarah and Celine for inputting the scores in Sue’s absence, jumping into the hot seat at the last minute, well done Team Anderson. Pat for starting the ladies, girls off. Jimmy for scrutineering and Gordon Lawley for keeping an eye on everything in his official capacity as ACU Steward. Thank you to the Seymour family for their continued support letting the club use the Arena. I hope I haven’t missed anyone.
Lastly thanks to all of the riders and their families for joining us, we hope you had a good day despite the miserable weather, always a great atmosphere with you guys.
There are some pictures in the Gallery. Gazza was there with his camera so click the link below to see if he got a good one of you with your feet up! Nigel McGoldrick was also at the Arena with his video camera, Nigel is getting some fantastic footage and has created some brilliant video’s, he has captured the Supertrial and was at the recent British National down at Hookwoods, click the link below to take you to YouTube where his video’s are available, something worth watching whilst we are going through this very strange time with the Covid-19 outbreak.
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> Posted: 17/2/20 09:29
Storm Dennis turned out to be a bit of a Menace, but The Wallace still went ahead.
After having a full entry again this year the first round of the popular ACU S3 British National Championship got underway at 9.31 at the usual start venue of the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne. Storm Dennis had been causing havoc the night before and we woke to torrential rain and a howling gale, a fantastic number of entrants made the trip to have their ride round the Berkshire Downs, we only had a handful of non-starters so a great effort from the entrants even before they got out on the course.
Stu and Scott had gone out at the crack of dawn to finish route marking and had to ease a fair number of the sections as the overnight rain would have made it impossible to reach the start cards on some of the sections let alone ride the section.
Well done to all the usual suspects who organise the North Berks events, amazing effort as always. Claire, Leah and Nate for getting the riders signed on and bibbed up; Gordon for sorting the observers out; Jerry, Pat and Pat who were having a good time getting everyone off at their allotted time slot, well done to them; Jimmy for scrutineering; Neil and Richie for back-marking; Mark and Josh Cole for helping out the punch card change at the Arena; Sue for number crunching the results out sharpish and the cutting/marking out crew. I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone. The Committee would like to thank everyone who helped out in any way, especially the hardy observers who stood out in the storm for a good few hours, amazing!
We would also like to thank Tony and Helen for allowing the event to kick off from their pub, its a great venue to start the trial and we really appreciate your support. We hope we didn’t upset the village too much, the first van that went into the parking field got stuck so that was an absolute no-no, so we had to manage the parking just using the surrounding roads, we do apologise for any inconvenience caused. Also thank you to the kind lady from the Pump House who towed the van out of the field. Obviously, a massive thank you goes out to our landowners who continually support the club by letting us use their land to run our events.
The downpours lasted pretty much the duration of the trial, but the whole field seemed to embrace the weather and just get on with the job at hand. Everyone reached the finish and had a smile on their face and we had some really positive feedback which was great considering the conditions.
Dan Thorpe took the glory on the S3 Expert route. Sam Atherton on the S3 Clubman route. Kev Nolan on the S3 Over 40 route and Ross Danby headed the Elite Class at the end of the day a couple of dabs ahead of Sam Haslam. Well done to everyone that took part, we hope you enjoyed the day.
There are some pictures up on the Gallery page. See you next time!
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> Posted: 20/1/20 09:47
Awards Dinner Collection
Thank you to everyone who made a generous donation at the 2019 Awards Dinner. The club donated £500 to the ACU Benevolent Fund which was set up in 1950 to support motorcyclists suffering extreme financial hardship. Anyone who, at any time has been a member of an Affiliated Club or who is the dependant of a member qualifies for assistance.
The committee would like to thank you all very much, click the button below to read a letter from the ACU Benevolent Fund expressing their grateful thanks too.
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> Posted: 2/1/20 11:29
Notice of Annual General Meeting
To be held on Tuesday 28th January 2020 at 8pm at The Conservative Club, The Barn, Foxhall Rd, Didcot OX11 7AD. You are invited to The North Berks MC & LCC Annual General Meeting, all members are welcome. Come along and have your say.
The committee invites nominations for the election of officers for the year 2020. Please download the Election of Officers form by clicking the button below and return it to northberksmcc@gmail.com or post it to Mr M Anderson, 54 Wasbrough Avenue, Wantage, Oxon OX12 9BQ. Note: No nomination may be made without the approval of the person concerned. Nominations to be received no later than 14 January 2020.
AGENDA
1/ Apologies for absence
2/ Minutes of previous AGM
3/ Chairman's report
4/ Treasurer’s report
5/ Election of committee members
6/ Discussion of members needs
7/ Any other business
If you are interested in joining the North Berks MCC committee or would like further information, please contact club Chairman, Mark Anderson on northberksmcc@gmail.com or 07770 652512.
If you cannot attend the AGM but have any issues you would like raised at the meeting, again, please contact Mark Anderson on the contact details above by 14 January 2020. -
> Posted: 30/12/19 17:28
Hangover Trial at The Moors
The first round of the 2020 Club Championship was held at The Moors just outside East Hagbourne on Boxing Day. The weather wasn't great as the day dawned, the rain was coming down and we were hoping that the day wouldn't be a complete wash-out like the last club round at Standlake, a couple of the sections were eased slightly but the marking out team had laid them out on the easy side.
We had a reasonable entry of over 30 riders brave the day and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, getting out after the Christmas festivities.
Will McBain took the win by a fairly large margin dropping just 7 marks on the Expert route. Ryan Tomkins headed the entry on the Clubman 50/50 sections, Mark Elms dropped a mere 3 marks on the Clubman B route and Brian Tomkins on a single dab on section 5 on Clubman C. There was only one rider on the Clubman D route, which was Jonathan Evans on his new Electric bike dropping just 5 marks.
The Youth classes only had 3 riders sadly. Max Agar – Youth A. Bailey Tidbury – Youth 50/50 and Nate Robinson stepping up to the Clubman B route.
Well done to all the riders for getting out on what was a bit of a miserable morning. Thank you to all of the marking out team, Sue for getting everyone signed on and obviously all of the observers for helping out and standing in the rain, Jim Axford, Sarah Anderson, Mark Anderson, Mick Bayliss, Andy Hora, Mick Ainsworth, Patrick Robinson and Alicia Robinson. We appreciate your support as always.
See you next time...
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> Posted: 2/12/19 10:56
Annual Awards Dinner 2019
North Berks MCC held their Annual Awards Dinner this weekend, we returned to Frilford Heath Golf Club who yet again surpassed all expectations, the food was absolutely fantastic and plenty of it, so thank you to the Golf Club and all their staff for looking after us so well.
This year has been the 90th Anniversary of the club and we wanted to celebrate the fact, so following on from the Pig Roast at the Supertrial back in August, we invited members old and new, together with our landowners who continue to support our events allowing us to use their land. We had a fantastic number attend, in fact well over 90 people which maxed the venue out, and it made for a really enjoyable evening. It was great to hear stories from the old Grasstrack riders etc. A big thank you to Pat Hemmings, club president Jerry Lane and Julian Wigg for standing up and reminiscing on the mic, it was really interesting to hear about the clubs events from years gone by.
It was then time for the Awards themselves, recognising the achievements of the winners of the various classes for the 2018/2019 Club Championship. Club Chairman, Mark Anderson ran through the list calling up each individual and Jerry Lane presented the Awards, together with an added bonus of a club bobble hat (whoop, whoop!). Well done to all of the winners.
The raffle then took place, well done Sue for sorting the prizes and a big thank you to everyone who donated additional prizes to the raffle, it is very much appreciated. The dance floor was then cleared and the disco took over in the main room. People mingled and caught up with old friends whilst enjoying the odd bevvy from the bar. All in all a fantastic evening yet again. Well done to all the usual suspects for organising another brilliant North Berks event. Let’s hope we have another successful year of trials in 2020.
Don’t forget… Boxing Day – Hangover Trial, the first round of the 2019/2020 Club Championships, starting at 10am down at The Moors. Hope to see you all there in your shiny new kit.
THE CLUB WISHES ALL ITS MEMBERS OLD AND NEW A MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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> Posted: 10/11/19 21:17
North Berks Christmas Dinner & Awards Night
30 NOVEMBER 2019. Commencing: 19:00 for 19:30 / Carriages: 23:30.
Frilford Heath Golf Club, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5NW.
The Christmas Dinner & Awards night. Always a brilliant night of fun and celebration for all your family and friends, certainly not one to be missed!
We return to Frilford Heath Golf Club for our popular Christmas Bash this year. Dinner will be served at 19:30, followed by the Awards ceremony, where we celebrate the members achievements throughout 2019. The Raffle will take place and then music and dancing will follow until late.
As its the club’s 90th Anniversary this year we have invited a good number of past members who have been pivotal to the clubs success over the years. It will be great to hear some interesting stories about the Grasstrack and early Trials events that the club held back in the day.
Give Mark Anderson a call to book your place on 07770 652512.
It promises to be a great night.
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> Posted: 14/10/19 09:23
Round 6 at a very wet Standlake
We had a reasonable entry of hardy riders turn out for what was our last round of the 2019 Championship. We all woke to heavy rain on Sunday morning which didn’t let up until the riders were on their third lap around the course, by this time the majority of the sections had been completely transformed from the previous day but the riders seamed to be relishing the slippery conditions and pushed on through to complete the day, so well done all.
A big thanks to all the observers, sheltering under their umbrellas, it wasn’t the best place to be on a wet Sunday morning, so we really do appreciate your support.
Thanks to Gazza for the pictures, you will find more up on his website.
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> Posted: 02/10/19 10:16
We’re proud to say our Lici took her first win at the Women’s World Trials Championship last weekend!
The final round of the World Championship was held in the town of La Nucia, on the outskirts of Benidorm. With a large entry in the Trial2 Women’s Class, Alicia knew she had to work hard to gain a good result and she certainly achieved her goal taking the win.
Congratulations Alicia, you deserve it - it’s great to see the hard work and commitment you’ve all put in come to fruition. We hope it’s the first of many and look forward to following your progress in 2020.
Well done to Alice Minta who took second place in Spain and overall 2nd place in the 2019 Championship.
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> Posted: 11/09/19 12:36
Club Championship standings after 5 rounds
There is one round of the 2019 Championships remaining, which will be held on the 13th October at Standlake. There is still a lot to play for in certain classes so make sure you’re there to secure your position in the final standings.
Remember, first, second and third places in each class will receive an award, but you have to have taken part in at least three rounds to be eligible for an award. If you have ridden at all six events your final total is calculated by dropping your worst round.
The awards will be presented at the Annual Christmas Dinner and Awards Night, which is being held on 30th November at Frilford Heath Golf Club near Abingdon. It’s always a brilliant night of fun and celebration for your family and friends. We hope you will join us to celebrate the riders achievements throughout the year.
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> Posted: 09/09/19 09:41
Practice at Seymours
The Arena will be open from 10am - 4pm on Sunday 15th September. This is the last practice session this year, so make sure you’re there to enjoy the opportunity, there are plenty of banks and less challenging areas, so something for every ability.
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> Posted: 26/08/19 12:22
What a Weekend – 2019 Supertrial
North Berks MCC ran their big annual event this weekend. We had the country’s top riders enjoying the wall to wall sunshine all weekend which brought out the crowds and made it a fantastic couple of days of full on action.
Saturday kicked off at 10am sharp, the youth boys were the first away and into the sections followed closely by the ladies. Pau Martinez who made the trip from Spain took the youth win on 22 marks lost, 18 marks ahead of second place Ben Dignan on 40 who was closely followed by Jack Dance in third place on 42.
Emma Bristow headed the Ladies completing both qualifying laps dropping no dabs whatsoever, her closest rival was Jess Bown dropping just 18 marks which was a brilliant result, Donna Fox came third on 27. Louise Alford, Alice Minta and Hannah Styles completed the top six that went through to the final, our Alicia Robinson just missed the cut but had a great ride in front of the home crowd. The top three positions of the Final were the same three Ladies as in the qualifying laps, so Emma Bristow on the top step for the loss of 2 marks, the sections had been tweaked for the final so Stu got a couple of dabs off Emma which always makes him happy. Jess second on 20 and Donna on 27.
Katlyn Adshead’s trip over from the Isle of Man was made worthwhile as she took the B Class Ladies win dropping just 4 marks over the two laps which was an inspired ride, Daisy Parsons took second and Sarah Bell third.
It really had been a fantastic day, the riders had put on a great show in the overpowering summer sunshine. The club are celebrating 90 years this year and had arranged for a Pig Roast on the Saturday evening, we had a marquee in case of bad weather but it was a beautiful evening so the straw bales were taken outside and everyone sat around enjoying their food and chatting with friends. The younger crowd had a fun-filled game of rounders and we were joined by lots of members old and new, it was a lovely atmosphere as the temperature dropped into the evening.
Sunday morning dawned sunny across the Arena with a light breeze, the car parks were filling up and Pat and Pat were busy on the gate welcoming the crowds that had turned up for the Men’s Supertrial which was set to kick off at 10:30.
Oliver Smith was the first to get away followed by the rest of the field at one minute intervals. Again, the riders rode two qualifying laps of nine sections, then the top six men would go through to the final lap of 10 sections, the scores start again on the final, so the riders start on a clean sheet for the final. James Dabill took the win in qualifying on a loss of just 4 marks, Jack Price was just one mark behind on 5, both of these guys compete in the Trial GP class in the World Championship and it showed in the results today, Billy Green who had an inspired ride on his 4-Stroke Montesa took third place dropping 50 marks, local man Sam Haslam also dropped 50 marks over the two laps but was given forth place on the most 1’s dropped. Andy Chilton came in fifth and 2016 Supertrial winner Iwan Roberts took the last spot to go through to the final lap.
The raffle was drawn in the interval which had some amazing prizes, thank you to everyone that donated so kindly, and thank you to everyone that bought tickets. The riders had had a well earned rest and re-hydrated ready to start a final lap in the scorching sunshine.
The Final got underway at 3pm, the first five sections would be ridden and the top three after those 5 sections would go through and complete the lap. Again Stu and the team had been round and altered all of the sections slightly to test the riders to the limit. Yet again James Dabill took the final win on a total of 20 marks lost, Jack Price just one mark behind on 21, they had dropped mark for mark on every section except Jack dropping a single one on section 4 which made all the difference to the final result, Sam Haslam was a little way back on 37, but admitted on the rostrum that he was a little surprised to be standing there himself, he had some great rides through the day with the help of club member Will McBain on minding duties. A massive well done to James he has taken the win 11 times out of the 13 times he has ridden here, a great achievement. Well done to all of the riders who took part, it doesn’t matter how often we hold this event we all watch in complete amazement at what these men and women can get up, over and down.
The club have so many people to thank for helping in any way to make the Supertrial the success it is every year. I can’t even begin to list names, but we genuinely thank each and every one that helps out in any way. It is a huge undertaking for a few key people, obviously Stu being the main organiser and every year we say that we are going to give it a rest for a year or two, but who knows…Let’s see what happens after the dust has settled.
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> Posted: 16/08/19 13:34
It's the BIG ONE next weekend – The 2019 Supertrial
The North Berks Supertrial is our biggest event of the year, we have the countries top riders joining us again this year and they will be tested to the limit on the technical rock sections of Seymours Arena. More rocks have been brought in, The Waterfall has been tweaked and the woodyard has been refreshed with new timber.
There is FREE on-site camping available on the Friday and Saturday night, the camping field is situated directly behind the Arena, there is plenty of room to pitch a tent or set up in your motorhome for the weekend. The Club is celebrating 90 years this year and we will be having a Pig Roast on the Supertrial Saturday evening from 8pm. We’ll have a marquee with seating for you to take cover from the evening sunshine or rain (whichever we get dealt with). Stay over, bring your own drinks. We hope all members new and old will join us to help celebrate the Clubs achievements over the years.
As usual there will be Burger and Ice Cream Vans in attendance over the weekend. There will be trade stands from GasGas UK, TRS UK, Acklams Beta and BVM Moto, they will have new bikes on show so make sure you have a good look round. There will be plenty of toilets on-site for your convenience.
Saturday morning kicks off at 10.00 sharp with the country’s top women riders. Emma Bristow will be looking to retain her grasp on the title. Donna Fox, Jess Bown, Hannah Styles, Louise Alford, Gabby Whitham, Alice Minta, Jazz Hammond, Chloe Baker and our own Alicia Robinson will be making every effort to get alongside Emma on the podium. The B route is well supported with six top class British lady riders together with Leire Rodriguez joining us from Spain.
The Youth competition will follow hot on the heels of the ladies on the Saturday. We have nine of the UK’s top young stars and Pau Martinez from Spain who all compete in top level national and international trials throughout the year and will certainly be up for the challenge.
Yet again we have all of the country’s top men riders joining us on Sunday, headed by James Dabill who took the win again in 2018. James will be pushed all the way by Jack Price, Toby Martyn, 2016 winner Iwan Roberts, Billy Green, Andy Chilton, Jack Sheppard, Sam Haslam, Hugo Jervis, Oliver Smith and Charlie Smith. We also have Alexander Neiderer coming over from the US to see how he gets on with the Arena sections. Pau Martinez will be making his trip from Spain worthwhile by riding as a Guest Rider on the Sunday against the men on his Vertigo 125 machine, it will be interesting to see how he gets on. The trial gets underway at 10.30 on Sunday morning so make sure you’re here to see the action as it unfolds.
A huge thank you to our section sponsors: Acklams Beta, Andrews Building Company (ABC), Bicester Tyre and Exhaust, BVM Moto, GasGas UK, Ice Valley Water, Jitsie, MRS Sherco, Oset, Rock Oil and SXS TRS.
It’s going to be an awesome weekend of top class trials so make sure you’re at the Arena on the 24th and 25th August. We look forward to seeing you.
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> Posted: 07/08/19 06:40
Alicia takes a superb 3rd at Leamington Victory
Alicia had a brilliant ride at Round 5 of the Belle Trailers Ladies and Girls British Trials Championship last weekend. Alicia came away with another 3rd place behind Jess Bown and Donna Fox.
On to France today (Wednesday) for the next round of the European Championship. Good luck out there Lici.
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> Posted: 18/07/19 09:56
Round 5 – Evening Club Trial
We held the penultimate round of the Club Championship last night at Seymours Arena, not a massive turnout, but it's always tricky for some to get back from work to make it in time. Everyone that made it seemed to have a good time, looking at the results the technical rocky sections took a fair few marks off many.
Thanks as always to the observers, marking out crew and Sue for getting all signed on and results out sharpish.
We hope you all enjoyed it, the next club event is the Big One – The Supertrial on the weekend of 24th & 25th August, we will be having a Hog Roast on the Saturday evening, so bring the family and to stay over, it'll be a great weekend as always.
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> Posted: 10/07/19 09:39
Sad passing of Ron Dobson
It is with regret that we announce the death of Ron Dobson at the age of 96.
Ron was another long serving club member who was heavily involved in the grass track days. He is fondly remembered sitting at the wheel of the tractor with the roller, post thumper and water bowser in tow. He spent many hours preparing the track in the weeks preceding the National and International events the club used to run.
We send our condolences to his family. The funeral will be held at St. James Church, Shop Lane, Leckhampstead, Newbury RG20 8QQ on Thursday 25 July at 1.30pm.
For further details call Pat Hemmings on: 01235 831462.
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> Posted: 24/06/19 09:56
Rounds 3 & 4 – Summer 2 Day Trial, Club Championship
North Berks held their annual two-day summer trial, with a change of venue at Standlake Arena Woods. The popular camping weekend is always great fun, and this year saw over 80 riders Saturday and Sunday.
The course was made up of technical and challenging sections all set out by Mark, Todd, Mick, Dereck and Stuart in the old disused gravel pits and large woods. It was the first time the club had used this piece of land, Oxford Ixion run some of their trials here, it really is a great venue and lots of potential. A massive thanks to the landowner James French for allowing us to use it.
Section 1 was a tricky opener both days, with only Tom Nicholas, Tom Plant and Alicia Robinson cleaning it on Saturday and Tom Plant, Finley Belcher and Alicia Robinson cleaning it on the Sunday. Saturday saw Tom Nicolas take the win in the Expert Class, followed by Tom Plant and Tom Hawthorne. This section also took the majority of marks in the Clubman 50/50 Route, with Calvin Hunt finishing first, followed by Ryan Tomkins and Lee Sullivan. Mark Elms and his good riding buddy, Reynard Norris, had a very close battle in the Clubman B Route, with Mark Elms taking the win by 2 marks from Reynard Norris. Ben Owen was not far behind in third. Clubman C was a large class consisting of 13 riders, and a clear victory was taken from Brian Tomkins, with Neil Harris and Dereck Fowler not far behind. Brett Harbud won Youth A on a mere 7 marks, and Max Agar took the Youth 50/50 win from Oscar Jones. Bailey Tidbury had a steady day taking Youth B victory, and young Nate Robinson, having a weekend off his pushbike, stormed ahead and took the win in Youth C from Aaron Watson and Edwyn James. Youngster Riley Middlehurst took the win in Youth D.
Now onto Sunday, with another healthy entry, the trial saw Tom Plant take the Expert Class win, only dropping 4 marks, with Finley Belcher and Alicia Robinson not far behind. Maria Longden, having a very good day, took the win in Clubman 50/50, from Ryan Tomkins and Lee Sullivan. In the Clubman B Route, Ben Owen wasn’t happy with third on Saturday, so took a very tight win on 14 marks, from Mark Elms and Stuart Belcher, both finishing on 15 marks. Clubman C was won again by Brian Tomkins, with Tom Nicholls and Neil Harris both finishing on the same marks to take second and third place. Leah Robinson winning the Clubman D, with young Ollie Grey winning the Youth A. Max Agar won the Youth 50/50 again, and Bailey Tidbury took Youth B victory on the Sunday. Young Nate Robinson took his second win of the weekend in Youth C from Max Gray, William Sparks and Edwyn James. Riley Middlehurst winning the Youth D again on Sunday.
Thank you all for turning up, we hope you enjoyed the weekend, thanks to all the usual people that helped out in any way and especially the observers who are probably all itching like crazy today, the mozzies were certainly enjoying the weekend.
Hope to see you at our evening club trial at Seymours on 17th July.
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> Posted: 05/06/19 11:09
Passing of Dave Welch
It is with regret that we announce the death of Dave Welch who passed away on 31st May, aged 77.
Dave was a top solo grass track rider in the 60s and 70s. He was also clerk of the course for many of the club's prestigious grass track meetings and a committee member for many years. We send our condolences to his family. His funeral will take place on Wednesday 19th June at 11.00 a.m. at Oxford Crematorium. It would be appreciated if as many who are able attend the funeral.
Many thanks, John Lightfoot.
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> Posted: 15/05/19 11:39
North Berks on tour again this year...
Yet again North Berks MCC have been invited to entertain the public at a few local events this year, always a popular spectacle and we are more than happy to promote the club and our sport.
Firstly it was Bradfield May Fayre on Mayday Bank Holiday, the riders put on two shows in the centre ring impressing the crowds, showing off their skills.
Last weekend it was time for Wallingford Vehicle Rally, the weather was glorious and brought out more people than ever before, the selection of cars was amazing. 350 vehicles took part in the parade and thousands of members of the public lined the streets of Wallingford making it the most successful event ever. The North Berks team were based at the far end of the Kinecroft and put on a continuous display throughout the day with lots of interest being gained in the Club.
A big thank you to all of the riders who turned out to show what they are capable of, also thank you to the event organisers for inviting us along and Grundon for supplying the lorry and skips etc. to ride over at Wallingford.
Obviously a massive thank you to all the usual people who organise and attend the club events, you know who you are, awesome effort as usual.
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> Posted: 10/04/19 9:43
The Pioneer Run – World’s Greatest Veteran Motor Cycle Run
Club President, Jerry Lane recently took part in the iconic ‘Pioneer Run’, which is organised by The Sunbeam Motor Cycle Club and was celebrating the 80th year of the run from London to Brighton. To take part in the Pioneer Run you have to have a motorcycle, tricycle, or bike and sidecar that 'left the factory' before 1st Jan 1915, and your claim to have one has to be verified by the Club experts, who will issue you with a registration certificate. More than 370 entrants take part in the event which runs in March each year.
This year Jerry entered on his 1913 Indian, V-Twin 1000cc machine, which he first clapped eyes on in Tasmania – here’s the story…
‘I’d heard that a fellow was looking for a part for a project he was working on, he got in touch with me and we spent a long time talking on the phone and I had exactly what he was looking for, we got on really well and I decided I would take the part to him, I found out he actually lived in Tasmania, so off I went with the frame over my shoulder' (who wouldn’t, right?!). When he got there they realised it wasn’t the right frame after all. Jerry was still glad he made the trip, he had a great time with the guy who obviously had the same passion for bikes as himself. They kept in touch and years later the man moved to Ireland and Jerry ended up buying the Indian, which he’d spotted on his trip, it was a half finished project at the time. Jerry told us that he has had 8 years of head scratching to get it going and looking like it does today.
This huge museum-for-a-day gives a fascinating insight into the very early history of the motorbike, as it evolved from the bicycle. It's very easy to see that transition, since some of these early specimens are little more than a bicycle with some sort of motor strapped on.
The bikes have a staggered start from Tattenham Corner, Epsom heading south through Surrey and into Sussex to finish at Madeira Drive in Brighton, Jerry said he only jumped two sets of lights en-route because he couldn’t stop the damn thing. Well done Jerry.
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> Posted: 24/03/19 19:11
Seymours bathed in sunshine for round 2 of the Club Championship
Round 2 of the Club Championship was held at Seymours this weekend which was really well supported across the classes, we had a fair few experts riding who stopped over on their way back from the British Trials Championship at Hookwoods on the Saturday.
A big thank you to all of the observers, although it was really pleasant standing out in the spring sunshine, we're still really grateful to you. Thanks to Sue for getting everyone signed on and the results out and up on Facebook sharpish as usual. We've got a rest now for a couple of months, the next Club Trial being the two-day summer one, which is held on the 22nd and 23rd June at Besselsleigh, so we hope to see you all there. The Practice evenings at Seymours are due to start in May, we'll put dates up on here and post on Facebook soon.
Thanks to Leah Robinson for the pictures, you will find more on her Facebook page. Gazza was also there so you will find his pictures on his Sliders Photography site, click the links below.
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> Posted: 10/03/19 19:11
Donna Fox takes the win at Round 1 of the Ladies National Championship
The first round of the Ladies & Girls Trials Championship got underway at Seymours Arena this weekend, the top class being won by Donna Fox for the loss of just 20 marks.
We'll have a report up soon. In the meantime the club would just like to thank all of the observers that stood out in the cold and blustery wind and the odd downpour that hammered across the Arena all day. Thank you to everyone else who helped in any way, too many to mention but we have an amazing team and everyone plays a part to make all of our events a great success. Finally, thanks to all of the Ladies/Girls and their families that turned out today, travelling from all parts of the country, we hope you had a safe journey home.
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> Posted: 24/02/19 20:15
The Wallace kicks off the S3 Championship in scorching sunshine
The first round of the S3 Championship, The Wallace Cup took place today in and around the Berkshire Downs and we were bathed in glorious sunshine all day.
We'll have a report up soon. In the meantime the club would just like to thank all of the observers that helped us out today. Thank you to the Horse & Harrow for letting us use the pub for the Start/Finish. As always our gratitude to the landowners that support the club letting us run our National events across your land. Thank you to everyone else, too many to mention who help in any way, its a real team effort and everyone plays a part to make our events the success that they are.
Obviously, it goes without saying...Thanks to all of the riders that turned out today, we hope you had a good ride round and look forward to seeing you again next year.
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> Posted: 18/02/19 18:12
The 1st round of the S3 Championship this coming weekend
The first round of the S3 Championship being run by North Berks MCC, The Wallace Cup. Starts from the Horse and Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne, near Didcot. First rider away at 9:31, with a single lap of 38 challenging sections, set out by clerk of the course Stuart Robinson and his loyal gang of section plotters.
The first group of sections are set on the old Railway Bank, followed by six at the Moors and then onto the famous Seymours Arena where we have eight demanding sections, there is ample parking, a catering van and toilet. From there riders will head onto a relatively new group of sections, The Lynch, then across the road to Lollingdon Hill, after those sections it's onto Aston Pit and Air Raid Shelter, then back to Bucknell’s for the sting in the tale of three tricky sections – a note to spectators no parking on the busy A417 verges, please use the extra parking field located by the Horse and Harrow Pub. The trial is then finished at Strange's Gate for the final section of the day. Food and drinks available from the Horse and Harrow, please support the pub by having a pint and a chat about your day.
We would also like to mention the spectacular entry we've had this year, we have eight girls riding: Emma Bristow, Local girl, Alicia Robinson, riding her first ever S3 National on the road, Jess Bown, Katie Sunter, Victoria Payne, Louise Alford, Katie Nash and Meg Savage
We also have eight riders from across the water – Four from Ireland: Sean Doyle, Billy O’Toole, Johny Carroll and Brian McLoughlin. Chris Stay from the Isle of Wight. Then Robin Arnold, Damian Owen and Joe Yeardsley from the Isle of Man.
A great turnout, with 44 riders on the Over 40’s class and over 50 riders tackling the S3 Expert Course. This should be a great start to the S3 National Championship, supported by John Shirt.
We look forward to seeing you all on Sunday.
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> Posted: 03/02/19 17:23
Congratulations Team Stokes & Townsend Racing
Mark Stokes and Luke Townsend were recently crowned British Clubman Enduro Sidecar Champions 2018 after winning their first year out, an amazing achievement, well done guys. Good luck for 2019, we look forward to seeing your progress throughout the year. -
> Posted: 26/12/18 20:38
Moors the merrier!
North Berks MCC had their first round of the 2019 club championship at the Moors, East Hagbourne. The annual Boxing Day Hangover Cup Trial had a good entry of 57 riders tackling four laps of eight sections in the cold but fresh winters morning.
Will McBain took the win on the expert route with Tom Nicholas close behind and Tom Plant, Joe Nicholas and young upcoming Alicia Robinson rounding off the top five.
The club saw a wealthy entry of 13 expert riders all tackling the challenging sections. Local Didcot lad, Lee Sullivan, took the win on the 50/50 route from Joe Bayliss and Will Fidler.
Clubman B was won by Ryan Tomkins with Mark Elms chasing all the way, and Richard Hawthorne, Kieran Tame and John Hawthorne finishing in the top five.
Brian Tomkins stole the win in Clubman C from Neil Harris with Dereck Dodd making a comeback merely missing out on second place from making a rookie mistake, going the wrong side of a marker.
Young Max Agar tackled the Youth 50/50 route, while Brett Harbud stormed ahead in Youth A taking the win from William Clark.
George Clark moved up to Youth B to tackle the harder sections, and Youth C saw Ben Nicholls take the win from young and upcoming Harry Wheeler who has moved up from Youth D.
Little Jonathan Brett won the Youth D class with Riley Middlehurst just behind, along with Ace Allinson.
A massive thank you to all the observers, people involved in marking out sections and a special thank you to the land owners. North Berks MCC have pulled off another fantastic Boxing Day trial yet again.
Report: Leah Robinson.
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> Posted: 16/12/18 17:19
Notice of Annual General Meeting
To be held on Tuesday 29th January 2019 at 8pm at The Conservative Club, The Barn, Foxhall Rd, Didcot OX11 7AD.
You are invited to The North Berks MC & LCC Annual General Meeting, all members are welcome. Come along and have your say.
The committee invites nominations for the election of officers for the year 2019. Please download the Election of Officers form by clicking the button below and return it to northberksmcc@gmail.com or post it to Mr M Anderson, 54 Wasbrough Avenue, Wantage, Oxon OX12 9BQ. Note: No nomination may be made without the approval of the person concerned. Nominations to be received no later than 15 January 2019.
AGENDA
1/ Apologies for absence
2/ Minutes of previous AGM
3/ Chairman's report
4/ Treasurer’s report
5/ Election of committee members
6/ Discussion of members needs
7/ Any other business
If you are interested in joining the North Berks MCC committee or would like further information, please contact club Chairman, Mark Anderson on northberksmcc@gmail.com or 07770 652512.
If you cannot attend the AGM but have any issues you would like raised at the meeting, again, please contact Mark Anderson on the contact details above by 15 January 2019.
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> Posted: 12/12/18 10:33
Christmas Dinner & Awards Night
This years Christmas bash was held at Frilford Heath Golf Club. A good number of members joined us for a brilliant evening celebrating the successes and recognising the achievements of our members who have joined us at club events this year. 2018 has been another great championship with all six rounds being well supported.
We were treated to a tasty three course Christmas meal which was followed by the presentation of the awards to all rider classes and a few extras as usual. Yet again, the evening was a great success and everyone enjoyed spending time and catching up with their trials friends.
Thank you to Frilford Heath Golf Club and their staff for laying on a great spread. Thanks also to the committee members who organise the Club events, you do an amazing job year after year.
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> Posted: 15/10/18 15:46
Round 6 – Brolly definitely required!
We returned to the steep climbs and sandy banks of the popular Besselsleigh venue for round 6 of the club championship.
The majority of the sections were marked out the previous day in glorious sunshine, but as the morning broke on Sunday the weather had made a turn for the worst. The rain continued for most of the day which made some of the drops into sections 7, 8 and 9 rather treacherous although they had been eased on the morning by the marking out crew. The weather certainly impacted on the entry with a total of just 25 riders braving the awful conditions.
Yet again Tom Nicholas took the win in the expert class for the loss of just 18 marks in the tough conditions which was a way ahead of Oliver Smith on 42 and James Grist on 67. Darren Wheeler took a creditable 4th having not ridden for a year or so, Darren has been concentrating on his Triathlon events, so is superfit at the moment. Looking a little rusty on the first lap but back to his old self thereafter looking confident on bike.
Liam Anderson took the glory on the 50/50 Clubman route on 87 despite snapping his gear lever and having to drop the gearbox to 2nd on most sections with a pair of pliers before entering the begins cards, inspired! The Belcher household will be quiet this evening as Finley and his Dad Stuart ended on exactly the same marks – 93, but Fin taking the win on number of cleans, 3 to 2. Unlucky Stu, he did have the advantage of being on your bike though eh?! Luke Hora came forth, first time out on his Mont, Luke is used to a 2 stroke machine but by the end of the day he was looking good on the thumper.
There were just two riders on the Clubman B route, Ryan Tomkins taking top spot on 88, Patrick Middlehurst second for the loss of 103.
Ryan's Dad Brian Tomkins took the win in the Clubman C class dropping 66, Neil Harris on 89 and Tom Nicholls on 99.
Jonathan Evans was on his own in Clubman D class and dropped 25 dabs.
Youth A was won by Brett Harbud dropping 35 marks on the top route, Alicia Robinson on 81 and Joe Snelling on 94.
Jazz Hammond was on her own in the Youth 50/50 class and completed the four laps for the loss of 103 marks.
Bailey Tidbury was the only entrant on the Youth B route and dropped 93 marks.
As usual we are indebted to the observers who stood out in the atrocious weather: Mark Anderson; Barry Wheeler; Todd Jones; Sue O'Sullivan; Dereck Fowler; Krysti Anderson; Dickie Harbud; Mick Bayliss; Jimmy Axford; Andy Hora and Sarah Anderson.
We hope you all enjoyed it despite the weather. The next club event is the North Berks Annual Dinner and Awards night at Frilford Heath Golf Club on the 30th November, we hope you will all join us for a great evening with friends.
The 2019 Championship gets underway as usual on Boxing Day, again we hope to see you all there with your shiny kit to burn off the Christmas excesses.
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> Posted: 20/8/18 21:17
The twelth North Berks Supertrial took place this weekend and what an amazing weekend it was
Our premier event just seems to get better and better each year. We had ALL of the country's top riders join us over the weekend, the weather on Saturday was slightly overcast with a ten minute rain shower, but we were basking in sunshine for most of the day on Sunday.
SATURDAY
The Youth riders were first out of the blocks on Saturday and young Harry Turner lead the field away at 10am sharp, followed by Joe Faunthorpe and Jake Eley all riding on a no awards basis due to late entry. There were 11 riders in the youth class and the win was taken by local South Midland rider Gus Oblein on his SPJ Sherco 125 who completed the two laps of the Arena dropping just 30 marks which was an inspired ride. Charlie Smith took second place on the podium on 36 followed by North Berks Club member Brett Harbud on 51 fresh off his recent trip to Italy, Germany and Belgium. Fourth was Ben Dignan down from Fort William in the Highlands. Josh Wright took fifth on 68 and Will Clark, another local South Midlander took a well deserved sixth on 80. Adam Juffs just two marks behind Will on 82 was in seventh place. JST Gas Gas rider Jack Dance was sadly a non-starter due to an injured hand but he was watching the action closely and I'm sure he was wishing he was fit to ride.
The ladies B route riders started directly after the youths and followed them up to section one which was relatively straight-forward to ease them into the trial. Alice Minta took the top spot on her Inch Perfect Beta 125 for the loss of just 12 marks, Katlyn Adshead, second on 23 with Beth Dunning close behind on 29. Surrey based Jazz Hammond took fourth place dropping 33. Jennifer Stephen next down the placings on 44, just two marks ahead of Sophie Bailey on 46. Charlotte Kimber retired after lap one sadly.
The ladies A route qualifying laps were won by the British and World Champion Emma Bristow completing the two laps with the loss of no marks, riding immaculately as usual. Donna Fox had a great ride on her 4RT dropping just 9 marks. Jess Bown on her BVM sponsored Scorpa took third place for the loss of 18 marks. Hannah Styles next on the Vertigo dropping 32. A little way back on 65 was Victoria Payne closely followed by Gabby Whitham on 68. Sadly our Alicia Robinson had to pull out after just two or three sections after upsetting an injury she sustained whilst out in Europe a week or so ago and just couldn't hold on to the bike, she went to A&E to get checked out and was told it was muscle injury so needs to rest up for a while.
The six A class riders from the qualifying laps then went on to the final. Stu had been round the course tightening up the sections to test them further. They finished in exactly the same order as the qualifying laps. We did take a few marks off Emma in the final – she eventually finished for the loss of seven marks which again is amazing on the incredibly technical sections at Seymours. Donna finished on 23 and Jess on 28. Thanks to 'Brownie' for presenting the trophies to the winners.
That was day one event done and dusted, the North Berks team went out again that evening taking down the days section markers and making sure the Red and Blues were all set and ready to test the men the following day, 'The Waterfall' had been cleaned and filled ready, always a massive challenge for the riders, it is a daunting section when you stand at the foot and look up, even for these top class riders.
SUNDAY
Sunday dawned rather overcast and blustery, the riders were due to start at 10.30, Stu took the riders round for th section inspection at about 9.30 which is always interesting, the sections are massive – climbs and rock steps that the ordinary club rider wouldn't even consider seems to be nothing for these guys, it has to be seen to be believed.
The two qualifying laps were run over nine sections and they were given three and a half hours to complete them. Jack Price took the win for the loss of just 11 marks. The country's current top rider James Dabill was only one mark behind on 12, 10 of those marks lost on the two visits to the waterfall, which seems to be Dibs achilles heal for some reason. The flambouyant Toby Martyn on his Mont 300 took third place, one mark back on 13 who was just one mark ahead of our Spanish guest rider Marc Riba on 14 who looked like he was really enjoying the technical Arena sections. The Peace brothers took fifth and sixth place on their JST Inch Perfect Gassers, Dan dropping 16 and Jack 24. Jack Sheppard was next on the MRS Sherco on 31 followed by 2016 Supertrial winner Iwan Roberts on the TRS on 39. Andy Chilton and local South Midlander Sam Haslam dropped 41 marks each, than came TRS mounted Ross Danby on 46, Tom Minta on 52 and Dec Bullock on 53. Wiggy was lower down the class than usual, after an injury he has had very little time on the bike this year, Alexz dropped 58 marks over the two laps. Young Billy Green was next dropping 62 marks. Connor Hogan from Australia took 16th spot dropping 75 marks, Hugo Jervis was four marks back on 79 and young Oliver Smith three marks behind on 82.
Once the qualifying laps had been completed the riders were given a well earned rest whilst the final lap sections were yet again tightened up and tweaked by the North Berks team headed by Stu Robinson who knows just how to test these top class riders to the max.
The top six riders from the qualifying laps went through to the final, so this was promising to be a tight finish as all six really were on their game and pushing for the win. Jack Price was the last one away as he had come out on top on the qualifying laps.
Section one which again was relatively easy for these guys was cleaned by all six riders, once completed they all moved on to section two, the famous 'Waterfall'. Toby launched up but got his timing wrong and fived it, Dibs got up for a two and Jack Peace had a steadying dab half way up, the rest of the field cleaned it which was impressive because the markers had been moved in slightly to drive the riders up the left hand side which is harder.
Then it was on to 'The Staircase', Jack Peace was first to attempt it, he didn't quite make the end gate in the allotted one and a half minute time allowance so was given a five by the minder. Dan Peace was also given a five here as it was observed his front wheel went outside a marker on the massive rock step just before the ends cards. Marc Riba, Jack Price and Toby Martyn all dropped one here, Dibs was the only one to get out of the section for a clean.
Section four took another five off Dan Peace. Marc Riba, Jack Peace and Toby Martyn got through this one for a clean, but Dibs and JP had a single dab each. Section five took another five off of Dan Peace together with Toby who again got his timing slightly wrong on the final rocky ascent. Jack Price was the only rider to get out on a clean the other three riders taking single dabs.
Only the top four riders were to continue in the final from this point. It was sad to see Toby and Dan having to drop out after their impressive riding over the course of the day, but that's the rules.
The four riders went on to tackle the refreshed 'Woodyard' – some of the massive tree trunks had gone rotten over the years so had been replaced this year, the final vertical tree trunk was still good for use – this is always a stopper. All four of the finalists made a great effort here but none were successful this year.
Jack Peace had some bike issues so had to rush off and sort them out and was playing catch-up, he dropped a five at the next section, the other three had got through on ones. Section eight took fives off three riders, again it was a large combination of steps just before the ends that caught them out. Dibs was the only one up here with spot on timing. Marc Riba and Jack Price fived section 9 which had a huge jump to the ends cards. Jack Peace got out for one and Dibs recorded another clean which made it a foregone conclusion, he had kept his crown as the Supertrial champion for 2018, the other three riders couldn't catch him even if he dropped five at the last.
So it was on to the last section which hadn't been used throughout the day, Jack Peace fived it, but sadly was well out of the running by now and took fourth on a final lap score of 28 marks lost. Jack Price dropped one here which gave him third spot on 19. The popular Spanish rider Mark Riba one mark ahead took second place dropping a total of 18 marks, which left James Dabill finishing on 11 marks lost for the lap! James always seems to be able to step his game up in the final, it really is awesome to see. Well done Dibs!
So that was another successful Supertrial over. A massive well done to Gus Oblein, Emma Bristow and James Dabill for taking the win in each class, but congratulations to each and every rider that rode over the weekend, you all put on an amazing show of skill and shear commitment attempting these huge sections. So thank you all for coming and taking part, the club hope you enjoyed it and look forward to seeing you again next year, because no doubt we will be running it again in 2019, watch this space...
As usual there are numerous people to thank, firstly all of our partners and sponsors who we are indebted to. Thank you to our generous landowners who are kind enough to let us use the Arena, Mr & Mrs Seymour for the Arena itself and the car park fields and Well Barn Estates for the pits area. Thank you to the trade stands including the Burger and Ice Cream vans for taking the time and effort we hope it was a successful weekend for you too. Thank you to DDA for the supply of new marker pegs, sorry mate you got missed out of the programme.
A big Thank you to Dave Willoughby, Julian Wigg and Steve Saunders for their work on the microphone over the weekend, it wouldn't be the same without your knowledgeable commentating. Thank you too to Steve for presenting the men with their trophies.
Thank you as usual to all of the observers over the course of the two days, again we are indebted to you as always. Jimmy for scrutineering, Pat and Pat on the gate, Dunc on the front gate, the raffle ticket team including Mr Dodd on the raffle mic, you crazy man. Secretary of the meeting Claire for dealing with the paperwork and entries. Sue and Geoff for keeping tabs on the score and getting the final score sheets out for publication. Finally, thanks to all of the committee and club members that put in the huge effort to make this event the great success it is, too many people to mention, but you know who you are. I apologise if I've missed anyone.
We hope you all enjoyed your weekend with us..
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> Posted: 1/8/18 11:07
It's the BIG ONE - The 2018 Supertrial
The North Berks SuperTrial is our biggest event of the year, we have the countries top riders join us and they are tested to the limit on the technical rock sections of Seymours Arena.
Stu and the team have had the heavy machinery in the Arena re-configuring the sections to test the World class riders that will be with us again this year.
The Ladies take centre stage on the Saturday morning. Ladies World Champion, Emma Bristow will be looking to retain her title which she has held since the first ladies North Berks Arena Trial in 2014. Donna Fox and Jess Bown will be trying their hardest to snatch the win and the rest of the field of top UK riders will be aiming to get on the podium for the glory.
This year we see Youth A and B classes competing on the Saturday, these include all the up and coming young stars of the future and what a promising bunch. These young guys will not be afraid of hitting the big stuff, they all ride National and/or World level trials, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in 2018.
Dibs was back in 2017, he was 100% focused and determined to regain his title on the infamous technical rock sections of Seymours Arena. He certainly didn't disappoint, putting on an amazing display of skill, although the qualification round was tight at the top he raised his game for the final and showed why he is the UK's current top rider. The rest of the field compete at the highest level in the British and World Trials Championships so any one of them could come away with the win on the day.
The action gets underway at 10.00 on Saturday with the Ladies Arena Trial, followed by the Youth A and B Trial. The guys get started at 10.30 on the Sunday morning so make sure you’re at Seymours to see the action unfold.
Come for the weekend. There is free camping on the Friday and Saturday night, there’s always a great atmosphere in and around the Arena. Toilets and refreshments are on site and there will be plenty of trade stands on Sunday, including BVM-Moto, SXS-TRS, Acklams Beta, John Shirt GasGas, so there is a great opportunity to purchase some new kit or even place an order for that new bike you’ve been promising yourself.
Admission is £10 for adults, £5 for 5-16 year olds and under 5’s are free. Its a great family weekend so get it in your diary and make sure you get over to Seymours on 18/19 August.
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> Posted: 29/7/18 09:24
Brimpton Club Trial
Round 5 of the Club Championship was held at a new venue in Brimpton near Reading this weekend. We had 8 sections plotted around this fantastic piece of land that were to be ridden 4 times.
There were a variety of natural sections laid out around the wood using the stream beds that run through it, unfortunately a few of the sections cut out pretty badly and the going got a little harder than anticipated, but the majority of the field stuck with it. Four routes were marked out catering for all rider levels from hardened expert to complete beginner. We had 35 riders turn out for it which isn't bad for a Saturday.
Sadly we only had one expert enter, which was Tom Nicholas – at least we took a few points off him this time, an outstanding ride none the less.
Luke Hora took the honours in the Clubman 50/50 class dropping 70 marks, closely followed by his riding partner Thomas Hawthorne on 75, Jo Bayliss only two marks behind on 77, Liam Anderson who admitted wasn't riding to his best ability was a little further back losing 98 marks over the 4 laps.
Clubman B was won by Reynard Norris dropping 42 marks, Ryan Tomkins was looking really steady all day and took second place for the loss of 54. Mark Elms third on 61 and Dave Barrett a way back on 104.
Clubman C class was well supported with 10 riders entering. Brian Tomkins won this fairly convincingly dropping just 31 marks, Neil Harris second on 64, Tom Nicholls on 69 followed by Ian Horner on 74.
It was great to see father and son, Tim and Tom Hyde out on their first trial, having been over the Arena for a few of the practice evenings this summer. They had a good day riding the D route. Tim pipped son Tom to the win by 4 marks. Well done guys.
On to the Youth classes. Alicia Robinson took top spot in the Youth A class dropping 91 marks which goes to show how boggy some of the sections got, especially section one, we don't usually take many marks of 'Lici'. Young Joe Snelling, who travelled over from Leatherhead wasn't far behind dropping 96 marks.
Max Agar took the honours on the Youth B route dropping 91 marks, fresh from taking 3rd place in the British Trials Championship C Class last weekend up at Bracken Rocks. Well done Max, keep at it! Bailey Tidbury was on form on the day too just 2 marks behind Max on 93.
Only 2 riders finished in the Youth C class, Ben Nicholls won on 82 followed by Max Bird on 91.
Finally, Youth D – Nate Robinson who is more often seen on his pedal trials bike of late fancied a ride out on his Beta 80 and he took the win dropping just 3 marks, young Jonathan Brett made a great effort and came away on 23 marks and rode all of the sections which is brilliant, well done Jonathan, well done too to his Dad Tim who covered a few miles on foot trying to keep up with the Oset.
The club would like to thank the landowners for the opportunity to use their land and we hope that we get the chance to use it again, there is so much in there to make some amazing sections, next time we'll keep out of the boggy areas a bit more though. Thanks also to Mark Stokes who put a huge amount of effort into getting us the use of the land and plotting out the majority of the sections, awesome effort.
As usual thanks to the observers, we did struggle and failed to get all sections covered. Thanks to Andy Hora, Steve Nicholls, Jim Axford, Todd and Zak Jones, Duncan Agar, Leah Robinson, Claire Maynard-Robinson and Mark Anderson. Well done Mark Anderson for taking up the reigns in getting everyone signed on. Lastly Sue O'Sullivan for taking care of the number crunching to get the results up on Facebook the same evening.
The next event is the Supertrial on the 18/19 August, make sure you've got it in your diaries, you'd be mad to miss it...
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Posted: 19/7/18 11:46
Next North Berks Club Trial – Brimpton
SATURDAY 28 JULY 2018, 11:00 Start.
Brimpton Lane, Brimpton, Reading (Nearest Postcode: RG7 4RF).
Round 5 of the Club Championship is just over a week away, its being held at a new venue in Brimpton near Reading. It's a fantastic piece of land, we're hoping to have 4 laps of ten sections, depending on available observers.
It will be a good ride round this large piece of land. There will be a variety of natural sections around the wood using the river and stream that run through it. Four routes will be marked out catering for all rider levels from hardened expert to complete beginner.
The nearest Postcode is RG7 4RF, look out for the Castrol signs on Brimpton Lane directing you to the parking area.
The trial is open to non-members, club joining fee applies, £7 Adults, £4 Youth for the year, plus the normal trial entry fee which is £15 Adult, £10 Youth. Enter on the day only.
Make sure you get there it promises to be a great day.
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> Posted: 2/7/18 09:43
Work has started at Seymours for 2018 Supertrial
Preparation for the 2018 Supertriial has started. Work got underway at Seymours this weekend. The team were there all weekend in the scorching sunshine re-configuring the Arena sections for North Berks premier event on 18 and 19th August. It’s going to be BIG – so get it in your diary, you’d be mad to miss it!.
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> Posted: 25/6/18 11:13
2 Dayer at Besselsleigh – a great success
North Berks MCC held their popular Summer 2-Day Club Trial this weekend. The weather forecast had promised good weather and it didn’t disappoint, we had wall to wall sunshine.
Saturday’s trial was due to start at 3pm, eight sections had been set out in and amongst the sandy banks and bomb holes at Besselsleigh near Abingdon. We had a fantastic entry of 41 riders and Stu Robinson got the trial underway at 3pm sharp sending each class off to different sections around this great piece of land we’re lucky enough to use once or twice a year.
Stu Belcher, who is running the Southern Centre Trials Academy Training Day on behalf of North Berks MCC on July 14th gave all the riders a heads-up on this fantastic opportunity to receive a full days tuition from top coaches from the Southern Centre. Its taking place on 14 July at Seymours Arena and we’re currently looking for more entries, there is more information about the day on the website, alternatively give Stuart Belcher a call on 07586 288979 he’ll be pleased to hear from you.
Back to the Trial – We had two riders tackling the Adult Expert route, being Tom Nicholas and brother Joe Nicholas. Tom took the honours going round clean for the day whilst Joe dropped 10 marks.
Clubman 50/50 route was won by Luke Hora who had a great ride dropping just 7 marks. Alex Taylor was placed second on 14, losing most of these on section 7. Joe Bayliss took 3rd on 15, closely followed by Lee Sullivan on 17.
Clubman B route was the most popular route for the day with nine riders. Reynard Norris took the win with a clean ride closely followed by Finley Belcher riding his dad’s TRS for the weekend on 4. Mark Elms came third dropping 8 marks and Stuart Belcher riding Finley’s Beta 125 came forth on 11 (I’ll leave them to argue whether it was the bike or rider that helped clinch that result).
Clubman C was again well supported. Gordon Pusey had the best result on this route dropping just 5 marks. Tom Nicholls on 10, Dereck Fowler on 18 and Todd Jones on 22.
Clubman D route had just one rider, Aaron Watson who went round clean.
The youth classes were well supported as usual. Brett Harbud won the Youth A class dropping just two marks which was an awesome ride, Alicia Robinson came second on 31 and George Clarke on 86.
Youth B was taken by Bailey Tidbury on 18 and second was Max Agar on 34.
A well earned Youth C win for Ben Nicholls dropping 46 marks, a way ahead of Amy Clarke who had bike trouble on 62. Josh Cole took third spot on 107.
Down to the littluns riding the Youth D route – Harry Wheeler took an impressive win dropping a mere 7 marks, Jonathan Brett riding his new Oset to second on 56 closely followed by young Amy Longdon (Daughter of the well known Maria Conway) on 63, let’s hope she has as much success as Maria did on 2 wheels.
That was day 1 done and dusted. A good number stayed over on Saturday night sitting out in the evening sunshine, its such a lovely venue to spend time with friends and family.
Sunday broke to blazing sunshine again, everyone that had stayed over rose early and there was a fantastic smell of bacon and sausages wafting across the field. Mark Anderson did the honours giving the rider briefing on Sunday morning and got everyone off for another great day of fun in the wooded copse.
Again we had a good entry of 38 riders across all the classes, there was an additional section that had been plotted for the second day and most of the other sections had been tweaked to keep every one on their toes.
Sunday saw five adult riders tackle the expert route. The win was taken by Tom Nicholas again riding immaculately and going round with a clean sheet. Tom Plant took second place dropping a few slack dabs here and there on a total of 7. James Grist a little further back on 17, followed by Joel Tett on 24.
Clubman 50/50 route saw the same three riders taking the top spots as the previous day. Luke Hora taking the win for 12 marks lost, one mark behind him was Alex Taylor, followed by Joe Bayliss on 17. Thomas Hawthorne stepped into forth today for the loss of 18.
Finley Belcher stepping up into the Clubman B adult class this weekend took the win dropping a mere 2 marks, great ride Fin and you beat your dad again, even if you did have his bike, Stu dropped 12 today. Sandwiched between father and son was Mark Elms, just one mark off Finley on 3. Patrick Middlehurst had a good ride losing just 16 marks over the 4 laps for forth spot.
Clubman C route was well supported today with a total of 9 riders. Club chairman Mark Anderson took the win on 7 after observing on the Saturday. Todd Jones in second on 16, Dereck Fowler took 3rd spot on 23 and Tom Nicholls dropped to forth today with 25 marks lost.
A couple of youth riders took on the 50/50 class. Elizabeth Tett came out on top dropping 38 marks, closely followed by Max Agar on 45. Great ride from you both.
Brett Harbud took the glory in the Youth A class riding the expert route for the loss of 5 marks, George Clarke a way back on 70 marks.
Bailey Tidbury was alone in the Youth B class and went round for a loss of 23 marks.
The top Youth C riders from Saturday swapped positions today, so Amy Clarke took the win on 39 riding Brett’s spare bike after blowing her Sherco up on Saturday and Ben Nicholls was relegated to second on 51. Jess Basford was third dropping 66 and Aaron Watson in forth place on 97.
Youth D was again won by young Harry Wheeler losing 17 marks, followed by Jonathan Brett on 50. Excellent results you two!
So that was it – another amazing North Berks event over. It really was a perfect weekend, the weather helped, we hope you all enjoyed it as much as the Club did putting it on.
Thanks as usual go out to all the usual helpers, from the course plotters that were out in the week previous to the trial. Sue for getting everyone signed on and number crunching the results out quickly. All our observers over the weekend, especially those that did both days, amazing!
Just a note for you all, our next Club Trial was due to be our Evening Trial at Seymours Arena on Wednesday 18th July, this will now be a normal Wednesday night practice session because we have the opportunity of using a new piece of land and are planning to hold round 5 there on the 29th July, we’ll have further info up on the website soon so watch this space.
Again, don’t forget the Southern Centre Trials Academy Training Day at Seymours Arena on July 14th. It’s a fantastic opportunity to receive a full days tuition from top coaches. There is more information about the day on the website, alternatively give Stuart Belcher a call on 07586 288979 he’ll be pleased to hear from you and tell you all about it.
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> Posted: 30/5/18 22:41
Summer Shows
North Berks were yet again invited to put on Trials Shows at the popular Wallingford Vehicle Rally and The Oxfordshire Young Farmers County Show and Rally in May.
A great time was had at both events and the public were blown away by the skill of the riders taking part. Thank you to Grundon for their ongoing support of the club at these events, they even had some specialist equipment made up for the riders to ride over this year which is fantastic.
Thank you too, to all of the riders that gave up their valuable time to promote the club and our sport.
Thomas Plant, Thomas O'Sullivan, Alicia Robinson, Nate Robinson, Mark Anderson, Liam Anderson, Josh Cole, Jonathan Brett.
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> Posted: 27/4/18 06:42
North Berks MCC Southern Centre Trials Academy Training Day.
Entries are now open and spaces are limited.
This is a fantastic opportunity to receive a full days tuition from top ACU Coaches. The day is open to all ACU affiliated solo trials riders of all ages and abilities, no club joining fee is required. Non ACU license holders can still be accommodated by obtaining a day license for an additional £3.
Due to the great success of the first round of this series, run by the Ringwood club, spaces are expected to be snapped up quickly. Please forward your entry together with the accompanying fee to Stuart Belcher. See regs and entry form for full details.
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> Posted: 24/3/18 18:33
Spring Club Trial at Seymours
Our second round club trial was held at Seymours Arena on 24th March, there had been a fair bit of rain through the night on Friday, so a few of the sections had been eased because once the mud carries up onto the rocks of the Arena it can become treacherous.
The Saturday morning dawned with a little drizzle but didn't last long, the 36 riders that started had a reasonably dry ride out, the sections were tight taking a fair few marks off most. Section 2 which was the staircase was one of the harder sections of the day only being cleaned by Brett Harbud and Oliver Smith riding the expert route.
it was good to see some new faces at the Arena so thanks to everyone for coming out, we hope you enjoyed it.
Thanks to all the usual team who marked out, Sue for getting everyone signed on and all the observers: Mick Baylis, Todd Jones, Andy Hora, Nate Robinson, Claire Robinson, Leah Robinson, Barry Wheeler, Jim Axford, Kurien Philip, Graham Howes, Derek Dodd, Richard Harbud and Sue O'Sullivan.
Our next event is the 2-day Summer Trial at Besselsleigh on 23rd and 24th June, hope to see you then.
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> 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 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.
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> 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. -
> Posted: 26/12/17 16:36
Chilly opener to the 2018 Champs at The Moors on Boxing Day
51 riders braved the cold weather to ride at The Moors for the first round of the 2018 Championships.
After the torrential rain the previous night the conditions at the popular Boxing Day Trial venue were a little wet but it certainly didn't spoil the fun – There were three sections plotted in the lane, the toughest of these being the one in the stream which took a fair few marks from most riders across the classes. There were a couple of sections in the field using the banks and large logs. Then it was a blast across the fields to the sections in the far stream, the hazards here consisted of turns up and down the banks which got slicker as time went on with the water being dragged up.
We hope you all enjoyed your day and the Committee wish you all a Happy New Year and look forward to the 2018 Championship and we hope you'll join us for the various National events that we hold, check out the calendar and events page for more details.
Thank you to everyone that helped out as usual, you know who you are. Thank you to the landowner and all of our observers who stood out in the cold weather. Until next time... Pics in the 2018 Gallery.
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> Posted: 19/11/17 20:47
Downland bathed in sunshine!
As one of the last national classic trials of the season, North Berks MCC were really lucky with the weather for The Winston Grove National Downland Trial this Sunday.
With an initial entry of over sixty riders, although down on previous years the Club were looking forward to putting on another top class event, it certainly didn't disappoint, we had great feedback from the riders as usual who enjoyed a great days sport riding in and around the Berkshire Downs. The going was pretty dry on the whole although some of the renowned sections with their unforgiving greasy banks tested the riders.
Thanks go out to all the usual people that helped put on this great event, John Lightfoot, Mark Stokes and Tim Lightfoot and their team of helpers cutting out, route marking etc. Thanks to all of our observers who stood out in the cold November weather, we really appreciate your ongoing support. Well done to Geoff and Sue for sorting the results and getting them out sharpish as usual. It goes without saying, thanks to our farmers and landowners that allow this great event to run across their land, we are so grateful for your support.
Well done to all the riders that took part we hope you enjoyed your day. Click on the button below to see the results in PDF format. You will find more pictures of the action on the Gallery page.
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> Posted: 06/11/17 13:47
Another Fantastic Year – North Berks 2017 Club Championship
All classes were closely contested with a clear winner in each. It was good to see some new faces in the Youth C & D classes, as well as many of the adult groups.
Top Expert winner for 2017 was Scott Faulkner taking this years crown on his TRS. The rest of the classes were topped by the following. Clubman 50/50 - Luke Hora; Clubman B - Ryan Tomkins; Clubman C - Brian Tomkins; Clubman D - Jonathan Evans; Youth A - Brett Harbud; Youth 50/50 - Oscar Jones; Youth B - Finley Belcher; Youth C - George Clark; Youth D - Ben Jelfs.
Lets hope 2018 will be even better.
All the Awards are to be presented at the Annual Dinner dance to be held on Sat 2nd December at Drayton Golf Club. Come along, it promises to be a great night as usual, details can be found below.
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> Posted: 18/10/17 16:52
North Berks Christmas Dinner & Awards Night
2 DECEMBER 2017 – Commencing: 18:30 for 19:00 / Carriages: 24:00.
Drayton Park Golf Club, Steventon Rd, Drayton, Oxon OX14 4LA.
The event you've all been waiting for... The big Christmas Dinner & Awards night. Always a brilliant night of fun and celebration for all your family and friends, certainly not one to be missed!
We return to Drayton Park Golf Club for our popular Christmas Bash this year. Dinner will be served at 19:00, followed by the Awards ceremony, where we celebrate the members achievements throughout 2017. The Raffle will take place and then music and dancing will follow to the amazing Utopia Disco until midnight.
It promises to be a great night as usual, it's always well supported so get your ticket order and menu choices in to Mark Anderson by the closing date on 17th November. Hope to see you there! Thanks.
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> Posted: 28/09/17 16:52
The 2017 Winston Grove National Downland Trial
Date: 19 NOVEMBER 2017, First man away at 09:30.
SEYMOURS ARENA – Aston Tirrold, Nr Didcot, Oxon, OX11 9AW.
The North Berks MCC are pleased to confirm that their ever popular Winston Grove National Downland Trial will be taking place again this year on Sunday 19th November.
As a long established fixture in the classic trials calendar, the Downland Trial has become a favourite with riders and spectators alike. Aimed firmly at classic trials enthusiasts, there will be a choice of easy or hard routes available for pre-75 British rigids & twinshocks, pre-86 twinshocks and pre-90 air cooled mono-shock bikes. Retaining its national status, this year's event will start from Seymour's Arena, where the first and last sections will be located. Riders will then complete some 34 old-school sections on a single 30 mile lap of the Berkshire countryside.
Entries are now open, download regs and entry form below, if you have any queries please contact the Secretary of the Meeting, John Lightfoot on 01235 850486.
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> Posted: 24/09/17 19:23
Autumn Club Trial at Besselsleigh
We returned to the climbs and sandy banks of our two-day Summer Trial at Besselsleigh. The weather was glorious and we had a good entry of 43 riders join us. Each class was well supported and everyone really enjoyed themselves.
Thanks as usual to the marking out team, Sue and Pauline for getting everyone signed on, all of the observers, Sue again for number crunching the results out sharpish.
Another successful North Berks event – that wraps up the Club Championship for 2017. The last event of the year is the Downland Classic Trial which takes place on 19th November.
Results and a few pictures below and a some more on the Gallery page, thanks Pauline Belcher.
We hope you enjoyed it, see you next time...
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Trials Training Days are coming to NBMCC
North Berks MCC are excited to announce that we are now able to start organising trials training days. I have now obtained my ACU Trials Training License and we are kicking things off with a Youth training day on Saturday 4th November. As we progress and depending on how well they are supported we plan to hold training days for youth and adults alike in the future. Our first session is aimed at beginners or developing riders. As we are only able to accommodate 10 riders currently, it will be on a strictly first come first served basis, I will obviously hold a reserve list if the need arises. Unfortunately, there will be no riding or practising for other riders on the day that are not on the training session, so please don't turn up expecting to ride.
Our first session is at 10am to 3pm on 4th November 17 at Seymours Arena. The cost is £20 per rider. Our aim is get you on the right track, enjoying our fabulous sport and hopefully one day see some of you in the Supertrial in years to come!
A fun day is planned, so bring plenty of energy, batteries and fuel for bikes and yourself. So, if you are a member of our club, contact me to reserve your place.
Mobile: 07586-288979 or PM me on Facebook
Keep practising, Stu Belcher.
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> Posted: 22/8/17 13:28
SuperTrial 2017 – WOW, What a Weekend!
It promised to be an amazing weekend and it didn't disappoint on any level.
The last day of preparation, Friday was pretty grim, the weather at the Arena was broken sunshine then strong downpours with a bit of thunder and lightening thrown in so we were a little apprehensive to what we would be dealt for the weekend, but thankfully the sun shone for the whole weekend, a bit of a breeze but that's par for the course at Seymours. So we had a brilliant couple of days of top class trials action to look forward too.
It all kicked off at 10am sharp on Saturday morning with the Ladies/Girls and Youth A Boys. Beth Dunning was the first away on route B, followed in one minute intervals by the rest of the field, the Youth A boys followed on directly behind the Ladies. The first section was relatively straightforward to help ease the riders in and settle the nerves of the big occasion although most of them ride the Nationals and a good number compete on the World scene, so they’re used to a bit of pressure. The second section, however was the famous Seymours waterfall, there were a couple of routes plotted up the side and across the big waterfall steps, the first lap it remained dry but the second saw the water running from the summit. There were two laps of ten sections to conquer before the top eight Ladies went through to the final which consisted of one lap of ten sections, the four with the most dabs after riding section 5 then dropped out to leave the final four to finish the lap.
The winner with the loss of just three marks in the final was the amazing Emma Bristow who has held the title since 2014 and was, as always riding with immaculate precision, her partner James Fry was minding, they really make an formidable team. Nikita Smith took a well deserved second place, Donna Fox third and Jess Bown in fourth. Louise Alford had a good steady ride and just missed out on the final cut, our own Alicia Robinson finished in sixth, Victoria Payne seventh and Gabby Whitham in eighth.
Chantal De Raaff won the B route competition convincingly for the loss of just 22, followed by Jazz Hammond on 44, Beth Dunning on 52 and Jennifer Stephen just behind on 57. Sadly Olivia Brooksbank had what looked like a nasty fall and was attended to by the paramedic, she was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure but thankfully was alright and she returned to the Arena just in time for the final presentations.
The Youth A guys put on an amazing show, they weren’t afraid to hit the big Arena rocks, they definitely gave 100% and demonstrated what a 125cc machine is capable of. Billy Green was on top form, he took the win for the loss of just 10 marks with Oliver Smith second on 21, and Duncan Maccoll third on 30. Gus Oblein and Ronnie Day took fourth and fifth respectively closely followed by Jake Eley and Adam Juffs.
Once all the action was over and the dust had settled the presentations took place, thank you to Mr Seymour, the Arena landowner for presenting the awards to the worthy winners. Day one complete.
Sunday saw the main Men’s event, a bright start in the Arena welcomed the riders and spectators. Stu lead the guys round at 9.30 for a section inspection, they were eager to get started and the first man away was Tom Culliford who had stepped in, in place of Keiran Child who couldn’t make it. The riders left the start in reverse order which meant that last years winner Iwan Roberts would be starting last.
Again, the riders were eased in with the first section, although to the mere club rider it looks horrific, there was a big rock step followed by a tight turn and drop back into the section and over a huge undercut log laid overhanging the bank, then a drop into another hole to the bank the other side with a big square rock sitting on the summit, just a warm up eh! It was then on to the Waterfall, the water wasn’t running but the sump at the bottom was just below top of boot level which carried up the face of the section as riders burst out and upward, there were a fair few cleans on the initial visit, Sam Haslam being the first which resulted in a huge roar of approval from the massive crowd that had been waiting for the action to begin.
By the end of the two qualifying laps there were 8 clear riders. Last years winner, Iwan Roberts was in top position dropping just two marks. Toby Martin held second on five, Jack Price came in third place on six, four of those being time penalties so would have been joint first with Iwan. James Dabill sat in fourth on six followed closely by Michael Brown on nine then Jack Sheppard, Dan Peace and Sam Haslam. These were the eight that would go through to the final after lunch.
After an hours rest for lunch and the Raffle draw the action got started again.
The final consisted of one lap of ten sections and the scores went back to zero so it was all to play for. Sam Haslam was first man away this time, for the final lap each rider attempts the section, once they have all completed it they all move on to the next, which is superb and makes for an amazing atmosphere and the spectators don’t miss a thing.
After five sections the bottom four were eliminated, leaving the final four to go on and finish the last five sections. Toby and Jack Price were tied on 9 at this point so had to have a ride off, attempting section 5 again. Jack sadly misjudged the final set of rock steps out of the section which left him with a five, he was absolutely gutted but had ridden really well all day with full on commitment, this gave Toby the well deserved opportunity to go through.
The last five sections were really technical with massive rock steps. Dibs, the country’s top rider finished the 10 sections dropping a mere six marks, which was a way ahead of Dan Peace in second on 20, Toby Martyn in third on 27 and Sam Haslam fourth on 32. Well done Dibs it really was a masterclass and a pleasure to watch.
The day ended with the presentations again, this time presented by our young Star, Alicia Robinson who has been competing in European and World trials this year, she is progressing well and we're all really proud of her achievements to date. That brought the weekend to a close, another successful Supertrial put to bed, we had an amazing weekend and we hope everyone that joined us, riders and spectators enjoyed themselves.
There are so many people to thank, its takes a huge effort to get this event off the ground and the Club thank each and every one of you that make the Supertrial the success it is, you know who you are.
Thanks to the riders. We are so lucky to have the countries elite riders join us every year, you keep coming back so I guess we're doing something right, it was great to see Chantal and Samuel over from Europe too, so thank you to you both for making the trip. We hope you all enjoyed the challenge.
Thanks to all of our sponsors, observers and landowners, who we are indebted to for supporting us year after year. A massive thank you to Dave Willoughby who stepped in and onto the mike for the weekend, Dave really knows his stuff when it comes to trials.
Click the buttons below to see the final results in PDF format. There are some more pictures on the Gallery page.
Until next time...
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> Posted: 26/6/17 16:16
Tom, Tom a Winner.
Report: Stu Belcher
With the recent hot weather, the Summer 2-day camping weekend turned out to be very popular, a respectful entry of 80 riders competing over the weekend. The competition was certainly looking to be as hot as the weather, 8 sections set for Saturday and 10 for Sunday making the most of the woodland copse.
It was a double win for Tom Nicholas taking a faultless ride on Saturday to hold off Tom Plant, which turned out to be the same on Sunday. Both riders were separated by only two marks on both days. With the course plotters tweaking the sections for Sunday hoping for a slight increase in marks for the experts, were spot on as the modified section 7 took most of marks for all of the experts as was planned, but both Tom’s rode this challenging looking section superbly. The initial drop over the fallen tree into the bottom of the hollow rode easier than it appeared, but the tightened adverse camber added at the section ends is where it was won and lost, Tom N lost 2 here and Tom P on 4. This is where they both stayed making a Tom Tom double Weekend.
The Clubman expert route was headed by Maria Longden on Saturday, a clear winner from Luke Hora in 2nd with Lee Sullivan 3rd, John Wheeler 4th and Liam Anderson some way back in 5th, Sunday was a complete switch around with no Maria for Sunday Liam Anderson turned things around and was ahead on Sunday pipping Luke by two marks. The Clubman B was taken by Reynard Norris on Saturday for a single mark loss. He was in front of Ryan Tomkins and Ryan Harris. Without Reynard on Sunday Ryan Tomkins took the win from Neil Dodd who pipped Ryan Harris for the second spot
With the biggest entry in the Clubman C route, Justin Heavens was clean on Saturday with Brian Tomkins 2nd and
Dereck Fowler 3rd. Sunday saw Brian move up to take the win and a fantastic result for Dereck taking a double third place, with Dereck looking to be on top form now, others in this tightly contested class may need to up their game to hold off a late surge from the popular SVS Man.
With the Youth Classes, William Clark was on his own on both days on the Youth Expert route and Oscar Jones competing on his own in the Youth 50/50. With William Looking comfortable in this class as well as Oscar returning from a break from trials was still riding well. Finley Belcher took the double win from Thomas Hawthorn and Max Agar and the positions were maintained for Sunday. Youth C had George Clark on his own Saturday and was Joined by Ben Nichols on Sunday making his first move up to the Clubman route, riding confidently at the extra challenges and maybe some stiff competition for older brother Tom as they are now on the same grade. Young Harry Wheeler was out on his Oset on Sunday and had Ben Jelfs and Jonathan Brett for a great days competition for these young riders, Harry was clear ahead of Ben in second and Jonathan only 6 marks further back in third.
Thanks to the marking-out/clearing-up crew, Sue and the team for getting everyone signed on on both days especially Sunday after a few glasses of Vino on Saturday evening, great effort. A huge thank you to all of the observers over both days, Derek Dodd, Andy Hora, Sarah Anderson, Mark Anderson, Stu Belcher, Pauline Belcher, Mick Ainsworth, Todd Jones, Peter White, Jim Axford, Neil Harris, Barry Wheeler, Simon Clark, Duncan Agar and Mick Bayliss, we are so grateful to you for your continued support, as you know we couldn’t run our events without you. Sue also for number crunching and getting the results out sharpish.
We hope you enjoyed the weekend.
TOP PLACES SATURDAY
Expert; T Nicholas 0, T Plant 2, Joe Nicholas 6
Club 50/50; M Longden 6, Luke Hora 18, L Sullivan 18
Club B; R Norris 1, R Tomkins 11, R Harris 18
Club C; J Heavens 0, B Tomkins 5, D Fowler 8
Club D; J Evans 1, L Hansen 28, R Allinson 36
Youth A; W Clark 54
Youth 50/50; O Jones 44
Youth B; F Belcher 14, T Hawthorn 42, M Agar 67
Youth C; G Clark 36
Youth D; B Nicholls 9, Ben Jelfs 132
TOP PLACES SUNDAY
Expert; T Nicholas 2, T Plant 4, Joe Nicholas 13
Club 50/50; L Anderson 22, Luke Hora 25, L Sullivan 40
Club B; R Tomkins 6, N Dodd 16, R Harris 26
Club C; B Tomkins 4, J Hartshorn 5, D Fowler 17
Club D; J Evans 2, R Meads 5, L Hansen 8,
Youth A; W Clark 56
Youth 50/50; O Jones 26
Youth B; F Belcher 11, T Hawthorn 65, M Agar 80
Youth C; G Clark 7, B Nicholls 122
Youth D; H wheeler 32, Ben Jelfs 130, J Brett 136
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> Posted: 5/6/17 14:22
Harts Hill, Club Championship Round 3.
Report: Stu Belcher
With the prospect of new land, it was all hands to the pump to make the most of this opportunity and with the short notice round three of the club championship was switched to Harts Hill Bucklebury.
With the vast land available the course plotters set out a great ride around covering an assortment of terrain. With the land previously used as a paint ball site the sections were plotted around many base camps and section two made the most of a couple of old bridges. Like something from kickstart days the first part of the section made its way across a ditch looping over the main bridge then back under it to use the steep parts of the ditch below. The tight steep entry of the expert route by the side of the bridge caught a few riders but the cambered turn on the loose bank that brought you back to the ends card managed to grab marks from most of the field, a section that was enjoyed by all of the 50-strong entry and spectators alike.
Tom Nicholas was in fine form in the expert class as he lost only one mark on section five, the last turn across roots through the angled exit on top of the bank was masterful as the loose going made the final turn very tough. He easily took the Expert win on a low score of 4, some 8 marks clear of Scott Faulkner with James Grist coming in a close third.
With a large entry of Clubman C riders, Brian Tomkins was on top as he finished 8 marks ahead of Alex Taylor aboard his immaculate Fantic, again section two catching everyone out as the turn out of the ditch loosened as the day progressed making this turn difficult to master. Neil Harris came third but lost his going through the slippery sections of seven and eight.
With a great entry of Youth riders spread across the grades it was Brett Harbud who managed to take the Expert Youth win from Alicia Robinson, they were both neck and neck throughout the trial but Brett managed to get the edge of Alicia in section 8 as the soft going at the stream edge before the drive up to the fallen tree took marks from all that rode the expert route here. Finley Belcher was on his own in the Youth 50/50 and rode well taking the harder challenges in his stride. Bailey Tidbury was only 6 marks ahead of Thomas Hawthorn in the Youth B with Max Agar a little further back to take third. Again, the enjoyable bridge section taking majority of the marks here as well as the soft banks of section eight. Sam Avenell was comfortable winner in the Youth C class ahead of the Cole brothers Tom and Josh. To finish off the Youth classes Ben Nicholls was an easy winner in the D green route with Ben Jelfs second and new to trials young Jonathan Brett managing to finish his first trial aboard his Oset taking the third spot.
Thanks to all of the marking out/clearing up crew; Sue and Pauline for getting everyone signed on; Sue for getting the results out and all of the observers – Andy Hora, Jim Axford, Mick Bayliss, Doug Wootton, Derek Dodd, Peter White, Richard Harbud, Steve Nicholls and Duncan Agar. Also a special thanks to Mark Stokes for getting us the opportunity to run the trial at this lovely piece of land, as you all know land is so hard to come by nowadays so we were really grateful to the landowner for agreeing to let us use the venue, we hope it won't be the last...
Find the full results below. The next North Berks event is just three weeks away which is our 2 Day Trial at Besselsleigh which is always a good one. Hope to see you then.
TOP PLACES
Expert: T Nicholas 4, S Faulkner 12, J Grist 18
50/50: L Hora 20, Lee Sullivan 44, Liam Anderson 47
Clubman B: M Elms 9, S Belcher 16, D Barrett 19
Clubman C: B Tomkins 26, A Taylor 34, N Harris 41
Clubman D: S Allsworth 2, J Evans 6
Youth Expert: B Harbud 35, A Robinson 49
Youth 50/50: F Belcher 60
Youth B: B Tidbury 47, T Hawthorn 54, M Agar 65
Youth C: S Avenell 55, T Cole 114, J Cole 156
Youth D: B Nicholls 8, B Jelfs 108, J Brett 154.
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> Posted: 29/5/17 17:31
North Berks display at the Oxfordshire Young Farmers County Show on 28th May.
Every year Oxfordshire Young Farmers' host a County Show to celebrate the year and what Young Farmers' Clubs are all about - ‘Fun, learning and achievement’. There were main ring attractions, rural craft demonstrations, trade and food stands, a farm animal corner and a fun dog show for all the family to enjoy.
North Berks MCC had been invited to put on a Trials demonstration throughout the day. The weather was amazing, the sun shone for the most of the day which made the riding pretty tough but the team put on a great show for the thousands of visitors. The team also put on a display in the main ring at midday riding over a car and up a skip onto a flat bed farm trailer, the commentator explained our sport with great enthusiasm from notes which Mark had prepared and supplied to him. The demonstrations went down really well, there was a lot of interest for the youngsters especially as always, and people were asking a lot of questions about the club so that could lead to more members in the future which is great.
The club would like to thank all the members who put on a brilliant display throughout the day, its much appreciated and we hope you enjoyed it. The next show that the club has been invited to is the East Hagbourne Summer Fete at the Recreation Ground on the 10 June. Drop by and say hello.
There are a few more pictures up on the Gallery page.
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> Posted: 8/5/17 09:43
A couple of our local men at the SSDT
Will McBain and Bradley Cox took part in the Scottish Six Days Trial last week.
Sadly Will had an off, riding to the group of sections at Strontian on the way round the Peninsula Road on Friday which ended his assault on the famous Highland trial, he was having a great week in the sunshine going into Friday in 79th position and was well in line for a First Class Award. Will was taken to hospital in an ambulance where he received treatment to his left leg, as far as I'm aware he is OK and on the mend, we hope he has a quick recovery.
Bradley, having returned from a year or two off had been out practicing for a short time before the trip north, he certainly hasn't lost the skill he was showing previously. He ended up with a Special First Class Award coming 46th out of the 280 strong field that left the Parc Ferme in Fort William on Monday 1st May.
Well done both and we hope to see you up there again next year.
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> Posted: 12/4/17 14:48
Dates for the Summer evening practice nights at Seymours released
The dates for our popular Wednesday evening practice sessions at Seymours Arena have now been agreed and the first one is only a few weeks away so get it in your diaries and make sure the boss knows you won't be working late that evening.
The gates open at 5pm and close when the last person leaves. Its open to non-members, club joining fee applies, £7 Adults, £4 Youth for the year, plus the normal practice entry fee which is £8 Adult, £6 Youth.
These are great evenings, not to be missed!
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> Posted: 29/3/17 14:43
Dave Williams – Funeral
It was very gratifying to see 16 club members turn up at Dave's funeral last week on a very very wet morning, his family thanked every one who came from the club.
The collection was taken for the local Donkey Sanctuary.
Thanks
John Lightfoot.
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> Posted: 26/3/17 07:43
Spring Trial – Round 2 of the Club Championship at Seymours
Wow, what an amazing day! The sun was shining on the Arena, there was a brisk wind but a great entry of 50 odd turned up to challenge themselves on the rocky sections at Seymours.
Thank you to all the club members as usual for their help and support. The marking out/clearing up crew, Sue and Pauline for getting everyone signed on, all of the observers, Sue for the results. Well done all, we hope you enjoyed it.
There's a bit of a break until the next round now, which will be the 2 Day Trial at Besselsleigh on the 24/25 June, we hope to see you there, its a great weekend and one not to miss.
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Sad news – Dave Williams
Again I'm the bearer of sad news. I learned this morning of the death of one of the oldest club members, Dave Williams.
Dave joined the club as a school boy in the early 50s. He used to tell the story of how he got taken along to North Berks events on the pillion of his cousin's motorbike. In 1959 when the club was reformed he was very involved on the committee and had taken on the job of club secretary. One of his assets was that he could write a good letter.
Dave was never a competitor although he had many road bikes, the last of which was a BSA A7, a big old thing.
Dave and I go back a long way, I was privileged to have been the best man at his wedding. As youngsters we went to many road race meetings eg Aberdare Park, Mallory, Oulton Park, and in 2009 we went to the Isle of Man where he was in his element using his camera, photography being one of his hobbies. Dave's claim to fame in the club was that he was lap scorer and assistant commentator at all the club's national and international grass track meetings held between 1966 and 2007. His final love of motorcycle sport was watching Oxford Speedway. In fact he was the organiser of club trips to Cardiff to watch the British Round of the World Speedway final.
Dave who was aged 80, had been ill in recent times and died in the early hours of Monday 6th March in the John Radcliffe hospital. We send our deepest sympathy to his children Tracy, Sam, Robert, Martin and their families.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Dave's Funeral will be held on Wednesday 22nd March at 10am at St Peters Church, Didcot followed by the cremation at South Oxfordshire Crematorium, Garfield, nr Abingdon, OX13 5PA.
John Lightfoot.
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> Posted: 13/3/17 12:33
An Amazing Championship Opener at Seymours
Round 1 – 2017 ACU, Acklams Beta British Ladies & Girls Trials Championship.
The first round of the 2017 Ladies/Girls Trials Championship got underway this weekend at Seymours Arena in Aston Tirrold, Oxfordshire, with a good entry of 38 riders across 9 classes, so we were in for a great event.
Victoria Payne was the first rider away at 10.31. The sections had been eased a little on the morning due to the rain we'd had the night before and was still coming down at the start. The rain did ease off a bit later but it had made the rocks and tree stumps pretty slick after the mud had been drawn up onto them.
Current World/British Champion Emma Bristow on her MRS Sherco 300 was certainly in a class of her own at the top of the field, she completed 3 laps of 12 sections for the loss of a single dab which is pretty remarkable. Not taking anything away from Jess Bown who was in brilliant form as Emma's closest rival on the expert route taking second place, dropping just 39 marks which is a great result on the rocks and banks at Seymours, renowned for its technical sections. Louise Alford and Nikita Smith were tied for third on 77 marks, but Louise took the third spot having 12 cleans as opposed to Nikita's 10. Victoria Payne was fifth on 108 with North Berks Alicia Robinson close behind for sixth place on 111, this was Alicia's first outing in the top class, hard route so it was a creditable ride by her. Rounding out the top class was Gabby Whitham on her Inch Perfect Beta dropping 148 marks.
Well done to all the Ladies and Girls who took part across all 9 classes, we hope you enjoyed your day at Seymours, thanks for coming and good luck for the rest of the Championship.
Thank you to all the club members as usual for the help and support with this brilliant event. The marking out crew, Sue for getting everyone signed on, Pat for seeing the competitors of at the start, all of the observers who stood out in the grotty weather, Sue and Geoff for the results and Leah for presenting the trophies at the end.
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> Posted: 27/2/17 18:23
Luke Walker on top of the S3 Experts Class at The Wallace
This Sunday saw the second round of the 2017 S3-Parts, ACU National Trials Championship take place in and around the Berkshire Downs.
Repeating his performance of the opening round just two weeks earlier at the Colmore, it was Luke Walker who took the top spot in the S3 Experts Class dropping just 9 marks, Chris Pearson was a close second on 16 with last years winner, James Fry in third on 18. Emma Bristow being the top lady competitor was only a little way back on 21 marks, which gave her sixth spot.
Things were really tight at the top of the S3 Clubman Class. Darren Wasley, John Cowley and David Clinkard all finished with the loss of only 7 marks, so it went down to number of cleans to decide the top three positions and after an admin error had been realised, it came to light that the win was taken by Darren Wasley having one extra clean over John and David.
We only had four riders in the Elite Class, Ross Danby took the win on his TRS dropping just 3 marks over the entire 36 section course. Sam Haslam came a close second on 6, Jack Price on 11 and Sam Connor on 17.
The first rider, Mark Woodburn left the Horse & Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne at 9:31 sharp on a dry and blustery morning, heading out to the first group of sections at Nappers Bank, the first few hazards were fairly straightforward to ease the riders in and get them warmed up, section four was the first real test which took marks off a fair amount. From here they rode along Nappers Lane to the six sections in and out of the streams at the Moors. Once completed it was a few miles roadwork to the rocky hazards at the infamous Seymours Arena where an enthusiastic group of spectators had gathered to watch the action as usual, there were eight sections to tackle here before making their way up to Lollingdon Hill where they were met by adverse banks with plenty of tree roots to overcome. Storm Doris had come through the area on Thursday bringing rain and strong winds but this group rode quite well because these sections can be totally unforgiving if the conditions are wet, although the storm did take one of the big trees in one of the sections down so the marking out crew had to make some late alterations.
After dropping back down off the hill, it was on to the two sections at Aston Pit, the second being the toughest of this pair. It was then up the track to the six sections at Air Raid Shelter which consist of very steep climbs through the trees with plenty of hidden roots to deal with. Once completed it was a cross country ride back to Bucknell’s Copse consisting of three sections which can be a real sting in the tail and generally sorts out the winner if things are tight at the top. All that remained was to cross back over the main road to the last section at Strange’s Gate where a good crowd always gather to watch the final efforts of the day.
The conditions had been pretty tough out on the route looking at the state of the riders and bikes by the time they returned to the final section. From here it was a quick blast up the road to the parking area back at the pub.
Thanks to all the usual suspects for their continued help and support allowing us to put on our National trials, we couldn’t do it without you. Thanks to the farmers and land owners for allowing the trial to run through their land; to all of the observers who we are eternally grateful for standing out in the cold weather at our events. Thanks to the cutting/marking out crews; Claire, Leah and Alicia for getting everyone signed on and bibbed up; Pat and Pat for collecting everything back in at the final section; and Sue and Geoff for number crunching and getting the results out sharpish.
Finally, thanks to all of the riders who took part, well done to everyone, we hope you had an enjoyable day with us at The Wallace, hope to see you again next year. -
> Posted: 28/12/16 11:43
Calvin returns with a Cracker
REPORT: STU BELCHER
With a mix of winter Sun, 63 riders and a couple of festive hangovers the North Berks Round 1 Club Championships got off to a cracking start for the “Hangover Cup” on Boxing Day.
With 8 experts competing for the top honours it was Scott Faulkner who took the win, the mix of sections twisting between fallen trees and rocks in the main section area along Nappers Lane was a popular viewing point. The most popular was section 2 based around the stream, steep routed step and a new steep cambered turn thrown in at the end to test the large entry. With only a handful of expert cleans on this tricky section recorded and was where Scott lost all of his 10 marks.
Making most of the popular Moors location 3 sections were plotted around the stream at the back paddock which helped spread out the entry. Section 5 was also used for the 50-50 riders which was a twisting section that encountered three large fallen trees, slippery drops into the stream and a sharp cambered exit that deteriorated over the course of the trial. The best ride on this section during the day was young Finley Belcher who managed a credible zero loss on his four visits only to be matched by 2 riders in the experts, the expert exit out of the stream appeared to be easier than the clubman’s route which made this ride more impressive.
On the 50/50 route Calvin Hunt returned from a recent bout of ill health to ride back on form with a well deserved win on his new TRS, Joe Bayliss was only 5 away from Calvin and it could have been easily reversed as they both tussled for the lead as Joe was a little way in front on section 8 but Calvin managed a great clean on section 2 that edge him into the lead. Luke Hora was only 3 marks back from Joe in third.
The Clubman B entry was as full as ever with Mark Elms taking the win on 11, and like the expert route section 2 took the majority of the marks from all, with Mark losing 8 of his total here. Ryan Tomkins finished a little way back on 22 just pipping Sam Cherry on 23.
Mark Stokes was on his own in the Pre65 B class but managed a credible loss of 19 aboard the immaculate Trifield. Neil Osman was only 1 point clear of Roy Haines in the Pre65C Class
Like many of the other classes the large entry of Clubman C riders was a close contest with the Club Chairman, Mark Anderson taking the win closely followed by Neil Harris and Brian Tomkins, We may have to take a re-count before the AGM in January!! The main marks for everyone in this class were lost on the tight exit of the slippery bank of section 5 where no one was able to make a full house of cleans.
The Youth riders had a great days sport with three contending the Youth A Expert route, Bret Harbud took the win from Alicia Robinson with Oscar Jones taking credible third spot in his first trial on the expert sections. Bret made up ground from Alicia on section 2 but was in close contention for most of the trial she just slipped back towards the end.
Youth B was won by Finley Belcher and with his clean sheet on section 5 stretched him away from William Clark in second who was out for the first time on his new Beta. Thomas Hawthorne took the third spot. Sam Avenell pipped young George Clark to the Youth C win with Ben Nicholls losing a solitary mark in Youth D ahead of Riley Middlehurst in second and Ben Jelfs in third.
Expert
Scott Faulkner 10, Tom McCabe 13, Steve Berryman 15
Clubman 50/50
Calvin Hunt 19, Joe Bayliss 24, Luke Hora 27
Clubman B
Mark Elms 11, Ryan Tomkins 22, Sam Cherry 23
Pre65 B
Mark Stokes 19
Clubman C
Mark Anderson 9, Neil Harris 12, Brian Tomkins 14
Pre65 C
Neil Osman 21, Roy Haines 22
Clubman D
Laurence Hansen 0, Jonathan Evans 3, Steve Allsworth 9
Youth A
Bret Harbud 25, Alicia Robinson 39, Oscar Jones 46
Youth B
Finley Belcher 18, William Clark 26, Thomas Hawthorne 37
Youth C
Sam Avenell 45, George Clark 47
Youth D
Ben Nicholls 1, Riley Middlehurst 110, Ben Jelfs 132
A massive thank you as usual to our marking out crew, signing on team, Sue for the results and of course all of the observers – Mick Ainsworth, Mick Bayliss, Jim Axford, Peter White, Andy Hora, Doug Wootton, Claire Maynard-Robinson, Leah Robinson, Kevin Tame and Sue O'Sullivan who stood out in the cold all day.
Pictures courtesy of Pauline Belcher on the gallery page.
The committee hope you all had a great day and we look forward to 2017 and wish you all a Happy New Year.
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> Posted: 20/11/16 21:31
The National Downland Trophy Trial
The final round of the Sammy Miller Series.
The 2016 Downland Trophy Trial took place in and around the Berkshire Downs, we had a good entry of over 100 riders. The rain came down at the start, but it cleared up just after the early numbers were away and the rest of the day stayed fine and dry.
Thanks go out to all the usual suspects that helped put on this great event, to name a few... John Lightfoot for his tireless commitment to this classic trial, Mark Stokes and Tim Lightfoot for the section/course plotting and their team of helpers cutting out, route marking etc. Thanks to all of our observers who stood out in the cold November weather, we really appreciate your ongoing support. Well done Claire and Co. for getting everyone signed on and bibbed up, Geoff and Sue for sorting the results and getting them out sharpish as usual. It goes without saying, thanks to our farmers and landowners that allow this great event to run across their land, we are so grateful for your support.
We hope you enjoyed your day, we'll have a full report up soon. Click on the button below to see the results in PDF format. See some pictures below and more on the Gallery page.
A note from Sammy...
Dear John,
Congratulations on running your Downland Trophy Trial in the Sammy Miller Championships over the last 20 years, it has consistently been one of the best rounds!
As we discussed recently I believe that the whole Trial Championship needs a considerable reshuffle and needs to move forward in a different direction and to this end I have decided that I will not be sponsoring the Championship from now on. Once again thanks for all you have done with the Trial.
All the best to you – Sammy Miller MBE.
Its great to get some feedback...
Dear John,
I just wanted to say that I had the best time today, the efforts of you and your fellow officials efforts resulted in an awesome event, I can't remember when I last enjoyed myself so much. I rode like a plonker but it didn't matter!
Thank you – Roy Haines.
Hi John,
Please convey my thanks to all of the organisers for a great day yesterday. Your hard work is much appreciated.
Regards – Martin Gilbert.
Hi John,
Thanks very much it was a super event, as always! Good job we didn't get the rain we have had today though! See you next time – Kevin.
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> Posted: 11/11/16 10:17
Alicia does it again!
After a hard year she is now A Class Ladies British Champion!
Alicia battled hard all year and the championship was clinched at the last round in Southend on the 6th November. Alicia beat girls that were older than her and had also been in that class for a couple of years.
Alicia now looks forward to winter training before the 2017 season where she will be competing in the British, European & World Championship.
Alicia would like to thank all of her sponsors who have helped her get where she is today. Top Trial Team, Acklams Beta, MPA Liquid Scread, Standlake Vehicle Services, Derek Does All, Bicester Tyre & Exhausts, Utopia Discos, Fleur De Lys & Absolute Casing.
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> Posted: 09/10/16 17:22
REPORT: STU BELCHER
Scott on Top at the Autumn Club Trial
With the conclusion of the club championship moving to Saturday to prevent a clash of dates with our friends at neighbouring Oxford Ixion, North Berks return to the popular Besselsleigh venue, a former sand quarry offering tight twist and turns, sand banks and challenging climbs amongst the trees and steep climbs of the bomb hole.
Scott Faulkner is certainly getting to grips with his new TRS to take the honours in the expert field he had a good lead over fellow expert Tom O’sullivan by the end of the day. Scott rode superb on the new section 9 which was a combination of angled trees, steep sand climb and a tricky end over awkward roots. He was the only rider to stay feet up as this was also used for the 50/50 Class. Joe Bayliss rode consistently all day to take the top spot in the Clubman 50/50 Class and ended up a clear 20 marks ahead of Liam Anderson, again the new section 9 taking the most marks in this group, Joe managed only to dropped 3 marks at this sub which helped him pull clear of his rivals for the rest of the day. In the Clubman B Class Stuart Belcher took the win ahead of Ryan Tomkins and Ryan Harris.
The Clubman C class that always attracts a great entry was again hotly contested between Neil Harris Rich Gardiner and Brian Tomkins. They finished six marks apart at the end of the day with Neil taking the win this time around. For the Clubman C class the cambered left hand turn caused most losses and was here where Neil rode excellent only losing 3 marks to Rich’s 9. Paul Ray was on his own in the Pre 65 but was a clear winner on the C Route losing only 6 on his immaculate James.
The Youth classes are as ever strong and taking almost half the entries on the day is a credit to the Youth support at North Berks. Ronnie Day was on his own in the Youth Expert this time around. The Youth 50/50 was taken by the popular Alicia Robinson ahead of Luke Hora and William Clark. Youth B was again a close battle between Oscar Jones and Finley Belcher, Oscar coming out on top by 6 marks ahead of Finley. The closest contest of the day was in the Youth C Class between Tom Nicholls and Sam Avenell. Only one mark separated them by the end of the day with Tom ahead, the camber turn on section 3 turned out to be Sam’s nemesis’ as his four maximums hear put him behind Tom. The Youth D Class rounded off the day with Ben Nicholls in the top spot ahead of brothers Tom and Josh Cole.
Results:
Expert: S.Faulkner 22, T.O’Sullivan 37
Clubman 50/50: J.Bayliss 18, L.Anderson 38, L.Sullivan 46
Clubman B: S.Belcher 37, R.Tomkins 51, R.Harris 71
Clubman C: N.Harris 14, R.Gardiner 19, B.Tomkins 20
Pre 65 C: P.Ray 6
Youth 50/50: A.Robinson 22, L.Hora 59, W.Clark 66
Youth A: R.Day 61
Youth B: O.Jones 48, F.Belcher 54
Youth C: T. Nicholls 44, S.Avenell 45, M.Agar 54
Youth D: B.Nicholls 11, T.Cole 16, J. Cole 19
Thanks to everyone as usual, the Belchers for getting everyone signed on in good time and thanks as always to the marking out crew and all observers.
We hope you had a good day.
The next North Berks Club trial will be the Boxing Day Trial which is round 1 of the 2017 Championship.
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> Posted: 26/09/16 16:37
Trail rider to Romaniac, what a good idea.
One of our club members took part in the infamous Red Bull Romaniacs Hard Enduro this year. Read about Patrick Robinson's adventure, click the link below for the full story.
I came into trail riding sort of by accident following a move south from Cumbria to Oxfordshire and realising that there were still a lot of Byways open just over the border in West Berks and even more in Wiltshire. Mountain biking in the Pennines and Lake district was replaced with plodding around the lanes on an old Suzuki SP370. In doing so, I met some great people and made some friends too!
My problem though is that whilst I love exploring and pottering about, riding unobtrusively and generally keeping myself to myself, I also have an alter ego who has a different view of things and loves to race. (Hong Kong Phooey anyone?)
Initially I fed this character by doing the occasional rally, low key, only as competitive as you want to make it, good day thrash round a forest course etc etc but eventually, as I knew he would, he became restless and was looking for a new challenge. It was during a 6 day trail riding trip to Portugal with some friends from Oxford TRF that I final heard myself say “Who fancies the Red Bull Romaniacs”?
Well, no one as it happens. I was alone with my alter ego and he’d left me high and dry! “Why did you have to say that, could’ve just thought it”…
Read the full story Click here.
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> Posted: 22/08/16 20:26
The 'BIG EVENT' – 2016 SuperTrial
LADIES – SATURDAY
This weekend we were celebrating the 10th year of running the Berks Bonanza Supertrial, our top event of the year at Seymours Arena.
The weekend promised to be an amazing event and it certainly didn't disappoint, we had all the top UK riders with us except Dibs sadly, but it opened the trial up for a new winner to take the glory and the prize money.
The weekend started off on Saturday as usual with the ladies signing on at the arena in good time to get cracking at 10 o clock. Strong wind and rain had been forecast but it didn't really materialise, we had a couple of light showers throughout the day but not enough to affect the sections. The ladies riding the 'B route' got the trial underway, first away was Jazz Hammond from Surrey on her Sherco 125, a good crowd had gathered at section 1 to see the action commence. She was followed at one minute intervals by the rest of the 'B' girls, who had to ride two laps of 10 sections. Alicia Robinson on home turf rode brilliantly taking a commanding win on 19 marks dropped from Alice Minta on 27 and Gabby Whitham on 33.
It was great to see Nikita Smith, who was back from her long recovery after her serious road accident, she was the first lady away riding the hard route, followed by Louise Alford, Victoria Payne, Jess Bown, Becky Cook and finally Emma Bristow. They were to ride two laps of 10 sections in the morning. Emma ended the two laps dropping just four marks which was amazing with Becky a way back on 18 and then Jess Bown on 41.
Sadly only two sidecar teams turned up but they made a massive effort to entertain the crowd, literally throwing themselves at the rocky sections, it's amazing what these guys can do in these chairs.
The final lap got underway, after five sections the three highest scoring ladies were eliminated, those being Victoria Payne, Jess Bown and Louise Alford, leaving just Emma Bristow, Becky Cook, and Nikita Smith to finish the last five sections and fight for the three podium positions.
It was really tight between Emma and Becky up to the last few sections, Nikita was riding really well but after a few heavy falls she decided wisely to dip out of the last few sections. She received a big cheer and round of applause from the crowd for her brave effort.
Becky tried to hold on but sadly lost three fives in the last three sections which handed the win to a brilliant Emma Bristow who just seems to be unstoppable. It was literally five minutes after the trial had finished that the heavens opened and it absolutely poured down for the entire trophy presentation. Good old British Summer!
MEN – SUNDAY
Sunday dawned with a cloudy overcast sky after a fair amount of rain overnight, but the wind blowing across the arena soon dried things out and the sections were good to go.
Stuart took the 15 riders round for a course inspection at 9.30 ready for the start at 10.30.
Andy Chilton was the first man away – section one was relatively easy to get the guys going, then it was straight into the famous man-made waterfall, the water wasn't running for the first two visits but the sump at the bottom was almost up to the spindle so the water soon dragged up the imposing concrete wall in front of them. Ross Danby on the TRS was the first to get up it with a clean to huge applause from the large crowd that had already gathered at the foot, the only other two riders to reach the summit for a clean on the first lap were Jack Sheppard and Iwan Roberts.
Iwan had an amazing first lap, completing it for the loss of just one dab which considering the severity of the sections was an outstanding ride. He had a nasty crash on the second lap and injured his leg quite badly which everyone thought would put pay to his winning attempt but he carried on regardless to complete the lap tied with Michael Brown and Jack Price. He went through to the final in top spot on cleans, which meant he would be riding the final lap last which is always preferred.
So on to the final lap went the top 8 riders, Iwan Roberts – Beta, Michael Brown – Gas Gas, Jack Sheppard – Beta, Jack Price – Gas Gas, Dan Peace – Gas Gas, Ross Danby – TRS, Alexz Wigg and Sam Haslam both on Gas Gas machines. Once again Iwan put in an impressive performance, only dropping one mark at the break off point of 5 sections, at this point Brownie was on 5, Jack Sheppard on 6 and Jack Price on 10 so they were the four that went forward to complete the final lap. The other four guys fought hard and put on a great display of skill but it wasn't to be this year so they had to stand aside to watch the final four fight it out for the top spot.
After the eighth section Brownie was in the lead, Iwan having dropped a further 12 marks to Michael's 5. But then the very next section Michael parted with a five on one of the big rock steps and Iwan went through with a clean, so it was all down to the last section. Brownie parted with a single dab on 10 which gave Iwan 3 points to play with, but he didn't need them, he got through the final section for a clean with a massive cheer from the crowd, so the young Iwan Roberts from Gwynedd in Wales took the glory of becoming the new 'King of Seymours'.
As with the Saturday, just as the riders finished the last section and everyone gathered by the lock-up for the trophy presentation the rain came down again.
Stuart Robinson, the 'main man' was presented with a framed poster which all of the riders over the two days had signed, this was given to him in recognition of the amazing effort he's made over the 10 years putting this high profile event together.
Well done to all of the15 riders who put on an amazing display of skill and courage attempting the massive technical rock sections that are built to test them to the limit.
Thanks go out to all club members and observers who have put in the time and effort to run this great event, thank you also to all sponsors and our generous landowners for their continued support, as you know it couldn't and wouldn't happen without you all, so we are eternally grateful.
Thank you to Dave Willoughby for his commentary and trophy presentation on Saturday and Julian Wigg and Steve Saunders for the commentary on Sunday and Julian for presenting the trophies to the guys.
The tenth running of the North Berks Supertrial was possibly the last for a while but after Stu posing the question to the riders and crowd at the end of Sunday as to whether we should run it again next year, we were greeted with a resounding yes…so watch this space!
We hope you all enjoyed your time with us.
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> Posted: 22/07/16 16:49
Celebrating 10 years
North Berks MCC are celebrating the 10th year of running the prestigious Berks Bonanza SuperTrial at its famous venue, Seymours Arena in the little Oxfordshire village of Aston Tirrold, on the 20th & 21st August.
Over the last 10 years it has seen some famous names come and go. Graham Jarvis winning the first event back in 2002, he was chased hard all the way by Sam Connor, Michael Philipson & Steve Saunders. Michael Brown took the win the second year with the likes of Jonny Walker, Lee Sampson & Mika Vesterinen close behind, all trying to win the big cash prize. King of the Berks Bonanza SuperTrial with 7 victories is James Dabill, he has always put on a great show although pushed by local men Alexz Wigg and Sam Haslam, Michael Brown, Ross Danby, Jack Challoner and many more. Unfortunately this year James will not be able to defend his title due to other commitments, so there will be another name for the 10th anniversary with the likes of Michael Brown, Alexz Wigg, Jack Sheppard, Ross Danby, Sam Haslam all trying to become the SuperTrial champion and pocket the £850 prize money that goes with it. The up and coming superstars of tomorrow including Jack Price, Dan and Jack Peace, Toby Martyn, Iwan Roberts and Tom Minta will also be pushing hard for the glory.
Work has started on the sections, we’ve had the heavy machinery in moving the rocks and logs for the challenging sections to give these top level riders something to think about. On Sunday the guys will be attempting 2 laps of 8 sections for the qualifying round, the top 8 riders then go through to the final, consisting of 1 lap of 10 sections, after 5 sections the 4 highest scorers drop out leaving 4 to chase to the end to see who is the 'NEW KING OF SEYMOURS'.
On Saturday it's the Ladies and Girls trial, with 2 routes for the ladies and girls battling it out over 2 laps of 10 sections to see who goes through to the final. Reigning World and British Champion Emma Bristow will be looking to retain her title. The other ladies have got a hard task in front of them to knock her off the top spot. You can be sure Becky Cooke, Jess Bown, Victoria Payne and Louise Alford will be trying the hardest. On the B course they'll be a great battle with local girl Alicia Robinson, Alice Minta, Gabby Whitham, Jen Stephens, Catherine Alford and Charlotte Kimber.
The Ladies trial will be followed closely by the top flight sidecar teams on Saturday. It’s amazing to see these chairs conquering the rocky sections that Seymours Arena is famous for.
If you havn't been before make sure you get it in your diary, its an amazing weekend, you won't believe what they can do on these bikes.
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> Posted: 21/07/16 08:45
Round 5 – Evening Club Trial @ Seymours
What an amazing evening!
50 or so riders turned up for Round 5 of the North Berks MCC Club Championship held at Seymours arena, we were treated to unbroken sunshine for the entire trial. It was great to see so many people out having fun. We hope you enjoyed it!
Thanks to all of the observers, Mick Bayliss, Sarah & Mark Anderson, Pauline & Stu Belcher, Todd Jones, Jim Axford, Pete White, Jon Probitts and Derek Dodd. Thanks also to Sue for getting everyone signed-on and results out sharpish.
See you next time.
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> Posted: 15/07/16 16:13
The John Wheeler British Bike Night
This Tuesday evening saw hundreds of bikes and cars roll up at the Horse and Harrow in West Hagbourne for the yearly ride out to the John Wheeler Bike Night.
The evening got under way from 6pm and the visitors were welcomed by warm sunshine, as usual there were a wide variety of vehicles on show from classic rigid framed motorcycles to the Subaru Impreza and everything in between. North Berks MCC put on a Trials display on the far side of the field showing there talent riding over hazards including skips and a car.
Sadly the weather went down hill quickly from about 8pm, we had a downpour which saw the majority of the visitors taking refuge under the limited shelters and hedges, when there was a break in the rain people decided to leave to get their prides of joy back home in the dry.
Up until that point it was a really great night and a lot of people had turned out to what is a popular gathering of like minded people. What a summer!
Thanks to the club members for their time to arrange everything and prepare the field etc. for this popular annual event. Thanks also to the AJS & Matchless members, The Horse & Harrow for their continued support, the landowners and residents of the village.
A few pics courtesy of Sue on the Gallery page.
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> Posted: 12/07/16 14:25
North Berks MCC Summer 2-Day Trial (Rounds 3&4 Club Championships) Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th July
Report: STU BELCHER
Robinson Rocks at Besselsleigh
Off the back of her double win in Poland Alicia Robinson continued her form taking both wins at the North Berks 2 Day Summer Trial. Incorporating rounds 3 and 4 of the club championship Robinson out rode many of her peers and was impressive to watch. On the steep banks of the forma earth works, sections 2 to 4 were the most challenging with steep drops, camber turns and the odd fallen tree, this made this area of the course a popular viewing spot.
Section 4 was the most challenging for all classes but for the experts, 50/50 and Clubman routes the cambered turn at the top of the bank seemed un-cleanable at first. With a steep approach through a narrow gap between two trees and the rooted turn an angled tree lying at the top of the bank took marks off many. A gentle approach and a neatly executed pivot turn seemed to be the answer here. The new Section 6 cut-out on the side of a sandy bank with a soft approach to a hanging tree was also challenging until the ground packed down and gave the extra drive that was required to master this hazard.
Expert Riders Tom McCabe took the top spot on Saturday and Tom O’Sullivan took the honours on Sunday, both could not get to both rounds but local man Darren Wheeler was able to grab the second spot on both days.
In the Clubman 50/50 Class Scott Faulkner was a winner on both days and if it was not for a missed gate to the revised section 7 Keith Wooster would have pipped Scott on Sunday. Again the steep banks were the main mark takers but the slippery short turn on section 5 took marks from all of the riders in this class.
Clubman B rider Reynard Norris also cleaned up on both days, Justin Heavens kept Reynard in his sights on Saturday but slipped back to second by just one point after a 3 on section 5. Visiting Chris Grundy was also in contention on Sunday but the slippery angled rock on section 1 made him loose ground on Norris.
The Clubman C class which always attracts a large number of entries; Saturdays sections were slightly tougher than originally expected but as the day wore on more grip was found which made the going easier. It was a close battle on both days with the top three all within 5 marks. Brian Tomkins was on top Saturday but slipped to third on Sunday. Father and son team of Ryan and Neil Harris were having a great day’s sport but Ryan was just able to take home the bragging rights for Sunday by finishing just 3 marks clear of Dad Neil.
Another double winner was the popular Max Agar in the Youth C Class, he was a clear winner on Saturday but was able to pick up the double win by most cleans on Sunday.
Saturday Results
Expert: Tom McCabe 27, Darren Wheeler 38, Tony Moulder 43
Clubman 50/50: Scott Faulkner 8, Joe Bayliss 18, Liam Anderson 22
Clubman B: Reynard Norris 11, Justin Heavens 12, Stuart Belcher 28
Clubman C: Brian Tomkins 14, Neil Harris 17, Mark Anderson 19
Youth A: Brett Harbud 77 [MC], Ronnie Day 77
Youth 50/50: Alicia Robinson 34, Luke Hora 52
Youth B: Oscar Jones 31, Finley Belcher 40
Youth C: Max Agar 41, Tom Nicholls 49, Sam Avenell 50
Youth D: Ben Nicholls 20
Sunday Results
Expert: Tom O’Sullivan 32, Darren Wheeler 37
Clubman 50/50: Scott Faulkner 10, Keith Wooster 14, Joe Bayliss 19
Clubman B: Reynard Norris 4, Chris Grundy 10, Stuart Belcher 18
Clubman C: Ryan Harris 7, Neil Harris 10, Brian Tomkins 13
Youth A: Gus Oblein 32, Brett Harbud 50, Ronnie Day 57
Youth 50/50: Alicia Robinson 22, Oscar Jones 56
Youth B: Finley Belcher 32
Youth C: Max Agar 31 [MC], Sam Avenell 31, Tom Nicholls 71
Youth D: Ben Nicholls 2
A big thanks to all of our observers over the weekend, Mick Ainsworth, Andy Hora, Peter White, Jon Probitts, Kev Tame, Barry Wheeler, Derek Dodd, Krysti Anderson, Jim Axford, Mick Bayliss, Todd Jones, Duncan Agar, Richard Harbud and Pauline Belcher.
Well done Sue for getting everyone signed on and the cutting out, marking out, clearing up crew.
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> Posted: 06/06/16 11:23
Alicia on the Top Step in Devon
Alicia won the 3rd round of the Acklams Beta Ladies & Girls British Championship A Class, which was held in Hartland Devon.
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> Posted: 15/05/16 22:37
Summer Practice at Seymours
The first practice session at Seymours was well supported last wednesday.
Even though the weather was threatening, it remained dry and a good number of club members enjoyed a great evening choosing their routes at the arena.
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> Posted: 12/05/16 16:54
North Berks on Show at Wallingford Vehicle Rally and Parade – 8 May 16
The club put on a brilliant trials display at the popular Wallingford Vehicle Rally last weekend held on the Kinecroft in the centre of town.
It was a scorching hot day and the guys put on a great show throughout the day, there was a lot of interest from the public as usual.
This is a regular event for the town's calendar and is open to all classic, custom and interesting vehicles from bicycles to tank transporters. The event started with a parade of all vehicles through the historic market town to the display field which is a large piece of common land known as the "Kinecroft" in the heart of the town. The owners of the vehicles are then encouraged to show their vehicles in the display ring and talk to visitors to the event. There were plenty of Trade and Charity stands to look round at the event too.
Thanks to all involved for their efforts including Grundon for supplying and laying out the skips and various other obstacles for us.
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> Posted: 29/03/16 17:28
Ryan is back on Top
Round 2 of the North Berks MCC club championships turned to the infamous Seymour’s Arena which had been recently used for both the S3 and Ladies championships. 9 sections were set out to challenge the 43 riders wishing to burn off some Easter chocolate calories.
With the sun and fair weather greeting everyone at the riders briefing the day looked set to be promising, this was all to change in a matter of minutes from the start as the heavens opened and this was the order of the day. With the severe downpours this changed the traditionally gripping man made sections into challenging obstacles that seemed to hold no grip for anyone. As the mud dragged up across the rocks and banks a tough day ahead was sure.
Will McBain easily led the way with a superb ride in the Experts class with only a loss of 17 marks and was in a class of his own, his main loss (as for all of the classes) were on the infamous “Staircase” of section 9 and probably the more famous “Robinsons Rock” of section 10. At the critical grip points pools of water had quickly developed, which made these sections tough and for many un-ride able. Tom Plant managed a solid 2nd place with Darren Wheeler taking the 3rd spot.
Scott Faulkner was pushed hard for his win in the 50/50 class by David Collins, but Scott came out better on these later subs. This gave him an 8 mark lead at the end but it was much closer in the early stages of the trial. Joe Bayliss slipped a little further back towards the end but still managed to keep his 3rd place spot.
In the Clubman B Route Mark Elms took the easy win from Fraser Curtis and Martin Thomas, his wise decision to push round quickly in the deteriorating conditions surely helped out on this occasion. The Clubman C Route was the closest contended class of the day with the top three riders finishing within 3 marks of each other. An amazing achievement given the course, Brian Tomkins finished on 15 marks to take the win over Neil Harris by only 1 mark and just 3 marks ahead of Rich Gardiner in third place.
The Youth group of riders persevered through the weather and Harry Coleman took the Youth A win from second placed Ronnie Day. Ryan Harris was back on top after his wrist injury back in the summer in the closely battled Youth B class and finished well clear of Oscar Jones and Jazz Hammond this time around; each round is producing a new class winner and will surely go to the end of the series. Bailey Tidbury took the win from Tom Nicholls and the ever smiling Max Agar in the Youth C group and Ben Nicholls was on his own and finished off the classes in Youth D.
A big thanks to all of our observers who braved the awful weather, Mick Ainsworth, Mick Bayliss, Andy Hora, Pete White, Duncan Agar, Andy Hora Snr, Jim Axford, Sue O’Sullivan and Todd Jones.
Thanks Sue for getting everyone signed on and the marking out / clearing up crew.
Results:
Experts; Will McBain 17, Tom Plant 48, Darren Wheeler 70
50/50; Scott Faulkner 46, David Collins 54, Joe Bayliss 63
Clubman B; Mark Elms 50, Fraser Curtis 70, Martin Thomas 85
Clubman C; Brian Tomkins 15, Neil Harris 17, Richard Gardiner 18
Clubman D; Jeremy Weaver 24
Youth A; Harry Coleman 84, Ronnie Day 122
Youth 50/50; Luke Hora 121
Youth B; Ryan Harris 93, Oscar Jones 121, Jazz Hammond 156
Youth C; Bailey Tidbury 36, Tom Nicolls 54, Max Agar 70
Youth D; Ben Nicolls 20
We hope you enjoyed the day, there are a few pics on the Gallery page, courtesy of Kez (Tom O'Sullivan's girlfriend).
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> Posted: 14/03/16 21:33
ACU Acklams Beta Ladies and Girls Trials Championship gets off to a flyer!
The first round of the 2016 ACU Acklams Beta Women’s and Girls British Championship got underway this weekend at the famous Seymours Arena in the heart of Oxfordshire. We were really lucky with the weather once the fog had burned off and the sun got through, it turned out to be a beautiful spring day and a good number of spectators gathered to watch the action of the top flight British ladies and girls trials riders attempting the challenging rocky sections at the Arena.
Amongst the entry was 15 year old Alicia Robinson from just up the road in East Hagbourne. Alicia is the current British 2015 B class Girls Champion but on Sunday she had moved up to the A class, riding against girls much older. Not to be disgraced she finished 3rd which was a brilliant ride. Alicia is sponsored by Top Trials Team. The top 3 British ladies were battling it out for the podium however it was the World No 1 Emma Bristow who came out the winner, losing just 10 marks. Emma arrived at the arena at 2am Sunday morning after having competed in the FIM SuperEnduro event in Czecho on Saturday. In 2nd spot was Donna Fox who lost 22 marks, beating off Becky Cook from the Isle of Wight into 3rd place who lost 30 marks.
We hope you enjoyed your day and see you next time. More pics on the Gallery page.
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> Posted: 01/03/16 20:14
The Wallace Cup Trial – National.
Round 1 – 2016 S3-Parts, ACU National Trials Championship.
The first round of 2016 S3 Championships got off to a flying start this weekend in and around the Berkshire downs.
The event kicked off at 9.30 sharp on a chilly morning heading for the first group of sections at the Moors which got the riders warmed up after the longer than usual ride from the pub, from here it was a short trip to Seymours where a good crowd had gathered to watch the action on the rocky hazards at the Arena. Lollingdon Hill was the next group which had some tight cambered turns and big climbs. It was a change of punchcard as the riders left the farm and then on to Aston Pit, Pump House and Air Raid Shelter where they faced 5 sections consisting of steep climbs and turns across tree roots on the wooded hill side. The competitors then enjoyed a long ride out across the Downs to the big banks of the old disused railway cutting at Chilton Hollow. From here it was a short hop down to the final sections at Bucknell's Copse where there were three sections two of which always sorts the men from the boys and they didn't disappoint as usual. Finally crossing the main road to Strange's Gate, the last section of the day in the stream 200 yards from the Horse & Harrow back where they started a few hours earlier.
As usual we think Stu and the team got the section severity just about right, we had some great feedback from the riders which is always good to hear. The ground was pretty dry in most places, so it made a change from the last few years.
The Club would like to thank the whole team as usual, an amazing effort is put into these National events and we couldn't do it without you all, thank you to all of the marshals on the 26 sections, the landowners and the Horse & Harrow for the use of the Pub for signing on etc.
It was a great day as usual, thanks to all of the riders for entering, well done to the class winners we hope you enjoyed it and come back next year. There are more pictures up on the Gallery.
CLASS WINNERS
Elite - Sam Haslam - 4m/l / S3 - James Fry - 2m/l / Best Lady - Emma Bristow - 15ml
S3 125 - Andrew Eley - 73m/l / N.Champs - Chris Koch - 7m/l
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> Posted: 03/02/16 22:29
Alicia Robinson – Ladies & Girls B Class British Champion
We travelled to The Bike Museum in Birmingham for Alicia to receive her gold medal and trophy for being the B Class British Ladies & Girls Champion. As Alicia was a champion we also got invited to the evening awards which was a really good event. Alicia would like to thank all of her sponsors for their continued support throughout 2015 and she is now training hard and looking forward to the 2016 season. Alicia will be riding for the Top Trial Team (TTT) in 2016 and is really excited about it. Alicia said she could not believe it when Michele spoke to Stuart about her being a team member.
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> Posted: 13/01/16 20:35
The Wallace Cup Trial – National
Round 1 – 2016 S3-Parts, ACU National Trials Championship.
The first round of 2016 S3 Championships gets underway on Sunday 28th Feb starting at the Horse and Harrow pub at West Hagbourne, Oxfordshire OX11 0NB.
Starting at 09.30am, the event has attracted over 100 entries Including some of the country's top names in the Elite Class – Alex Wigg, Sam Haslam and Ross Danby to name just a few. Also 90 clubmen riders tackling a 25 mile course around the edge of the Berkshire Downs with sections at the famous Seymours Arena plus a selection of terrain all on the chalk surfaces that you find in this part of the country. The going is almost all off road on grass lanes, many say its worth the entry fee for the ride round. Spectators are catered for, you can pick up a programme with route map at the start and why not buy a full breakfast or egg and bacon bap at the Horse and harrow, there will also be a food van at Seymours Arena all day. Five and a half hours has been allowed for the riders to complete the course. This is one of the few Nationals that happens in the South these days. Come and have a look and enjoy the day out. -
> Posted: 27/12/15 14:26
Where there is a WILL there’s a win
North Berks MCC Hangover Cup Trial, Rd1 2016 Club Championship – 26th December 2015
Report: Stu Belcher
With the rain staying away for the start of the North Berks Annual Boxing Day Hangover Cup Trial, 66 riders were in for a mix of 8 twisting sections plotted through the streams, ditches and mud at the Moors, East Hagbourne near Didcot.
A confident ride through section 1 was needed with the slippery logs and rocks twisting through the trees seemed to be taking a number of marks from most classes as did section 4 with the steep climb from the stream bed. This proved to be a popular vantage point as a good number of spectators gathered here during the day. In most adult and youth classes it was great to see so many riders moving up a grade and taking on the challenges ahead.
Will McBain was on form to take the expert honours with his credible score of just 12, he certainly is getting to grips with his new Beta since switching over from the 4-Stroke and was a clear 21 marks ahead of Tom O'Sullivan 2nd and Tom McCabe 3rd on 45.
The 50/50 class looks to be a closer match as Scott Faulkner took the win from Mark Elms on a most cleans tie breaker with them both losing just 12 marks. John Wheeler finished 3rd a little further back on 35. The Clubman B win was taken by Stuart Belcher on 14, Kieran Tame 21 and Sam Cherry 27. The stream section 4 and the Nappers Lane mud of section 5 taking the majority of the marks in this class. The Clubman C top rider was Neil Harris finishing on 3 marks, all of which were lost on section 5 six marks ahead of Richard Gardiner on 9 and Jack Huckstep 3rd on 11
The Pre 65 “Carter Boys” were on their own in their respective classes and was great to see them blowing out a few festive cobwebs. James riding the B route finishing on 70 with Malcolm on the C route with a loss of 19.
The youth classes took a third of the total entries for the day and was great to see Max Agar taking his pristine Beta for its maiden trial through the mud and water of the Moors, Hope his dad Duncan can get it back clean. As with the adult classes many of our up and coming riders all took on the challenges by moving up a class and were all rewarded by their efforts. Alicia Robinson took the win in the 50/50 class with a comfortable win on 29 from Luke Hora who finished on 69. Ronnie Day and Bret Harbud battled through the youth A with Ronnie finishing on 76 and Bret on 110. Youth B is going to be closely contested and Oscar Jones took this win finishing on 47 four marks ahead of Finley Belcher and Luke Townsend 3rd on 61.
Youth C was won by Leah Robinson on 13 winning with a tie breaker for most cleans from Adam Huckstep and Bailey Tidbury close on their heels on 15
The Youth D on rounded up the classes with Ben Nicholls taking his first win losing just 1 mark as did Briany Humphrey but Ben took the honours by the tie breaker, 31 cleans apiece but Ben furthest clean. Nate Robinson made a full house for the Robinsons and was only 1 mark back finishing on 2.
Results:
Expert: Will McBain 12, Tom O’Sullivan 33, Tom McCabe 45
Clubman 50/50: Scott Faulkner 12, Mark Elms 12, John Wheeler 35
Clubman B: Stuart Belcher 14, Kieran Tame 21, Sam Cherry 27
Clubman C: Neil Harris 3, Richard Gardiner 9, Jack Huckstep 11
Pre65 B: James Carter 70
Pre65 C: Malcolm Carter 19
Youth A: Ronnie Day 76, Bret Harbud 110
Youth 50/50: Alicia Robinson 29, Luke Hora 69
Youth B: Oscar Jones 47, Finley Belcher 51, Luke Townsend 61
Youth C: Leah Robinson 13, Adam Huckstep 13, Bailey Tidbury 15
Youth D: Ben Nicholls 1, Briany Humphrey 1, Nate Robinson 2
Well done to everyone who took part and thanks as usual go out to the marking out crew, Sue for getting everyone signed on and sorting the results and lastly our ever faithful observers – Mick Ainsworth, Sarah & Krysti Anderson, Andy Hora, Kev Tame, Mick Bayliss, Steve Nicholls, W Moulder, Jim Axford and Sue O'Sullivan.
We hope you enjoyed it, the next Club Trial is 27th March at Seymours. See you then!
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> Posted: 07/12/15 10:43
Annual Christmas Dinner & Awards Night
The Annual Club Dinner & Awards Presentation night was held on Saturday 5th December 2015.
This year the venue was the Lakeview Restaurant at the popular Millets Farm Centre in Frilford, Oxfordshire. The evening kicked off at 7pm and we were treated to a beautiful sit down Christmas dinner with all the usual trimmings. Once everyone had enjoyed their three course meal and coffee Pat Hemmings got on the mike to announce all the deserving award winners across all classes, including memento awards for all the youth competitors that had taken part in events throughout the 2015 season.
Once all the official bits were over with the lights were lowered and the Disco got underway which was well supported and there were a good few members cutting some shapes on the dance floor until midnight when the evening came to an end. We'd like to thank the Lakeview Restaurant for treating us to such a brilliant night, it was faultless and all the staff were incredibly helpful and couldn't do enough to make the evening a really enjoyable success.
The club have had another great year and were able to run all of the scheduled events this year, we hope you have all enjoyed 2015 and look forward to the 2016 season.
The committee wish you all a very Merry Christmas and we hope to see you at the Boxing Day Trial at the Moors, for what is the 1st round of the 2016 season.
Cheers!
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> Posted: 27/11/15 23:13
North Berks MCC – AGM
It's that time of year that we all get together for the Club Annual General Meeting to discuss everything North Berks.
The meeting will be held at the Conservative Club in Didcot and will commence at 8pm sharp on Tuesday January 19th 2016. Come along and get involved with your club, everyone is more than welcome, the bar will be open and there will be a light buffet supper served after the meeting.
If anyone has a burning ambition to become a committee member get in touch with Mark Anderson for further details. T: 07770 652512 E: mrasaa@hotmail.com
Hope to see you all then.
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> Posted: 25/11/15 16:06
Sad death of two past club members
John Hammond lived in Aston Tirrold back in the 60s, he has a twin brother Robert, they were great friends of John Wheeler and started by riding big road bikes then moved into trials riding. John had a nice BSA C15 and was a good rider winning many Centre class awards. He was a carpenter by trade, the twin brothers ran an accomplished builders business, building many quality houses around the area. John and his wife Kay lived in Wallingford and was in fact Jerry Lane's next door neighbour. John died in October at the age of 74.
Ron Horobin from Abingdon, was also a big bike man and with a gang of other club members would make the annual trip to the Isle of Man TT. Dilly, as he was known, died last month aged 72. He was very involved in the Club back in the 60s and 70s and was Clerk of the Course at our early Grass Track Meetings when the Club first got involved in the mid 60s at Webbys field at Drayton. He was for years the best club-night attender. He worked all his life for the Southern Electricity Board as an electrician. Both these two past members had not enjoyed good health in the last months.
We offer the club's condolences to both John's widow Kay, and Ron's widow Pam, and their families.
Get well soon!
Also, get well soon to Godfrey Bennett who was the back marker riding with Justin Heavens at the Downland Trial when he fell from his bike just onto the downs near Alden Farm above Upton, Godfrey has broken his hip in 2 places and is in the J.R Oxford, Chris and Justin have been to visit him.
So a big get well soon from all at North Berks Godfrey and hope to see you back on your bike.
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> Posted: 17/11/15 17:12
The Winston Grove National Downland Trophy Trial
Round 7 of the 2015 ACU Sammy Miller Trials Championship
The final round of the 2015 Sammy Miller classic series took place today on and around the Berkshire Downs near Didcot in Oxfordshire.
Our 2 enthusiastic route planners decided to shake things up a bit this year and run the event in the opposite direction to the last 25 years, and with the addition of two new pieces of land, one at Ashdown Farm which had a huge graded hill and the second named The Lynch, it was set to be an interesting day out on the Downs.
101 riders set off including 9 sidecar teams on an overcast and windy Sunday morning at 9am sharp with Sammy Miller seeing everyone away from the start area at the Horse & Harrow Pub in West Hagbourne.
Speaking to a lot of the riders it sounded like the sections were set about right as usual, nothing silly but taking marks if concentration lapsed for a moment. The weather had been kinder this year so the sections were a little drier than late.
Our thanks go out to Sammy for his continued enthusiasm in this classic series, everyone that played a part in the running of the Trial, including of course our generous landowners, our ever faithful group of Observers who we are eternally grateful to as usual. A huge thank you to Tony and Helen at the Horse & Harrow for their continued support in the Club.
We hope you all enjoyed the day and look forward to seeing you next time...
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> Posted: 06/10/15 11:24
Mike Motors to Victory – North Berks Motorcycle Club, Club Championship Round 6 (Final Round)
Report: STU BELCHER
With the mist clearing to a bright autumn day 53 competitors waited eagerly for the start of the final round of the clubs championships. Due to a late change from the planned venue the course plotters set out 10 awesome sections through the copse at Besselsleigh, the popular venue for the summer two day trial.
With a couple of new sections and new variants of some old favourites the competition was surely going to be as hot as the weather. This proved the case in all of the classes. The sections took small marks here and there for all, so concentration and some great riding will surely bring home the results today.
Mike Powdrell rode strong in the top flight experts eventually pulling a clear 15 marks ahead of local man Darren Wheeler. It was great to see Tom O’Sullivan getting some time away from work at the weekend and came in a worthy third. Section 8 and 9 were the real mark stealers for everyone, with the added steeper climbs and twist and turns made this a popular viewing spot for some exciting riding, with the final tight turn as you exited section 8 taking many dabs to get through to the ends card.
With Scott Faulkner moving up to the 50/50 Class for the final round in the series saw him take the honours with an impressive loss of just 9 to take the win from Calvin Hunt on 17 and Keith Wooster taking the third spot on 27. Surely Scott will need to take this step for the new championships ahead.
The Clubman B route, Lee Sullivan had an excellent ride and pulled away from Stuart Belcher and Paul Heron to take the win in this class. The Clubman C route was a tight as you could get with Mark Anderson losing all of his marks on lap one to be just one mark ahead of Tim Davis in second and a few marks back Neil Harris. It was a great family affair with the Andersons in full force and even Kristy celebrating her 16th birthday still took on the observers’ hat, thank you and congratulations Kristy
The Youth group is getting stronger at each trial and is a credit to the North Berks Club. It was great to meet some new members enjoying their days sport. The Youth A win went to Gus Oblein taking a comfortable win over Ronnie Day in second and Jake Eley in third, some great and exciting talent indeed. Youth B class was going to be a close battle and Brett Harbud managed to pip Alicia Robinson by just one mark this time around, Luke Hora was just a further 4 marks back and either of these riders could have easily pulled off the win.
Just as with the other classes the Youth C was tightly fought with the competition in this class as strong as ever. Finley Belcher rode superb and finished off the championship with a well-deserved win, with a loss of just 7 marks. Leah Robinson finished strong in second place on 14 and a few bike gremlins put Oscar Jones down into third. Finishing off the Youth classes was the eased Green route, Tom Nicholls took the win from Nate Robinson on his Oset and Jamie Hannaby coming in third.
An impressive day of riding with close battles and tight competition in all classes was a fitting end to the series. It was a real shame to see Ryan Harris being taken to the hospital as he has been on great form recently, so we wish him a speedy recovery and hope he is fit and well for the start of the new series on Boxing Day.
Thanks go out to the observers and marking out crews. Sue as usual for getting everyone signed on and results out. Great effort from all as usual!
We hope you all enjoyed your day, see you next time.
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> Posted: 13/8/15 21:46
B Class Ladies & Girls British Champion
Alicia Robinson from North Berks MCC winning the B Class Ladies & Girls British Championship in the Isle of Man, with 2 local girls and good friends who they've battled with all year, Sophie May Hardie came 2nd & Ella Doherty came 3rd in the championship.
Alicia would like to say thanks to everyone who has helped her this year: Rock Oil, MPA Liquid Screed, Standlake Vehicle Services, D H Bond, Bicester Tyre & Exhaust Centre, Wantage Rotary Club.
Thank you very much
Stuart Robinson.
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> Posted: 10/8/15 10:11
2015 Berks Bonanza Supertrial
This was the big one! The North Berks Bonanza Supertrial was this weekend, its the clubs premier event with the countries top riders entered and it was an amazing couple of days.
DAY 1 – Ladies, Girls & Sidecars.
The first riders were away at 10.00am with 2 laps of 10 sections for qualifying, followed by 1 lap of 10 sections for the final. We were treated to unbroken sunshine and at times it was stifling hot. The initial two lap action was superb and the five Ladies that went through to the final lap were Emma Bristow, Becky Cook, Donna Fox, Jess Bown and Victoria Payne. Five sections were completed and the two with the highest marks lost had to drop out, which on this occasion were Victoria and Jess. The three remaining ladies went on to battle it out in the final 5 sections but the battle was between Becky and Donna, Emma finished the final lap on just one mark lost which was well ahead of the other two. Becky eventually took second place with Donna making the third step of the podium.
It was local girl Alicia Robinson who was riding with confidence on the familiar home territory that went into the lead early on in the B route class and there she stayed throughout the 2 laps to take the win. Second place went to Charlotte Kimber with Jen Stephen taking third.
The sidecar event was well supported and the action was awesome from the start, its amazing where they manage to get their machines. The well deserved winners were Jon Tuck & Matt Sparkes, Josh & Luke Golding took second place, with Daryl Dale and Hannah Etherington in a close third spot.
Thanks to everyone who took part, including the NB team and observers. More pics from Day 1 on Gallery page.
DAY 2 – The Men
Sunday the Berks Bonanza Supertrial kicked off at 10.30am with 2 laps of 9 sections for qualifying with this year taking in the famous Seymours Arena Waterfall with all the riders having a proper go, as this is usually only used for the final.
The early riders struggled with the waterfall, so too did James on the first lap failing to reach the summit. Wiggy was the only rider to get out on a clean, so that spurred him on to some amazing rides, he won the qualifying two laps for the loss of just 3 marks which is pretty amazing given the severity of the sections, the closest man to him was James Dabill back on 15 marks lost.
It was time for the final, all the sections had been tweaked by Stu to keep the guys on their toes. The top 8 that went through to the final were Alexz Wigg, James Dabill, Iwan Roberts, Ross Danby, Billy Bolt, Jack Price, Sam Haslam and Dec Bullock. All the riders were to start with a clean slate for the Final lap, then after section 4 the 4 with the highest score were eliminated, being Billy Bolt, Jack Price, Sam Haslam and Dec Bullock who had made an amazing effort but sadly didn't make the cut, which left the remaining top 4, James, Alexz, Iwan and Ross fighting it out over the last 6 sections for the top prize money of £800.
Reigning British Champion, James Dabill on the new Vertigo had certainly got on it in the final lap after his slow start, showing his class – by the end of the lap he had dropped a couple of 5's, the waterfall which seems to be James' nemesis section and section 10 which was the staircase in the middle of the arena with a huge rock placed on the top of the massive rock step already there, all the finalists failed the last section of the day but Wiggy and Dabill had a few goes at the final step to please the public and both of them eventually conquered it with a huge roar from the crowd.
As usual there was a fantastic atmosphere at the Arena and we had a good turnout of people come to watch this year, after reduced spectator numbers last year due to the awful weather on the Sunday.
The Club would like to thank all of the riders for supporting the Club in taking part, all the observers and club members that give up their time to help out in any way, you know who you are and how much we appreciate your efforts. There are some more pictures up on the Gallery page.
A massive thanks to all our sponsors:
Acklams Beta, Active Bike Sport, Andrews Building Company, Bicester Tyre & Exhaust Centre, Boshers of Cholsey, BVM Moto, chequers Garage, D H Bond, Didcot Plant, Dirtyboyz, Factory Pink, GasGas Motos, Hagbourne Garage, John Lee Motorcycles, Marshalls Transport, Mertrux Mercedes, MPA Liquid Screed, MRS Sherco, Premier Bikes KTM Didcot, Rock Oil, SPJ Autos, Standlake Vehicle Services, SXS TRS, Team Roundhouse, Trial Magazine and WD40.
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> Posted: 23/7/15 09:17
Round 5 – Club Trial at Seymours
We had a good number of entries for a week night, 47 in total. Rain showers were forecast but it stayed away and we had a great evening in the sunshine, I think everyone enjoyed themselves.
Thanks to the marking out crew, all the observers and Sue as usual for getting everyone signed on and results out, finally ;-). Great effort from all concerned as always!
The next North Berks event is the big one, The Supertrial, which as you all know is on the weekend of 8/9th August, spread the word. The more people we get through the gate the better.
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> Posted: 15/7/15 22:54
Bike Night 2015
Another superb British Bike Night at the Horse & Harrow in West Hagbourne, the weather wasn't as kind to us as the last couple of years but it didn't seem to put people off coming out.
There was an amazing turnout of bikes and cars of all kinds as usual, from old classics to Didcot based Premier Bikes showing the latest offerings from KTM. The club would like to thank everyone for their efforts and continued support of this now well established event, it gets better and better every year.
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> Posted: 05/7/15 16:57
Supertrial Work Party
Work started over at Seymours Arena this weekend preparing for the upcoming Berks Bonanza Supertrial – taking place on the 8th/9th August. We had a good turnout of people over the weekend, so thanks to all. Stu had the machine in and has made some amazing new sections for this years event, its promising to be an awesome weekend, so make sure you've got it in your diary.
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> Posted: 28/6/15 18:33
Summer 2 Day Trial – Rnd 3+4 of Club Championship
A great weekend of trials at Besselsleigh this weekend. Saturday the sun was beaming down on the 42 riders that entered, the sections rode well in the sandy wood which was a lot drier than it has been the last couple of years there. A good few people camped over on Saturday night where the kids got involved in a game of rugby with two club members at peak fitness and soberness, namely Justin and Will. I'm not sure who got the best of the other – but the kids had a lot of fun trying to take them down.
We had a fair bit of rain overnight which continued into Sunday morning, lasting an hour or so into the trial which made the sections pretty slick, but as usual Stu and the marking out crew got the level about right for each class. Thanks as always to all the helpers, Sue for getting all signed on and results, and observers on both days, we hope you enjoy the wine.
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> Posted: 8/6/15 07:02
Double win for Team Robinson
On Sunday 7th June Team Robinson travelled to Leamington for the 2nd round of the Ladies British Championship.
It was a hot sunny day but that didn't stop Leah & Alicia from taking the win in each of their classes, this means Alicia is now leading the B Class championship & Leah has won both of her rounds.
Well done girls you both did us proud and it makes it all worth while just to see such big smiles on your faces! Thank you to all the sponsors and everyone who's helped.
Stuart & Claire.
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> Posted: 25/5/15 09:17
Henley Young Farmers Summer Show
North Berks MCC were invited to put on another motorcycle display for the Young Farmers show this Bank Holiday weekend.
The event was held at the Lord and Lady McAlpine's estate in Fawley just outside Henley-on-Thames, it was a really good, fun day. Visitors to the estate got the chance to enjoy craft displays, watch teams of men and women from different Young Farmers clubs competing in various farming techniques, tug of war competitions, seeing how many people they could squeeze into a car. There were traction engines and historic vehicles of all types.
North Berks put on a show in the main arena, Claire was on the mike again, explaining the sport and promoting the Club. They also put on a few more shows throughout the day in a special fenced off area, there was a lot of interest and support as usual. Thanks to all the club members who took part, The Robinsons, Mark, Dereck and Dave, who impressed the crowds as usual.
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> Posted: 18/5/15 13:43
A couple of our members at the MX Nationals
Mikey Austin and Fraser Curtis were in action at Culham at the weekend, taking part in the popular MX Nationals series, the weather was good and there was hot competition in all classes across the weekend.
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> Posted: 12/5/15 09:18
New Boys had a great day at Wallingford Car Rally
A few of the clubs members including new members Jack and Adam Huckstep enjoyed a long, but fun day at the Wallingford Car rally event at the weekend.
Grundon Waste Management sponsored the trials demonstration and turned up with a lorry loaded with skips, concrete blocks and an enormous steel Girder, all of which we used including the lorry, to provide a spectacle for the crowds. Thanks go to the riders for supporting the event. Lets hope we encouraged a few new members to join the club.
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> Posted: 10/5/15 16:14
British Trials Cup comes to Seymours
Round 2 of the British Trials Cup 2015 was held at North Berks MCC's premier piece of ground, the infamous Seymours Arena this weekend.
This is the first time that Seymours has staged a bike trial, but there was plenty of scope to test these guys to the max, although the top guys made some of the sections look like a walk in the park. They were getting up the same huge rock sections that the motorcycle trials bikes attempt, amazing to watch, such a physical sport. It felt strange for the Arena to be quiet whilst all the action was going on, being used to the usual sound of engines at a busy event.
Three club members entered and soon got in amongst the action. Nate and Alicia Robinson were joined by Finley Belcher on his Onza, all three had a great day and did really well.
Click here to checkout Biketrial Federation's website.
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> Posted: 5/5/15 07:58
North Berks on Show at Bradfield May Day Fayre
North Berks MCC were once again invited to do a trials display at Bradfield Mayfair on Bank Holiday Monday.
After a wet day on Sunday, the sun shone and the team had a great day out giving two displays throughout the day in the arena. Team riders were Leah and Alicia Robinson, Liam Anderson, Veteran & Club Chairman Mark Anderson, Tom O’Sullivan, Dan Hornblow and Nate Robinson on his trial pushbike. The Mayfair was well attended this year with a big crowd watching the two displays which also included a wheelie competition at the end between all the riders. Thank you to everyone who helped out and well done to Claire for doing the commentary.
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> Posted: 14/4/15 14:56
Team Robinson – on tour!
Team Robinson set off on their long drive to Top Off Road Pietramurata, Lake Garda, Italy for the first round of the 2015 European Championship.
Alicia had a great result of coming 3rd behind 2 Italian girls. Alicia was the youngest competitor and also the only one on an 80cc, but she worked hard in the hot dry conditions and got a fantastic result to get on the third step of the podium.
It was great to have Victoria Payne and Jen Stephens there too who also made the long journey. Other fellow British riders there were Dan and Jack Peace, Toby Martin who won the youth class, Jake Eley and Iwan Roberts, who all had great rides. We're all looking forward to round 2 in Belgium now.
WELL DONE ALICIA!
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> Posted: 29/3/15 18:24
It's a wet one at Seymours
A wet and blustery morning welcomed the 44 riders to Seymours Arena on Sunday for the second round of the North Berks MCC Club Trial Championship.
The sections were pretty much left alone from the British Ladies/Girls Championship which took place a couple of weekends before. Stuart and the gang tweaked a few hazards here and there. They all rode well again, but the rocks soon got really slippery as the mud was dragged up onto them, but it made for an interesting trial.
We had a good range of entries across all routes and is was great to see so many young riders out giving it a go again.
Thanks go out to Sue for getting everyone signed on and the results out quickly, all of the observers and marking out crew, the club really appreciate your ongoing support, we couldn't run these great events without you.
Click on the link below to see the results. We hope you enjoyed the day despite the weather. We've now got a few months to wait until the next Club Trial, which is the superb Summer Two Day Trial at Besselsleigh, see you then.
More pictures on the Gallery page.
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> Posted: 23/3/15 15:54
A big THANK YOU from Sue
Thank you to everyone who has kindly donated to my charity box for the Air Ambulance at club trials and bike night.
As many of you know, I have competed in 2 half marathons in the last 8 months raising money for the Air Ambulance whom North Berks MCC have supported for a number of years. I raised a total of £125.50. I've now run in 7 Half Marathons having previously raised money for Cancer Research and the Alzheimer's Society. Many thanks for your support, Sue!!
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> Posted: 17/3/15 22:17
Emma Bristow wins the first round, but the Fox is back
The 2015 British Ladies & Girls Trials Championship got off to a great start at Seymours Arena this weekend, the promised rain stayed away but the brisk wind was bitterly cold.
45 entries were received for this event including a large number of non-championship ladies and girls. Stuart and his crew marked out 3 routes to suit the varying abilities of the 7 classes.
The main Ladies Championship riders were first away and after a few easier sections to get the riders started, things got harder with some nasty tight turns and rock steps.
Emma Bristow, current champion on her Sherco and Becky Cook on the Jotagas, both went clean on the first 7 sections before Becky dropped some marks. Donna Fox dropping an unfortunate 3 on the first section was riding well until section 9 when she dropped another 3. Emma ended the first lap on clean, followed by Becky on 3 and Donna on 7. On the second lap things were much tighter, Emma was riding clean until section 10 the stair case, where she dropped 2, Donna was matching Emma’s cleans until she also dropped 3 on the same section, followed closely by Becky who only dropped 4 singles.
It was all to play for on the last lap, Becky only dropped a single mark to try and close the gap but Emma only dropped 2 more marks on the tricky double step on section 10. Donna unfortunately dropped a couple of 5’s to drop away from Becky but it was Emma that won the day only dropping 4 marks over the 36 Sections. Becky came in 2nd with 8 and Donna 3rd on 23. Jess Brown on her Scorpa had a steady ride in 4th.
The girls A 50/50 on the second route which also included riding 6 of the harder sections was a much closer contested affair. Only 7 marks separated the 3 competitors, Beth Waite took the win on 73, followed by Gabby Whitham on 78 with a chasing Megan Savage on 81 taking 3rd place.
In the ladies intermediate class, the win was easily taken by Charlotte Kimber who only dropped 10 marks. In 2nd was Catherine Alford on 27 and 3rd was Victoria Holmes on 63 only ahead by 1 mark from 4th place Jennifer Stephen.
The Girls A Intermediate class was won by Niamh Richardson on 45 who was only 1 mark ahead of 2nd place Chloe Baker. Olivia Pearson struggled on the unforgiving sections but battled through to the end to finish 3rd.
Girls B route: The winner of this class was Sophie-May Hardie on 17 marks lost, she was chased hard in the final lap by 2nd placed North Berks member Alicia Robinson dropping just 4 to give her 20 marks. Taking 3rd spot was Kira Beardshall on 57 lost marks.
Girls C: Elizabeth Tett took the win on 16 marks only dropping 3 marks on lap 2 & 3. Sophie Bailey riding the electric Oset had a storming ride and finished 2nd on 27. Amelia Mayhew took 3rd on 32.
Ladies Sports Person Non Championship. An easy win for 125cc Jotagas mounted Izzy Saunders with 29 marks, followed in 2nd place by Sharon Elkins on 55 and 3rd place to Chloe Cross on 66.
Girls Sports Person Non Championship. This was the closest fought class with only 5 marks separating the top 4 girls. North Berks member Leah Robinson took the win with a clean round on the last lap. 1 mark behind in 2nd place was Izzy Watmore on 12 and Emily Page 3rd on 15.
The Club would like to again thank everyone for making the event so successful. As always particular thanks go to the observers and club members who had to endure a bitterly cold day. Thanks to Rock oil for the prizes.
Of course we must also say thanks to all the mums for giving up their day for us. We hope you all enjoyed the day and we look forward to seeing you all again next year.
There are more pictures on the Gallery page.
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> Posted: 15/2/15 21:18
The Wallace is go!
At last the Wallace goes ahead! It was great to see The 2015 ACU S3 Parts Clubman Championship get underway today in and around the Berkshire Downs after having being cancelled the last two years due to flooding in the area.
The 117 riders were greeted at the Horse & Harrow public house in West Hagbourne by early morning mist, everyone was eager to get cracking. The first man away at 9.31 prompt was Paul Hadingham from Irthlingborough, who made his way off to tackle the 22 mile course taking in 37 sections on the Berkshire, Oxfordshire borders.
There are more pictures on the Gallery page.
We hope you enjoyed yourselves.
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> Posted: 29/01/15 17:48
All change at the top
The North Berks Annual General Meeting was held at the Conservative Club in Didcot on 27th January 2015. It was well attended by 40 club members and there was a committee re-shuffle to announce.
Jerry or J.N.S. Lane his correct title has been involved in the club since the 1940s, ie 75 years. Jerry was a trials rider and was an avid fan on Royal Enfield trials machines but started on an old ex-W.D. Matchless as many did in the days after the war. All his life he has been a very loyal supporter of the North Berks MCC, and 52 years ago became the club President until last Tuesday night when at the club's AGM he decided to stand down. After all those years and now in his mid 80s he said it was time to hand over the position. As a token of appreciation the clubs oldest member Colin Jackson presented him with a silver engraved hip flask.
Geoff Williams, the club's Treasurer also stood down after 20 odd years keeping the books straight. This has been a busy job for Geoff over the years and back to the days when the club was running International grass tracks, including a World Final in 2000, it was a big task dealing with gate takings, prize money etc. As many of you know it is a busy club with lots going on all the time with bits and bobs coming in but Geoff was always on top of his game. He has decided to carry on as a committee member so will still be around. Geoff's passion has been trail riding and included organising trips to Andorra. Tony Jackson has kindly stepped up to take on the role of club Treasurer.
The 3rd committee change was the club's Chairman, John Lightfoot, who has held that position for 48 years. John is totally committed to the club, and has worked tirelessly over the years when the main events were grass tracks, to recent times where the focus has turned to club and national trials. The club just wouldn't have the reputation it now holds if it wasn't for John. He has been in the club since 1959 after coming back from national service and got involved in riding his favourite Triumph Tiger Cubs trials bikes, John also had a go at sidecar motocross (or scrambling as it was called then) with his brother in the chair. John was made the club's President at the AGM, having been proposed by Jerry Lane to replace him. The new club Chairman is Mark Anderson, he certainly has big boots to fill, but is certainly up for the challenge, so we hope everyone will support him.
We thank Jerry, Geoff and John for their hard work in their respective roles in the club over the years, and best wishes to the re-shuffled committee in taking the club forward in the future.
THE COMMITTEE NOW READS:
President – John Lightfoot; Chairman – Mark Anderson; Treasurer – Tony Jackson; Vice Chairman – Pat Hemmings; Committee Members – Stuart Robinson, Mick Bayliss, Derek Dodd, Sue O'Sullivan, Geoff Williams, Stuart Belcher, Todd Jones. Minute Secretary/Memberships – Claire Maynard-Robinson. -
> Posted: 27/12/14 16:07
Boxing Day Trial – Round 1 of 2015 Championship
Good to see everyone out for the Boxing Day Trial at the Moors.
A frosty start to the morning, but the riders soon got warmed up. There were 8 sections to be completed over 4 laps, three in the lane, two in the field and then it was a blast across the fields to the other three sections in the stream.
Thanks to the marking out crew, Sue for getting everyone signed on and all the observers, it was a really chilly morning so we thank you for braving the weather and supporting the club as usual.
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> Posted: 09/12/14 15:58
Christmas Dinner and Awards Night
The annual 'Club Christmas Bash' was a well attended and enjoyable evening at Drayton Park Golf Club last weekend.
A good meal courtesy of the golf club followed by the award presentations for all the well deserved winners, another successful year of North Berks Club Trials.
We hope you all enjoyed the evening, Well done to Pat on the mike... Thanks go out to all of the organisers for their efforts as usual.
Practice Day – Sunday
Seymours was open all day for practice.
A good number were there making the most of a full days practice in the arena. A few tricky sections were marked out thanks to Stuart and Justin to give people something to think about.
Don't forget to get over to The Moors on Boxing Day for the first Club Trial of the 2015 season. It starts at 10am and will have a good selection of hazards, lets hope the weather holds off this year...
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> Posted: 16/11/14 16:44
The Winston Grove Classic National Downland Trophy Trial
We as a club dedicated today's event to Len Hutty. As many of you will know Len passed away on 29th October when he succumbed after a short illness to cancer.
For many years Len supported North Berks events, way back on a modern bike and in recent years when he turned his expertise to the classic scene. His name was soon to be engraved on many premier trophies riding his pristine 410 Matchless. In 2011 Len rode round this event staying clean until the last section where his hand slipped off the throttle losing control, costing him a 5 and the winners spot in the trial. The following year he returned and he made absolutely sure he was the winner of the 2012 Downland Trophy.
Today's event was the final round of the 2014 Sammy Miller Championship and has been plotted around a 22 mile course with 33 solo and 30 sidecar sections. Thanks to Sammy Miller once again for his generous support and enthusiasm, may this series go on for many years to come.
Thanks also to the 40+ observers who have come out today, the kind landowners who have allowed our sport to happen. We must not forget the course plotters who have been out over numerous adverse weekends making the sections fit for purpose and everyone else who has given there time to help the club run a national event of this kind.
We hope you had a great day's sport in and around the Berkshire Downs and we look forward to seeing you all again next year.
A few nice comments received after the trial...
"Dear Mr Lightfoot, Please convey our heartfelt thanks to all the club officials and members for dedicating, the recent Downland Cup Trial, to Len’s memory. Thank you for the kind words that are a comfort to Charlotte and I at such a difficult time." Bev Hutty
"It was a very enjoyable trial again and much appreciation goes to the whole team of helpers." John Long – (No.79)
"Many thanks for a great day out." Gary Fleckney – (No.46)
"Just a note to thank you and the club for putting on a first class trial today. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and even the swim on the last section was amusing. Thanks once again." Richard Frampton – (No.75)
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> Posted: 27/10/14 09:18
Alicia Robinson & Dale Freeman receive tyre sponsorship
Alicia Robinson aged 12 & Dale Freeman aged 9 have both received sponsorship of tyres from Bicester Tyre & Exhaust Centre Oxfordshire for them to compete in their respective British Championships.
Alicia competes in the B Class of The Ladies & Girls British Championship & Dale will be competing in the C Class British Championship. They both ride under North Berks MCC and we wish them both the best of luck for 2015.
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> Posted: 19/10/14
Club Trial at Chilton Hollow
The final round of the North Berks Club Championship was held at Chilton Hollow this weekend, a good number of riders turned up for a great days sport.
The steep banks of the old disused railway cutting proved to be testing but remained drier than expected after the recent rain. The action started at 10am and had the usual routes covering all levels from experts to beginners and youth D. Each class was well supported.
Thanks as usual to all of the observers, together with the marking out crew and Sue for getting everyone signed in, we hope you all enjoyed it, the next Club Trial will be on Boxing Day at The Moors.
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> Posted: 31/08/14
Alicia rides her first Ladies European Championship round
Alicia rode the last round of the Ladies European Championship last weekend held in Belgium along with fellow club rider Millie Ray & Jen Stephen who also rides the Ladies British Championship.
We all travelled to Bilstain Trials Park in Belgium where we met up the other British trials riders who were competing in the Youth and Adult Championship. On the Saturday it was the Ladies and Youth who rode. Alicia came joint 3rd on the International route, on the same marks but just missed out on the podium, as they both had the same cleans, 1's etc so it went to the quickest time. Jen Stephen came 5th on the same route and Millie Ray came 12th on the Championship route.
Well done to all the girls and also all the other Brits who took part. On the Sunday Stuart got his minding gloves back on again to help young Billy Bolt from Newcastle. Billy came 5th in the Adult Championship class, so well done Billy and also Stuart for catching him well and keeping him calm!
From Claire.
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> Posted: 18/08/14
Nikita receives her cheque
North Berks Motorcycle Club donated £420.00 to Nikita Smith after holding a raffle at the Supertrial.
Thanks to everyone who donated prizes, there are too many to mention but you all know who you are, and thank you to everyone who bought a ticket. On our way up to the last round of The Ladies and Girls British Championship at Richmond we popped in to see Nikita and her family.
We all had a lovely breakfast together and then we presented Nikita with the cheque. We had a great time and it was so nice to see Nikita back home with her family. Nikita and her family also wanted to thank everyone who helped with the raffle.
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> Posted: 12/08/14
The North Berks Supertrial
The North Berks Motorcycle Club promoted a 2 day National Arena Trial, The Berks Bonanza Supertrial, held on Saturday 9th & Sunday 10th August.
Supertrial Saturday – The Ladies & Sidecars
Saturday hurricane Bertha had not yet arrived, the day was bright and sunny. 24 competitors had gathered: 9 girls, 5 ladies, and 10 sidecars to tackle this man-made arena consisting of gi-normous rocks, large tree trunks, including having to ride over 4 massive skips, an old shooting range hut and a 20 foot man-made waterfall, with water cascading down. The winner of the Girls’ class was Victoria Payne of Bristol, runner-up Louise Alford from Lincoln and third local girl, Alicia Robinson, from East Hagbourne. The Ladies Class was won comfortably by Emma Bristow who now holds the crown of British Arena Ladies Trials Champion 2014. Emma is currently leading the World Ladies Trials Championship and is a strong contender for the title. Runner up was Becky Cook, an Isle of Wight lady, former British Champion, and in third place was Donna Fox. These ladies really put on a great show. The other class to compete on Saturday was the Sidecars. The father and son crew who came out on top of tackling these horrendous looking sections was Rupert and Chris Kimber from Gillingham in Kent.
Hundreds of spectators enjoyed a great day’s motorcycle sport, of which most would return on Sunday.
Supertrial Sunday – The Men
Sunday was hurricane Bertha Day, it really did pour with rain from about 6.00 a.m., but this did not deter anyone from the forthcoming exciting day of the Men’s Berks Bonanza British Championship. The weather did improve for the 16 top British riders contesting 2 laps of this challenging course to qualify. 8 of these riders were seeded through to a one lap final. At the end of the final lap James Dabill, works sponsored, riding at the top of his game, was now Supertrial Champion having lost only 5 marks on his final lap. Not far behind was Michael Brown from Scarborough on 9 marks. In third place was Jack Spencer from Bacup on 26 marks lost and forth was local man Sam Haslam dropping 31 marks. Alexz Wigg the other local man from Winslow had 2 good qualifying laps but lost two maximums in his final lap thus eliminating him from the final results.
Sunday saw a much larger crowd who witnessed these top riders who also compete at world level showing their skills on 2 wheels. Spectators said it was the best event ever in its 10 year history.
We hope everyone had a great weekend, thanks as usual to everyone that has helped with the weekend in whatever capacity – landowners, riders, club members, observers, sponsors, trials media, catering. we are so grateful for all the effort that goes into running this awesome event and couldn't do it without you.
Looking forward to next year...
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> Posted: 04/08/14
The North Berks Supertrial – This coming weekend!
This years North Berks Bonanza Supertrial is all set for an epic weekend! with 11 testing sections from the skip section, wood yard and the famous man made waterfall.
To kick off the weekend we have 17 of the top British Ladies & Girls. Emma Bristow, Becky Cook, Katy Sunter, Jess Bown to name a few. Some of the top B girls who are coming through the ranks with the Alford Sisters, Millie Ray, Victoria Paine and local girl Alicia Robinson plus many more.
There will be 2 laps of 9 sections qualifying, after qualifying there will be 8 of Britains top sidecar crews, Jon Tuck & Matt Sparkes, Rupert & Chris Kimber & The young Golding brothers, with others on the day. Once the side cars have done a lap it will be the final for the A Ladies to see who can be the British Ladies Arena Trial Queen & pick up the prize money of £300. After the final the side cars will finish off with their second lap. On Sunday it will be the turn of the big boys, with 17 of the top British men fighting it out to be Berks Bonanza Supertrial British Arena champion. They will be doing 2 laps of 9 sections with the top 8 going through to the final. This year we have some up and coming young riders like Iwan Roberts, Dec Bullock, Billy Bolt, Jack Price, Andy Chilton and Jack Spencer, who will be mixing it with reigning British Champion Michael Brown, current British Arena Champion James Dabill and other top world class riders including local legend Alexz Wigg, Sam Haslam, Jack Sheppard, Ricky Wiggins and several more, to make it an exciting weekend.
Free camping is available from Friday afternoon, toilets, fresh water, ample car parking, trade stands, refreshments are all available. Adults £10, 5-16 year olds £5, and under 5′s free.
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> Posted: 26/07/14
Keep it up KITA!
This year at the Berks Bonanza Supertrial our raffle proceeds will be going to Nikita Smith, who was recently involved in a serious road accident. Nikita would usually be riding in the event but unfortunately, due to her injuries, she won't be able to.
We've got some great prizes, so why not come along to the Supertrial on 9th & 10th August and show your support for Nikita. On Saturday we have the Top British Ladies riding followed by the Countries Top Flight Sidecar Teams and on Sunday it's the turn of the Best British Men.
Admission is £10 for adults, children 5-16, £5 and under 5's get in free. It's at Seymours Arena, Aston Tirrold near Didcot Oxfordshire. Leah, Alicia & Nate Robinson will be selling the tickets so make sure you have your money ready!
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> Posted: 17/07/14
John Wheeler British Bike Night – 15th July
The Classic and Vintage Bike Night took place at the Horse and Harrow Public House, West Hagbourne, and what a night it was!
Once again a beautiful summer's evening enticed hundreds of bike enthusiasts and local families to the Horse and Harrow for the Annual British Bike Night, which seems to grow in popularity every year.
Some 5-600 vintage and classic bikes were on display, also a display by the team of riders who have just completed the John O’Groats to Landsend charity ride on 50cc motorcycles. Other attractions included 2 Barry Sheene replica race bikes, the Blewbury Corderoy road race team and the ever popular motorcycle trials demonstration by members of the North Berks Motorcycle club, including Alexz Wigg, one of the top trials riders in the country, who competes around the world, so we were lucky to get him between events.
An outside bar, food vans, hog roast and live music were enjoyed until late in the evening. In all we estimate that there were 2-3000 spectators and over 1,000 motorcycles attending, which is amazing!
As usual a big thank you goes out to the numerous people that have worked hard to put this event on, the club received encouraging comments from various people on how well this event and all North Berks events are run, so well done to everyone involved, we have an awesome team of people. Obviously, thanks too, to the Horse & Harrow for keeping everyone watered, or boozed should I say!
See you again next year.
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> Posted: 03/07/14
Summer Evening Club Trial at Seymours was a hot one
No less than 53 riders turned out for a great evenings sport, the 8 sections seemed to be spot on as usual across the classes, 4 laps of the Arena were to be completed.
The Expert class was won yet again by Will McBain, dropping just a single dab on Section 6, Tom Plant taking second on 5 marks lost, followed by Darren Wheeler, Tony Moulder and Tom O'Sullivan. Clubman 50/50 route was won by Calvin Hunt dropping 13 marks, runner up Joe Bayliss and Keith Wooster taking 3rd spot. Clubman B class saw Stuart Belcher take a good win for the loss of just 4 marks over Lee Sullivan and Neil Saunders. Clubman C class was well supported with 11 riders, the winner with 8 marks lost was Eddie Priscott on his Honda RTL250, followed by Richard Gardiner on 13 and Dave Griffiths on 26 marks lost. Well done to Lisa Barton who won the Clubman D class or should I say Clublady D class with the loss of just 3 marks, the rest of the class retired. There was just one Pre-65 machine in the Arena, ridden by Michael Johnson dropping 10 marks on the C route, which is good going on an oldun.
The youth classes were well supported again apart from the Youth 50/50 class, which only had one competitor, Victoria Payne dropping 42 marks on the rocky arena sections. Youth B was won by Liam Anderson on a loss of 4 marks after rushing home from work and making a late start, 2nd place was Alicia Robinson on her Beta 80, followed by Ryan Harris, Luke Townsend, Luke Hora, Max Saunders and Brett Harbud in that order. Youth C had three entries, top spot went to Oscar Jones dropping 21 marks, followed by Zak Corderoy, who by the way, competes around the country on his 350cc race bike, so trialing must feel quite tame to him. Third spot went to Ewan Priscott who stepped up to the harder route and got through it, so well done Ewan. That just leaves Youth D, won by Finley Belcher for the loss of just one mark, great effort Finley, well done. 2nd place was Leah Robinson on 5 and brother Nate on 15 rounding out the top three. Alex Waldron, Briany Humphrey and Alfie Rimmell took 4th, 5th and 6th with Zak Jones and Sam Avenell retiring early. So all in all a great fun evening of competition in the sunshine.
Thanks to all the members that helped cutting out, section marking etc.
A big thanks to the eight observers. Pete White, Jim Axford & Boysy, Mick Bayliss, Colin Jackson, Andy Hora, Barry Wheeler, Malcolm Ainsworth and Bill Moulder. We couldn't do it without you.
Great effort by Sue as usual, she got everyone signed on and sorted, eventually dragged Tom away from the arena just before 10.00 and had the results out by 11.35, which is pretty impressive really...The Cherry Brandy helps apparently!
We hope you enjoyed the trial, see you at the Horse & Harrow, West Hagbourne for the British Bike Night on 15 July, starts at 6pm. Followed by the next Practice Night on 16th July from 5pm.
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> Posted: 16/06/14
REPORT: JOHN LIGHTFOOT, CLUB CHAIRMAN
North Berks 2 Day Trial – The Will to Win!
The North Berks annual 2 day camping trial took place at Besselsleigh, just north of Abingdon the home of the famous MG, on Saturday and Sunday, 14/15 June.
DAY 1
Saturday saw 39 competitors take part on an 8 section, 4 lap course in this very old sandy quarry which contains nadgery hillocks and muddy ditches. On the expert hard route it was a fairly easy win for Will McBain riding his 4 stroke Honda losing a total of 12 marks. Second place some distance behind was Tom Plant on 43, losing 23 of these marks on section 2 and 7. Ex top enduro rider Darren Wheeler, who said he was not having a good day, finished 3rd, losing 50. On the clubman 50/50 second route was a close fought battle between the top 3, with Justin Heavens just nicking it on 25, followed by Swindon man Keith Wooster on 26, from local lad John Wheeler losing 29.
Clubman B saw a good ride from Lee Sullivan losing 11, with Stuart Belcher, recently back from New Zealand and started riding again, on 17 in 2nd place, and 3rd in this class was Jason Young on 20. Clubman C, third route, riding his GasGas Pampera, was enthusiastic trail rider Graham Lavis who nipped round on 6, from the identical Jenkins twins, who dress alike, have exactly the same colour and make of machine, would you believe lost the same number of marks on 8, but Andy taking the 2nd spot on 29 cleans with brother Paul on 27. Clubman D, easy route, saw a win for lady rider Lisa Barton on 13.
Youth 50/50 saw a win for Frazer Strutt on 61. Youth B, third route, British Girls Championship contender, Alicia Robinson, triumphed losing 18, and in 2nd, popular young club member Liam Anderson losing 20, in 3rd was Luke Townsend who seemed to have lost a lot of marks on section 7, finishing on 42.
Winner of the Youth C class, on the top step of the podium was Brett Harbud on 10, 2nd step Charlie Hunt on 16, bottom step Oscar Jones on 22.
Youth D, easy route, 1st on a very low score of 1 was Leah Robinson, 20 marks behind in 2nd was Finley Belcher, 3rd place Jamie Hannaby on 43.
DAY 2
4 laps again today but number of sections increased to 10.
Again the winner on Day 2 who had got the will to win, was Will McBain. 2nd who had got his act together today was Darren Wheeler, 3rd Tom Plant who missed second spot by most cleans rule. This class produced some fairly high scores, 4th, 5th & 6th in this class each losing over 90 marks.
Clubman 50/50 top of the shop was Calvin Hunt, runner up Chris Gilbert, 3rd Mark Elms. All the riders in this class lost maximum marks on section 1. Clubman B Kieran Tame, from Lee Sullivan, from Malcolm Carter. Clubman C winner on a low score of 5 Eddie Priscott nicked it from Ian Roberts, and 3rd place David Hill. Clubman D Andy Barefield took a win from from Lisa Barton.
Pre 65 saw 2 entries and a win for John Jacka, Glen Hutchins on his immaculate modern pre 65 James took a tumble on section 2, hurting his wrist and had to retire.
Youth 50/50 Frazer Strutt had his second win in 2 days. Youth B Liam Anderson took the win from Alicia Robinson, a reversal of Saturdays placing. Luke Townsend consistent in 3rd. Youth C Oscar Jones taking the win from his Saturday rival Charlie Hunt, and in 3rd Zak Corderoy, in his first ever trial, was absolutely delighted. Youth D Finley Belcher gained his first ever win amongst these keen young riders, from Jamie Hannaby from young youth motocross rider Alfie Rimmell.
The weather on both days was humid and overcast enough to stir up the Mosquitos!
Another great North Berks weekend, hope you all enjoyed it! Well done to everyone and a huge thanks to all 18 loyal observers, working parties, section plotters, committee members etc.
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> Posted: 26/05/14
Work has started...
Preparation for the 2014 Supertrial started this weekend at 'The Arena'.
The heavy machinery was brought in to start re-shaping the existing sections together with the addition of more rocks. Stuart and the team will be working hard over the next couple of months to make the Supertrial even more spectacular.
The bank at the far end of the arena has moved further back to create additional space for new sections, to cater for youngsters and beginners.
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> Posted: 30/03/14
Round one at Seymours
At long last the North Berks club managed to get the 2014 club series off to a start, after losing their Boxing Day and big February national to the weather.
Sunday 30th March was well worth the wait. Nobody stayed at home to worry about Mother as a massive 55 riders appeared at the signing on table to tackle a 12 section 3 lap course in the popular Seymour’s arena. Most of the sections had been previously used by the British ladies championship 2 weeks previously. Included in the entry were 4 top sidecars among them ex British champions Rupert and his dad Chris Kimber. The 4 of them had a great day.
In the expert class it was Tom Plant having an extremely good ride from 2nd place Abingdon’s Darren Wheeler, 3rd spot was up and coming youngster Daniel Hornblow who has a very impressive riding style, just 2 marks behind Daniel was his mate Tom O’Sullivan. In the clubman 50/50 Justin Heavens nipped the top spot by 2 marks from Calvin Hunt, with Joe Bayliss on the same marks lost dipping out on tie break in 3rd. All these 3 riders were on 4 strokes. Clubman B on an easier route Mike Marshall dropped just 1 mark all day, in second place Perry Meeten losing 3 marks from Mark Watmore taking 3rd spot. Clubman C was strongly contended with club committee man Mark Andersen in first place, in second was Andy Jenkins and third, riding his new Rothmans Honda, Eddie Priscott, in 4th place, also committee member, Derek Dodd. In Youth B Liam Andersen came out on top from British Championship contender Alicia Robinson in second and Jack Dance picking up third place. Youth C Ryan Harris was top of the podium from Charlie Hunt, and in third Oscar Jones. Sections 11 and 12 took marks from this class. Youth D, riding the easiest route, was a win for Leah Robinson with 10 marks behind her Samuel Meeten, Leah’s young brother Nate Robinson finished 3rd.
Thanks to all the observers as usual, we couldn't run the trials without you. Sue for signing everyone on, legging it over to observe on Section 10 then rushing home to get the results out, amazing!
The next club round will be the 2 day camping event at Besselsleigh on 14th and 15th June. Camping from mid-day Saturday. See you then...
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> Posted: 16/03/14
It's a scorcher at Seymours!
The Luscombe Suzuki Leeds British Ladies & Girls Trials Championship got off to a great start at Seymours this weekend, the weather was amazing after all the rain we've had over the last few months.
43 entries were received for this event at Seymours Arena including a large number of non-championship ladies and girls. 4 routes had been planned to suit the varying abilities. The ladies group riding route 1 was the one to watch. It was always going to be a battle between Emma Bristow current British champion and recently crowned European champion, trying hard to knock her off her perch was Becky Cook from the Isle of Wight, with the other lady in the mix Joanne Coles who had come back to the sport after taking a few years out to train to become a plumber. A brilliant sunny day greeted everybody and the atmosphere was electric, we could have connected it to the large pylons nearby. Emma and Becky matched each other section by section both taking one on section 11 and 3 on section 12, both finishing on 4 marks at the end of their first lap, while Joanne finished on 9. Second lap they both flew through the first 10 sections, on section 11 Becky took a 2, Emma lost 0 and Joanne also lost 0. Section 12 Emma lost 2, Becky 3 and Joanne 5, so scores at the end of this lap was now Emma on 6, Becky on 9 and Joanne on 15. On the final lap all 3 went round without dropping a mark until the final section, section 12, where Emma parted with just 1 mark on this lap, Becky unfortunately had to give away a 5, and Joanne still fighting hard gave away a 3, so the final results were 1st Emma on 7, 2nd Becky on 14, and 3rd Joanne on 18.
The girls A 50/50 on the second route saw a comfortable win for Louise Alford some 20 marks in front of 2nd place Victoria Payne.
In the ladies intermediate class Saskia Baxter, a policewoman from the Isle of Man, flew round all 3 laps for a loss of just 1 mark, from Katy Bullock in 2nd losing 10 marks, followed by Charlotte Kimber on 22.
Girls B route: a large number of entries had been received in this group including 2 new girls who had gone up a group this year, club member Alicia Robinson and her keen rival Alice Minta. The winner of this class was Megan Savage from Gabby Whitham, Alice Minta taking 3rd spot and Alicia just missing out on the podium.
Girls C: Guildford girl Hannah Moore completed the course with just 11 marks lost, her parents were overheard to say this was the best ride she had ever had. Amy Turpin came in 2nd with Elizabeth Tett finishing 3rd.
In the North Berks support class Jennifer Crabtree who had recently had her second baby managed to complete all 3 laps without losing a mark. Sandra Cotton who also had a good ride to only lose 2. Alicia’s sister Leah Robinson, not far off, finished 3rd on 10.
The club has received many emails from competitors, including one from the Isle of Man, saying how they had thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and would return the compliment if anybody found themselves in the Isle of Man.
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to making this one of the Club’s most successful events.
We hope you all enjoyed your day! See you again next time...
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> Posted: 12/03/14
A great entry for the first round of the Ladies & Girls Trials Championship
This Sunday, 16 March sees the Luscombe Suzuki Leeds British Ladies & Girls Trials Championship get underway at Seymours Arena.
We have an entry list of 43 riders, including all the top ladies in the country, so we are set for an excellent day. Richmond MCC's, Katy Sunter is the first lady away at 10:31am.
There are 3 laps of 12 sections to be completed at the famous Seymours Arena, Aston Tirrold, Oxon OX11 9AW. Refreshments, toilets and overnight parking available.
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> Posted: 12/02/14
The Wallace – CANCELLED!
The 1st round of the S3 Championship, The Wallace Cup Trial has now been CANCELLED by request of the land owners due to the land being totally water- logged. It is with great regret that we have had to do this, as so much hard work has gone into the trial by many club members. We have to go with what the land owners ask as without them we could not run our trials. Apologies to everyone who has entered, we have tried our hardest to run this event, but the weather has beaten us again...
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> Posted: 31/01/14
Alicia receives her Award!
On Saturday 25th January the ACU held the annual awards presentation at the Park Inn Hotel in Northampton. The event is held to celebrate the achievements of riders from all disciplines of the ACU.
Alicia Robinson was up on the stage receiving her award for second place in the C Class Ladies & Girls British Trial Championship from Katy Sunter and Dan Thorpe.
Alicia would like to thank everyone who has helped her in 2013, including Ian from Bicester Tyre & Exhaust Centre, Mum, Dad, Leah and Nate for always being there in all weathers and always believing in her. Alicia worked very hard last year and showed a lot of determination and dedication to her riding.
GOOD LUCK FOR 2014 ALICIA!! -
Boxing Day, Hangover Trial – CANCELLED
Thursday, 26 December 2013. The Moors
We are sorry to say, due to the overnight storms on 23rd December we have made the decision to call the Boxing Day Trial off. The working party were out on Tuesday to assess the conditions, the main road was flooded at the entrance to Nappers Lane, and the lane itself is just a flowing river. The car park area in the field is also totally under water. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused, but we've been beaten by the weather yet again. The Trial will be re-scheduled to run in the new year, watch this space for further details.
Have a Merry Christmas.
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> Posted: 02/12/13
Christmas Dinner and Awards Night
It was great to see so many people enjoying the Christmas Dinner and Awards night again this year, there were a large number of award winners across all classes in attendance. Thank you to everyone that came along. It was also lovely to see James Fry and Emma Bristow, who had very kindly agreed to come down to present the awards to our worthy winners. Congratulations to Emma having received a large amount of silverware herself this year.
Thanks to Drayton Park Golf Club management and staff for laying on a tremendous dinner and making us all feel very welcome, and everyone else that helped make it such a successful evening.
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> Posted: 18/11/13
The National Downland Trophy Trial
The final round of the 2013 Sammy Miller Championship, a huge entry took part again this year. The top contenders in various classes of the competition had all entered. This being the final round where the results of a year-long championship would be decided.
Having had a wet period over the last few weeks, the chalky terrain of our Berkshire Downs was in prime condition. The course being approximately 22 miles long with 33 solo sections and 30 sidecar sections. The make-up of the various groups of sections varies from adverse cambers, muddy streams, the now famous Seymours Arena, with its rocks and technical aspects being very different from the group at Lollingdon Hill with its long climbs and the nadgery bits at Aston Pit, Pump House and Air Raid Shelter, the trial finished with the old faithful Strange's Gate, just a few minutes walk from the start back at the Horse & Harrow pub.
The club would like to thank Sammy Miller for his continued support and enthusiasm in ensuring that this popular Series goes on from year to year. Others that the club would like to thank are the landowners who are kind and encouraging towards our club activities, and a special group of people, the observers, all 40 of them, having been out from the crack of dawn making the event happen together with the usual organisers. Special thanks to the new group of course plotters this year who have been out numerous weekends preparing for the event.
Finally, thanks to the Horse & Harrow pub, Helen and Tony, this is the second event since they've been tenants. We hope you took advantage of the breakfasts and roasts that were available throughout the day.
We hope you enjoyed your day! See you again next year...
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> Posted: 30/09/13
Alicia Robinson takes 2nd in C Class Ladies & Girls British Trial Championship
Alicia on the podium in Scotland this weekend after taking second place at the Bob McGregor Trials Academy, the last round of the year. Alicia finished 2nd overall in the Championship. WELL DONE ALICIA!!
The A & B youths were also riding, where Thomas Plant finished a very respectful 5th after beating some tough opposition. Alicia would like to thank everyone at North Berks for their help & support during the year.
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> Posted: 18/08/13
Berks Bonanza Supertrial – An amazing Weekend!
The North Berks Motorcycle Club was honoured to be asked by the Auto Cycle Union (the governing body of Motorcycle sport) to promote the Berks Bonanza Supertrial, as the only round of a British Trials Championship both for ladies and men at the man-made Seymours Arena, Aston Tirrold.
The 7 top British girls lined up to compete for their championship on Saturday. In strong contention were Becky Cook from the Isle of Wight, Emma Bristow from Lincoln, and Joanne Coles from Matlock. Joanne had been away from the sport for the past 3 years training to be a plumber. The ladies went head to head through the 2 qualifying rounds, culminating in a final round to determine in which order they would stand on the rostrum.
In the end Emma was dominant losing 19 marks, to Becky’s 24 and Joanne just in arrears by 4 marks in 3rd place. The final became even more exciting due to heavy rain making the sections slippery, putting these top British girls’ skills to the test. These 3 ladies will form the British team to compete in the World Team Championship being held in Paris later this year and a win for the UK is very much on the cards.
Sunday dawned – a nice bright sunny morning – with 17 of the top British men arriving to challenge an 8 section man-made course of rocks and tree trunks in this disused sand quarry. A large crowd of spectators turned out to witness the skills of these lads. Names to be looking out for were James Dabill of Barnsley (Beta works rider), Michael Brown from Scarborough (GasGas works rider), Jack Sheppard from Ipswich (Beta works rider), also in the line up were local riders: Bradley Cox of Begbroke, currently competing in the World under 21 class, at the moment in 3rd place, Alexz Wigg from Winslow, nephew of the late Simon Wigg, former Oxford Speedway rider and World Longtrack Champion.
The event got underway at 1030 hours, with 2 eliminating laps of 8 sections with the 8 lowest points scorers going into a final. The competition is all about the lowest points scorers. The golden rule being keep your feet firmly on the footrests. Every time you put your feet on the floor or stop you are losing marks. After the 2 qualifying laps the 8 through to the final were: Dabill, Brown, Wigg, Danby, Haslam, Sheppard, Richardson and Chilton.
The competition was awesome.
Up to section 4 any one of the following 3 was in fierce contention: Dabill, Brown and Wigg, with Sheppard and Chilton not too far behind. Brown was just a few marks in the lead as Dabill had lost 5 marks early on. Alexz Wigg was showing a good account of himself. At the half-way stage the unlucky 4 to be dropped were Danby, Haslam, Richardson and Chilton. And so the competition moved on to section 5, a nadgery hazard with large boulders to contend with. The spectators were treated to some superb skilled riding. Section 7, which is slightly uphill known as the staircase, with ascending steps sorted the “men from the boys”. And so on to section 8, seeing Brown lose 5 marks, put Dabill back into contention, with Wigg and Sheppard a distance behind.
Finally, the last section of the day, a massive 20’ sheer wall waterfall but alas not one of the 4 riders managed to conquer this and penalty marks were lost by all riders. So the final results being: in first place British Arena Trials Champion for 2013 – James Dabill, 2nd Michael Brown, 3rd Alexz Wigg, 4th Jack Sheppard. And so a brilliant 2 days of top class trials riding was witnessed and enjoyed by a large crowd.
Well done to all the riders that took part and thanks to everyone involved, as usual the club put on an amazing event which just goes from strength to strength each year.
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> Posted: 17/06/13
Another fantastic weekend at Besselsleigh!
North Berks MCC returned to the favourite Besselsleigh for their annual 2 day club trial & camping weekend.
Saturdays trial started at 3pm just after a torrential downpour, with a good entry of 55 riders, there were 4 laps of 8 sections to be completed. It was a good afternoon and the rain held off for the trial. In the expert class Will McBain was leading the way with Jordan Fletcher and Darren Wheeler close behind, but Will took the win, Jordan 2nd and Darren 3rd. Dave Pratt just nipped to 4th keeping Tom O’sullivan and Adam Webb at bay. Calvin Hunt won the 50/50 route with Justin Heavens 2nd and Joe Bayliss just got 3rd from Mark Kendell for having more cleans.
Reynard Norris had an excellent ride on clubman B just losing 1 mark. Kevin Miller and Andy Perry were right behind him on 7 and 10.
Eddie Priscott, David Radford and local legend Kevin McCullagh were all on 4 marks lost but Eddie got the win with the most cleans. Tom Plant had a cracking day in youth A, he won on 17 marks lost with Danyon Hume 2nd on 53 marks. Frazer Strutt was the only youth 50/50 on Saturday. Liam Anderson had a clear win in youth B with Kieren Tame 2nd and Luke Townsend 3rd. Luke Hora and Local Ladies British Championship contender Alicia Robinson were having a close battle in youth C, but Luke just won losing 3 marks and Alicia lost 4. Ryan Harris came a clear 3rd with Luke Webb and Oscar Jones battling it out for 4th. Youth D was won by Alfie Rimmell with Zak Jones 2nd, Ben Barnard 3rd and Ewan Priscott 4th.
A lot of riders camped on the Saturday night with some lively entertainment in the camping field, but we all think Jason Gooch needs to tune the banjo better next time!
Sunday saw many riders return and also some new faces came. Again the rain just managed to stay away. It wasn’t a good day for Will McBain as Jordan Fletcher won the experts by 1 point, Darren Wheeler was in a close 3rd again. Calvin Hunt again won 50/50 with Justin Heavens 2nd and Swindon star Keith Wooster 3rd. Andy Perry had an excellent ride in Clubman B winning by losing just 1 mark. Lee Sullivan 2nd, Declan Webb 3rd and Richard Harbud 4th. Clubman C was a big entry again, David Radford took the win with an excellent ride losing just 1 mark with Kevin McCullagh losing 5 and Chris James losing 7. Mark Stokes was the only pre65 and he lost 3 marks. Youth A was won by Tom Plant who today only dropped 4 marks and Danyon close behind on 28. Frazer Strutt had company today in youth 50/50 with British Ladies Championship contender Victoria Payne and she took the win dropping 32 marks. Luke Anderson again won youth B. Alicia worked hard today and won losing 2 marks and Luke Hora 2nd on 9, with Ryan Harris close behind and again Luke Webb and Oscar Jones battling together. Charley Hunt won D class losing no marks and brother and sister Nate and Leah Robinson were battling for 2nd, with Leah dropping 1 mark and Nate losing 9 so a very close battle.
Well done and thanks to Stuart and his marking-out crew who had to do a fair bit of cutting out to make the sections accessible, there was a lot of water laying in the wood, so a few new sections had to be devised, but with these guys you know you will get a suitable challenge.
Thanks to all our loyal observers as usual, who we couldn't run the trials without, also Sue for signing everyone on and getting the results out quickly, double the work this time!
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> Posted: 21/04/13
Good turnout at Chilton Hollow
We had forty nine riders enter for round 02 of the North Berks Club Trial Series at Chilton Hollow, Nr Didcot. The sections were generally dry except for section 8 where a Jetski would possibly have been more appropriate. The sun was shining and a great day was had by all.
Well done and thanks to the marking-out crew who had to re-lay all the sections early on Sunday morning, they had been marked out in the week but someone had been kind enough to remove all the flags, twice!
Thanks also go out to all our loyal observers and Sue for the signing on and results.
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> Posted: 11/02/13
2013 Wallace Cancelled
North Berks MCC regret to advise that the Wallace Cup Trial, Round 1 of the 2013 S3 Parts Championship due to be held on Sunday 17th February has been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.
Most of the course has become water-logged which was causing concern to many of the land owners. The car park at the start area is also flooded. The committee had to make a hard decision to cancel the trial in the interest of future use of the land.
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> Posted: 29/01/13
Well done to Alicia Robinson
On Saturday 26th Jan the ACU held the annual Awards Presentation at the Park Inn Hotel in Northampton. This year Alicia came a well deserved 3rd in C Class of the Ladies British Trials Championship. Looking forward to next year being No 1. -
> Posted: 17/09/12
Alicia Robinson takes third in Ladies British Championships
Alicia came 3rd today at Horsforth in the final round of the Ladies British Championship, she was just 2 points away from 2nd. Alicia has now finished 3rd overall in the championship so well done Alicia, all the miles we've travelled all the sweat & tears that have been shed have been worth every bit of it!!!
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> Posted: 16.08.12
North Berks 2012 Super Trial (Mens Report)
By the time the 11am start was reached hundreds of spectators had crammed into Seymour's Arena to watch the best of the Uk's top trials riders take on the outdoor arena.
The heats consisted of two laps of eight subs which had to be ridden twice within a two hour time allowance. The top six qualifiers would then go into a single lap shoot out.
Alexz Wigg had the dubious honour of being the first away but he dealt with the steep drops and climbs without any problems as did most of the entry. Section two was a different proposition for everyone with some huge steps involved and the majority of the spectators lined both sides of the banks to watch the action. It did catch out many of the riders for maximums but 3 times British Champion James Dabill looked so good it must have had an effect on his rivals as he floated over the biggest steps. It was not however just Dib's going well as Jack Challoner reminded the British fans of his pedigree with some stunning rides. One of the best rides however ended in failure as Bradley Cox on a 125 was only beaten by the final step out, he looks well at home on the big stage.
Alexz showed the way through Section 5 with its stepped climbs, tree stumps and nasty rock jumble. One dab and a couple of seconds left on the time allowance showed he too was getting into his stride.
As we finished lap one Dabill remained clean as was Brownie and with Wigg on sixteen after doing the trailblazing work.
Lap 2 saw more of the same with another clean lap from James whilst Michael had a solitary dab at the 'Woodyard' a mega selection of multi angled trees. Jack Challoner was the only other rider to clean this hazard whilst Ross Danby took plenty of applause as he got through for a 2 mark penalty. Jack Challoner nearly made a clean lap but he just took a dab on the staircase sub but he was easily through to the final. So too was Alexz and Jack Sheppard with Sam Haslam getting the last place just edging out Ross Danby.
For the final some tricky alterations were made to many of the subs and we had two additional hazards with what is now the traditional finale the man made waterfall.
Section 1 now had a reverse climb thrown in for good measure. Sam Haslam started things off for a 2, Sheppard had a maximum whilst the other finalists started with clean rides.
Michael took a 5 at the second sub as the Gas Gas just slipped off the final step out, it was just so close and when James went though clean the writing was already on the wall. Section 4 gave the riders a little breather but the fifth was not in such benevolent mood. It was the sharp climb over a tree that was to be the undoing and again Dabill was to be the only clean. Five sections done and the last two riders were dropped from the competition but Sam Haslam and Jack Sheppard had ridden some great stuff to get this far.
The 'Woodyard' was a great spectator draw but saw some excellent cleans as we moved to section 7 and the first marks lost for Dib's. It was time and not the rockery that did for him, he was not happy as the whistle went a couple of yards from the ends card. The 'Staircase' at Section 8 proved really hard again it was the step out at the end that did it and JD's two marks here really meant it was all over for the 2012 win. He was also the only clean at the 'Waterfall' a brilliant end to a superb weekends trials sport . It really was that good and the North Berks deserve all the plaudits you can throw their way.
Thanks to Colin Bullock
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> Posted: 16.08.12
North Berks 2012 Super Trial (Ladies Report)
The North Berkshire MCC went one better this year and made their Supertrial into a weekend event with a ladies event on the Saturday with the men’s running on Sunday.
The venue was of course Seymour’s Arena suitably tuned and improved by Stuart Robinson and his crew and the result was two great well, supported days.
Saturday Ladies Trial.
There were just five riders taking part, but the level of riding against some tough hazards provided a great opener.
Emma Bristow was the front runner taking the Ossa around lap 1 for a superb loss of just 5 marks lost most of which went on the second sub which had some big rock steps. This hazard took a five from Becky Cook and when she had a similar result on the fifth things were not looking too good for the British #1 but there was still a long way to go. Nikkita Smith was riding behind these two but she was giving a great account of herself on the 125 Gas Gas and she finished her first circuit with two cleans and a dab to go third. Lap 2 saw more of the same with Emma setting the pace from Becky. Nikkita was again solid in 3rd whilst Danielle Whitham and Jess Brown both looked more confident as the day went on.
Emma, Becky and Nikkita went through to the final and the scores were returned to zero. The waterfall section was added although the ladies had a slight easing of the flags here but it was still pretty daunting. Smith was first through the hazards, a real disadvantage but the youngest rider was not over outwardly overawed and she put on a great show. Becky and Emma posted four straight cleans then Cook gained a two point advantage with a three on sub 5 which Emma fived. It then swung back the other way when Becky needed three to get through the banking of the seventh hazard which Emma cleaned. It all came down to the ‘Waterfall’ after the ‘Staircase’ which had left Becky two marks ahead. With the minders making sure there were no nasty falls it ended up with 5’s all around. Bristow got through the section the only one to see the ends card but she had been given a maximum for a foot down stall so despite all the good early work the first ladies win went to Becky Cook. -
North Berks 'Bonanza' Super Trial
What: An 'Arena Trial', where world class, top british riders ride their Trials Motorcycles over a series of man-made and natural obstacles. Not sure what to expect? Do you remember the 1980s BBC TV series 'Kickstart' ? It's moved on a bit since then, but it will give you an idea of what it's about. Or check out these photographs from other North Berks MCC events ...
Preparation for the event has been on-going for weeks and months... here are some recent photos from Wednesday and Saturday before the event.
Where: At a location known locally as 'Seymour's Arena' between South Moreton and Aston Tirrold. It will be signposted from the A417. Click for a map and directions.
When: Sunday 27th July. Gates are open from 10am, with the action starting at Midday - with a series of heats (2 x 8 Sections) building towards a final throughout the afternoon, which will include the top 4 riders from qualifying, competing on one final lap - which will contain on extra 'special' section not included in the heats!
Entry fee will be £10 for adults, including a programme, with children under 5 free.
Who: The following riders have confirmed their attendance - these are the some of the best riders in the country, so exciting, quality entertainment is guaranteed;
Alexz Wigg, Graham Jarvis, Shaun Morris, Sam Haslam, James Dabill, Jack Challoner, Michael Brown, Sam Connor and Ross Danby
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John Wheeler British Bike Night - Tues July 15 Horse & Harrow, West Hagbourne
Once again a lovely summer's evening enticed hundreds of bike enthusiasts and local families to the Horse and Harrow in West Hagbourne for the Annual British Bike Night. On display was an outstanding selection of classic british bikes, modern superbikes and the Trials Arena, some of which are included in the following photo album. -
Closed to Club Trial Round 3
Sunday 13th April 2008 A spring like morning welcomed officials and riders to The Moors, East Hagbourne where 4 laps of 8 sections had been planned. The expert class was a tough fought contest between club stalwart Stuart Robinson and Joe Harris, and only one mark separated these two at the end of the event - with Joe taking the top spot ahead of Stuart - and Dan Clarke from High Wycombe only a few marks behind.
Clubman B class, Justin Heavens on his 4-stroke Montesa took the win by 6 marks over Lars Sexton, 5 marks behind was Mick Metcalfe. Kevin McCullagh, the grand master of trials in this part of the world, again showed his fellow competitors in Clubman C class how it should be done losing a total of 11. Some 30 marks behind were Mick Bayliss and Richard Gardiner, with Mick taking second place once the tie break system was applied.
Youth A, also riding the hard route, was won by Will McBain, had he been old enough to ride in the adult class he would have won the trial outright by some 8 marks, 2nd Ross Fletcher, 3rd Joe Bayliss. Youth B, Jordan Fletcher, brother of Ross, won this from second place Tom Matthews. Youth C was quite tight, Alex Muirhead taking top spot by 3 marks, from local lad Neil Dodd, 3rd was Thomas O'Sullivan, and 4th Ambeerley Nevill the only girl in the event. Amberley has a famous dad who is known to ride an enduro sidecar outfit quite quick, with Amberley's mum in the chair. April showers were not too far away and a couple of heavy scuds came down during the event making some of the banks a little more slick.
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Closed to Club Trial Round 2 Sun 16th March; Seymour's Arena
Similar to last year, when the arena was flooded, heavy rain overnight made the going a bit slippery, particularly on the 'C-route'. Despite the weather there was still a good turnout - with 30 riders and a full set of observers. Stuart has asked me to express his thanks to all those involved - whether setting out, observing or riding.
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'The Hangover Trial' Boxing Day - 2008 Round 1
Once again there was a surprisingly good turn out on Boxing Day, with a total of 43 riders. There was a great selection of sections as always, so thanks to the team for setting everything out, including some new sections amongst the trees and logs in the middle of the field, as well as two along the lane. The ground was a bit wet and sticky and there was the usual 'bog' and stream sections to look forward to!
I'll put a link below to a few photo's that I managed to take after I'd finished riding - I've been promised some more from other sources, so come back later and see what's been added... -
Annual Dinner and Awards 2007
FTR You may have heard that Alexz Wigg has recently joined Future Trial Racing Team, but guess who else has recently joined.
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The Winston Grove National Downland Trophy Trial
The Final Round of the 2007 Sammy Miller British Bike Championships took place today, Sunday 18th November. Once again Riders converged from the far corners of the country to compete with nearly 80 riders entered on a range of bikes, including 11 Sidecars. Despite the rain and cold weather, the concensus from the riders was that, as always, it was a enjoyable day and a great course - sentiments echoed by Neil Gaunt, who couldn't quite repeat his winning clean round from last year - he lost only one mark this year!
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Closed to Club Trial - Round 5 - Bessels Leigh Copse Saturday 18th August 2007
Many thanks once again to the Amey Trust for the use of The Bessels Leigh Copse. The club would like to apologise for having to cancel day 2 at the copse, but the clerk of the course and other club members came to the conclusion that the course would not take another day's pounding after the persistent rain during Saturday. Everyone with the exception of David Pratt had to be towed out, he managed to do it clean. Thank you to Richard Gardiner and Justin Heavens for operating Gardiner Heavens recovery service - well done. So in the interest of preserving the use of land for future events reluctantly Sunday's event was cancelled. We will try to reschedule day 2 at Bessels Leigh in October.
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John Wheeler British Bike Night 17th July 2007
Despite the threat of wet weather, once again there was a fantastic selection of outstanding bikes to be seen, ranging from classic british bikes through to modern superbikes.
The well prepared Trials Arena proved a popular attraction once again with a good turn out of our youth club riders putting on a great show over the different skips and cars that added new interest this year.
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Closed to Club Trial - Round - Seymour's Arena Sunday 24th June 2007
The rain just about held off for the four laps of 8 sections - with sections 3 and 5 proving particularly tricky. Thanks to all the people who supported this event - in particular Mick Bayliss, Geoff Pratt and Clive Matthews for setting up another great trial and to the Observers who braved the weather on the day.
Photographs - Coming soon I promise. If anyone has additional photos they would like to share, please email them to me and I will put them up.
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Berks Bonanza 2007
The weather seemed to be a repeat of last year - rain overnight but with the promise of sunshine later. The track had been carefully re-positioned and marked out, the grass cut and rolled and the hundreds of wooden posts knocked in, painted and roped up by the hardworking setup team. More ...
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Closed to Club Trial - Round 3 - The Moors, Nappers Lane, Sunday 15th April 2007
Another excellent trial, once again in glorious sunshine. The use of some additional sections 'further along the lane' added fresh interest; for some of our newer members, this was the first time these had been included. Thanks once again to the team for a great course.
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Closed to Club Trial - Round 2 - Sunday 18th March 2007
A good turn out of 36 riders all arrived at Seymour's Arena keen to try out the selection of brand new and revamped sections, based on the work from the recent Wallace Trial - and they were not disappointed - despite mixed weather that included gale force winds, hail, rain and brilliant sunshine.
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The Novogar 'Wallace Cup' Trial - Sunday 25th Feb 2007
Our very own Joe Harris was first out of the blocks for another successful Novogar National Trials event. After a slow start, the other 93 riders were on their way to experience a range of familiar and new sections created by Clerk of the Course, Stuart Robinson and his team. -
> Posted: 26.12.06
'The Hangover Trial' Boxing Day - Closed to Club Trial - 2007 Round 1
After extensive trimming of bushes and the felling of tree branches, the sections were marked out ready for the first round of the 2007 Closed to Club Trials.
The ground was a bit wet and sticky and there was the usual 'bog' and stream sections to look forward to. In all there were 47 riders and our man with the camera, Les Bayliss, took a checklist around with him today, so there should be at least one photo of everyone! Photographs; Results
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> Posted: 08.10.06
Closed to Club Trial - Round 7
The final round of the Closed to Club Trials series was held at Seymour's Arena on 8th October.
Overall 2006 Championship Results John has also compiled the results for all rounds of the Closed to Club Trials. And the Winners are ...
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> Posted: 17.09.06
Change of date for October Club Trial
The final round of the Closed to Club Trials series date has been changed from Sunday 1st October to Sunday 8th October to avoid clashes with other events. It will be at Seymour's Arena, starting at 10.00am.
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> Posted: 20.08.06
Besselsleigh 2-Day Trial
The course had been carefully prepared and marked out. The Campers among us has pitched up and set up camp, ready for a full weekend of Trials Competition and singing round the campfire at this outstanding venue. Only the weather could upset things, which it did with a downpour on the Saturday evening. This made some of the sections a bit too slippery for comfort, although things had improved a bit in time for the Sunday morning event. The following link will take you to some photos of the event. (Thanks to Mick Bayliss) Results now on-line. Saturday; Sunday
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> Posted: 30.07.06
World Trials Championship
Hawkstone Park; Less than two weeks ago Alexz Wigg, Sam Haslam, Ross Danby and Stuart Robinson were amongst the small group of trials riders entertaining the crowds and having fun in the North Berks MCC Trials Arena at the British Bike Night in West Hagbourne.
Today they were all to be found amongst the cream of world class trials talent, doing a much more serious job, at the British Round of the World Trials Championship at Hawkstone Park.
We decided to follow Alexz and Stuart around most of their first lap, and take photographs, as they worked their magic to create yet another outstanding win!
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> Posted: 17.07.06
John Wheeler British Bike Night 2006
The record breaking weather resulted in a record breaking turn out at the John Wheeler British Bike Night 2006 with an estimated 4000 people in attendance. Once again there was a fantastic selection of outstanding bikes to be seen, ranging from classic british bikes through to modern superbikes. To see a selection of photographs, click here. For additional photos contributed by Malcolm Brownsword, click here.
The well prepared Trials Arena proved a popular attraction once again, with a top class selection of visiting riders including Alexz Wigg, Sam Haslam and Ross Danby as well as our own club youth riders who put on a great show. For photographs of the Trials Arena click here.
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> Posted: 01.07.06
Mystery Trials Rider?
A mystery trials rider was spotted along the Blewbury Road in East Hagbourne over the weekend. The clothing (and hair style) he was sporting had a distinct likeness to those worn by Stuart Robinson in yesteryears, but Stuart was out of the country at the World Championship Round in Italy, so it couldn't have been him!
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> Posted: 18.06.06
Not getting a lay in and breakfast in bed for Father's Day was more than compensated for by the glorious hot Summer's day that greeted riders at Seymours Arena for Round 4 of the Closed to Club Trial. The nettles and weeds had all been cut back to reveal some interesting new sections as well as some new takes on exisiting ones. There were even special sections for 'TY80 & Small Wheel Bikes', which was particularly welcomed by Neil Dodd who made his trials riding debut. Neil got off to a cracking start, with his confidence clearly increasing on every section, even giving his dad, Derek, a run for his money on some sections! (not a good move on Fathers Day, Neil, particularly as you want a bigger bike!) A selection of photographs have been uploaded, as well as the initial results.
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> Posted: 11.05.06
Evening Trials Practice and Coaching Sessions
Now that Summer is nearly here and the evenings are getting lighter, a series of evening practice sessions have been arranged at Seymours Arena again this year, for anyone in the club to attend. The first session will be on Wednesday 24th May, from 5pm onwards. More details ...
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> Posted: 01.05.06
Berks Bonanza GrassTrack
Despite fears that rain may spoil the event, the sun decided to shine on us for the event. Months and weeks of advanced preparation culminated in a very successful event. To read more, follow this link ...
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> Posted: 09.04.06
Club Trial Championship Round 3
The rain and hail held off just long enough for yet another successful Club Championship event. The sun was shining and the overnight rain had not spoiled the available grip, so the sections were just right, without being too slippery. As promised, Stuart and the setting out team had resurrected some areas of The Moors that hadn't been used for a while, so there were some fresh challenges as well as a new perspective on some of the more familiar sections - the start of Section 1, passing through the fork between the branches of a tree and Section 5, which involved going back and forth across a fallen tree, both proved particularly interesting! Section 6 proved quite tricky too, again with a quick dip in to the stream, followed by a tight turn on the opposite bank, exiting through the branches of a tree and back in to the stream.
Once again the Snack Bar was in attendance, supplying food and drinks to keep everyone going and a good time was had by all. Les Bayliss was out and about with the camera again, snapping riders and observers from all sorts of creative angles!
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> Posted: 19.03.06
Club Trial Championship Round 2
Glorious weather, great sections, good food and great fun was had by all. Les Bayliss was out and about with a camera, snapping riders and observers from all sorts of creative angles! Click the following links; Photographs; Results.
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> Posted: 08.03.06
Club Trial Championship
It's all systems go for the 2nd round of the Club Trial Championship, with Seymour's Arena confirmed as the venue for the 19th March. As usual it will be an entry on the day event with an entry fee of £10 for adults and £7 for youth riders.
Current plans from the team marking out the course is to do 4 laps of 8 sections, with 3 alternative routes for Experts, Clubman and Novices. Start time will be 10am with a duration of 3 hours.
Please revisit the Events page for further details or look at the TMX News closer to the date.
Also, we have the go ahead the next round on April 9th at the Moors, Nappers Lane. Stuart is looking forward to resurrecting a few sections that we haven't used for a while, so it should be another great event!
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> Posted: 26.02.06
ACU Novagar 2006 Championship
Wallace Cup Trial Results and initial photographs are now available to download.
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> Posted: 21.02.06
Cardiff Speedway Grand Prix
Details of the trip to the Speedway Grand Prix in Cardiff have been added to the Events page.
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> Posted: 17.02.06
Round 1 Novogar Championship
The list of entries, rider number and start time for the National Wallace Cup, Round 1 Novogar Championship on Sunday 26 February 2006 have now been published at the following link.
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> Posted: 31.01.06
Life membership award
Dave Williams receives a life membership award at the 2006 Annaul General Meeting in recognition of his long standing affiliation with the club.
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> Posted: 16.01.06
2006 Wallace Cup
Details and forms for the 2006 Wallace Cup Trial have now been added to the calendar.