Trials Central - The Lion With No Teeth

The Lion With No Teeth

Date: 19.07.2009

This is a relatively quiet time for trials; the kids have broken up, clubs tend to slow down with the organisation of events as many folks take holidays; the World Championship is in recess until September and with warm sunny weather (!!), there are other things to do at weekends – or so I’m told.

However, trials are very much my interest and on Saturday, having finished work earlyish I popped up to have a look at a minor Westmorland club trial not far from home.

Trialing is a sport unlike any other for many different reasons, with riders of diverse interests and abilities taking part. And in this trial, the Kefty Watson Memorial trial, event for Twinshocks and Pre 65s there was a multiple TT winner and lap record holder in Mick Grant and a guy who at one time rode the Wall of Death at fairs and showgrounds in the shape of Craig Ashbridge.

Mick Grant of course needs no introduction to the world of trials, he’s a regular at many clubs and championships, whilst Craig sticks to Northern Centre events and by his own admission is “slow and crap”.

Mick is a talented rider, simple as that and whilst Craig may not be the world’s best trials rider, nor indeed anything other than an average club trials rider, I see him as a star, for how many folks can actually ride the Wall of Death, and how many folks would be prepared to give it a go?

In the pub at the end of the trial for sandwiches and chips my two heroes chatted amiably about the different aspects of their bike careers. Mick is still in demand demonstrating his factory Kawasakis that he rode to victory, and whilst Craig no longer rides the Wall, he can relate tales as interesting as those of Mick, including the Wall rider who did it on a sidecar, with a lion that had had its teeth removed, in the chair. I kid you not!

And whilst the entry was small in number for this trial, there was a wide variety of very tidy machinery in the event including an immaculate 240 Fantic, a superbly rebuilt 350 Italjet in the most lurid shade of green as well as the usual Honda TLRs, TY Yams, a 350 AJS, an immaculate Cheetah, Mick’s superb Ariel and Peter Gaunt out on his latest creation, a 175 BSA. There’s no doubt the twinshock world has a greater variety of machinery available than the current modern scene.

I mentioned briefly last week postings on this website about the suggestion from Mark Whitham (on behalf of the SSDT committee) about moving the start of the trial from the West End car park to industrial units on the road to Aonach Mor.

Last week there were not enough postings to get a feel for the reaction, but now, a week later, I get the impression that those who have posted are generally in favour of the trial start staying exactly where it has been for many years, the West End car park.

Obviously, no decision has been made, nor will it for a good many months yet, but I do know that the Edinburgh club value all the comments and will consider both options very carefully indeed before announcing where next year’s start is to be.

On to other matters now.

The words you are reading here this week represent a milestone in my life.

This is my 400th weekly column for the media. I wrote 274 weekly columns for page four of Trials and Motocross News and this is now my 126th contribution to Trials Central.

I wrote column number one for the TMX edition on the first Friday in January 2001, and have since plugged away week after week. I have never willingly missed a week, though occasionally TMX filled “my” page with words from a guest contributor but since joining TC, I have missed just two weeks when I have been away on holiday.

Back in 2001 it never crossed my mind as to how many columns I would write; all I knew was that I could never hope to achieve the number written by the late Ralph Venables who penned well over 1000.

So will there be many more? That, dear reader is something I simply cannot answer.

Discuss this article in the Trials Central Forums (registration required)

Back

Column Sponsor