The Isle of Wight Motorcycle Club held the fifth round of the 2018 Winter Trials Championship on Sunday 25th March at Newbarn Farm, Calbourne. The Club would like to thank Mr Chris Spence for welcoming us back to this superb venue. We would also like to say a big thank you to the course setters; Simon Newnham, Alan Gosden and Malcolm Hawkins - who between them set eight top sections, Viki Taylor for her excellent camera skills and to all the Observers – top effort people. The weather conditions were perfect, overcast, dry and relatively warm. Despite the recent wet weather leading into the weekend the ground conditions were also good, a little greasy for the first two laps but by lap three there was loads of grip to be had.
There were three Youth riders in action this afternoon, headed up by Harvey Grieve (Youth Expert) who rode the tricky sections with great determination finishing on a total of sixty-two – sounds a big number but actually this was an excellent performance on the B route. Young Alfie Haydon continues to improve and impress in the Youth Novice class. Alfie completed the C route with an amazing total of just twenty-two, beating all of the adults tackling the same route. Relative newcomer Dan Locke (Youth Beginner) also continues to gain in confidence with every outing – very good effort by all these young riders.
The Expert class was emphatically won by Rob Howard who finished with a total of twenty-one, section five proved to be his nemesis, accounting for seventeen of his lost marks – superb ride Rob. James Stay seemed to struggle today but persevered to hold onto second place from Jos Wright in third. James commented, that during his pre-trial preparations, he may well have over lubricated - which undoubtedly accounted for his below par performance!
Meanwhile the Intermediate group of riders resulted in a win for Ross Haydon, who took on the B route on his twin shock Fantic. Ross finished four marks clear of Andy Steele in second with course setters Alan Gosden and Malcolm Hawkins in third and fourth respectively.
Ben Brodie took the spoils in the Clubman class, the clear winner, from Keith Jacobs in second with Phil Chase forced to settle for the third spot on this occasion. Some good riding by all three riders none the less. Paul Kent returned to winning ways in the Novice group of riders, ending the day with a score of thirty-four, ten marks clear of Robert Baker in second who just about held Colin Brodie in third. Colin must be pleased with his efforts after only his second trial following a prolonged break of several years. Dan Flux also deserves a mention in fourth along with Robert Herzberg in fifth place – there were only five marks between second and fifth places!
Joe Taylor, despite riding unopposed, secured himself another ten Championship points in the Adult Beginner class. Joe completed the trial with the lowest score of the day with only fifteen dropped marks. Gary Jones (Sportsman) should be pleased with his tally of sixteen. John Townsend, the only British Bike rider also went home happy with his efforts, notching up another maximum ten points.
The Club next meet for the Downend Cup on Sunday 8th April with the usual start time of twelve noon. Please check the Club website for all the details, nearer the time. The 2018 Wight Two Day Trial is fast approaching (21st & 22nd April) entries close on April 14th – If you are planning on joining us you need to get your paperwork sent in asap to avoid disappointment. All the details can be found on the website in the Forms section – time is running out!