Crackpot Trial Last Sunday.

[rennie]

The thing is the Crackpot trial's not a Novagar it's a Yorkshire Centre Championship - Expert, intermediate and Novice. If people read the regs before they set off they'd know what they were letting themselves in for. This applies to all trials. Richmond club put on some club trials where the only youth class is "A", with good reason, it allow those that set it out to plot a route and put sections on that are a little more challengeing, but they still get "C" class kids turning up to ride. I don't know if its over eager parents who think little Jonny is capable of riding harder stuff, the end result is usually little kids getting stuck in sections, having to be pulled out and holding everyone up. I would probably be rude and tell them they can't ride and either go home or take an observers board but the secretary is far too polite and allows them to ride up a class.

[s70rrb]

Just like to add my 2 peneth to the debate. I, like perc mark out many of the Richmond trials, and I like every green course and clubman rider who rode at crackpot expected to ride a seperate course to the good lads, so I was a little shocked on entering to be told there was only 1 course.

However I have got to say that the route and the sections were absolutely superb and full credit should go to AG and gang for having the balls to plot just a one route trial.

Although I rode as if Id lost my foot pegs I really enjoyed the challenge of riding the same sections as the Hemingways and co.

Every section was ridable and there was nothing dangerous or silly, just excellent natural hazards.

Look forward to next years trial.

S70RRB

[baldilocks]

I dont think the vast majority of people who started riding over the last ten years believe the people that rode before then but i'm going to say it anyway. My second trial age 11 was at a place called Rookhope in weardale. I was on a whitehawk ty80 and it was a centre trial with one route. I didnt get through many sections but I enjoyed it all the same.

I've marked quite a few trials out in the past but I think the multi course idea is a pain nowadays. I've been criticised for making the easy course too hard before and i've told people that what they claim is too hard for them on a water cooled disc brake monoshock is actually an old section that my dad and his friends used to do on their bultos and montesas. I'm not saying either me or my dad were/are any good but that peoples expectations are different.

everyone wants to feel like a superstar and finish on 20 marks so people stay on the easy or middle course rather than progress.

the trouble I have with this is that its getting to the point in the North East were the hard course is considered last as it has the lowest number of entries. We therefore end up with lots of tight sections set out around the middle route. How does the sport progress if we scrap the top course ?

I think getting back to one route over a period of time is the way forward well done richmond for having a go.

[the addict]

How about setting one route for the trial but having two sets of end cards, one in the middle of the section roughly for the easier course (and before the big step) and the hard route rides further on up over the nasty stuff. May have to lengthen the sections abit for the two classes to have plenty to do, but could make things easier for the club to organise and mark. Could even give the clubman riders the option of getting a score doing the hard route as well to see what the course is actually like to ride and not interfere with their actual clubman entry. If they clean their part of the section they could ride on and see how well they would have done on the hard route. Gives the clubman the chance to ride the harder sections and improve without having a nightmare day and never do it again. If you dont fancy a big step just ride through your end cards and out of the section, fancy having a go, keep going, observer could mark seperately the clubmans hard route score.

I would have enjoyed most of the Hipwell sections on the hard route but some were out of my depth so I rode the easier course, this would have given me the chance to ride the hard sections I felt confident on and had a good day riding harder sections some of the time, rather than struggle like hell doing the hard route only.

Edited September 29, 2006 by Betarev3

[baldilocks]

thats not a bad idea mate, certainly worth a go if the terrain lends itself

[perce]

How about setting one route for the trial but having two sets of end cards.

That's how we've been doing the splits in sections on our day in the 3 day for some time.