WITH Lancs County’s national Angela Redford trial, round three of the ACU Traditional Trials Championship for Pre 75 British Bikes, Twin-shocks, Air-cooled monoshocks, Over 40, Over 50 and Over 60 riders on modern bikes, coming up in two weeks (still time for an entry as we don’t close until next Saturday), it was case of braving very cold winds on Saturday morning to begin the job of cutting out some new sections on the previously unused piece of land we have been offered.
The last time the half dozen or so club members went up to take a look at the offering was back in October and it was obvious that we had some good options. Now, having been up with hooks, bow saws and loppers and having had the chance to see what is actually underneath all the overgrown bushes and trees, there is some really good stuff.
Five of us turned up on Saturday morning, and though we were only out for a couple of hours, it’s amazing what can be done in the time. Trimming back the branches, filling in the holes in the washed out becks with rocks and making the impossible very rideable, all takes time, but the end result is pretty impressive and we reckon it’s a major addition to an already good offering.
Every weekend clubs up and down the country will be doing the same and it’s one of the pleasureable aspects of trials organising. Unfortunately, there are not so many riders that want to get involved, but if you get the chance to help, do so because there’s no doubt you get a strong sense of satisfaction for having found new hazards and making them rideable.
The news that Graham Jarvis has been allocated a licence to promote a World Championship trial in Britain next year is really good news. I’ve known for a long while that Graham had plans in that direction, but I was happy to respect his request for confidentiality in case it never came off. The land at Nord Vue, just off the A6 between Penrith and Carlisle is better known to riders in the north as Brownrigg Fell and has been used for trials for many years by the Cumberland County MCC. However, it has been developed in recent years into a riding establishment and been taken over by Dirtbike Trax as a hare and hounds venue – they were able to offer much larger incentives to the landowner than any trials club could hope to provide.
Obviously Graham, and his promoting colleagues have a massive job on their hands, and inevitably there are bound to be comparisons between whatever they offer and the well organised events that have taken place at Hawkstone Park over the past three years where Lampkin and Miller were the promoters.
There’s still over 14 months to go before the event takes place, so there’s plenty of time to get the job done properly and I admire anybody who is prepared to take up the option to organise such a massive undertaking.
I really hope the event is well supported by spectators. The venue is a fair way north for those travelling from the south, whereas Hawkstone is reasonably central and I trust that this won’t prove to be a stumbling block in getting a decent attendance to the event. Motorway access is excellent, so that should help as it’s only ten minutes or so off the M6. Previous world rounds at Pateley Bridge and Bainbridge were well supported and they were less accessible. However, the cost of travelling is now so great, it must be of some concern and of course that can never be known until the day.
And the day, as I’m sure you must know, is May 17, 2009, which should prove a favourable time of year weather wise. There’s a certainly a better chance of hitting decent weather than if it was held six weeks earlier. Time will tell.
One of the reasons why Hawkstone’s world rounds were such a success is that L and M were able to tap into previous business experience when it came to providing all the personnell and infrastructure needed for such an event. To come in cold as an organiser and have to source everything that is needed from scratch is a big ask, and I hope that those who have had some experience from previous events will make that experience available to the new promoter.
And you can read into that paragraph what you will!