Luke Walker won the annual New Year Trial at Dob Park on Sunday beating Guy Kendrew and Richard Sadler in what was a very polished ride by the Ashby de la Zouch MRS Sherco team member. After taking in the delights of the Sheffield arena trial the intrepid pair, father Andrew and Luke opted for a night on the tiles, well something akin to that. They headed up the M1 and camped on Snowdon Moor a mile from Dob Park appearing at the start none the worse for an evening in a Transit van on top of an exposed moor in sub zero temperatures.
A first lap stop on Browns plus a dab in the pine needles in the third section was the score for the Sherco rider.Guy Kendrew rode the first twelve sections for four dabs which was matched by Richard Sadler. Ben Hemingway was also making progress but a stop in the fourth section on lap dropped him away from front runners. The course plan was a dozen sections in dense Brown’s Wood and then a further eight sections in Dob Park making a two lap forty section contest. Dob was easy for Walker who cleaned on both laps while Kendrew and Sadler dropped a boot in the final section on lap two. Only Crossers Rocks halted Luke, on both laps. Oliver Sharp claimed the novice award while Sam Johnson, on the eve of his elbow operation, was the top Class A youth and fifteenth overall. Falcon’s Andrew Jackson headed Clubman A on most cleans from Over40’s winner James Noble and Paul Turner leaving Jamie Stephenson and Paul Dennis to fill the novice result. Eddie Aitken strayed from Sedgefield to take third Over forties. Howard Gulley celebrated his recent birthday by winning Clubman B from Falcon’s Ian Haigh and Mark Chippendale. Sixty contended the Clubman B route.
Results
Experts: Luke Walker (MRS Sherco) 17, Guy Kendrew (Beta) 19, Richard Sadler (Beta) 23.
Novices: Oliver Sharp (Gas Gas) 67, Thomas Housecroft (Beta) 71 mc, Paul Kettlewell (Gas Gas) 71.
Youth Class A: Sam Johnson (Beta) 68
Clubman: Andrew Jackson (Gas Gas) 42 mc, Jamie Stephenson (Gas Gas) 48, Paul Dennis (Beta) 48.
Over 40’s: James Noble (Montesa) 42, Paul Turner (Gas Gas) 47, Eddie Aitken (Gas Gas) 62.
Youth Class B: William Tolson (Beta) 55, Oliver Smith (Sherco) 67, Scott Aitken (Sherco) 89.
Clubman B: Howard Gulley (Gas Gas) 15, Ian Haigh (Montesa) 17, Mark Chippendale (Gas Gas) 20.
Youth Class C: Joel Holdsworth 82, Harry Turner 105, Harvey Mosley 112. (All Beta).
Report: Barry Robinson