Grit, determination and a good set of waterproofs were the order of the day when Red Rose Classic MC held round three of their club championship. In marked contrast to the previous round, held last month in warm sunshine and under blue skies, Sunday's meeting was a trial in every sense of the word. Horizontal rain, near-zero temperatures and high winds greeted the 55 riders at Pendlebury (TEG) Bait between Bacup and Todmorden where Clerks of the course Mark Gregg and Bernard Whittaker laid out ten sections at the moorland venue, with riders contesting four laps.
Despite the difficult conditions, there were some excellent performances in the classes. Jack Butterworth (Triumph) and David Wear (Royal Enfield) dropped just nine marks each to claim classes A and B respectively. Tony Calvert fared even better on his Cub, dropping a mark on sections one and seven to win class C from the Bantam of Mark Quinn. Maurice Brayford cleaned the easy route on his DOT for class Ce. with Chris Greenbank (Bantam) runner-up on two marks.
It was a two-horse race in class D with Paul Harrison (James) edging out Eric Atkinson (Amabassador). In the popular twin-shock category, John Hird's two marks on his Yamaha were enough to take the win from Mick Clarke (Bultaco), with Paul Whittaker (Fantic) claiming class Ce from Gary Mitchell (Kawasaki).
The club would like to thank the clerks of the course, the landowners and the observers for their fortitude. The next Red Rose trial is on Sunday April 26 at Lee Quarry, Bacup, nearest postcode is OL13 0JB.
Results
Class A: Jack Butterworth (Triumph) 9, Carl Winstanley (Ariel) 39.
Class B: David Wear (Royal Enfield) 9.
Class C: Tony Calvert (Cub) 2, Mark Quinn (Bantam) 5, Steve Thomas (Bantam) 9.
Class Ce: Maurice Brayford (DOT) 0, Chris Greenbank (Bantam) 2, Andrew Greenbank (James) 3.
Class D: Paul Harrison (James) 20, Eric Atkinson (Ambassador) 34.
Class T: John Hird (Yamaha) 2, Mick Clarke (Bultaco) 4, Graham Fallows (Fantic) 4.
Class Te: Paul Whittaker (Fantic) 2, Gary Mitchell (Kawasaki) 5, Phil Holey (Honda) 5.