Last weekend saw Bedlington Motor Club stage its popular Alwinton Two Day trial in rural Northumberland. Based at the Clennel Hall Country House Hotel the club welcomed 141 starters on Saturday morning. As the event continues to grow it’s become a significant undertaking requiring the help of many people in the weeks prior to the event. Thankfully all went well and the riders enjoyed two cracking days of sport in a beautiful location.
The weekend saw some exceptional riding in all classes. With a number of new faces attending the course had been extended and the severity increased compared to previous years. However with the rain forecast for Friday afternoon and early Saturday not arriving the sections rode a little easier than the organisers anticipated.
In the Experts Dan Thorpe on his Gas Gas was in excellent form and cleaned the entire day, including the only clean of Sams Gulley shortly before lunch. Sherco’s Chris Pearson and Dan had arrived here clean but Chris’s clean sheet disappeared when he tried an alternative line that resulted in a five. Richard Gaskell had a very steady day to get the Ossa round for 6 marks, a ride matched by fellow Ossa rider Michael Phillipson. A further five towards the end of the day really spoilt Chris Pearsons ’s day and he finished fourth on 10 marks despite cleaning 28 of the 30 sections.
There were a number of single figure scores in the clubman class including Martin Phillipson who had his best ride in many a year to get round for 6 marks. Best performance went to James Black who negotiated the hazards for just 2 marks on his Sherco closely followed by Yorkshires Glen Scholey on his RTL Honda who dropped 3 for the day.
On the Sportsman Course there was only one man on Saturday, Eric McMeekin was simply brilliant going round the course for just 2 marks on his Drayton Bantam. His ride included a clean of Erzbergs top sub, which a number of sportsman riders either didn’t attempt or never saw beyond the first two rocks, and an unbelievable clean on the graded hill climb in first gear. Erics nearest challengers were Jack Slassor riding Geoff Youngs immaculate Bantaco creation, and Mark Jewell riding a Beta who both dropped 11 marks.
Saturday was enjoyed by everyone and the club received lots of positive feedback on Saturday whilst riders quenched their thirst in the hotel bar. Sunday was an equally enjoyable day but the rain and a cold wind arrived to make the sections a lot more difficult for most.
Dan Thorpe only got to section 3 before parting with a dab in a relatively easy section. However Dan then cleaned the remainder of the day including seeing the end cards of the graded boulder field at Rocky’s Road to Hell and the only clean at section 14 where nobody else could better a three. Chris Pearson fived section 14 but cleaned the rest of the day to secure second place overall. Richard Gaskell pipped local ace Michael Phillipson by a dab for third and past master Nigel Birkett put many to shame with a 10 mark effort on Sunday.
The clubman class went to Glen Scholey, after a tidy weekends riding whilst shepherding son Matthew around the course, but only after a tie break. Saturday leader James Black lost 8 on the Sunday and was unfortunate to lose the win on most cleans. Adopted Cumbrian John Holland thoroughly enjoyed his first Alwinton Two Day and secured third place by a single mark from Middlesbroughs Steve Currey.
In the Sportsmans Class Eric McMeekin continued where he left off on Saturday losing 3 for the day and a miserly five marks over sixty sections for the weekend, a very impressive performance. Jack Slassor was also in good form getting round for 7 marks on Sunday and a total of 18 for the weekend. The wet conditions really allowed these two riders to shine with nobody else in this class managing a score of under 20 on the Sunday course. Mark Jewel dropped 31 for the day but this was just enough to secure third place on a tie break.
Overall everybody seemed to enjoy the trial and the club are very grateful for all the help provided over the weekend and in the weeks beforehand. Roll on 2016 !
Summarised Results are now available on the Bedlington Motor Club Website
Detailed results will be added to this article over the weekend. The Club would like to thank our valuable sponsors for the 2015 event.
Bedlington Motor Club