Ben Butterworth was in unbeatable form when Red Rose Classic MCC hosted the final round of the Northern British Bike Championship. The young Ramsbottom rider kept his feet on the pegs of his immaculate Ariel HT5 to clean the entire route, which comprised 30 sections across the Borough of Pendle. "It was a great event. I always enjoy my Pre-65 trials and there were a few tricky sections which took some thinking about," said Butterworth at the finish.
The organising club, which caters for Pre-65's and air-cooled, drum-braked twinshocks in Lancashire, put on a revamped road trial for 2016 with a new start venue and new sections. Formerly known as the Waterside Trial, the Red Rose Classic saw 80 riders from as far afield as Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Isle of Man in action.
Leaving from the Coldwell Activity Centre, situated on the moors above Burnley, competitors tackled some familiar venues, such as Catlow Bottoms and Noyna, and some unfamiliar ones, such as Hill Top Cemetery and Herd House in a 20-mile loop around Nelson, Colne and Foulridge.
First man away, Yorkshire Classic's Steve Rayner on his Matchless had just two dabs in Catlow Bottoms to claim class one for Pre-Unit Rigids from Derbyshire rider Chris Bacon, who dropped 24 marks on his BSA C10.
It was a close-run affair in class two, for Pre-Unit Clubman, with Mark Francis (Matchless) dropping one mark to edge out Garry Shaw (AJS) on two. Carl Winstanley claimed third place on his Ariel with three marks.
Eric Atkinson and his venerable James won class three, for Vintage Two Strokes, with the loss of 15 marks, ahead of Shaun Brown (Francis Barnett) on 21 and Stuart Witting (James) on 27.
The popular Clubman class, with 26 contenders, went the way of Andrew Cooke and his DOT who tied on two marks with Ossy Byers' Cotton. John Palmer (Tiger Cub) and John Wilson (BSA B40) tied for third on three marks.
With Butterworth taking the honours in class five, the Pre Unit Experts, Chris Haigh dropped five marks to finish runner-up on his Velocette, with Duncan McDonald (Ariel) third on 17.
There was nothing to split John Maxfield and Ben Butterworth's brother Jack in class six for Unit Experts, as both riders took a three at Catllow Bottoms in a dead-heat finish.
Nigel Scott finished third on his Tiger Cub, ahead of Red Rose member Andrew Scott, who saw his hopes of a class win wrecked early on with a five at Herd House.
Eric McMeekin and his Drayton dropped six marks to see off the opposition in class seven, for Two Stroke Experts, with the James duo of John Gornall and Terry Raw tieing on ten marks each.
Just two marks separated first and second in class eight for Specials, Keith Hobson getting the verdict with 25 on his Tiger Cub, ahead of Michael Dorricott’s similar machine.
Red Rose Classic MCC would like to thank the landowners, the clerks of the course and the observers for making the trial a success, their next club event is on Sunday, October 25 at Top Quarry, Lothersdale.
Results
Class 1: Steve Rayner (Matchless) 2, Chris Bacon (BSA C10) 24.
Class 2: Mark Francis (Matchless) 1, Garry Shaw (AJS) 2, Carl Winstanley (Ariel) 3.
Class 3: Eric Atkinson (James) 15, Shaun Brown (Francis Barnett) 21, Stuart Witting (James) 27.
Class 4: Andrew Cooke (DOT) 2, Ossy Byers (Cotton) 2, John Palmer (Tiger Cub) 3.
Class 5: Ben Butterworth (Ariel) 0, Chris Haigh (Velocette) 5, Duncan McDonald (Ariel) 17.
Class 6: John Maxfield (Tiger Cub) 3, Jack Butterworth (Triumph) 3, Nigel Scott (Tiger Cub) 6.
Class 7: Eric McMeekin (Drayton) 6, John Gornall (James) 10, Terry Raw (James) 10.
Class 8: Keith Hobson (Tiger Cub) 25, Michael Dorricott (Tiger Cub) 27, David Hooke (BSA C15) 48.