Bewdley MCC Clubmen & Beginners Series

The Bewdley MCC played host to another large entry riders, at Birchwood Farm, Shatterford, for the first round of the Clubman and Beginners Trial Series. With very little rain preceding the event, the ground was in a sympathetic mood, which provided the event with sections just about perfect, for the event status.

The A route provided the club with a four way tie, as Tony Perkin (Beta), Andy Richardson (Yamaha), Stu Matthews (Gas Gas) and youth rider Joel Tett (Beta) all completed the woodland course without loss of marks. The remaining leader board positions were again decided by a tie breaker, between Schoolgirl Alice Minta (Beta) and ex sidecar road racer Tom Hanks (Gas Gas). Section eight claimed a single mark off both riders, but hanks dropped his mark earlier in the event, handing Minta fifth spot.

Riding the B route, David Lewis (Shirco) took an early lead over ex jockey, Michael Wilding (Beta), but on the turns of section sic, Lewis dropped a total of six marks, handing the lead and the eventual win to Wilding. Continuing his steady rides from the previous years events, Bill Middup-Jones, lost concentration on the first section of lap one, dropping five marks, which cost him a first position tie. Craig Godfrey(Gas Gas) and Steve Leyshon (Drayton Bantam) battled throughout the event and even dropping a maximum score on section three on his third visit, Godfrey managed to finish ahead of Leyshon. Darren Godfrey (Beta) completed the leader board after a trial long battle with schoolgirl Amy Clarke. (Beta)

Ten riders competed on the C route, of which seven were youth riders, and once again, the tie-break had to be used to split Dan Cole (Gas Gas) and Andrew King (Beta). Both riders lost a single mark each on the turns and climbs of the Shatterford venue, but Cole held his nerve until the very last lap, before dropping his single mark, giving him the class win. Youth riders Luke Pearson (Beta) and Lewis Beaver riding his electric powered OSET claimed third and fourth places, whilst Harley Lewis (Beta)gained a position over Jak Hanks (Gas Gas). Had Hanks, son of A route competitor Tom, not picked up a five mark penalty on section four, he would have leapfrogged Lewis up the leader board.

The club now look forward to the second of the three round series, Thursday 23rd June at the same venue, 6.30 start.