Tony Calvert made it two-in-row when he won the opening round of Red Rose Classic MCC’s 2017 Championship. The Cub rider won the Lancashire club’s last trial of 2016 – also held at Copy Pit, near Burnley – after dropping just four marks. Calvert continued his fine run of form by cleaning the four laps of ten sections, a remarkable achievement given the ground conditions and the hostile weather. It was no easy cruise to victory either, with two marks separating the top five riders in class C. Steve Smith (BSA) also cleaned the entire route, but lost out to Calvert on the Oldest Rider rule, with Robin Luscombe, on another Cub, taking third.
Red Rose had been forced to switch the venue of their season curtainraiser after prolonged heavy rain rendered Float Bridge, near Nelson, unusable. The snow, sleet and rain that preceded Sunday’s trial left Copy Pit under an inch of oozing mud, and gave clerks-of-the-course Alan Mills and Andrew Scott a headache in ensuring the sections were a challenge to experienced riders but still rideable for the novices.
Two single dabs ensured Steve Thomas and his Bantam topped class Ce, well clear of Peter Williamson (Cotton) on 17 and former speedway star Eric Boocock on 18 with his Cub.
Eric Atkinson had class D all to himself on his James, while Geoff Potts was in single figures on his Fantic to clinch class T from Paul Norman on another Fantic. Dave Ketteringham (Suzuki) rounded off the top three.
Thirteen was a lucky number for John Wilson to win class T, with an excellent ride from runner-up Paul Charnley to complete a Yamaha one-two.
The club would like to thank the clerks of the course and the hardy observers for their resilience. Red Rose’s next trial is at Warmden Quarry, Accrington, on February 12, nearest postcode is BB5 2DL.
RESULTS
Class C: Tony Calvert (Cub) 0, Steve Smith (BSA) 0, Robin Luscombe (Cub) 1.
Class Ce: Steve Thomas (Bantam) 2, Peter Williamson (Cotton) 17, Eric Boocock (Cub) 18.
Class D: Eric Atkinson (James) 54.
Class T: Geoff Potts (Fantic) 9, Paul Norman (Fantic) 14, Dave Ketteringham (Suzuki) 18.
Class Te: John Wilson (Yamaha) 13, Paul Charnley (Yamaha) 17, Trevor Bennett (Fantic) 18.
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Red Rose Classic MCC Copy Pit Trial Results 15th Jan 2017
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