Despite the attraction of a certain event at Fort William, another bumper entry turned out for the second Dead Easy Trial of the year run by Manchester 17 MCC. 95 Solos and 3 Sidecars contested four laps of 10 sections at the picturesque Heaton House Farm venue on the edge of the Peak District, below The Roaches overlooking the Cheshire Plain.
The sections comprised a mixture of tight turns round trees, grassy banks, a few rocks and a hill climb to complete the lap. Just as the Trial was about to start, a heavy 20 minute shower certainly livened proceedings.
Sections 2 and 3 turned out to be the hardest of the Trial, being very tight turns around the trees and over roots which the rain made extremely greasy. It was encouraging to note a strong entry of 20 Youth riders, which augers well for the future.
One of the Youths, Harry Bowyer rode a very interesting machine with a Triumph 250 twin engine, built by his Dad Rob and Granddad Roger. It clearly handles well as young Harry went clean on the Hard Route.
On the Hard Route 5 riders managed to keep their feet up all day. Nick Gregory went clean, no doubt having friendly banter with son Dan, who rode the Hard Route for the first time, only losing 6 marks.
On the Easy Route 6 riders managed to keep their feet up all day, but this doesn’t tell the whole story of the Trial. On both routes there were some good riders present and further down the results sheet a more balanced picture emerged.
Of the three sidecars, Bert White with Mr Thomas in the chair came out on top with a clean ride. The next generation of the Craig family entered, with proud Dad Billy introducing Daisy and Harry. The smiles on their faces said it all. A good day was had by all and the rain held off. Huge thanks to all the riders for their support and everyone who helped make the Trial possible.
Report: Roger Townsend