Ilkley & District Motor Club. Annual New Year Trial, Dob Park, Sunday.

THE Hemingway –Sadler conflict was again the highlight of Yorkshire trialling at Dob Park on Sunday where the Hemingway boys, Harry and George, enjoyed the change from practice in sunny Spain to a wet- yes it rained buckets on lap two, and muddy tour of Dob Park and Browns where Crosser’s Rocks were mud coated from the previous weekend.

Needless to report but Harry Hemingway won the hard route on a blistering seventeen score which was six under Sadler’s total. Only Richard and Ian Austermuhle got up the fifth hazard in Browns for a tough three marks. The other eighteen Hard course contenders maxed out as did both Hemingways.

Clerk of Course Nick Pullan excelled on the day plotting eight sections in Browns that included a mud coated Crossers Rocks which actually rode well for many competitors. For Nick and his flag bag it was about five miles of hard work because Dob Park was hard work with it’s steep gradients.

The names on the hard route were Jack Challoner on his Montesa and Bradford’s Charlie Smith getting to grips with his new Vertigo 300. Scott Trial winner, way back, Phillip Alderson ran away with Clubman A Over 45’s to beat Huddersfield’s Tom Jackson and Shaun Hazelwood.

Jacko’s Mont posted twenty five cleans which was just three under Phillip’s tally. Thirty four rode Class A which included Class B Youth boys Harrison Lightfoot and Charlie Petty. Class B featured was the largest class with fifty starters including the youths.

John Holdsworth won the class on a twenty-eight score and twenty five cleans. Ironically Darren Mitchell cleaned twenty sections riding his electric powered E.M. machine which seemed to grip well on the muddy rocks. The Dob Park route took in seven sections of which five were in the streams.

The drop in penalties was quite startling even though the rocks were on the green side. All in all a top class event and only marred by torrential rain in the final two hours.

Results.

Group Trial hard course.

Experts: 1 Richard Sadler (Vertigo) A.K.Dawson Trophy, 23, 2 IanAustermuhle (Beta) 26, 3 Jack Challoner (Montesa) 31.

Inters: 1 Charlie Smith (Vertigo) 44, 2 Thomas Housecroft (Vertigo) 55.

Novices: 1 Aldis Blacker (Gas Gas) 47, Bevan Blacker (Gas Gas) 48, Elliott Laws (Vertigo) 60.

Youths: 1 Harry Hemingway (Beta) 17, 2 George Hemingway (Beta) 56.

Clubman A:

Novices: 1 Thomas Jackson (Montesa) 43, 2 Shaun Hazelwood (TRS) 49 mc, 3 Paul Kettlwell (Sherco) 49.

Over 45 experts: 1 Phillip Alderson (TRS) 21.

Over 45 inters: 1 Gary Pears (Scorpa) 64.

Over 45 novices: 1 Martin Allen (Vertigo) 88.

Youth Class A: 1 Jamie Sharp (Beta0 89.

Youth Class B: 1 Harrison Lightfoot (Beta) 78, 2 Charlie Petty (Beta) 111.

Clubman B:

Novices1 John Holdsworth (Beta) 28, 2 Mark Butler (Fantic) 33, 3 Robert Hardisty (Sherco) 34.

Youth Class B non - comp: 1 Oliver Petty (Beta) 103,

Youth Class B easy route non- comp. Jimmy Crabtree (Vertigo) 56.

Youth Class C easy route non – comp: Bobby Crabtree (Beta) 95.