The Isle of Wight Motorcycle Club kick started the second half of the 2019 Winter Series Trials Championship at Sweetwater Brook on Sunday. The Club would like to thank Mr Trevor Strickland for welcoming us back to this superb venue. The eight section lap was set by Simon Newnham, Geoff Taylor and Dan Locke and between them they produced a good mix of tight and technical tests that went down well with the riders. Many thanks also to Club Photographer; Viki Taylor and to all the Observers for all their important help.
The Club would like to welcome four new members; Sam Parfitt, Alex Smith, Ryan Munt and Marcus Rickard. We hope they all enjoyed the afternoon and we look forward to seeing them again very soon. At least three riders joined that exclusive group to have ended up in the brook – Scott Milton, Dan Locke and Joe Taylor, the latest to find out that the water here is not that sweet after all!
It was great to see Elite rider; Josh Stephens in action today, he completed the trial in style – with a clean sheet. Two Experts went head to head resulting in a two point win for James Stay. Rob Howard was looking favourite until he missed a flag incurring the maximum five point penalty. The Intermediate class was won by Tom Richards, Tom cleaned five of the eight sections to finish on a total of nineteen. Harvey Grieve was only five more behind in second with Ben Brodie taking a solid third place following a five month break. Rory Stephens was the clear winner in the Over Fifty’s from Simon Watmough in second. The Clubman class was dominated by Scott Milton (despite being dumped over the bars into the brook on section two) with an eight point lead over Colin Brodie. Colin finished on forty with Phil Chase only four more behind in third.
The well contested Novice class was taken by Paul Kent who completed the trial for a loss of just twenty-three. New member; Ryan Munt was only three more behind in second with Paul West in third. Joe Taylor had a day of mixed fortunes and he was disappointed with his fourth place finish. Jos Wright was left out on his own in the Twin Shock class following the retirement of Nick Symes. That said, Jos put in a blinding performance on the Ossa to finish with a miserly total of just seven. Geoff Taylor was the pick of the bunch in the Clubman class – losing just four marks, the second lowest score of the day.
Four Youth riders competed, headed up by Dan Locke and Josh Morris in the Youth Expert’s. Both these riders have moved up from the Novice class. Dan managed to get the win despite his impromptu early bath in the brook. Josh had to settle for second on this occasion – both of these young riders have improved remarkably and consistently throughout this year. Alfie Haydon (Youth Intermediate) put in his now usual top performance to take his ten Championship points. Bertie Grieve continues to gain in confidence in the Youth Beginners, again securing maximum Championship points. There was a regular youth rider absent – the Club would like to wish Alfie Gaskin a speedy recovery after breaking his arm whilst on holiday. He will regrettably be out of action for several months to come, so get well soon Alfie!
By far the best and most impressive performance this weekend took place not on the Island but at Totherick Quarry in Scotland. Club rider, Chris Stay managed, under what must have been immense pressure, to win the 2019 ACU British Solo Expert Trials Championship. Chris went North of the border with a slender lead of four points going into the final two rounds. He managed an incredible win on the Saturday beating Championship rival; Dan Thorpe by a nail-biting single mark. Dan, being the talented competitor he is, managed to win Sunday’s trial from Chris by a margin of two marks – however Chris had done all the hard work consistently throughout the year to take the title. We would all like to congratulate Chris on his superb achievement. We also recognise the people who helped him on his way; Chris’s Dad; Alan Stay and close friends; Mark Coombes and George Gosden - who between them became an unrivalled team providing that crucial support. Our small Island Club has now helped produce two British Trials Champions. Becky Talbot (Cook) and Chris Stay – there can’t too many Clubs who can rival that fact. Absolutely amazing – we’re all still buzzing!
Isle of Wight MCC Medina Cup Trial
Isle of Wight MCC