eddy

Do I remember it saying in the regs for the SSDT that carrying fuel other than in the tank is prohibited?

Replying to Ishy's earlier post, the sport has moved on, but perhaps not as everyone would like it. Maybe we should leave the SSDT out of any debate regarding section difficulty. Making it 'no-stop' was a master stroke and has brought the very top guys nearer to the good centre experts, as well as giving the clubman a chance of a fighting three. However while it is no doubt the best trail ride most of us are ever likely to enjoy, it is becoming more and more detached from the trials of 2004. When I talk about encouraging innovation - who in the early 80's would guess that 20 years later we would see National trials with 75% of the entry riding an easier 'clubman' course. I was at the White Rose this year and (despite the weather) had a cracking day out over the 'easy' sections. If there was only one hard route I doubt that the club would get above 50 entries. Nostalgia's not what it used to be eh Ishy?

I observed at the our round of the British Champs at Addingham this year. Jim Lampkin did not look to be as focused this year as previously, maybe he has had a busy year with Dougie. If he is not 100% up for the masters I see no problem with him doing the easier route, but as champion he probably should not be able to compete for points in the experts the following year. There did not appear to be much wrong with the format, decent entry, good crowd and spectacular sections. Rode plenty of champ rounds years ago. Did the Jefferies with Mika's old man riding next to me and never saw his expression change all day. Memories of Steve Saunders on the RTL at the Red Rose making those evil slippery rocks look like a main road bring it all back. Great days, but the sport has moved on so we should encourage innovative thinking by our governing body.