Oxford ixion Mcc.... The James and Thistle Anderson cups report

Report Ken O'Brien.

A clear but cold and sunny morning greeted a classy entry of 83 riders for the 80th running of the James Challenge and Thistle Anderson Cups incorporating a round of the Meteor Group Championship. 

The James Challenge Cup itself was presented to Ixion in 1946 by the ' The James Cycle Company of Birmingham '  and this prestigious Open to Centre event in the past has been won by such great riders as John Avery Sammy Miller Don Smith Brian Devereux Bill Faulkner Pat Lamper Ray and Graham Haslam Freddie Mayes John Bull John Lee and in the later years Chris Koch ( 7 ) Steve Reece Rob Warner the Cowley brothers Tony and John to name but a few. 

The event was staged at Howe Wood Watlington where ten sections were plotted and ridden four times on the chalky Flinted hills of the Chiltern range.

 Two cups were up for grabs today the James Cup for best Expert riding the hard route and the Thistle Anderson Cup for the best adult performance on the middle route.

Gus Oblein was using maximum power on the Gasser 300 TXT as there were many long steep rooted banks to tackle on the way to victory in the Expert class taking the premiere award with a loss of zero. 

Four cleans on section nine sealed the win for Gus as Harry Coleman 300 GP Gasser had to take a steadying dab his only mark lost on his first lap to maintain forward motion, it was a pretty severe section a tight drop over roots with an equally steep climb before lining up for the big rooty outcrop maybe 30 feet or so of continuous slick bank from a grip-less leafy base and then a double banked climb to finish.

 Gus got off-line on section ten first lap also a tricky rooted cambered job but managed to ' hold it ' and from there on it was plain sailing with three perfect circuits.

The Intermediate 50/50 ( hard - middle ) was competitive today but it was aced up with a superb controlled ride by Darren Haines 300 Beta parting with a miserly 2 marks with the offending sections being one and four.

 It was the top sector of section four that took one of Darren's dabs a slick chalky climb then a very loose loamy camber before a hop over a couple of fallen trees then a rooty off-set camber and drop to the ends.

On the yellow middle route there was much known in the trade as ' Gardening ' going on and another superb ride was put in by Ixion club member Adrian Steele piloting the 250 Beta around for tally of Nil Point lost. 

Steele needed Nerves of Steel as he watched avidly at section six ' The Pine Tree Climb '  where it all looked fairly innocuous under foot, but if you were unlucky enough to follow a rider footing his way up the undulating path you were in for a loose stony time of it .

Adrian produced his well timed run at exactly the right moment to save the day and go on to take the very apt Victory and the Thistle Anderson Cup.

Last Years Thistle Anderson winner Matthew Larkin 300 Beta also finished clean but  was unable to retain his pot as the tie-break rule of smaller CC engine was brought into play.

Yet another clean ride performance on the middle route was recorded by 250 Beamish Suzuki rider Graham Haslam, as always in control and inch perfect taking the best Twinshock Award from Peter Cook on the little 200 Fantic.

James Bannister also had a go at the middle yellow route but on his classic BSA C15  parting with 14, section seven proving the hard one for most of the entry and was James most testing hazard on the Banger.

A bottom gear climb over a fallen tree then a drop into deep leaf mould before a very tricky camber then an acute-angled left handed turn up over a short sharp climb where exposed flints were making the going somewhat awkward.

Jack Pettit 125 Beta was best in class Youth A with a narrow victory over Riley Middlehurst both going well on the Big Hills of section four.

Charlie Scott Howlett also 125 Beta was having a great time with a Youth B class win for his troubles.

The 50/50 easy - middle route was always going to be a close call with a high class Veteran status entry and the gathered crowd weren't disappointed as John Hawthorne put in a superb performance on the BSA Bantam parting with a very impressive 1 mark lost.

Simon Dowling and Jessie Basford taking the minor places, both showing skill and determination at section one a combination of rooty banks and cambers although not as easy as it looked with many marks being recorded throughout the proceedings.

On the White Eased course yet another faultless performance was put in, this time by Paul Heron 300 Vertigo ahead of Ixion veteran Gordon Pusey 290 Beta on 3 marks lost.

Section three a newly formed sub due the Winter storms dropping three large trees in exactly the positions required for a bit of log hopping, this did not deter or bother the above named riders although a fair scattering of marks were recoded here by half of the entry.

Some lovely kit was on show today in the Pre65 class , BSA Triumph Ariel but it was the immaculately turned out BSA 185cc Bantam of David Clarkson that took the honours on 6 marks lost which included a very soft five when a cold engine was the problem after sitting patiently in the queue waiting for the whistle to blow.

Keith Baty also Bantam of standard 175cc took runner-up and was excellent at section two were at least a foot of summer leaves had formed to make for a difficult approach to the climb up around a large Oak  before lining up for an attack on the last steep sector.

Freddie Middlehurst 125 Beta was best in class for Youth C from Leonardo Bianchini 80 Beta with Isla Crabtree having to call it a day after engine failure.

Many thanks to all who helped on the day.

Our next Trial is the Norton Trophy at Beckley on Remembrance Saturday November the 7th  ( All classes welcome but no Hard Route ).