He's tasted the winner's champagne in the World Cup Class of the FIM Trial World Championship on no less than three occasions, but the top step of the podium in the British domestic championship has thus far eluded young, upcoming Welsh rider, Iwan Roberts - Beta - until today, that is. The nineteen year-old definitely saved the best till last, beating already-crowned British Champion, James Dabill - Vertigo by a single mark to claim his first British Championship victory.
With the John Hardaker Trial, hosted by Guisborough & District Motor Club marking the end of the 2015 RT Keedwell ACU British Trials Championship it was to be Roberts all the way after his opening lap score of fourteen was to give him an early lead over Dabill who dropped seventeen on his first tour with Alexz Wigg - Gas Gas also on seventeen and visiting Spaniard Jorge Casales - Beta, just one further mark behind on eighteen.
The second of the three laps that comprised the competition saw a composed Roberts improve on his opening lap, dropping eleven marks whilst Dabill, though also improving to drop just ten, wasn't able to catch the youngster. Wigg saw his challenge slip away with a second lap score of sixteen whilst Casales turned in his best lap score of the day, dropping just seven to put him level with Roberts with just one lap remaining and two marks ahead of Dabill.
With all to play for, the third lap became a two horse race after Casales endured what could only be described as a nightmare lap, dropping a total of twenty-one. With the competition now between Roberts and Dabill, it was to be the Welshman, unperturbed by the pressure who was to prevail. He dropped just four for his final lap, his best score of the day, but Dabill, unwilling to give up without a fight also turned in his best score with an impressive lap of just three marks lost, however, it wasn't to be enough and Roberts claimed the victory with a score of twenty-nine to Dabill's thirty.
In the Experts Championship, Dan Thorpe - Gas Gas clocked up his fifth victory of the season to take the Experts title with a seven point margin over Tom Hooper - Sherco. James Stones - Sherco completed the Experts podium. A podium which, incidentally also represented the final standings in the Expert Championship with Thorpe first, Hooper second and Stones third.
Over in the Youth Championship, the battle that has gone on between newly crowned European Youth Champion, Toby Martyn - Beta and Jack Peace - Gas Gas continued unabated, but there was to be no close margin between the two on this occasion with Martyn taking a clear victory by 33 marks over Peace to record his seventh win of the series and assure himself of the British Youth title. Peace finishes the Championship in second place with Sam Johnson - Beta taking third.
Results and final Championship standings
pdf Download Championship Class Results (71 KB)
pdf Download Expert Class Results (24 KB)
pdf Download Youth Class Results (19 KB)
pdf Download British Championships Final Standings (33 KB)