Fisher Open trial Sunday 12th January 2014
In bitterly cold but dry weather The Manchester 17 Club held its opening trial of the year, The Fisher trial, two laps of 20 rocky sections high in the Derbyshire Hills overlooking Buxton town. The trial hosted the first round of the 2014 Cheshire Centre and North Wales championship series as well as the clubs Edgar series. However, as it happens, none of top places on any of the three route choices were filled by local riders.
A very pleasing entry of 122 turned up for the event from as far afield as Gloucestershire and North Yorkshire. There was some concern that because of the large entry the trial wouldn't be finished in daylight hours but the very cold conditions ensured that everybody hurried round.
On the hard route the trial became a three way battle between three Yorkshire visitors Richard Timperley, Chris Pearson and Dan Thorpe. In fact such a battle that first place ended up being tied on 8 marks lost between Richard and Chris with only Richard having travelling furthest with least loss of marks giving him the narrow win. Dan Thorpe followed them on 10. Though all could have been different had Dan not lost a 5 on the first lap on section three whereas Chris and Richard got away with a 3 & 2 respectively.
The 50/50 route was also Yorkshire dominated, with a tie between Darren Wasley and Anthony Cooper both on 6 followed by Katy Sunter & Lewis Black on 10 but in this instance the ties could be resolved for the first two places on most 1's and for 3rd and 4th on most cleans.
On the easier route there were no such problems with ties with Ian Watts, not this time from Yorkshire but from Northamptonshire coming out as the clear winner on 6 marks followed by John Walker and Stewart Oughton on 13 & 16.
On the hard route the section extracting most marks was section 3 at Manor Steps with the only clean coming from Chris Pearson on the second lap.
For the 50/50 and easier routes the very last section of the trial at the famous Hawk's Nest sections caused the most problem – Just as they though it was all over there was a sting in the tail!!
Visiting the sections at Hawks Nest was an elderly man of indeterminate years who started to become all lyrical about the fact that he watched trials in the 1940's at Hawks Nest and except for the bikes nothing had changed, same rocks, same biting cold wind all of which got the organisers looking at their scrap books to find that trials have been run continually at this venue since the mid-twenties which is nearly 100 years ago, though how belt drive machines could get up Hawks Nest must remain a mystery, maybe nuclear power for bikes in 3014!