The third round of the IOW MCC's 2020 Winter Series Trials Championship took place on Sunday 9th February at Arreton Down near Newport. Arreton Down is one of the larger trials venues on the Island - a vast area of land which we are very fortunate to be able to use courtesy of A. Brown Farms Ltd.
The relentless wind and sideways rain certainly made for some tricky conditions. Almost all trials events across the country were cancelled - in advance of the arrival of Storm Ciara. However these conditions did not deter the organisers or the riders of The Isle of Wight Motorcycle Club. 12 excellent sections were waiting thanks to Course Setters; Michael Brown, Dan Locke, Geoff Taylor and Mike Taylor. The sections ranged between short, twisty and tight to long and flowing, incorporating a variety of natural features such as banks, tree roots and logs.
Expert rider Jack Ayres completed the 2 laps of 12 sections with an impressive score of just 29 on the A route. The testing conditions clearly did not phase Jack as his score proved to be the lowest of the day. James Stay finished 13 marks behind on 42, dropping most of his marks on lap 2. James was one of the last riders to set off, perhaps to his detriment as conditions really deteriorated throughout the afternoon. Tom Richards had another solid ride finishing in third place on 61.
Just two riders battled it out in the Intermediate class, Sonny Gaskin and Scout Gregory. Sonny managed to put together a more consistent ride, dropping a very respectable 60 marks compared to Scout's 72 on what proved to be a challenging B route.
In the O/50 class, Andy Scott-Jackson had a good ride to finish in first place on 91. Stuart Gummer was the only rider of the day to score over 100 marks, but make no mistake, the slippery conditions made for some very challenging sections.
This year's Clubman class continues to be very competitive as Phil Chase and Colin Brodie compete for the championship. Colin continues to chase Phil, who had an excellent ride, losing just 37 marks whilst Colin managed 56. Geoff Taylor rounded out the top three with a score of 65 on board his four-stroke Montesa.
Tristan Osborne was the solo rider in the Adult Beginner class, which follows the D route. Tristan went round for an impressive score of just 49; in conditions that made even the more straightforward sections difficult to ride.
Dan Locke continues to impress in the Youth Expert class, putting in another very good performance. Dan finished on 83. The Youth Experts follow the B route which is challenging for an adult Intermediate rider, let alone a Youth competitor.
Alfie Gaskin will be competing with his Dad Sonny before long, as his progression on the bike continues. Alfie finished the trial on 73, riding a 50/50 split of both the B and C route sections.
In the Sportsman class Jon Read made a welcome appearance and put in a very good ride to finish with the second lowest score of the day on 31. Simon Watmough crossed the finish line on 53 for second place.
A big thanks to all those involved with organising the trial – another great team effort. The club's next trial will be on Sunday 23rd February at 12pm, the venue is to be confirmed nearer the time. All the details will be available from the Club website once all the details have been finalised.
The Club is also gearing up for its Annual Awards Presentation evening, celebrating members achievements throughout 2019, on Saturday February 29th. Just a reminder that the forms for the awards night need to be returned by Saturday 15th Feb.