Great Britains ladies team, who won the TDN trophy in 2007 and 2008, have won back the title and trophy again this weekend in the small village of Darfo Boario Terme in Italy with a new younger and stronger team.
Ace GG rider Joanne Coles in her customer made racing green AIROH helmet was part of a very strong British team that had fantastic team leaders and mentors on the day in the form of Becky Cook and TDN ACU Team Manager John Collins.
The trial consisted of two laps of 14 sections. With fine weather and rain forecast for later in the evening the ladies made the most of the days time limit of 5.5 hours.
With the TDN being such a big event in the trials calender and with all the manufactureres and teams out in force along with the thousands of spectators, the British ladies knew what was expected of them from everyone at home and although extremely nervous they did not let their nerves take over or disappoint.
The ACE corner in the paddock and working from the ACE set-up was Joanne, Paul and Sheila Coles, Jim, Sandra and Hannah Styles who had remained to support Hannahs ACE team mate Joanne in the TDN. John Shirts JST GGuk rider Emma Bristow with her dad Tim and her mother Sarah as well as minders Andy Chilton and James fry. In the same area of the paddock next to ACE was Becky Cook in her van with minder Peter Archer, his sister Jenny and her husband Tony Crabtree and there newborn son Charlie.
The ACE team awning was very busy Friday night with Joanne, Paul and Ace team Manager Mark all preparing Joannes ACE Gas Gas for the next days big event. With JST GG Rider Emma Bristow also making use of the teams many resources with help from James Fry and Andy Chilton.
Once prepared the bikes were left on the stands in the teams awning alongside team mate Hannah Styles gas gas bike as Hannah was to be supporting the team around the course. Everyone then had a game of football with the Norweigen Mens TDN team and the ladies German teams joining in, quickly followed by the French Mens TDN team and their lady riders. However at 10.30pm everyone said goodnight and the ladies retired for the night and the men went to their respective teams or hotels at the paddock.
It was an early start Saturday as it was Emma Bristows minder Andy Chiltons 18th Birthday. Everyone in the ladies British camp was up early to congratulate Andy on his coming of age and for the girls to get mentally prepared for the day ahead. John Shirt popped in to wish everyone good luck and to offer JST gg rider Emma and ACE GG rider Joanne encouragement.
At 9.30am the girls and their minders lined up outside the ACE awning for media photos and then set off to the practice area a few kilometers away to settle nerves etc.
With a start time of 11am and being the last team away the British team all arrived back at the start at 10.50 for scrutineering and more photo shoots before riding onto the podium to be interviewed and await the start time of 11am. As the digital clock displayed 11.00 the ladies started up their bikes and left the stage.
With dry weather forecast until the evening showers and the same sections as the previous days Ladies world round it was clear to all that the sections were all on the easy side and as stated by GG JST Rider Emma Bristow on the stage in her interview, every mark was going to count and any dropped were not going to be made back. The sections that were going to win or loss the trial were Section 6 and section 12.
Section 6 was a slippery climb across a cambered rock. Lap One saw the British team drop 3 marks on this section and this meant that Spain now had a clean sheet and were in the lead as they had not dropped a mark here.
With the British ladies cleaning the next section they recorded a single dab on section 8. Arriving at a very challenging section 12 the British were informed that the Spanish had riden the section and had recorded a maximum like all the other teams. This meant that the British ladies needed to pull back the marks lost on section 6 and 8 here. This section was a steep 25 foot sandy hillclimb with very little grip and an overhanging boulder at the very top. Joanne was absolutely fantastic , supported by the brilliant Minding team that was Paul Coles, Andy Chilton and Peter Archer she managed to get grip where everyone else was struggling and spinning out, she completed the section for a single dab - and this was on a 125!!!! and in her first TDN.
Lap One finished with the British team on a loss of 5 marks. This meant that at the end of lap One they were now in joint first place.
The scoreboard in the main arena however was displaying that the Spanish were in first place on 5 marks lost but that the British were in a close second on 7 marks lost. All the Brit supporters had returned to the scoreboard to follow the days scores at the end of Lap one and became very concerned and discussed the result as these two marks were going to be hard to make back - or so they thought!!!
What no-one apart from Ace Trials Team members and the British team members knew was that this score had been wrong and the British girls were in fact only on 5 marks lost. John Collins being the ever professional ACU steward that he is had realised the mistake as the girls collected their lap two punch cards and seeing the scoreboard sent the team out with Ace Manager Mark whilst he disputed the score and spoke to the organisers , protesting with the punch cards having the evidence required. The organisers quickly admitted to their error and John then returned back to the British team to continue in his role of TDN Team Manager with the knowledge that the British were infact in joint first place. As John rejoined the team he informed Mark and the minders that they were in joint first place and the score had been corrected.
Lap two was even better for 17 year old ACE GG Rider Joanne. Considering it was her first TDN , she was on a 125 ,she demonstrated the professionalism under pressure and strength of character that bought her to Marks attention in the first place in the YMSA 3 Day in 2007.
Cleaning all of Lap two apart from section 12 where she had a single dab Joanne showed why she belonged in the TDN team and is surely the next Trials World Champion that this country will have. As the crowds roared and ther Spanish ladies team watched on Joanne had a fantastic ride and used every muscle in her body to get grip and coax the 125 to the top where the other teams riders could not and won the TDN for Great Britian.
As the girls arrived at Section 14 all the British thought that the TDN had been lost by a single mark to the Spanish and it was only when the British team members all started to celebrate that everyone realised that something was "up".
It was then explained by John Collins to the British waiting crowds that the scoreboard had been wrongly recorded on lap one and the whole of the British who were there spectating erupted into roars of celebration and the very strong new British girls TDN team were swamped by the media and enjoyed their well deserved win.
At the end of the trials Joanne said " I was so pleased to be chosen to represent Great Britian in the TDN team alongside Becky and Emma. I remember the pressure we were all under not to let the British down. I also remember all the help and support of the 3 minders plus Mark as well as the very vocal support of the team. My grandad Clifford thought he heard them back home!!!. I remember the dissappointment when I saw the Spanish team celebrating at section12 lap two. Luckily the scoreboard was wrong and I remember my dads pat on my back after I had ridden the last section. The best part of the experience was standing on the top of the podium with the National Anthem playing. In all the excitiment I forgot to remove my Dunlop cap as the anthem played - Thanks Emma for the reminder.Now I cant wait for next years events abroad to start"
The British team did not record a single maximum throughout the whole trial - they were the only team to achieve this on the day proving that British ladies are the best trials riders in the world and that Briatin domintes most of the top places on the trials results ladder to date.
Everyone then returned to the ACE awning to celebrate and to place the TDN trophy on display and for pictures to be taken by the media as well as getting ready for the presentation in an hours time.
Returning to the podium with her team mates Joanne held the 2009 TDN trophy representing not only her Country, her family and herself but also
ACE TRIALS TEAM
GAS GAS uk
Mark Eley of TTC Truck and Trailer Care of Newark
James Smith ICE VALLEY WATER
EXID CLOTHING
AIROH HELMETS
SIDI BOOTS
FERIDAX off road
DUNLOP
HOPE
PUTOLINE
The Awning Company
Bob Adams
Alan Ketley
AQUAWASH
Michael Brown and TRIALS MONKEY
Bike Graphics by DANGER UK
DIRTBIKE BITCH
Crucible Embroidery
T.R.C Truck rentals
Dave and Val Leggett
Without the continued support of the above team sponsors it would not be possible for ACE TRIALS TEAM Manager Mark Kilhams to continue to support this countries up and coming stars of the future.
For more information on the British Team and for photos of the event please log onto our website which is run by Howard Keene at the top of this page.
words by Sophie Kilhams