Rene Pearce Memorial Trial... and British Championship round. 22 August, 2010...
| ... After last years drenching, and getting bloody cold, I packed several layers of clothes and 2 waterproof jackets!! But the drive down the M5 look promising... it's the sun I tell ya!! Of course being situated on the high ground of Dartmoor it could all change in seconds but after a short walk across the field to section 6 it was time to remove at least the sleeves on my jacket. I started at 6 because of the experience I had last year in trying to get any good photos in the gloom of the heavy tree cover. After a wait the B class riders appeared and rode their route, which I have to say was very much like the type of section I would have a go at in the Welsh trials I ride... water and rocks. Dave and Ben Squance wandered across the field just before the champ class arrived and we tried to figure out how you get out of the rocky stream and up the 6 foot vertical tree stump (r/h image) with no run up at all, let alone pop over the double step on the bank just before this final obstacle. But as is often the case it takes a while for your brain to adjust to just what these guys can do... it goes without saying that almost all the Champ class guys found this to be one of the easiest sections! The sun light started to fade a little after an hour or so and I figured that if I was going to get more than 10 photos that you could see it was best to move up onto the Tor for the last 5 sections. Assuming there was no repeat of the fog/mist from the practice day at least I could use the flash to freeze the action as best as possible and still see some of the background to give an idea what is being ridden. Compared to the Championship rounds I have been to this year this event wasn't a spectacular section trial.. by that I mean there weren't huge drop-offs, jumps or 30 foot rock faces but the technical and slippery nature of the terrain actually took more marks than the big balls out stuff does. The dark loamy mud being pulled onto the rocks after every rider went through made things very slippery and I was on my arse several times just walking the sections to get a good photo spot!.. |
 |
 |
... It was nice to see Joe Baker back riding the A class route, after over a year away. He finished in 4th place, not too many marks from appearing on the podium, and really showed how good the new Scorpa with the Sherco engine is. It sounded much better than the old vintage Yamaha lump used previously, and was certainly much nicer on the eye. Joe told me at the end of the event that not only does it look smaller but the bike is less wide and the weight loss has also made it easier to hop the rear around as required. The bike has retained the Scorpa reputation for being easy to ride and Joe reports that it has lost none of it's grip capabilities... a perfect club riders bike by the sounds of it. Although this venue is stunning it has to be said how far away from anything it was.. and this is a running theme with the Championship in general. I guess we have to decide at some point if we want outsiders getting involved with our sport or are we happy just keeping in "in House". By that I mean are we going to try and attract spectators who may not be trials people already. I have often voiced my opinion on the promotion of the Championship but even if there were posters or adverts saying the event was on who, apart from the faithfull trials community, is going to drive miles out into the middle of nowhere and then be expected to walk further miles to watch and maybe get interested in our sport. I just wish we could organise a few of the French style urban trials with free spectator access and the ability to market advertising to outside interest companies... the world loves an extreme sports, they just need to be able to see it!! |
... Even though there is still a round to go James Dabill has been crowned the 2010 British Champion, for the second year, after winning this round. And well deserved it is too. It is obvious that James has put a lot of work into his riding over the last year and his backing team are second to none. It is also nice to see him present a professional image at all times when needed. He appears on the podium in team clothing and displays his logo'd crash hat and Monster energy drinks container. It is also good to see John Shirt Junior still running around after his riders, he could easily just sit at home and let others do all the hard work but he was on foot all day keeping up with Dabill. They seem to be going for matching beards as well..!! It is going to be hard work but lets hope James can start to make in-roads into the Spanish dominated top 5 at world level. Shirty had a new 2011 GasGas on show at the start area, and very nice it looked too. The new frame looks much neater and the general finish seems very good. After seeing the Monster Energy graphics kit that they sell on their web site I reckon a white frame version of the new bike with the full S3 trick kit fitted and the Monster graphics would make a lovely looking bike... maybe a Dibsta special edition! ... start saving!! I have added a gallery of this event onto my Photobucket page HERE.. I tried to get images of riders from all classes, but had 300 pictures to go through and lost the will to live after 80 odd!! If for any strange reason anyone wants larger versions email me with the image title and i will sort one out. A quick word about Jack Sheppard... how the hell does he get that 125 Beta through those sections!!! He's a tall lad as well, not your average 8 stone teenager. Because i didn't see the wooded sections I wasn't aware how he had got on in muddy climbs out of the river, but he was incredible to watch on the nasty mud covered rocks on the Tor. And of course as the results show he went on to win the A class. I gather he may spend another year on the 125, but when he gets onto a 290 I think it won't be long before the big boys get a shock... |
 |