Thursday September 15, 2011 at 3:22pm
Addingham Moorside was the venue for the sixth and final round of the Yeadon Guiseley Oset Cup. With a staggering 25 youngsters turning up to take part in what has become a renowned success, observers had to be found for each section. British c-class champion Joe Faunthorpe and his parents along with club chairman, Mike Jennings volunteered to help out to ensure the young Oset riders could complete each of the six sections, three times before the start of the main trial.
The nature of the venue meant sections were a series of tight turns, rocky obstacles and hill climbs which delivered a fair and even final trial with the course neither favouring nor disadvantaging any of the electric machines.
Henry Stephenson of Liversedge delivered one of his best rounds on his 16” 36v Oset machine, standing head and shoulders above his peers to win the round, dropping just two marks and taking the overall Oset Cup. In second was Dominic Horne with his best result of the series on 10. Rider of the day was Alex Davies who had never ridden over rocks before the event and had travelled all the way from Kent. He stormed the field to take a well-deserved and much applauded third place on just 11 marks dropped.
Henry is looking forward to stepping up to the D-Class British Championship next year. His dad Jamie, said: “The Yeadon Guiseley Oset Cup was the only credible championship at this level. It has been great confidence builder for Henry and we’re all absolutely delighted that he won the trophy against so many competitors. Next year we hope will be a bedding-in year in which he can acclimatise to the stricter level before he is able to compete on equal footing.”
With yet another five new entrants, Dave Horne, organiser of the Yeadon Guiseley Oset Cup, said: “I set this series up with the backing of Yeadon Guiseley DMC and the support of Oset, after seeing my son Dominic who was at the time riding a 12.5” machine and Henry Stephenson being kindly allowed to join the small wheels course, but realising that the difficulty was beyond both the boys and bikes’ capability.
“In my minds eye I had a hoped we could attract between 5 -6 regulars. Never in a million years did I think we would average 20 – 25 Oset riders and from literally all over the UK. Without a single mechanical breakdown over the course of the championship, it really is testament to the durability of the Oset machines. Over 50% of entries have been from families that are new to trials riding and I’m delighted to bring fresh people to the sport.”
Commenting at the end of the championship, Mike Hinch, president of Yeadon Guiseley DMC, said: “This event has attracted 35 new members to our club and to be honest we couldn’t have imagined that type of success when Dave first proposed the idea at the AGM. Supporting young riders is the lifeblood of the sport and the club, so we’re delighted to have achieved so much in such a short space of time. We’re sincerely grateful to Oset for their continued support throughout the season and very much looking forward to next year and a highly successful electric championship.”
Barry Huskinson, from Oset bikes, said: “The stories behind the Oset rider of the day were fantastic as individual riders displayed outstanding enthusiasm and effort. We are also delighted for Henry who is clearly an undaunted little rider with a natural talent.
“The Oset team visited Yeadon Guisiely DMC at Brimham Rocks and were able to see the hard work the club and Dave Horne had put in to creating the Oset Cup series. The family atmosphere, encouraged by the club, was overwhelming. The success of the Yeadon Guiseley Oset Cup has amazed us all and we’re very much looking forward to next season.”
Dave finished by adding: “Although we emphasise the importance of fun at this level, the increase in individual rider skill levels has been nothing short of astonishing! The Oset Cup success demonstrates the appetite and need for events of this kind and you never know, we might have a new superstar in the making.”