The penultimate trial in the ACU Luscombe Suzuki Leeds Class A & B Trials Championship in Richmondshire on Sunday took the series almost into melt down when Ffestiniog contender Iwan Roberts won his second Class A event this season and closed up on runaway title chaser Jack Price.
MRS front runner Luke Walker (Ashby de la Zouch) added more fuel towards a cliffhanger final in October at the legendary non forgiving Bracken Rocks where Mansfield Maun stage the final event on October 7. The top trio is now covered by thirteen championship points with Roberts closest eleven points in arrears. Of course the drop score, lowest of course plus who finishes where forms part of the interesting equations.
On Sunday though the Red Dragon ruled the roost when sixteen year old heavy plant trainee engineer Roberts hit all the right buttons with a seven-six and three score in Andrew Brown's twelve very testing sections at Low Row where the sun blazed down all day for the thirty eight contestants.
As far as Class B stands a four-four and six score tells the story, Dan Peace is home and dry with twenty nine championships in hand over Lyn rider Tom Hooper and Shrewbury's Tom Minta. Chester contender Dec Bullock was the first rider to succeed while Iwan cleaned on all three laps. He also cleaned the last seven subs and lost all his first laps marks on three, four and five sections. Dec was taking the instructions from Craig Robinson and doing just what the JST Gas Gas front runner was telling the second of the Chester twins. Craig kept right him all day, hence the third place result.
Of course the missed North East Centre ride takes both of the Bullock out of the drop score equations that will prevail after Bracken Rocks. As far Class B Dan Peace just chopped his rivals down to size. The two plus two scores for the first two laps were depressing for his serious rivals Tom Hooper and Billy Bolt. The latter stopped in the first sub and then again in the penultimate section which claimed nine maximums. Billy handed his punch card in with a fourteen on it while Hooper look better on five marks. Make no mistake, Richmond was hot but Bracken Rocks will be on boiling point in both classes.
Results.
Class A: 1 Iwan Roberts (Trials Wale Roberts Haulage Beta) 16 penalties, 2 Luke Walker (MRS Sherco) 25, 3 Dec Bullock (Team Roundhouse/Kelcoat Gas Gas) 29, 4 Jack Price (Road and Trial JST Gas Gas) 30, 5 Brad Bullock (Team Roundhouse/Kelcoat (Gas Gas) 34.
Class B: 1 Dan Peace (Beta UK) 10, 2 Tom Hooper (Beta) 17, 3 Billy Bolt (Beta) 18, 4 Thomas Minta (Gas Gas) 23, 5 Samuel Yeomans (Kelcoat Gas Gas) 51.