The C and D Youths got a busy weekend underway for the North East Centre on Saturday, when thirty three starters were flagged off at Hope Farm in Northumberland for the Arthur Smith Trophy Trial, the third round of this year's Luscombe Suzuki British Youth Championship, kindly supported by AV Taylor and transport around the course supplied by PC Fork Trucks.
In the Standard C class Truro’s Billy Green won from Bradford’s Joe Faunthorpe and Lincoln’s Jack Dance with Keighley’s Jacob Snowdon right on the top trio. Yorkie duo Charlie Mosley and Edward Earle was another pair with a win and a second in the first two rounds, but Edward took advantage of Charlie's retirement after one lap, to go on and take the win ahead of Alice Minta, and as a consequence now has a healthy lead in the Medium Wheel C class.
Jack Dance continued his dominance of the Medium Wheeled D class, with another win, but it couldn't have been much closer, after Catterick’s Elliott Laws pushed him all day, and ended just one mark in arrears at the finish. Elliott actually led the event after lap one, by two marks.
Finally in the Oset dominated Small Wheeled D class was won by Liversedge youngster Henry Stephenson, whose last lap of just two penalties put him well clear of Harry Hemingway.
On Sunday the older boys were in action in what was the third round of the Class A and B age group. The result was a stunner when Wallsend extrovert, in riding style, Billy Bolt who destroyed the Class A contenders to complete the entire course for a loss of just two marks! Dan Peace finished a distant second ahead of Ffestiniog Beta UK/Trials Wales teamster Iwan Roberts and Reeth’s James Stones leaving British Class A youth champion Jack Price to salvage fifth place. Price though tops the British standings but only six championship points in hand over Bolt and Dan Peace. Hafren’s Hugo Jervis was sixth and stands in the same place in the championship.
Shropshire’s Tom Minta delivered the other shock by riding all thirty six sections without fault to head Jack Peace and chart topper Porlock’s Tom Hooper. As in the case of Class A Hooper’s points lead is down to a mere seven over the rampant Minta with Jack Peace only eight points away from the top spot. Chester’s Harry Houghton took tenth place in his first major year contesting the championship. Telford’s Sam Yeomans did not start in Class B and his thirty point total stands after the North East Centre event.
With just Scotland and Bracken Rocks on the calendar both championship classes are wide open.