The air in Swaledale on Saturday certainly fired up the ladies and girls in the fifth and penultimate round of the ACU National trials championship or was it the fact the some of the sections will be actually use in Scott Trial next month.
There is that certain indefinable atmosphere of anything Scott Trial and the fact that Reels Head formed the backdrop for an excellent trial on course masterminded by Dan Thorpe who plotted some testing sections in all classes.
In results terms Emma Bristow, Victoria Payne, Catherine Alford, Louise Alford, Izzy Saunders and Beth Waite are mathematically home and dry but the Auto Cycle Union at Rugby have to rubber stamp the results, after next Sunday’s Stevenston finale at Totherick Quarry. By all accounts all are heading to Scotland for round six.
At the sharp end of the championship Emma Bristow won her fifth trial in series while Becky Cook had a day to forget. Both had a first lap ‘downer’ up the wall side at section four where Jess Bown and Jotogas mounted Danielle Whitham eclipsed big names with a dab apiece. Consider thought that Jess broke her left wrist four weeks prior to Sunday. Nikita Smith got near on a two. Joanne Coles non-started because of workload as a plumber. Chloe Richardson also missed her local national as she was with her sister Holly in South Africa where the latter works in an equestrian centre. Bronwyn Palmer travelled from Perth to eclipse Bristol’s Victoria Payne who will end the season at the top of Class A.
With three wins and five podiums on the fact file Caz Alford was on for the Ladies Inter class and title. The title part is well on track but neither Caz, or Robyn Alderson, or local physiotherapist Lucy Smith plus Charley Kimber could find any solution to the original Manx Maid, aka Police Constable Saskia Baxter who lapped the entire course and handed in her punch card before many had managed two laps. Robyn was near but a seven score on lap two killed her chances.
Louise Alford is also right on course for the Youth Inter B title. Wokings’s Millie Ray trails her by seventeen points so it all hangs on what Millie turns up at Sevenston. Beth Waite scored her fifth victory in Class B over Hillsborough member Megan Savage and Niamh Richardson. The Hurworth girl is out of reach of any of her rivals. Her worst loss was a stop in section three on lap one.
Richmond girl Olivia Pearson won Girls Newcomers from Francesca Tattersall head Izzy Saunders who heads the title chase by a mile. Leyburn’s Emily Anderson rode the entire trial in second gear after the gear shaft on her Sherco – and won her class.