Despite suffering two maximums towards the end of her final lap, Emma Bristow (Sherco) scored her maiden win in the ACU Trial Expert Class at round four in the Lake District yesterday. Her two failures came high on the fells above Kendal on the hardest pair of sections, but she had built up an advantage which she just managed to maintain. With lap scores of 18 - 14 -18 the current World Ladies Champion was in confident form but had to wait until the later arrivals came into the finish for her win the be official. She now moves up to second in the Championship standings.
Tom Affleck (Sherco) maintained his good form to finish second and extend his class lead to a massive twenty-three points as the series approaches the halfway stage. Lloyd Price (GasGas) posted the best score on the final lap but having shed forty-two marks on the first two of three laps put him on the third step of the podium and third in the title chase.
The twelve sections spread over the longest lap to date this season featured some very technical and, in some cases, long zones which needed precise riding to record cleans.
George Gosden (Beta) maintained his recent good form to finish fourth, just two marks off the podium, whilst Joel Edwards (Scorpa) slid down the order with a poor, by his standards, final lap.
Round two winner, Bradley Bullock (Beta) just edged in front on a day long battle with Tyler Rendall (Vertigo) for sixth, whilst round one winner, Chris Alford (Scorpa) recovered from a poor opening lap with only two cleans being recorded onto his wristband. However, the eight points gained keeps him in contention in fourth overall. Tom Culliford (Vertigo) maintained his one hundred per cent point scoring run to finish ninth on a tie break from Danny Gamble (Beta) who made his first appearance in the 2021 series.
Our Mike Rapley picture shows Emma on one of the beck sections on the lower slopes of the fell.