Silvermist
Nomads Trials go Downhill! This could well have been the news headline after Sunday’s trial at Silvermist. But the reference would have been only to the number of downhill sections put on by the organizer, Tim Jordan. Tim had planned to set the course the day before on his return, from Knysna but then had to strip his bike because of a gearbox problem, so ended up setting the sections early on Sunday morning. His gearbox problem had put him out of the trial but Mike D’Aguir was in town so at least there was another rider for the expert class. There were no other experts and I think Tim more or less set the sections around Mike and I. They were definitely tricky though not dangerous. By contrast the clubman’s sections were apparently easy.
Mike and I started off with a five each on section one, both unable to get over a square boulder with almost no approach space. Tim eased this for the next lap but again we suffered the same fate. Section two was over several logs on a mountain slope that had to be approached from different angles and didn’t cause much trouble. Section three was all downhill, again involving logs and some tennis ball sized stones that rolled out under your wheels. Then to section four at the dam. For experts it was up and down the bank with very little run-up, and this took lots of fives. On lap two I got up the bank only to find the throttle stuck wide open. I managed to get it unstuck and finish the section but was very worried it might happen again. The next section was downhill into the river and was cleaned a few times. Section six also started off going down and then had a very tight turn around a log that took a mark every time. Section seven looked the easiest but was probably the trickiest because it was so tight. Mike managed what should have been a clean only to discover his front wheel had had hooked one of the markers pulling it out of the ground.
On lap three, Mike got hooked up on the square rock in section one and fell off against a log with a branch sticking out of it. He suffered some scratches and was clearly in a lot of pain and, after trying the next section, decided to retire and start the long drive back to Knysna. I was then on my own to finish the course but not after having the throttle stick again on section four. I however managed a satisfying clean on section seven and a one on section one. It was a great pity that Mike did not finish as we were having a very close match and it could have gone either way had he not fallen. The severity of the expert sections could well be measured by the number of fives I got. Usually I get one or two, and sometimes none, but this time I got nine.
Unfortunately I did not see too much of the clubmen but know that Hans was enjoying the course as the tight turns suited his little Yamaha well. There were two new riders taking part. One is Kay Peterson who used to ride in the Transvaal about ten years ago, and the other is his friend Rudi who has never ridden before. Neil Tweddle was also riding in the clubmen class but unfortunately had to leave early for another engagement. The rain held off just long enough for the trial to finish and all the markers to be collected and the results to be announced.
Results:
| Experts | Total | Position |
| Brian Barson | 78 | 1 |
| Clubmen | ||
| Hans Klein | 5 | 1 |
| Mark Shearer | 18 | 2 |
| Anton Krause | 20 | 3 |
| Kay Petersen | 34 | 4 |
| Jorge Cardoso | 48 | 5 |
| Rudi | 120 | 6 |
The next trial will be held on Sunday 21 August, venue to be advised.
