Silvermist
This was the last of the championship trials for the year, and was organized by Tim Jordan with help from Jorge Cardoso. Between them they laid out eight sections, which, in the case of the experts, were very challenging. It was not they were difficult as much as they required a lot of concentration. By the end of the day however they had all be cleaned at least once. The first one was all new, and was set below the car park. It weaved in amongst the gum trees with a number of turns up and down the log supported embankment. The others were in the regular places with the majority in the rocky stream.
Tim started off very well. I have actually never seen him ride so well and thought he was sure to beat me, something which I am sure he is well capable of doing. By the end of the first lap he had lost five and I had lost eight. Although I didn’t realise it at the time, Tim’s fortunes were changing, and by the end of the second lap as he had added thirteen to his score and mine advanced by six. We were not alone in the experts class though. Deon De Villiers was also riding after missing a few events lately. It was a warm day and the small entry resulted in riding the sections quickly with little break in between, making the riders tire quickly. My next two laps were for three and six while Tim had fourteen and fourteen, putting an end to his early good form.
In the clubman class Tony Sandel was also riding after a break and decided to ride his son’s Beta 80 instead of his usual Montessa in experts. He clearly thoroughly enjoyed himself with the challenge of a small engine requiring a very different approach to what he is used to, and ran out a clear winner in the clubmans class from Jorge. There were two other riders in this class who did not finish. One being Neil Tweddle who had to take over parental duties, and the other being newcomer Rudi Tito who I think found the going a bit tough.
It was a pity that there were so few entries, especially considering this is one of the more convenient venues for many riders. I certainly hope there will be e better turnout for the next event, the John Fulcher Memorial Trial. More about that later.
Results:
Experts:
1. Brian Barson 23 points
2. Tim Jordan 46 points
3. Deon DE Villiers 83 points
Clubmen:
1. Tony Sandel 38 points
2. Jorge Cardoso 65 points
Thanks to Tim and Jorge for organising the event and to Alan Louw for the venue.
As mentioned the next event will be the end of season John Fulcher Memorial Trial. I will advise the date and venue as soon as they have been arranged. In the meantime it’s time to get a twin shock bike up and running for the event.
Till next time,
Regards
Brian.
