Richmond Motor Club was pleased to welcome 250 riders back to the annual Reeth 3 Day Trial – held from Friday 28th July through to Sunday 30th July. One of the biggest events on the Club’s calendar, the trial saw riders from near and far congregate in Reeth for a weekend of riding, socialising and good craic.
RMC once again ran “The Last Section Bar” in the Start Field, offering low-cost drinks to riders and spectators across all three days, allowing riders to relax with a cheap pint of local ale whilst reviewing the scores of the day.
Despite it supposedly being summer, the weekend was wet and windy, with heavy rain the week before raising beck levels and causing some last-minute section adjustments to be made.
The weekend was kicked off on Friday morning with riders signing on from 8am in the Secretary’s Tent, collecting their ‘goodie bag’ with their number board for the weekend, as well as their souvenir shirt and programme. The first two riders were away at 10am, continuing in pairs in 30-second intervals until the back markers headed off to collect the flags for each day.
Friday saw Daily Clerk of Course Bruce Storr and team take the riders out of the Woodyard Start Field and up around Hurst and Marrick, touching on some famous Scott Trial and Mintex ground.
2022 trial winner Richard Sadler (Vertigo) led the Hard Course at the end of the day, with 4 marks dropped on observation. James Fry (Sherco) was in second place, losing 6 marks, and young Harry Hemingway (Beta) came in third with 10 marks lost.
The best score on observation of the day was Harry Turner (Scorpa) on 1 mark lost, however 10 penalty points on time caused him to drop down to 5th place.
On the Clubman A Course (Green), Robert Pollard (Vertigo) took the lead on 4 marks lost, closely followed by Phil Wiffen (TRS) on 5 marks. Jack Savage (Vertigo) rounded off the top three, losing 6 marks.
Andrew Brown (Fantic) led the Clubman B Course on Friday, with 8 marks lost, followed by Richard Ridley (Montesa) and Barry Chapman (Beta), both dropping 11 marks each.
Saturday’s route was marked out by Overall Clerk of Course Paul Terry and team, taking the riders up into Arkengarthdale. Harry Hemingway finished the day on 6 marks lost, putting him in the lead for Saturday’s results alone. 2022 Scott Trial winner Jack Price (Vertigo) came in second place after dropping 9 marks, and James Fry remained consistent in the top three, losing 11 marks.
Roger Williams (Beta) led the Clubman A (Green) Course on Saturday, losing 10 marks, followed by Richard Fraser (Sherco) and Robert Pollard on 12 and 13 marks respectively.
On the Clubman B Route, Philip Perry (GASGAS) led on 10 marks lost. David Coulson (Beta) came in second, losing 13 marks, and Scott Witting (Sherco) was third, dropping 14 marks.
Nigel Cummins and team marked out the final day’s route, heading up Swaledale along Harkerside and Whitaside. At the end of the day, the final scores were totted up and the awards were presented on Sunday evening in the Start Field.
Despite a slack 5 and a couple of dabs on Sunday, Harry Hemingway took the overall lead on 23 marks across all three days, winning the trial and taking the Cliff Addison Memorial Trophy for the Best Performance on the Hard Course. James Fry finished in second place with 27 marks lost over the weekend. Jack Price and Richard Sadler battled it out for the final spot on the podium, both finishing on 34 marks lost, but Jack taking the lead on furthest clean. Jack had the best score on Sunday alone, dropping just 3 marks, however four 5s and a handful of dabs across Friday and Saturday pushed Price down the results.
On the Clubman A Course, Robert Pollard brought it back to the top, winning the class on 29 marks lost across the weekend. Jack Savage dropped 13 marks on Sunday, putting him in second place with 33 marks lost overall. 2022 Clubman A winner Gavin Black (Sherco) came in third place, dropping 39 marks total.
The Clubman B Course was won by Philip Perry, with 38 marks lost total. David Coulson came second on 41 marks lost, closely followed by Richard Ridley on 44 marks lost.
Richmond Motor Club would like to thank all the riders for taking part, and congratulate those who won awards. The Club would like to say a huge thank you to everybody involved in the running of the trial – including Landowners, Secretaries, Clerks of Courses and helpers, Results Secretaries, observers, fuel team, time keepers, caterers, bar staff and everyone else for helping out over the weekend and the weeks leading up to the event.
Results:
Hard Course:
Experts: 1. Harry Hemingway (Beta) 23, 2. James Fry (Sherco) 27, 3. Jack Price (Vertigo) 34
Intermediates: 1. Thomas Middleton (Vertigo) 85, 2. Jack Stones (Vertigo) 90, 3. Thomas Hick (Beta) 101
Novices: 1. Ryan Brown (Beta) 140, 2. Josh McParland (Beta) 143, 3. Josh Brown (Beta) 159
Clubman A (Green) Course:
- Robert Pollard (Vertigo) 29, 2. Jack Savage (Vertigo) 33, 3. Gavin Black (Sherco) 39
Clubman B Course:
Overall: 1. Philip Perry (GASGAS) 38, 2. David Coulson (Beta) 41, 3. Richard Ridley (Montesa) 44
Clubman Class: 1. David Coulson (Beta) 41, 2. Richard Ridley (Montesa) 44, 3. Paul Hayward (Electric Motion) 52
Over 40s: 1. Philip Perry (GASGAS) 38, 2. Paul Astwood (GASGAS) 58, 3. Scott Witting (Sherco) 61
Over 50s: 1. Barry Chapman (Beta) 56, 2. Mark Cameron (TRRS) 57, 3. Paul Wearmouth (Montesa) 59
Twinshock: 1. Andrew Brown (Fantic) 62, 2. Ian Peberdy (Fantic) 76, 3. Robin Luscombe (BSA) 81
Awards:
Red Lion Trophy – Best Local Rider on the Hard Course: Jack Stones (Vertigo) 90
Harkers Coaches Shield – Best Local Rider on the Clubman Course: Richard Ridley (Montesa) 44
The Leigh Jepson Memorial Award – Best First Timer (Hard Course): Harry Hemingway (Beta) 23
The Peter Young Trophy – Best Performance by a Lady Rider: Emma Bristow (Sherco) 82
Report & photos: Charlotte Brown
Richmond Motor Club Social Media Editor & Media Reporter
