DUE to the extreme wintry weather, Richmond and District Motor Club had to cancel the Eric Ridley Memorial Trial scheduled to take place last Sunday at Hurst.

Paul Terry had the unenviable task of planning the course, but a visit on Saturday to remote Hurst by the Richmond official was enough to call time.

The deep snow, the treacherous road conditions, and the weather forecast persuaded officials to cancel the trial. The club may apply for another date for the event.

Hot on the heels of the Richmond cancellation, Durham County Trials Club officials axed their meeting at Butsfield, Castleside. The official statement mentioned vehicle parking, or lack of it.

Right on home ground Yeadon-Guiseley Motor Club course planner Danny Cockshott deemed that Addingham Moorside was a non starter for the second round of the club championships on Sunday.

The Guiseley official said: “It would have been an ordeal for the observers with no shelter and the ground was frozen.”

The Huddersfield Falcon club’s opening championship trial at Crosland Moor joined the growing numbers when officials call abandoned on Friday afternoon any ambitious trialling activities on the exposed high Pennines.

The north-east Yorkshire region was not spared either on Sunday when the planned Middlesbrough club’s trial at Lazenby swelled the cancelled numbers.

The Horsforth club opted to cancel their first club championship trial at Home Farm on Sunday after a course inspection by officials and with the exception of the Spen Valley event at Harden Moor that completed a cancellation of every trial from North Derbyshire to the Scottish borders on the east side of the Pennines.

NEWS from snow-bound Richmondshire this week is that Barry Watson and Andrew Nadin are beavering away at rebuilding a rare 350cc 1983 Italjet. With the spate of trials cancellations axing the serious action, Barry has been making headway with the Italjet project.

The machine, with sidecar attached, won the Manx Two Day sidecar class in 1984 in the hands of Adrian Clarke and Ron Suttill in what was a one-off outing together.

Barry Watson originally took over the machine after Peter Cartwright rode one trial on it, from Italjet importer Colin Appleyard in 1983 who sponsored Barry Watson and Ron Suttill.

The logbook states the first owner as Colin, then Barry Watson, who competed in many nationals. The Allan Jefferies and Gerald Simpson being the main Yorkshire nationals.

“I knew that William Utley, from West Scrafton, rode it but blew the engine big time.

It sat in a shed for 27years. I knew Andrew wanted a project to get his hands on and I managed to buy the machine for a hundred quid. The chair is more or less scrap. We have got the engine back to standard.

“The frame has been painted, not powder coated, as our specialist could not get the correct shade of green. The plastic fuel tank has been painted with a special covering that withstands petrol, so that should stay as it is.

“Andrew has a few adjustments to make so the only snag we are struggling with is to obtain the correct original short front mudguard.

“Anyone out there who may have the correct original mudguard could provide the key to completing the rebuild” added Barry.

Due to Andrew’s ongoing health problems “Wattie” has taken over the finishing duties.

STOCKSBRIDGE MC’s opening Yorkshire Centre ACU trials championship event at Greenmoor scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled by the clerk of course Dave Aspinall after a fruitless search for the traditional sections used in the annual Old Bazola Trial, north of Stocksbridge. Planning the actual route was just about impossible so the club called time on the trial rather than speculate on weather changes.