IT was a great start to 2016 for Eboracum MC as their New Year's Day Luxembourg Trophy trial, held at the superb Hovingham Quarries venue, hit the 90-entry mark.

On a cold, dry day, a host of young course plotters did a fantastic job marking out the four-lap, ten-section course, offering the correct severity for every ability.

Only expert winners Olly Kendra and Joel Sadler remained clean, as Scorpa man James Carr cast a slack one away on section nine.

Matt Handley came good to win clubman A from Rob McNeil, with Helmsley's Richard Hildrick in third.

Entries in the over-50s age group continue to grow and two elder stags locked horns in a close battle for honours. Richard Thorpe and Ebor stalwart Mike Kendra tied on four each, the rocks of the sixth section doing the damage. Best ride here came from Peter Coverdale on just two lost, as Thirsk's Dave Almack went for five.

BIRSTALL motorcycle instructor Dan Thorpe won the Ilkley New Year Trial last Sunday at rain-swept Dob Park, where a mammoth 126 competitors packed the official car park and the access road to the venue.

The organisers marked a two-lap, 20-section course in Dob Park Wood and the adjacent Brown's Wood, where conditions were severe owing to the heavy rain.

The 12 sections in Brown's really did test all three classes. The climb at the fifth section caught out Harrogate stone merchant Neil Gaunt when his 300cc Beta machine cartwheeled 30 yards down through the trees. He said: "I was tangled up with the handlebars and they inflicted some major bruising and damage, so that was the end of my trial for the day."

Chris Pearson and Richard Sadler fared badly in Brown's, dropping 15 and 20 respectively.

Trials veterans Philip Alderson and Nigel Crowther shrugged off the foul conditions to lead the clubman A class, where the top two completed the course separated by one penalty.

In the youth classes, the winners were Joe Faunthorpe on the main course, Edward Earle on the clubman A route and Buxton's Harry Turner on the clubman B course.

COLIN Ward completed a hat-trick of clean sheets at Butsfield Quarry over the Christmas holidays, finishing well clear of runner-up Louis Grey in Stanley Trials Club's New Year's Day Trial, while Scott Aitkin continued his rapid rise up the results with a fine third place.

Eddie Aitkin lost the same total as son Scott, but this was on the green route. But it was enough to put him eight marks clear of Gareth Martin, who finished second ahead of Colin Gelston.

BUTSFIELD Quarry, in County Durham, was the venue for the Consett and District Motor Club's Boxing Day Trial, which attracted 42 riders who faced three laps of ten sections.

Louis Grey took the expert route win, along with Colin Ward, after they both kept their feet firmly on the pegs throughout the event.

On the clubman route, Rebecca Rennison matched the expert top brass with an unpenalised ride in the class. Rob Atkinson dropped five marks over his three laps, enough to claim second place ahead of Tom Constantine.

Mark Constantine had a narrow win in the sportsman class, his loss of five marks just edging out Peter McIntyre by one mark.

The Consett club were back at Butsfield Quarry for their trial on Sunday, December 27.

On the expert route, Colin Ward again went clean, taking the win ahead of Michael Phillipson, who stalled his machine on the last section to ruin any chance of sharing the spoils. Andrew Battensby finished third on six, while Louis Grey couldn't emulate his clean ride of the previous day, dropping seven to finish fourth.

Results

Eboracum MC Luxembourg Trophy Trial, Hovingham. – Hard course experts: =1 Olly Kendra (Gas Gas) and Joel Sadler (Beta) 0; 3 James Carr (Scorpa) 1; 4 Bevan Blacka (Beta) 4. Inters: 1 Mark Harrison (Gas Gas) 3; 2 Shane Monkman (Beta) 8; 3 Gary Collinson (Gas Gas) 11. Clubman A: 1 Matt Handley (Beta) 3; 2 Rob McNeil (Beta) 4; 3 Richard Hildrick

(Beta) 5. Clubman B: 1 John Stones (Beta) 2; 2 Henry Richardson (Beta) 3; 3 Nigel Wallis (Montesa) 3. Clubman B over-50s: 1 Richard Thorpe (Montesa) 4; 2 Mike Kendra (Montesa) 4; 3 Stewart Wainwright (Montesa) 6. Youth Class A: 1 Callum Wilkinson (Ossa) 44; 2 Henry Jackson (Gas Gas) 70. Youth Inter: Zac Collinson (Gas Gas) 21. Youth Class B: 1 Tom Constantine (Beta) 14; 2 Guy Stones (Beta) 25; 3 Sam Charlton (Beta) 25. Youth Class C: 1 Elliott Laws (Beta) 4; 2 Richard Pulman (Gas Gas) 17; 3 Claire Collinson (Beta) 41. Youth out of class: 1 Jack Darrell (Beta) 12; 2 Luke Constantine (Beta) 20; 3 Alick Sharp (Beta) 22.

Ilkley DMC New Year Trial, Dob Park. – West Yorkshire Championship course, experts: 1 Dan Thorpe (JST Gas Gas) 14; 2 Luke Walker (MRS Sherco) 20; 3 Liam Walker (Gas Gas) 24. Inters: 1 Russ Rooksby (Montesa) 50; 2 Danny Cockshott (JL Sherco) 56; 3 Tim Pearson (Splat EM) 61. Novices: 1 Bevan Blacker (Beta) 46; 2 Thomas Housecroft (Beta) 46; 3 Oliver Sharp (R&T Sherco) 52. Youth Class A: 1 Joe Fanthorpe (Beta) 58; 2 Jacob Snowdon (Beta) 84; 3 William Tolson (Beta) 92. Clubman A, Expert: Philip Alderson (Gas Gas) 19. Inters: 1 Nigel Crowther (Scorpa) 20; 2 Roman Krynckyj (Sherco) 44; 3 Alan Carr (Scorpa) 64. Novices: 1 Darren Wasley (Gas Gas) 34; 2 Chris Beecroft (Montesa) 46; 3 Richard Suffell (Beta) 46. Youth Class B: 1 Edward Earle (Beta) 78; 2 Charlie Mosley (Beta) 80; 3 Alice Minta (Beta) 83. Clubman B: 1 Darren Mitchell (Beta) 26; 2 Robert Hardisty (Sherco) 30; 3 James Moorhouse (Bultaco) 30. Youth Class C: 1 Harry Turner (Beta) 66; 2 Harry Hemingway (Beta) 76; 3 Henry Stephenson (Beta) 96.

Consett & DMC Boxing Day Trial, Butsfield Quarry. – Expert course: =1 Louis Grey and Colin Ward 0; 3 Stephen Bennett 8 (all Beta). Clubman course: 1 Rebecca Rennison (Beta) 0; 2 Rob Atkinson (Ossa) 5; 3 Tom Constantine (Beta) 8. Sportsman course: 1 Mark Constantine (Beta) 5; 2 Peter McIntyre (Honda) 6; 3 Bunny Ferguson (Montesa) 9.

Stanley Trials Club, New Year's Day Trial, Butsfield Quarry. – Expert course: 1 Colin Ward (Beta) 0; 2 Louis Grey (Beta) 18; 3 Scott Aitkin (Sherco) 19. Green course: 1 Eddie Aitkin (Sherco) 19; 2 Gareth Martin (Montesa) 27; 3 Colin Gelston (Gas Gas) 29. Clubman course: 1 Colin Ward jnr (Beta) 7; 2 Scott Mayhew (Beta) 10; 3 Darren Johnson (Montesa) 12. Sportsman course: 1 Mark Jewell (Beta) 1; 2 Chris Banks (Sherco) 4; 3 Michael Glendinning (Beta) 7.

Consett & DMC Trial, Butsfield Quarry. – Experts: 1 Colin Ward (Beta) 0; 2 Michael Phillipson (Scorpa) 5; 3 Andrew Battensby (Beta) 6. Green course: 1 Ian Stephen (Gas Gas) 14; 2 Michael McNiven (Beta) 25; 3 Scott Garden (Montesa) 29. Clubman course: 1 Colin Ward jnr (Beta) 7; 2 Dave Humble (Montesa) 10; 3 Martin Phillipson (Ossa) 11. Sportsman course: 1 John Grey (Fantic) 5; 2 Tim Harper (Sherco) 7; 3 Peter McIntyre (Honda) 9.

Fixtures

Saturday: Durham Trials Club trial.

Sunday: Scarborough DMC Trial, Low North Park, Harwood Dale, 10.30am; Wetherby DMC Trial, Bayliss Gap Farm, Bewerley, 10.30am.