Richmond Motor Club Gerald Simpson Trophy Trial, Carlton, Sunday.

LEYBURN joiner Richard Sadler rode his Vertigo to victory for the fifth time in five weeks winning the coveted Gerald Simpson Trophy.

Forty four years have elapsed since the trophy was created in honour of Gerald Simpson, who would have been proud of the new-look Richmond Motor Club. In those distant years, Sheffield sidecar ace Adrian Clarke won the trophy riding a 450c sidecar outfit. The demise of the three wheel events prompted the Richmond committee to redirect the trophy towards a major solo event.

The event was a mammoth organisational task, taking in almost the full length of Coverdale in one huge single lap with 40 sections. On Sunday, the club entered a new realm inasmuch has all the key officials were teenagers, with the exception of Charlotte Brown, who at 21 was the oldest of the young set. Teenager Sam Lambert was the clerk of course, and had his brother Scott, and brothers Ryan and Josh Brown in his team, along with Robert and Tim Weatherill. The route marking and section plotting was exemplary. In all six classes the penalties were right on the button.

The trial was based at Town Foot Farm at Carlton and was routed to West Grafton with a double petrol halt. Horse House Gill was the 18th and tested all classes. Only Richard Sadler and Andrew Chilton emerged without a penalty while Sam Yeadon and Danny Cockshott incurred one.

For Sadler it was pressure after a three mark loss in the third section, which rose to four after dropping a boot in section 20. Two sections at West Grafton crossed the valley then came back to the fearsome ravine named Bill’s Ghyll, where two sections in the stream bed plus almost impossible exits to the second section got the penalties moving. The hard route was flagged up the stream, with a right turn up a grass climb, which did cut up. The Clubman route travelled further upstream and encountered the same problem of wet grass.

Sadler was on a solid four but Chilton had a five on his card from Horse House. Darren Gill won the Clubman class from Sam Atherton on single figure scores, while the Over 40s went to Paul Jepson from Gavin Black and Neil Savage. Twenty four contested that class.

An amazing set of 41 Over 50s was topped by Eddie Aitken and Colin Chapman, who signed off on 11 and 17. Verdict – a cracking day in the Dales.

Results

Expert: 1 Richard Sadler (Vertigo) 4, 2 Andrew Chilton (Scorpa) 11, 3 Robert Waite (Beta) 23.

Inters: 1 Russell Rooksby (Beta) 52, 2 Scott Aitken (Gas Gas) 73, 3 Patrick Wardle (Gas Gas) 79.

Novices: 1 Thomas Middleton (Vertigo) 44, 2 Robert Weatherhill (Beta) 59, 3 Ryan Brown ((Beta) 64.

Clubmen: 1 Darren Gill (Beta) 8, 2 James Wainwright (Vertigo) 10, 3 Samuel Atherton (Gas Gas) 11.

Over 40s: 1 Paul Jepson (Beta) 12, 2 Gavin Black (Sherco) 14, 3 Neil Savage (Gas Gas) 15.

Over 50s: 1 Edward Aitken (Scorpa) 11, 2 Colin Chapman (Montesa) 17, 3 Neil Wright (TRS) 18.

Wetherby D.M.C. 2nd Norman Crooks Championship Trial, Clockensyke Farm, Dacre, Saturday.

SCORTON teenager Elliott Laws won the hard route novice class on Saturday at the Wetherby Motor Club’s second Norman Crooks Trophy Trial at Clockensyke Farm, Dacre. The top competitor though was Buxton 15-year-old Harry Turner who incurred just three penalties. Seventy four riders competed on a ten section four lap course.

Results

Hard course. Inter: Anthony Ayrton (TRS) 26. Novices: 1 Elliott Laws (Vertigo) 11, 2 Danny Smith (Sherco) 13, 3 Aldis Blacker (Gas Gas) 13. Youth Class A: 1 Harry Turner (Scorpa) 3, 2 Will Wright Beta) 63. Green course; Novices: 1 Ben Raynor (TRS) 22, 2 Paul Kendall (Sherco) 22, 3 Ian Myers (Sherco) 24.

Over 40s: 1 Phillip Hammond (Sherco) 4, 2 Andy Townson (Vertigo) 43

Over 50s: 1 Neil Gaunt (Beta) 9, 2 Robert Hardisty (Sherco) 24, 3 Chris Laws (Vertigo) 25.

Youths: 1 Callum Fowler (Beta) 6, 2 Harry Mugridge (Gas Gas) 9, 3 Josh Pearson (Vertigo) 10.

Weekend fixtures:

Saturday: Ripon Motor Club Trial, Home Farm, Hutton Conyers, Ripon, 3pm.

Sunday: Wulfsport ACU British Trials Championship, Hook Woods, West Horsley, 9.30am.

Richmond Motor Club, Trial, Horsehouse, Coverdale, 10.30am.

West Leeds Motor Club, Steve Walker Memorial Trial, Skyrakes Moor, Skipton, 11am.