Ripon Motor Club, Derek Lickers Memorial Trial, Kingstone Farm, Fellbeck, Sunday

DOUGIE LAMPKIN certainly fired a warning shot on to Sunday his Scott Trial aspirants by winning the Ripon Motor Club's tough Derek Lickers Memorial trial at sunny Kingstone Farm, high above Fellbeck.

It was no walk in the park for the multi World and British champion. Mark Langstaff and Peter Fleetham plotted a fourteen section course on the upper reaches of the Nidderdale venue which was deluged by rain right up to Saturday afternoon. On Sunday the day was clear and the sun eventually broke through the low cloud base and many of the sections rode hard but were cleaned by the majority of the championship class contenders. Dougie Lampkin, there were three of them competing, rattled off a clean lap. By contrast the Clubman A route was dead on the button and the other Lampkin adult, John, stormed it on his Fantic.

Both Lampkins have major trial dates coming up, the Scott fandango at Richmond while John and Glen Scholey head for Spain for an old timers trials, and some jollies with the veteran Spanish rivals. Seems John is also serious because he also ran off with the Clubman A class leaving Neil Gaunt to pick up the pieces on his crisp sounding Beta four popper from Otley's Joe Bradley. One youth who earned a mention was Bradford's Keiran Child who got his Beta into sixth place midst seven national and Centre winning experts. Good going for a novice ranked youngster on what was a very testing course.

Just to clear the Lampkin clan off the report schedule the third member was the tiger in the tank -Alfie who took a strong second place to the very experienced Henry Stephenson on the Clubman B route. On the overall scores Henry finished a mark behind Falcon's Ian Haigh in eighth place. Phillip Hammond won the class from Paul Sadler who was hanging about at the back with William Wood, gossiping, or were they waiting for the sun to dry the sections? Verdict; a real tester, for the organisers taking on the weather, and winning, and the eighty contenders and the vital fourteen observers who made it all happen.

Durham County M.C.C. Trial, Harrowbank Quarry, Stanhope, Sunday

DURHAM County Trials Club made a welcome return to Harrowbank Quarry, near Stanhope in County Durham last weekend, the first time they had been allowed on the course for almost 10 years. Former British Expert Champion Andy Huddlestone was instrumental in bringing it all together and marked out 10 testing sections for the entry of over 70 including 4 on the conducted route.

After a wobbly start when he fell behind Roger Williams and Huddleston after just two sections John Crinson then got his act together to finish on fourteen which included a five in section one. This would put him comfortably ahead of his two nearest challengers as they began to suffer in the sections deteriorated when mud covered the rocks. Section four, after the fourth gear graded hill climb, proved to be one of the hardest sections, taking three off Crinson and thirteen off Huddlestone, however Williams got it right with just the one mark lost here after three cleans on the cambered climb over exposed tree roots.It couldn't have been much closer on the Clubman Course where two marks covered the first three riders.

Chris Laws and Alex Bell missed out on the win as Colin Chapman finished one and two marks ahead of them. Laws will look at Michael Phillipson's section five as his downfall as he struggled with the tight climb up roots and steps, while Bell will not be pleased with his ride in section nine where the numerous turns and steps took him for 13 of his total. John Nixon had a twelve mark advantage over Chris Banks on the Easy Course and Vinnie Benson and Ella Hodgson both won their respective Conducted classes.

FIXTURES

Saturday

Lakes M.T.A. Annual Two Day Trial, Broughton in Furness, 9.00 am,

Sunday

Lakes M.T.A. Annual Two Day Trial, Broughton in Furness, 9.00 am,

Yeadon-Guiseley Motor Club, Dave Curry Trophy Trial, Ramsgill, 11.00 am.