Results

Overall standings for the 2019 Winter Series Trials Championship. Please be sure to read the notes at the top of the first page.

Very many thanks to Ralph Cook for the use of the chalk pit - very much appreciated. Thanks also to the Course Setters; Rob Howard and Mark Coombes who were assisted by Scout Gregory and Colin Brodie - superb effort guys.

Special thanks to Rob Richards and Colin Hare for observing in that bitterly cold and wet weather - and not forgetting Viki Taylor who also braved the elements to get some memorable images through the lens.

The Isle of Wight Motorcycle Club held the penultimate round of the Winter Series Trials Championship on Sunday 8th of December at Haslett Farm, Shorwell. The Club would like to thank Mr Glen Draper for welcoming us back at such short notice. The eight section lap was set by James Stay, Dan Flux, Rob Baker, Scout Gregory and Rob Howard. They did a brilliant job making full use of the available land. Very many thanks also to Gill Locke (Photographer) and to all the Observers who’s help is vital to the success of the sport – another very good team effort.

Expert rider James Stay found himself out on his own this afternoon but despite the lack of competition he still posted a good total of thirty-five. James admitted that he was hoping to get round for less than twenty but his total reflects the difficulty level on the Expert course, especially when combined with today’s unpredictable surface – good effort James. The Intermediate class proved to be another emphatic win for Tom Richards. He negotiated the ‘B’ route excellently to finish with the second lowest score of the day, just six dropped marks. Scout Gregory managed to stay ahead of third place finisher Sonny Gaskin – only 6 marks between the two. Andy Scott-Jackson beat his friendly rival Stuart Gummer in the Over 50’s by ten marks. Meanwhile in the Clubman class there was a close battle between Colin Brodie and Phil Chase. It was Colin who took the win with only four marks separating them. Today’s maximum points means that Colin has won the Winter Series Clubman Championship, with a round to spare – congratulations Colin.

The well contested Novice group of riders ended with a win for Brian Brockwell, he put in a confident performance to complete the trial with a loss of fifteen marks. There were only eight marks separating the first four - John Coombes took the second spot with Paul Kent just two more behind in third. Joe Taylor will probably be disappointed with his sixth place finish today but he’s already done the hard work, consistently scoring well throughout the season and he will be crowned the 2019 Winter Series Novice Champion. Nick Symes put in an excellent performance, despite riding unopposed, in the Twin-shock class to finish with the lowest total of the day – a miserly three dropped marks.

Four Youth riders in action at Haslett during the afternoon, Dan Locke and Josh Morris went head to head in the Youth Experts which resulted with a win for Dan on this occasion. These two young riders continue to impress with every outing. They both began the year on the novice course – excellent effort by both riders. Alfie Haydon put in a tremendous performance dropping just seventeen in the Youth Inters. Alfie has done more than enough to take the Championship – I’m sure he is champing at the bit to get stuck into the Experts next year! Alfie Gaskin had a mixed day in the Youth Novice class – he had four fairly expensive sections with excellent section scores (totalling eight) on the remaining, four helping him on his way to another ten Championship points.

The final trial of 2019 will take place on Boxing Day at Shorwell Chalk Pit. There will be prizes for the best Youth and the best Adult riders in fancy dress. Please note the earlier start time of 11am, signing on from 10am. The Club would like to take this opportunity to wish all the Landowners, volunteers, friends, associates, and of course, all our members a very happy Christmas and all the very best for 2020.

The Isle of Wight Motorcycle Club held the annual Matthew Russell Memorial Cup trial on Sunday 17th November at Nodewell Farm, Totland. The Club would like to thank the Morgan Family for the use of the venue, Ross & Alfie Haydon along with Josh Morris for eight top sections. We would also like to thank Gill Locke for capturing all the action with her camera, the Observers and Geoff Taylor - Geoff stepped in at short notice to sign the riders on and officiate as Clerk of the Course – superb team effort people.

The Club would like to extend a very warm welcome to three new members; Jack Ayres, Adam Morgan and Daryl Biles. Jack is no stranger to trials and its great to see him back on a trials machine riding with us after a break of far too many years! We hope they all had a great time and we look forward to seeing them again soon.

Matt Russell was a popular and a well-liked member of the Club. He was an accomplished Intermediate class rider who tragically and suddenly lost his life at the age of just twenty-nine. The ‘Matt Russell Cup’ is awarded annually to the best Intermediate rider at this trial. Matt’s Dad; Tony Russell, was on hand to present the Cup to this year’s Intermediate winner - Tom Richards. Tom put in an amazing performance on the tricky sections to cross the line with a miserly loss of only eight marks. Presentations were also made to Ross Haydon (2nd) and Ben Read (3rd) who dropped thirty and thirty-two respectively.

Things were very much closer in the Expert class, in fact Jack Ayres and James Stay were tied on thirty-one a piece. Jack was awarded the win for notching up twenty cleans to James’s fifteen – very good effort by both riders. Meanwhile over in the Clubman class it proved to be a successful return to trials for Adam Morgan – he completed the trial for a loss of thirty-eight, twenty-six ahead of nearest rival Phil Chase. Daryl Biles posted a very good seventy-three to take the third spot. Colin Brodie finished in fourth – it was great to see Colin fit enough to compete after a recent crash forced him off the bike for several weeks. Paul Kent dominated the Novice group of riders finishing on just five dropped marks – the lowest score of the day. John Coombes held on for the second place by two marks from Championship leader; Joe Taylor who was forced to settle for third spot on this occasion.

It was good to see five Youth riders in action this afternoon, headed up by Josh Morris in the Youth Expert class. Josh managed to hold off a determined challenge from Dan Locke to claim the win. Alfie Haydon was out on his own in the Youth Intermediate class but despite this he posted the second best score on the B&C route – beating all but one of the adults! Alfie Gaskin also put in a superb performance to take maximum points in the Youth Novice’s – Excellent riding lads.

The Club next meet on Sunday 1st December for the Duver Cup. The venue is still to be confirmed, please keep an eye on this website where all the details will be made available once finalised.

The Club would like to thank Mr Glen Draper for the kind use of the pit & to Course Setter; Rory Stephens. A special thank you to Colin Hare and Darren Taylor for their superb efforts observing the trial, in the very wet and bitterly cold conditions.

The Isle of Wight Motorcycle Club held the ninth round of the 2019 Winter Series Trials Championship on Sunday 6th October at Bembridge Down. The Club would like to thank Rob and John Taylor for the kind use of this excellent venue. Very many thanks also to Alan Gosden (Course Setter) Viki Taylor (Club Photographer) Peter Rank (Guest Photographer) and to all eight Observers – great team effort. The Club would like to extend a very warm welcome to new member; Tristan Osborne. We hope he enjoyed the trial and we look forward to seeing him again soon. Not the easiest of trials for a debut, the exposed tree roots were very greasy after some heavy rain overnight, resulting in some high totals for most riders.

It was great to see Elite rider; Josh Stephens in action, negotiating the Expert route for a loss of sixteen - no doubt getting in some important bike time before he travels up to Richmond, North Yorkshire for the gruelling Scott Trial. Josh will make the journey with British Expert Champion; Chris Stay together with James Stay and Mark Coombes – we wish the four of them all the very best as they take on one of the most testing events in the trials calendar.

The Intermediate class was won convincingly by Championship leader; Ben Brodie. Ben finished the trial on thirty-one, forty points ahead of his nearest rival Harvey Grieve. Scout Gregory and Sonny Gaskin were tied on seventy-nine – Scout was awarded the third place notching up four cleans to Sonny’s three. There were four Over Fifty riders (everyone’s getting older!) and it was Rory Stephens who took another very convincing win with a fine total of only nineteen. Simon Watmough did enough to claim the second spot from Andy Scott-Jackson in third. Colin Brodie and Phil Chase were involved in another tie break in the Clubman class. Both riders scored sixty-six a piece. Colin took the win by the narrowest of margins, managing ten cleans to Phil’s nine – good effort by both these friendly rivals.

The Novice class only attracted three riders with just two finishers. Paul Kent took the win on fifty-nine from Championship leader; Joe Taylor, who finished on seventy-five – sections six and seven making all the difference. The pick of the Sportsman riders, once again, was Geoff Taylor, with a competitive total of fifty-six. Tristan Osborne, in his first trial for many years managed a good total of forty-eight, sensibly riding mainly ‘D’ route sections.

Five Youth riders taking on the tricky Bembridge sections, headed up by Dan Locke and Josh Morris in the Youth Experts. Dan managed to seal the win twenty-one marks clear of Josh – sections four and six proving to be the deciders. Alfie Haydon put in his usual confident performance to take the points in the Youth Intermediate class. It was really good to see Alfie Gaskin back on his bike so soon after his recent arm injury whilst on holiday – it was thought he would be forced off the bike for much longer than this. He finished the trial to take the points in the Youth Novice class. Bertie Grieve continues to gain in confidence in the Youth Beginners bagging himself another ten Championship points.

The Club next meet on Sunday 20th October for the Ted Phillips Cup. Your Course Setters for this trial will be Andy Scott-Jackson and Stuart Gummer. The usual start time of 12 noon with signing on open from 11am. Please keep an eye on the Club website: www.iowmcc.co.uk where details of the venue will be published nearer the time.

Finally on behalf of the whole Club - I would like to wish Jos Wright all the very best following a horrific car accident on Saturday evening. I understand he has undergone major surgery to both his legs. Our thoughts are with Jos and his family at this difficult time.

Report to follow

The Isle of Wight Motorcycle Club kick started the second half of the 2019 Winter Series Trials Championship at Sweetwater Brook on Sunday. The Club would like to thank Mr Trevor Strickland for welcoming us back to this superb venue. The eight section lap was set by Simon Newnham, Geoff Taylor and Dan Locke and between them they produced a good mix of tight and technical tests that went down well with the riders. Many thanks also to Club Photographer; Viki Taylor and to all the Observers for all their important help.

The Club would like to welcome four new members; Sam Parfitt, Alex Smith, Ryan Munt and Marcus Rickard. We hope they all enjoyed the afternoon and we look forward to seeing them again very soon. At least three riders joined that exclusive group to have ended up in the brook – Scott Milton, Dan Locke and Joe Taylor the latest to find out that the water here is not that sweet after all!

It was great to see Elite rider; Josh Stephens in action today not only did he complete the trial! But he did it in style – with a clean sheet. Two Experts went head to head resulting in a two point win for James Stay. Rob Howard was looking favourite until he missed a flag incurring the maximum five point penalty. The Intermediate class was won by Tom Richards, Tom cleaned five of the eight sections to finish on a total of nineteen. Harvey Grieve was only five more behind in second with Ben Brodie taking a solid third place following a five month break. Rory Stephens was the clear winner in the Over Fifty’s from Simon Watmough in second. The Clubman class was dominated by Scott Milton (despite being dumped over the bars into the brook on section two) with an eight point lead over Colin Brodie. Colin finished on forty with Phil Chase only four more behind in third.

The well contested Novice class was taken by Paul Kent who completed the trial for a loss of just twenty-three. New member; Ryan Munt was only three more behind in second with Paul West in third. Joe Taylor had a day of mixed fortunes and he was disappointed with his fourth place finish. Jos Wright was left out on his own in the Twin Shock following the retirement of Nick Symes. That said, Jos put in a blinding performance on the Ossa to finish with a miserly total of just seven. Geoff Taylor was the pick of the bunch in the Sportsman class – losing just four marks, the second lowest score of the day.

Four Youth riders competing this afternoon headed up by Dan Locke and Josh Morris in the Youth Expert’s. Both these riders have moved up from the Novice class. Dan managed to get the win despite his impromptu early bath in the brook. Josh had to settle for second on this occasion – both of these young riders have improved remarkably and consistently throughout this year. Alfie Haydon (Youth Intermediate) put in his now usual top performance to take his ten Championship points. Bertie Grieve continues to gain in confidence in the Youth Beginners, again securing maximum Championship points. There was a regular youth rider absent today – the Club would like to wish Alfie Gaskin a speedy recovery after breaking his arm whilst on holiday. He will regrettably be out of action for several months to come, so get well soon Alfie.

By far the best and most impressive performance this weekend took place not on the Island but at Totherick Quarry in Scotland. Club rider; Chris Stay managed, under what must have been immense pressure, to win the 2019 ACU British Solo Expert Trials Championship. Chris went North of the border with a slender lead of four points going into the final two rounds. He managed an incredible win on the Saturday beating Championship rival; Dan Thorpe by a nail-biting single mark. Dan, being the talented competitor he is, managed to win Sunday’s trial from Chris by a margin of two marks – however Chris had done all the hard work consistently throughout the year to take the title. We would all like to congratulate Chris on his superb achievement. We also recognise the people who helped him on his way, Chris’s Dad; Alan Stay and close friends; Mark Coombes and George Gosden who between them proved to be an unrivaled team providing that crucial support.

Our small Island Club has now helped produce two British Trials Champions. Becky Talbot (Cook) and Chris Stay – there can’t too many Clubs who can rival that fact. Absolutely amazing – we’re all still buzzing!

The Isle of Wight Motorcycle Club held a very special trial in memory of Nigel Crouch on Sunday 18th August. Nigel sadly passed away in January 2018. He served on the Club’s Committee for over forty years holding the post of Hon Treasurer for most of those. He was a very popular character who always saw the best in everyone, an inspiration to all – and very sadly missed - but fondly remembered.

The trial was held at Pagham Farm, Rookley courtesy of A.B. Farms Ltd and the Club would like to thank Michael Brown for his superb hospitality. The day was designed to be a relaxed fun event with a free BBQ to help promote the social side of things. Scott Milton did a superb job with his cooking skills (after completing his 4 laps) making sure that plenty of food was always available throughout the afternoon. Many thanks to Stewart Freeman, John Townsend, Alan Stay and Geoff Taylor for all their help in plotting the sections, Mark Coombes for pulling the flags, Viki Taylor for her ace photography skills and of course all the Observers – brilliant team effort and just as the Club should be. A big thank you also to the VIPMCC for the kind loan of the gas powered Burco boiler - everyone needs a cuppa or two!

As mentioned, the emphasis was on participation, remembrance and just enjoying the trial together with a more social feel to the afternoon – well I think we certainly managed all four of those key aims. Of course it was an observed trial and therefor a full set of results were produced, although not too important on this occasion. There were forty-one riders so an excellent turnout for such a small club such as ours. It was really good to see two of Nigel’s bikes in action – his Montesa 247T and his beloved Greeves Anglian. Both bikes completed the trial intact and despite the mud on section six were probably still cleaner than they’ve been in years!

Although the focus is not on competition there are a couple of superb Awards that have been sponsored by two of Nigel’s close friends; Dave Rose and Joe Henderson. A stunning Silver Plated Cup called the NMC Memorial Trophy from Dave and something a bit different all the way from Australia, Joe Henderson’s ‘True Spirit’ Award. It was decided to present the True Spirit Award to Mark Coombes. Mark cleaned up twice. After completing the four laps of eight, on the B route, with a clean sheet he then took himself off (without being asked) to pick up the flags - clearing the sections twice! While the rest of us gathered by the BBQ – true spirit indeed! Nigel was very well known for inspiring and encouraging younger riders and that legacy clearly continues to have an influence. The NMC Memorial Trophy has been awarded jointly to two of the Club’s youth riders. Both of these lads have improved so much this year and decided to step up into the Youth Experts especially for today – Alfie Haydon and Josh Morris, very good effort by these two. Very many congratulations to all three Award winners.

It was great to see Chris Stay and George Gosden in action providing some excellent spectating for all to see in the Elite class. Set by Alan and Geoff, riding the sort of stuff most of us can only ever dream about! Chris is leading the British Championship Expert class by four points going into the final two rounds due to be held in Scotland in September – on behalf of everyone at the IOWMCC I would like to wish him every success, we have everything crossed for you Chris – you can do it!

The Club would like to thank the Landowners who made this year's Summer Series possible; A.B. Farms, Geoff & Mary Case and Fred Colson & Simon Newnham.

Perfect weather throughout the three round mini series. Top effort to the Course Setters; Geoff Taylor, Shaun Harris, Alan Gosden, Mark Coombes and Simon Newnham. Very many thanks also to all the Observers who's help is very much appreciated and Photographer; Viki Taylor for her amazing images. Finally congratulations to all the Award Winners.