Results

Tough day's trialling! - good effort by all the riders. The wet stuff on Thursday & Friday caught all of us out, including the course setters!

Very many thanks to the land owners; Roger Morgan & Family for Knighton and Rob Taylor & Family for Bembridge Down. A big thank you also to all of those that helped to make today possible. The Observer raffle took place after the day's antics were completed. Terry Graves (Southern Centre Steward) drew the winners - 1st prize went to Brian Hall on section 3 - Brian has observed the Wight Two Day, every year since some when in the 1980's! Second prize went to the one & only Alan Downer (sec 7) with Adam Brodie on section 5 picking up the third prize. Tomorrow we go to Bembridge & with dry weather things shouldn't be quite so difficult.

Newbarn Farm, Calbourne was the venue for the sixth round of the Isle of Wight motorcycle club’s 2016 Winter Championship. The Club would like to thank Mr Chris Spence for welcoming us back to this great piece of land. Thanks also to your course setters; Geoff Taylor, Stuart Gummer, Steve Chase and Nick Symes and to Viki Taylor for yet another brilliant set of photo’s.

The Expert class turned out to be a very close fought contest between Becky Cook and Will West. Both treating spectators to a master class in trials riding. Section three proved to make the difference in the end and saw Becky take the win finishing with a miserly single dropped mark. It was good to see Simon Newnham back on the Expert route and despite nursing a shoulder injury did well to finish in third place. Mark Coombes earned himself another ten championship points, the clear winner in the well contested Intermediates. Stuart Gummer and Geoff Taylor finished in second and third respectively with just a single mark between them.

Scott Milton moved up a class today competing in the Clubman’s. Scott rode exceptionally well to take the win from Justin Clayton. Scott finished with the joint third lowest score of the day – just seven dropped marks. The Novice class produced the closest contest of the day, Paul Kent, on a borrowed bike, was triumphant over Brian Brockwell (who lent him the bike!) by just two marks. James Craven had a tough time but did well to hold on for third spot – good effort by all three riders. Nick Symes once again proved to be the clear winner in the Twin shock class with Stewart Freeman in second. Nick completed the trial with the second lowest total of the day, only two lost marks.

Phil Silvester has to be pleased with his new sherco (Adult Beginner class) despite parting company with it a couple of times, he composed himself well to finish in first place from relative newcomers Paul West and Steve Chase who were second and third. The Youth classes were headed up by Jos Wright who chose to tackle today’s sections on his Yamaha twin shock – Jos should be really pleased with his total of just twenty-three. Harvey Grieve also finished with a relatively low score to take another win in the Youth Novice class – brilliant riding lads, keep up the good work. Mathew Power had a bit of a struggle with one or two of today’s sections but kept going none the less and bagged himself ten championship points in the Youth Beginners. Alfie Haydon, the youngest competitor today tackled the harder D route on his small wheeled TY80 machine. Alfie’s bike did struggle on sections seven and eight but didn’t dent Alfie’s spirit and finished with a very respectable total and importantly another win in the Small Wheel class.

The next event is the Wight Two Day open trial on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th April at Knighton and Bembridge Down. We are still in need of volunteers to Observe the sections, particularly on the Saturday. If you may be able to help please contact Wayne Brodie who’s contact details can be found on the Club’s web site. There will be a raffle held just for the Observers on, each day, with some great cash prizes. Closing date for entries is fast approaching – don’t miss out, get your entry in soon if you are planning to ride.

The Isle of Wight Motorcycle Club held the fifth round of its Winter Series trials Championship on Sunday 20th March at Lee Copse, Bouldnor. The Club would like to thank John and Ann Gustar for allowing us to use this brilliant venue. John went out of his way earlier in the morning moving plant and vehicles to make space for us all to park – great hosts. Thanks also to Andy Ryall who set the trial. Andy provided us with eight excellent sections that tested every rider. Viki Taylor was on hand, camera at the ready, capturing some great images – well done guys.

The Club would like to welcome two new members; Paul West and Gary Wetherick who were both competing in their first trial. We hope the slippery Bouldnor mud didn’t put them off and we look forward to seeing them at future events.

The Expert class proved to be a very close affair, just seven marks separating the top three. Jim West emerged as the winner with Club Champion and Brother, Will West forced to settle, this time, for second spot - with Nick Read finishing in third. Mark Coombes rode a blinder today to take the win in the well contested Intermediate class with Ben Read in second. Geoff Taylor has to be pleased with his performance to take third spot – good effort by all three.

Brian Brockwell should also be pleased, taking the honours in the Novice class from the fast improving James Craven, just eight marks between them! Paul Kent had to settle for third place on what proved to be a tricky course. Only a single rider in the Twin Shock class – Stuart Freeman gained himself ten Championship points despite the slippery conditions. The Sportsman winner today was Jon Croft – good to see Jon venturing across the Solent to join in the fun. Father and Son duo Chris and Blake Lucas finished second and third respectively. Newcomers Gary Wetherick and Paul West finished first and second respectively in the Adult Beginners, they both did really well to get around the greasy course.

Now on to the Youth classes, there were five Youth riders today, I took the time to watch these lads closely and I would like to say how impressed I was with all of them. Alfie Haydon and Harrison Crickmore have recently moved up from the easier E route, Harvey Grieve now rides the C course, Mathew Power in his first outing for quite a few months and Josh Morris taking part in first proper trial – these lads have all gained in confidence and were a pleasure to watch – Very well done. Harvey Grieve, the sole rider in the Youth Novice class completed the trial on the same score as last year’s Adult Novice Champion! Alfie secured another win in the Small Wheel class with Harrison taking the win in the Beginners. Matt finished in second with Josh in third – excellent effort lads, keep up the good work.

The next Club trial takes place on 03/04/16 – full details will be available from the Club web site: www.iowmcc.co.uk nearer the time. Our ‘show case’ event, the Wight Two Day is fast approaching (16th & 17th April). Entries are steadily coming in every day. We still need volunteers to observe the sections, please get in touch if you can spare some time over that weekend. Don’t forget the raffle (each day) for all those that observe. See you all in few weeks.

The Isle of Wight Motorcycle Club held the 4th round of the 2016 Winter Series at Apes Down, near Rowridge. The Club would like to thank Mrs Jane Ball for welcoming us back to this excellent venue. Thanks also to course setters, Mark Coombes and Nick Symes, for their efforts, providing us with eight really good sections. A mixture of tight and twisty turns with a good number of steep tricky climbs.

The Club would like to welcome new youth rider - Joshua Morris who wisely treated his first outing as a practise session, he did successfully negotiate a few of today’s sections though – well done Josh, keep up the good work.

The competition was very close between the top three Expert riders, just two marks separating them. Will West narrowly won the class finishing on thirty-five. Nick Read and Jim West tied on thirty-seven. They were also tied on cleans and one’s but Nick was awarded second spot notching up three 2’s to Jims two – you won’t get much closer than that!

Ben Read took the honours in the Intermediate class with an impressive total of just forty-two. Course setter, Mark Coombes was forced to settle for second place with Stuart Gummer in third. Simon Watmough was the sole Clubman rider today, he never the less put in a solid performance finishing on just twenty-seven.

Once again Nick Symes was the lowest scoring rider, just seven dropped marks, to win the Twin shock class. Alan Gosden finished second with young Jos Wright in third. Jos battled with his Dad’s Ossa and did exceptionally well to finish – Good effort Jos. Scott Milton was the only finisher in the Sportsman class of riders – Scott finishing with an excellent score of just twenty-seven.

Phil Silvester convincingly took the Adult Beginner’s from brothers Phil and Steve Chase who finished second and third respectively. Harvey Grieve should be really pleased with his performance today, Harvey rode confidently on today’s tricky sections, to earn his ten Championship points in the Youth Novice class. Youngsters Alfie Haydon (Youth Small Wheel) and Harrison Crickmore (Youth Beginner) both tackled the harder D route. Both earned the win in their respective classes – good effort lads, very well done.

The Club next meets in two weeks’ time (20/03/16) at Lee Copse, Bouldnor. Please check the Club’s website nearer the time for the full details. The Club’s annual Two Day open trial is fast approaching, 16th and 17th of April where some riders will be taking to the road. We are appealing for helpers to observe the sections, please get in touch if you are able to give up your Saturday or Sunday to help out.

The third round of the 2016 Winter Championship was held at Shorwell chalk pit, courtesy of Mr Ralph Cook. The Club would like to thank Ralph for welcoming us back to this great venue. Thanks also to all those that helped set today’s sections and clear up after the trial.

Two new members this week - we would like to welcome Keith Jacobs and Malcolm Hawkins, I hope you both enjoyed the trial and look forward to seeing you at future events.

The Club today reintroduced an A route for the expert riders which seemed to work well, although a delayed start coupled with some tricky sections meant they were unable to complete the usual four laps. Will West encountered some stiff competition from Becky Cook to take the win, only four marks between them! Jim West and Nick Read were tied on nineteen but it was Jim who was awarded third place by notching up five cleans to Nick’s four – you can’t get closer than that!

The well contested Intermediate class was another close contest just eight marks between the first three. It was Mark Coombes who finished ahead of Stuart Gummer in second with Mark Gray in third. All three of these riders were involved with setting today’s course. Simon Watmough was the only Clubman rider but never the less posted a really good score to earn himself another ten Championship points.

James Craven should be really pleased with his performance to earn his first win in the Novice class – excellent effort James, very well done. New member Keith Jacobs also rode well to take second spot from Paul Kent who was forced to settle for third. Nick Symes, despite a shaky start, composed himself well to cruise ahead of Stewart Freeman in the Twin Shock’s.

Phil Silvester put in a confident ride in the Adult Beginners to earn another ten Championship points. Relative newcomers Phil and Steve Chase finishing in second and third respectively. Scott Milton should be pleased with his performance, with an excellent ride to win the Sportsman class.

Youth rider Alfie Haydon, on his small wheeled machine, had a go on the D route today. Alfie was unopposed in his class and found some of the sections difficult to negotiate on the smaller bike. Despite this he still really enjoyed the trial – taking it all in and learning all the time – one to watch! Harvey Grieve also did very well in the Youth Novice class. This being Harvey’s first time out this year and still recovering from a recent chest infection – good effort Harvey, he was rewarded with ten Championship points to kick off his 2016 season.

The next Club trial is due to take place on Sunday 6th March – please keep an eye on the Club’s website: www.iowmcc.co.uk where all the details will be available nearer the time. The Club’s annual awards dinner and dance takes place on Saturday, 6pm at the Ventnor Botanic Gardens – I look forward to seeing you there.

The Reg’s for the Wight Two Day trial (16th&17th April) will be available from the Club website by next weekend. We will once again be including roadwork for some riders along with an all off road trial. Entries will open on March 1st – make a note in your diaries.

Red Funnel Ferries have been kind enough, once again, to make available discounted return ferry travel for this event, although numbers are limited. The Club is very grateful to Red Funnel for their continued support in helping us to attract more mainland riders. Full details will be available very soon. Regular updates will appear on our website. Please get in touch if you need any further information - by email: [email protected]

The second round of the 2016 Winter Championship, the Mercury Cup was held today at Haslett Farm, Shorwell. The recent wet weather has made access & parking to most venues impossible and the Club would like to say a special thank you to Mr Glen Draper for allowing us back at Haslett, at very short notice.

Today’s course setters were well aware that back to back trials at the same venue required some ‘out of the box’ thinking in order to provide something different – well they certainly managed that, brilliantly! Very many thanks to Nick Symes, Stewart Freeman and Calvin Wright for eight excellent but testing sections. A good mixture of long steep climbs with tight and twisty turns - all just waiting to take points off of us! Great effort guys. The Club would like to welcome returning member Laura Milton and new members Ben Brodie, Phil Chase and Steve Chase. We look forward to seeing you back again soon.

The Expert class proved to be a Family affair and was convincingly won by Will West from brother Jim - good performance from both riders, with just sections four and six separating the two. No less than ten competitors battled for the win in the Intermediate class with Mark Coombes snatching victory from Andy Steele. Tom Read did just enough to finish ahead of Dad, Tony for third place – just two marks between second and fourth place!

Simon Watmough was riding alone in the Clubman class but still managed to post a really competitive total of thirty-seven. Paul Kent fought off a determined effort from Novice class rival Brian Brockwell to take the top spot, sections four and six making all the difference. James Craven also rode well to finish in third place, on today’s tricky course. Nick Symes convincingly won the Twin Shock class from fellow course setter Stewart Freeman – great ride Nick.

Phil Silvester put in a confident performance to take the win in the Adult Beginners class, dropping a miserly thirteen marks. The Beginner classes were restricted to six sections, as sections one and five were simply too difficult to include the easier routes. Youngster Alfie Haydon should be really pleased with his efforts, finishing with the lowest score of the day, only five dropped marks. Harrison Crickmore, riding the same route but in a different class, was only two more adrift, with a score of just seven – very well done to both riders. Scott Milton also put in a great performance to take the win in the Sportsman class, convincingly beating Wayne Brodie, who finished in second.

The next trial will be held on 14/02/16 – keep an eye on the Club’s website where the full details will be available nearer the time. Don’t forget the Clubs annual awards evening on the 20th Feb – some great food on offer with the Mechanix playing us into the 21st! Full details from the Events page.

The Re-scheduled New Year Shield took place today at Sweetwater Brook, Calbourne, courtesy of Mr Trevor Strickland. The trial was originally due to have taken place last weekend but the deluge of rain meant we were unable to access the venue. The Club are very grateful to the owners of Calbourne Mill who gave us permission to use their car park. Had it not been for this kind gesture the trial would have been cancelled altogether. Very many thanks to both Trevor and the owners of Calbourne Mill.

Nick Symes was the course setter today, very tricky job, in what we all knew would be very testing conditions! I was approached by several riders during the day who all said what a great trial this proved to be – very well done Nick, thank you. Thanks also to Brian Brockwell for helping to clear up at the end.

The Club would like to welcome two new members, Father and Son, Justin and Oliver Clayton. Oliver treated today as a practise session under the watchful eye of Dad. We would also like to welcome back to trialing Scott Milton and Dave Barnes – I hope you were not put off by all today’s antics at a very muddy Sweetwater!

The Expert class was convincingly won by the ‘match fit’ Will West, finishing on a total of just twenty-eight. Simon Newnham did well however to take second spot. Things were very close in the Intermediate class, just four marks separating the first two. Mick Brown just did enough to finish ahead of the returning Dave Barnes – good effort by both riders.

Stuart Gummer took top spot in the well contested Clubman class, in the closest battle of the day. Stuart finished just one point ahead of Mark Coombes in second with Andy Scott-Jackson (only two more adrift) in third. Andy Steele, stole the Novice class, convincingly from last year’s Champion, Brian Brockwell who did well to take second place. Course setter Nick Symes proved to be the lone rider in the Twinshock class – but never the less posted a competitive score of forty-two in today’s difficult conditions.

The youngest Club members riding the E route, Alfie Haydon (Youth small wheel) and Harrison Crickmore (Youth Beginner) both did really well to get round this very slippery course. Both earning ten Championship points in their respective classes. Harrison however thought it a good idea to have an extra go at section three - only to end up going over the handle bars straight into the brook! He emerged unhurt but very, very wet – good effort young man!

The next trial will be held in two weeks time on Sunday 24th January. Please check the Club’s website nearer the time for the full details. I look forward to seeing you then.

Simply click on the green 'View Results' button to see the report.

The IOWmcc’s annual Boxing Day trial was held at Shorwell Chalk Pit, courtesy of Mr Ralph Cook. The Club would like to thank Ralph for welcoming us back to what is an excellent venue. On behalf of the Club I would like to thank John Gustar for setting eight brilliant but challenging sections. Thanks also to Sandra Power & Viki Taylor for the pics, Charlotte Percy & youngster, Ryan Power, for observing sections five and six and all those that helped clear up afterwards – great effort guys!

We would like to welcome back to trials riding Simon Watmough, Mark Coombes, Emma Percy, John Coombes, Ellie Attrill, Mike Attrill and Martin Wallis. All returning after several years out. We hope you all had a great time and look forward to seeing you all back again soon.

The Father and Son competition was fought out by no less than seven pairings! Congratulations to what proved to be the clear winners, Tony and Tom Read, they finished on a combined total of just thirty six marks. Stewart and Will West had to settle for second spot today with Jono and Ben Read in third. The fancy dress awards went to Jacob Furnell, best youth, who came dressed as a Gorilla - well done Jacob and Wayne Brodie, best Adult, dressed as some sort of elf like looking thing, apparently. Now if that doesn’t make you smile - then nothing will!

The (well contested) Expert class was won by the 2015 Club Champion, Will West. Will had to dig in deep to stay ahead of brother, Jim West in second and Nick Read in third. Ben Read took the honours in the Inters, Ben despite being the only rider in the Intermediate class, still managed to post a really competitive score. Simon Watmough’s return to trials was rewarded by taking the Clubman class from Shaun Harris in second place – good effort by both riders.

Things were very close in the popular Novice class of riders. Twelve competitors fought it out on today’s testing course. It was Mark Coombes who eventually emerged as the winner from Tom Read in second. Tony Read was forced to settle for third spot – just six points separated these three. Tony and Tom’s combined score however saw them win the Father and Son competition. Ross Haydon narrowly beat Nick Symes to take the Twinshock class – only one point between them. Ross dropping five marks and Nick on six – the two lowest scores of the day! Alan Gosden put in a determined effort to finish in third with a total of just sixteen marks.

The Adult Beginner class (the closest battle of the day) was headed up by returning rider, Ellie Attrill, and Ben Wolfe. Both riders ending the day tied with just eight marks lost. It was Ellie who took the win with twenty five cleans to Ben’s twenty four – good effort though by both riders. Mike Attrill finished in third. Mike returned to trials today following a break for major surgery to sort out a serious back injury – brilliant effort Mike, great to see you fit and well - and back riding with us once again.

Meanwhile Matt Power took the win in the Youth Beginner class – well done Matt. Young Alfie Haydon stepped up a class today and tackled the D route on his little TY80 machine, to finish in second place – excellent effort by both riders.

The 2016 Championship kicks off on Sunday 03/01/16 at Sweetwater Brook, Calbourne, courtesy of Trevor Strickland. The usual start time of 12 noon applies. I look forward to seeing you all then. Finally, on behalf of the Committee, I would like to wish all the land owners, members, riders, supporters, associates and their families all the very best for 2016.

Congratulations to all of this year's award winners.