Results

The first trial of the 2015 Championship was held today at Sweetwater Brook. Many thanks to Trevor Strickland for allowing us on his land…. Thanks also must go to Nick Symes who set today’s sections and to Jos Wright who helped set the Beginner routes…. Andy Scott Jackson picked up from where he left off in last year’s Championship to take the win in the Clubman class from 2nd place finisher Mark Gray…. Brian Brockwell put in a confident ride to take his 1st win in the Novice class – nice one Brian…. Nick Symes recorded the lowest score of the day on his way to winning the Twin shock class with Calvin Wright not too far away in 2nd spot…. John Townsend rode unopposed in the British class, finding some of today’s sections a bit tricky…. Ben Wolfe (Adult Beginner) continues to improve with a confident ride to take the win in his class…. Wayne Brodie, riding in the Sportsman class coped well with all of today’s sections except section 2 - Things became worse on his 3rd lap when his front wheel ‘tucked under’ and threw him off the bike straight into the brook – good effort!... Jos Wright in the Youth Expert class chose to ride the more difficult ‘B’ route today and put in a great performance, his score was right up there with the adults riding the easier Clubman route – well done Jos…. Both Harvey Grieve (Youth Beginner) and Alfie Haydon (Youth Small Wheel) both posted excellent scores to earn top spot in their respective classes..... Five IOWmcc Club riders ventured across the Solent to take part in the Dick Hoyles memorial trophy trial (Waltham Chase Mcc) Chandlers Ford, Southampton on New Years Eve…. Four laps of ten sections greeted the quintet set in the woods at Hut Hill…. It proved to be a day of mixed fortunes ending with our own Stuart Gummer being carted off to A & E following a crash which left him suffering a painful ligament injury to his hand…. The day was not however all lost as Young Club star Jos Wright put in a great ride on this tricky & greasy course to win the well contested Youth B class convincingly – Brilliant effort Jos…. Nick Symes & Calvin Wright finished 2nd & 3rd respectively in the Twin Shock class with Andy Scott Jackson finishing in a creditable 7th place in the Clubman class…. The Club sends its best wishes to Stuart & hope he’s back to full fitness soon.

Our next trial (Mercury Cup) will be held at Lee Copse courtesy of John and Ann Gustar, on the 25th January. Start time for all routes will be 12 noon. John will be setting the course. Look forward to seeing you all there.

2014 review & look forward to 2015.... Just a quick look back at the 2014 season…. All things considered it has been a good, busy and successful year…. We have held 18 club trials across both the Winter & Summer series culminating with a brilliant Boxing Day event. The Boxing Day trial was well attended (and although this year, slightly competitive) riders still embraced the spirit of this mainly ‘fun’ trial - many turning up in all sorts of fancy dress. It was good to see a decent amount of spectators too…. The Club also put on the traditional IOW 2 day trial, back in April, which consisted of 24 excellent sections across 2 venues – we even had decent weather for this one!... Of course we are very lucky here on the Island to have available to us many excellent venues offering a wide range of differing terrains – we are very grateful and thankful to all those Land Owners…. There are a host of other people involved (often behind the scenes) working quietly away to make all this happen – so many thanks to them too!... Rider numbers have remained low again this year with observers becoming even harder to find – this is not unique to us, it appears to be typical for many trials Clubs throughout the country at the moment…. There is however a concerted effort to raise the profile of our Club, to encourage new members into our sport, particularly younger ones and their families…. We now once again have regular reports published in the County Press, make use of social media (through our facebook page) with other media groups expressing an interest in publishing our reports (I hope to bring more news of this soon)…. Our own website is now kept much more up to date with all the relevant info you need…. Regular emails are being sent to those that have subscribed, containing results, events and news items…. All this will continue into 2015 and beyond - time will tell if all the effort pays off or not!... There is one important change to bear in mind right from the outset of 2015 - which is that to qualify for an award in 2015, riders will be required to complete a minimum of eight trials (in the same class) with your best twelve to count. This will bring us more into line with how most other Championships are run…. Our first trial of 2015 (New Year Shield) will be held at Sweetwater Brook on Sunday 4th Jan, start time for all routes will be 12 noon…. Hope to see you all there…. In the meantime I would like to wish you all the very best for 2015 – have a happy New Year!

On behalf of the Club I would like to say a big thank you, once again, to Ralph Cook for allowing us back at Shorwell Chalk Pit to hold the Boxing Day Cup…. Thanks also to John Gustar who gave up his time on a cold Christmas Eve and Boxing Day morning to set eight excellent sections. I had a chat with John before the trial, he was concerned and worried, desperately, trying to give us something different! - Difficult considering we have had three trials here in quick succession, however he did a great job & needn’t have worried – brilliant effort John – very much appreciated…. The day proved to be a huge success with many riders turning up in all sorts of weird and wonderful outfits, a good entry and plenty of enthusiastic spectators, this makes all the effort very worthwhile and a pleasure to be part of…. The Father and Son competition was won convincingly by Calvin and Jos Wright who both put in great performances to finish ahead of Rory and Josh Stephens in second with Jono and Ben Read in third place. I’m really pleased for Calvin and Jos, they have been nudging at the door for the last couple of years – congratulations to both of you…. It was very close in the Expert class with just 4 points separating the top three finishers – Josh Stephens took the win from Will West by the smallest of margins with Craig Talbot only 3 more behind in third…. Andy Scott Jackson rode himself back into top spot in the Clubman class, Ben Read finished ahead of his Dad (only 3 points between them though) to take 2nd & 3rd respectively with Stuart Gummer in 4th…. The Novice class was another close fought battle – it was Wayne (elf) Brodie that narrowly managed to finish ahead of Paul Kent, who put in a confident ride to finish in second with the ever improving Sam Jones not far behind in third…. Ben Wolfe rode unopposed in the Adult Beginner class who never the less posted a competitive score…. Calvin Wright rode very well to take the Sportsman class with his son Jos taking top spot in the Youth Novice class – Jos recorded the lowest score of the day on the C route which undoubtedly helped the pair to take the Father & Son competition – excellent effort from both of them…. Harvey Grieve was on form in the Youth Beginner class to take a convincing win from friendly rival Jacob Furnell – Jacob had a really tough 1st lap where he dropped most of his points…. Alfie Haydon finished in front of Harrison Crickmore (Youth Small Wheel class) with another confident ride – good effort though by both riders…. I would also like to say a special thank you to our very own Sandra Power, who was seconded by the County Press, as the official photographer. Sandra did a brilliant job in the cold and wet conditions…. I don’t yet have the date for the next trial – please check the website daily – it will be updated as soon as I can get the details.... Finally on behalf of the committee I would like to wish you all the very best for the New Year.... See you soon.

The Club would like to say a huge thank you to Ralph Cook for allowing us to use his land, once again, at short notice to hold today’s trial - The Duver Cup. We will of course be back here again on Boxing Day for the annual Father & Son trial. The Father & Son trial is not usually part of the Championship but as we were forced to postpone two trials earlier in the year (but only managed to re-run one of these) the Committee has decided that your individual Boxing Day scores will attract Championship points - for this year only!….. Now on to the Trial – Andy Ryall gave up his day off, from work on Friday, to set eight excellent sections. Calvin Wright was responsible for setting the D & E routes to test the Club’s beginners – Great effort by both of you & very much appreciated…..Young Alfie Haydon, despite riding unopposed in the Youth Small Wheel class, still put in a good performance, getting to grips with all but one of today’s sections - well done Alfie….. Harvey Grieve was back in top spot (Youth Beginners) this time out finishing ahead of rival Jacob Furnell in what proved to be a very close contest, just 3 marks between them!.... Ben Wolfe, in only his second trial, put in a solid performance to earn his first win – Ben’s confidence is clearly improving – keep up the good work Ben….. Nick Symes posted the lowest score today to beat Twin Shock rival young Jos Wright, who for me produced the ride of the day – Brilliant effort Jos, it won’t be long before you reverse today’s result!....Wayne Brodie, after a dodgy first lap, managed to stay ahead of Brian Brockwell & Sam Jones to take the win in the Novice class – good effort though by both Brian & Sam, who only started trialling earlier this year!.... In the Clubman class it was Stuart Gummer who turned the tables to finish ahead of his friend & rival Andy Scott Jackson – Andy’s spectacular crash at section 5 on his first lap proved to be the difference here….. It was another ‘painful looking’ parting of rider & bike, at section seven, that saw Rory Stephens (Expert) hit the ground hard whilst attempting the double rock step – good effort though Rory!...Will West kept his head to take the win from Rory with Simon Newnham settling for third place….. One more thank you, deservedly, goes to all those that helped clear up after the trial – this makes so much difference to those that have to stay to the end!.... As mentioned earlier, our next trial is the Father & Son Boxing Day trial, obviously on 26/12/14! Remember if you ride in fancy dress – you ride for free!!.... Full details will appear on the website very soon…. Make sure you are looking your best – I have a feeling that the County Press Photographer may be lurking with the camera poised!.... I look forward to seeing you all there….. I hope you all enjoy the Christmas break & from the Committee (if we don’t see you Boxing Day) Have a happy New Year.

Today’s Trial took place at Godshill Park Farm (this place is fantastic!) courtesy of Angus Baird who was kind enough to allow us on this new ground. Angus even provided the use of an ATV to get the course setters & flags etc to the sections – a sincere thank you to him on behalf of the Club, outstanding….. The course setters were headed up by Stewart Freeman (who was described as the chief section designer) by one of his associates Nick Symes, Simon Newnham, Calvin & Jos Wright – Its always difficult to set sections – but lets be fair, it was the weather that produced the very high scores - Good effort by all of you….. The terrain & scope here seems endless & we all look forward to a return visit, hopefully in drier conditions!.... Now I am missing 5 punch cards from – Dave Barnes, Jos Wright, Ben Wolfe & Charlie and Ben Adkins. Theses riders have question marks against their names – I have searched the van but can’t find them! (if you still have them & want them included in the results then please contact me on 07824 318 491 asap. The good news is, I suppose, that none of these results will affect the Championship…. There were also a number of ‘did not finishers’ the reasons were mainly down to breakdowns, I couldn’t help but laugh when Paul Kent’s silencer decided to launch itself back down the hill as he carried on unawares!.... It was young Alfie Haydon who completed the trial with the least marks lost (Yth small wheel class) to finish ahead of the improving Harrison Crickmore- good effort by both riders. It wa also good to see Charlie & Bertie again – I didn’t catch up with them before the end of the trial, but I hope they had fun…..Jacob Furnell managed the tricky sections well, in a reversal of fortunes from the earlier Guy Fawkes trial, to finish ahead of Yth Beginner rival Harvey Grieve….Expert, Simon Newnham, also handled the testing conditions to take the win from Rory Stephens – Rory couldn’t resist the opportunity to ride at this new venue….It was very close between Stuart Gummer and Andy-Scott-Jackson in the Clubman class with Andy just doing enough to claim the win…..There were two Twin Shock class riders today – both who had a hand in setting the course, it was Nick, that finished ahead of Stewart, to claim the win. It has to be said though that Nick has probably lost more marks during this trial than the rest of the Championship added together!....I would like to welcome (on behalf of the Club) newcomers Rob Baker & Ben Wolfe (Adult Beginners) I hope, despite the testing conditions, they enjoyed riding with us & we look forward to see you again at future events….. Next trial will be on 07/12/14 (probably at Duxmore) please check the website – the venue will be confirmed asap…..Until then take care.

The Guy Fawkes Cup was held today at Shorwell Chalk Pit, courtesy of Ralph Cook. It’s a fantastic venue – we really appreciate riding here, thanks Ralph…. The sections were set, once again, by Calvin Wright - I recon he was disappointed last week, after someone got through on cleans, so thought he would have another go, it worked - this time he took marks off every rider!... With one eye on the weather forecast Calvin managed to set eight sensible but challenging sections – well done Calvin, thanks for another good trial…. I would also like to thank everyone for their patience as I was unavoidably delayed which resulted in a later than planned start….It was Nick Symes who managed to complete the trial losing a miserly 2 marks, with his usual distinctive style of riding – well done Nick…. The rider that impressed the most however was young Jos Wright (Youth Expert class) who today sealed the Championship for that class – Brilliant achievement Jos, hope the leg is feeling better – I know you wouldn’t want to miss the 1st day back at school!.....It was very close in the Novice class, just 8 points separated the four riders. An excellent effort from an improving Sam Jones saw him take 2nd place just 1 mark ahead of Paul Kent – with Brian Brockwell in a creditable 4th place – good effort from all three riders….Harvey Grieve & Jacob Furnell had a close battle too, it was Harvey that managed to take top spot this time out…. Young Harrison Crickmore’s score was heavily affected after his bike’s drive chain snapped! He still (deservedly) earnt his 10 Pts - Good stuff!…. Today saw the return of John Townsend, who despite not finishing, still enjoyed the trial…. The next trial will be held on 23rd of November – venue to be announced…. The next event however is the all important AGM – on Wednesday 12th November, 8pm, at the Camphill Prison Officers Club – Hope to see you all there!

The re-scheduled Spring Cup was held today at Haslett Farm, courtesy of Glen Draper, once again at short notice – Thanks Glen. The Club would like to extend its condolences to Glen & his family after he lost his Dad, Basil (Toots) Draper on 19/10/14………. Thanks also should go to Calvin Wright, who with some ‘clever time management’, set today’s trial that took marks off nearly everyone – well done Calvin – keep up the good work!... It was Will West (expert) who was clean all the way through - Simon Newnham put up a spirited performance to finish in a creditable second place.... Jacob Furnel was back to winning ways, in the youth beginners, finishing on a miserly 1 mark lost, closely followed by Harvey Grieve - just 3 marks behind to finish in second place…. Young Alfie Haydon took top spot in the youth small wheel class, 11 marks ahead of Harrison Crickmore – Harrison should be really pleased with his performance in only his second trial! – Good effort….Wayne Brodie somehow managed to head up the Novice class despite loosing fives at sections 5 & 8!... Good performances from Sam Jones & Paul Kent saw them take 2nd & 3rd places respectively…. Nigel Crouch almost completed 2 laps – despite his back & leg pain, it wont be long before he is back to full fitness & winning ways once again - Well done Nigel…. Stuart Gummer found an in-form Andy Scott Jackson, in the Clubman class, a hurdle too far this time & finished in 2nd spot…. Our next trial, the Guy Fawkes Cup will be held next week (02/11/13) please bear with us as the venue is still to be announced, please check the web site daily - the site will be updated as soon we know!.… Until then take care & have fun.

Today’s Trial was held at Nodewell Farm courtesy of the Morgan family and on behalf of the Club I would like to say a sincere thank you for allowing us to trial here once again….Champaign and wine were donated and presented to Will West (Expert winner) Andy Scott Jackson (Clubman winner) and Nick Symes (Best ‘C Route’ rider) all in memory of Matt Russell….It was Ross Haydon, a close friend of Matt, who set the trial – Many thanks Ross and to Calvin who set the ‘D’ route. The Club would like to welcome Young Harrison Crickmore who was taking part in his first trial – riding his “early birthday present”! He seemed to really enjoy himself, despite parting company with his bike – good effort….It was young Harvey Grieve who finished with the lowest score of the day, closely followed by the usual suspect, Nick Symes. Nick may well have done better, but on his last lap, thought it would be a good idea to rearrange the stock fencing on Section 7 – the fence clearly won!...Once again it was the well contested Novice Class that saw the closest battles – It was Wayne Brodie who just squeaked the win, just 1 point, in front of Chris Lucas to earn maximum points. Brian Brockwell found himself on the wrong side of another close contest, just 1 point behind Mark Grieve to take 5th spot. Mark should be very pleased with his performance – his 1st time out in years!... Sam Jones also deserves a mention, he only started trialing a few months ago and he is improving with every ride – keep up the good work Sam….. I think it’s worth reminding everyone (as we are nearing the end of this year’s winter Championship) that to qualify for an award, riders must complete a minimum of 7 events – with your best 8 results to count. There are several riders that could be affected by this rule – it would be a real shame for you to miss out on an award simply by missing the remaining 4 trials in the winter series…. I would also like to take the opportunity to remind you all that our AGM is fast approaching, 12th November at 8pm. It is your chance to have your say, become part of the Committee or vote for those you would like to take the Club into 2015! It is also when you can nominate and vote for the ‘coveted’ Clubman of the year award – It would be good to see as many members as possible in attendance…. The next trial will be held on 26/10/14 at Haslett sand pit - this is the rescheduled ‘Spring Cup’ that was postponed back in February. Until then – have fun.

A big Thank you to the Morgan Family for the use of this great venue - very much appreciated. It was Andy Ryall that set the sections – once again he provided us with eight really good sections. Thanks Andy. Thanks also to Calvin Wright for setting the D route. As most of you will know I had to shoot off early to visit our Minutes Sec (Rachael Brodie) who is recovering after her surgery. You will be pleased to know, that I got there in time! And that she is feeling much better today. Rachael really appreciated your kind words & best wishes. So to the trial, Solid and steady performances from Will West & Nick Symes saw them take the wins in their respective classes. I have to mention young Jos Wright who put in a blinder, losing just 20 on his Twin shock (watch out Nick)! It was the Novice class which drew the largest entry on the day & the closest battle, between Ray Power and Brian Brockwell, for 5th & 6th places – It was Ray who squeaked in with 2 more cleans than Brian to earn the extra point. It was also really good to see Nigel Crouch back on his bike after a long absence. He managed to complete a full lap before the tiredness kicked in, it was obvious to me that he really enjoyed himself – brilliant effort.

Today’s Trial was held at Bembridge Down with the kind permission of Mr Rob Taylor – Many thanks. …. Thanks also to Rory for setting the sections (to his usual good standard!)......And also to Calvin for setting the D route….. It was Will West, once again, that led the way in the Expert Class losing just 14 marks….. Simon & Rory were involved in a close battle for 2nd & 3rd – it was Section 5 that proved to be the difference here….. The Novice Class deservedly won by Bret Coyne, although his rivals, on the, day were unable to finish, he still had to work hard to get the win….. Stuart Freeman put in a good effort in the Twin Shock Class but it was Nick that took the win losing a miserly 25….. Young Harvey Grieve took the win in the Youth Beginner Class with a confident ride. Jacob found the trial extra hard with his bike playing up pretty much all day….. Jos Wright is breathing a sigh of relief who was today riding his new Yam twin shock – his remark to me when I asked how he was getting on with it, I thought, was brilliant “its much better than Dad’s Ossa – the brakes actually work”!.....I would just like to say thank you to Stuart, Nick & Rory for helping to clear up at the end – much appreciated.