The BMCA trial at Ullenhall on Sunday the 9th of September, kicked off the season with a great turnout. The weather was fair and the venue was full of familiar faces enjoying catching up with friends and getting their trials fix once again.
Conditions had been reasonably dry leading up to the event, and trial organisers Dave Jones and Mick Hemming managed admirably to set out ten sections with the right combination of challenges, making the most of the possibilities. Old favourites were the main part of the mix, with a few sections run in reverse or with subtle alterations. The rare dry conditions also opened up parts of the pond bed that cannot always be utilised. All in all, a good mix of banks, tight corners, traverses and drops – just right for the riders to re-cut their teeth on! Sections 8 and 9 proved to be the most tricky, with the latter being the downfall of many inters riders.
Manning his debut in the experts class, Adam Cope rode his father’s former steed with great skill. Another debut was the newly built Bantam of Steve Hay, which served him well as he brought home the win. Hot on his tails was Nathan Jones, who, despite suffering a broken ankle earlier in the year, his dogged determination paying dividends in narrowly missing the top spot.
Reporter: Spanner.
Results: Experts up to 250cc: Steve Hay (Ban) 0, Nathan Jones (Cub) 0, Paul Munslow (BSA) 0, Micky Parkes (Ban) 0, Kev Taylor (C15) 1, Adam Cope (Ban) 2, Les Richardson (Saracen) 4. Experts over 250cc: Pete Reed (Tri Twin) 12.
Inters: Jim Teague (C15) 0, Kevin Walker (Cub) 7, Mark Lucas (C15) 8, Mike Butler (Ban) 9, Scott Partridge (Cub) 12, Mark Strong (Ban) 17. Clubman: Jim Pickering (Drayton Bantam) 1, Steve Haines (Cub) 4, John Nyons (Ban) 6, Stephen Leyshon (Ban) 9, Roy Jones (Sprite) 10, Nigel Douglas (BSA) 11.