With
heavy and persistent rain clearing on Saturday evening leaving sub-zero
temperatures and heavy fog on Sunday morning I was half tempted to contest the
Cheltenham Home Guard trial at Chedworth.
However, having already entered South Reading MCC ’s Three Musketeer’s
Trial and in need of some serious practice ahead of year’s first big national
trial, The TALMAG Trophy at the end of January, I manned-up, cleared the
windscreen and headed up the A40 to Watlington in Oxford via a McDonalds.
Having
entered in advance, signing on was a breeze and after fuelling the bike I
headed for the start. We got off a
little later than planned and I must say I was pretty cold by the time we got
to section one. Having never ridden at
Howe Wood before I didn’t know what to expect however, it reminded me of a
typical Golden Valley Classic MCC trial being as it was
set in a mixed, mature woodland with greasy, clay banks. A deep gulley runs down the wood adjacent to
the road and many of the sections were plotted to take advantage of this feature.
Sub
1 was a twisty affair on greasy soil which featured a couple of tight turns
over big, slippery roots. I took an immediate
dab on the first root to avoid losing the front end but mastered it on
subsequent visits. Sub 2 was similar but
didn’t cause too many problems. Sub 3
was a real cracker which criss-crossed the vast U-shaped gulley. There was only one line and no way you could
be gentle. I selected second gear, got
lined up and fired NT410 down the bank and up the other side before doing it a
few more times to reach the end of the section.
Unfortunately, on lap 3 I wasn’t quite lined up correctly and shut the
throttle too early; I made it up the huge bank but had to take a steadying
dab. Sub 4 was practically the same with
a really greasy exit that demanded respect but I didn’t trouble the scorers and
Sub 5 rode well despite it being a twisty affair over roots.
I
found the back-five sections a little trickier.
Sub 6 was plotted on a very loose bank and the final uphill turn caught
me out on a couple of occasions. Sub 7
was plotted further up the huge gully and the exit, up a steep, greasy bank got
progressively worse. I used second gear
here and whilst it made for too much speed in the twists of the section, it was
perfect for grunt and traction getting out up the loose climb.
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| At least NT410 wasn't too dirty |
Sub
8 was a killer! It looked so innocuous but
caught me out for a pair and a dab. The
section was plotted high up on a steep loose bank and snaked around the
trees. I got a real sense of achievement
when I cleaned it on lap 2 and lap 4.
The gulley was used for Sub 9 and its technical approach up a greasy
bank with an immediate drop-off towards a log-filled gully was quite demanding
and it caught me for a dab three times.
Fortunately, Sub 10 rode better than it looked. Again, a twisty, uphill section loose soil
with greasy roots but I cleaned it each time.
I finished joint first (with John Eckhart) on 10 marks lost but I
could’ve done better. Nevertheless, it
was a great trial.
In
summary, it was a challenging trial that demanded heart and aggression at times
however; it was most enjoyable. I’ve
never ridden with South Reading MCC before but they got it
spot on which probably accounts for the great turn out of British bikes. It’s a shame South Reading MCC don’t run more
trials! Personally, I’ll be back to
contest The Three Musketeers Trial next year.
Thanks to South Reading MCC , the Observers, and of
course, the landowner who graciously allowed us to use Howe Wood.
Next
up: The Pete Simmons Trial at Hungry Hill
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