DAN Thorpe almost cruised to victory at Ripon Motor Club's Jack Leslie Ellis Memorial Trial last Sunday at Winksley, where the JST Gas Gas mastered the tough, unforgiving two-lap, 20-section course.

The Birstall motorcycle trials instructor completed the event a massive 21 marks ahead of Leeds house renovator Liam Walker and Summerbridge electrician Danny Gamble.

Experienced Ilkley decorator Graham Tales held off Stuart Gaskell and Steve Swanson to take clubman A, while Lancashire's Darren Mitchell headed Mark Chippendale and Falcon contender Ian Haigh to win the clubman B category.

Exactly 70 competitors signed on for the Yorkshire Centre trials championship event. With a dozen miles of roadwork, the youth element was absent.

The first five sections tracked the Hencliffe stream, where Amy Housecroft and Wendy Yeadon observed the opening sections. The shock waves could be felt back at the start as the slippery stream sections struck hard.

Gamble took a three in the first section, where Thorpe dropped a mark, while Crossroads Yorkshire Centre champion Phil Disney and York's Tom Hick dropped early marks.

RICHMOND Motor Club certainly staged the right event on Easter Monday at Hindlethwaite Hall, in Coverdale, where trials secretary Sandra Fowler was almost overwhelmed when 102 eager competitors arrived for the only trial in Yorkshire.

Only Ted Harston's small wheels contingent was down on numbers to 11, but those boys and girls certainly enjoyed his variation of sections that included a speedy attack on some very soggy grassland.

Four-year-old Ben Sunter displayed all the traits of his father John, who set the fastest time in the Scott Trial two years ago. Durham University student Chloe Richardson was competing, and winning, and also keeping an eye on her sister Niamh and cousins Hannah and Amber Richardson.

Chloe won the clubman category from Scorton's Chris Laws and Nick Royle, losing a single mark on her first lap in the stream near the Hindlethwaite Hall climbs and turns.

The straight blast across the meadow through a boggy area and up a grass slope really did let the girl, Lily-Ann Thwaite, and the 10 boys off the leash. Seven two-strokes howled and four Oset's whined and there were no spills, but a few did slide on the slick grass.

THE Bedlington and District Motor Club team were out at Hope Farm, near Longframlington, on Easter Monday, providing an entertaining day out for 57 riders at the popular venue.

Billy Bolt took a break from his enduro exploits to comfortably take the expert class win ahead of John Battensby and Dale Robson.

THERE was an excellent turnout last Sunday at the Weardale and District MC event at Bollihope, in County Durham, where 94 riders clocked on for the David Medd Memorial Trial.

Both the expert and green routes resulted in runaway victories for Michael Phillipson and Carl Shaw respectively.

BEDBURN, above Wolsingham, was the venue for the Stanley Trials Club's trial on Easter Saturday, and 46 riders headed there for some holiday exercise.

Robert Waite journeyed up from Hurworth, but was untroubled by the sections, going clean all day, as Colin Ward lost out after taking a couple in section five. Lewis Peart spread his five marks over three separate hazards.

CONSETT and District Motor Club got the Easter weekend underway with a trial at Butsfield Quarry on Good Friday. The event attracted 53 riders to the County Durham venue, with some also there to sample the new Vertigo, which was in attendance for those wanting a test ride.

FANTASTIC weather greeted the 82 entrants – and observers – at the second round of Eboracum MC's club championship held at Deepdale Quarry, near Hutton le Hole, and Scarborough's Simon Kershaw edged the win on the most cleans rule from Olly Kendra.

A great venue and a trial run under the usual format of four laps of 10 sections, scattered around the various old quarries and all capable of taking marks, gave riders a good workout, but also kept finishing scores sensible.

Scarborough's Alan Carr continued his excellent run of wins in clubman A, beating the enthusiastic young Eboracum club member David Coulson by five marks.

A strong clubman B with more than 50 entries had two Guisborough riders at the top, Nic Pearson and Chris Banks.

Banks, winner of the older group, was the only rider to remain unpenalised on the day and beat a memorable name from the past, Fellbeck’s Rob Shepherd, a former British trials champion on a factory Honda.

Results

Ripon Motor Club, Jack Leslie Ellis Memorial Trial, Winksley. – Championship course, experts: 1 Dan Thorpe (Gas Gas) 24; 2 Liam Walker (Gas Gas) 45; 3 Danny Gamble (Sherco) 53.

Inters: 1 Oliver Sharp (Beta) 86; 2 Anthony Ayrton (Sherco) 86; 3 Danny Cockshott (Sherco) 99.

Novices: 1 Joel Sadler (Beta) 80; 2 Louis Haley (Montesa) 102; 3 Jamie Stephenson (Montesa) 105.

Clubman A: 1 Graham Tales (Beta) 23; 2 Stuart Gaskell (Beta) 26; 3 Steve Swanson (Beta) 27.

Clubman B: 1 Darren Mitchell (Beta) 16; 2 Mark Chippendale (Gas Gas) 32; 3 Ian Haigh (Montesa) 34.

Richmond Motor Club, easy trial, Hindlethwaite. – Clubmen: 1 Chloe Richardson (Beta) 1; 2 Chris Laws (Beta) 3; 3 Nick Royle (Beta) 4.

Over 40s: 1 Martin Pratt (Beta) 4; 2 Paul Ridley (Sherco) 7; 3 Andrew Ford (Montesa) 13.

Twin shock: 1 Steve Watling (SWM) 11; 2 Andy Kearton (Bultaco) 17; 3 John Sowerby (BSA) 37.

Youth Class A: 1 Tom Needham (Gas Gas) 4; 2 Sam Charlton (Beta) 13; 3 Mathew Allum (Beta) 17.

Youth Class B: 1 Charlie Dent (Beta) 1; 2 Robert Weatherall (Beta) 2; 3 Guy Stones (Beta) 7.

Youth Class C: 1 Elliott Laws (Beta) 8; 2 Dan Hodgson (Beta) 33; 3 Callum Fowler (Gas Gas) 36.

Youth Class DH: 1 Myles Hutchinson (Oset) 28.

Youth Class BE: 1 Josh Thwaite (Beta) 54; 2 Francis Nicholson (Gas Gas) 57; 3 Edward Storrow (Gas Gas) 67.

Youth Class DE: 1 Conrad Andrew (Beta); 2 Alex Horne (Oset) 59; 3 Harry Parkin (Gas Gas) 61.

Small wheels: 1 Laurie Blades (Beta) 5; 2 Jack Vasey (Beta) 6; 3 Charlie Astwood (Gas Gas) 8.

Youth Class EB: 1 Cameron Brunskill (Beta) 3; 2 Barnaby Fothergill (Gas Gas) 8.

Bedlington & District MC trial, Longframlington. – Expert course: 1 Billy Bolt (Scorpa) 7; 2 John Battensby (Sherco) 31; 3 Dale Robson (Ossa) 32.

Clubman course: 1 Joe Hutchinson (Gas Gas) 22; 2 Richard Hawes (Gas Gas) 26; 3 James Black (Sherco) 27.

Easy course: 1 Eric McMeekin (BSA) 21; 2 Kevin Edmundson (Beta) 25; 3 Neil Hebdon (Ossa) 28.

Conducted: 1 Ella Hodgson (Oset) 39; 2 Alexander Baxter (Gas Gas) 42; 3 Ryan Hodgson (Oset) 46.

Weardale & District MC trial, Bollihope. – Expert course: 1 Michael Phillipson 10; 2 Anthony Stephen 61; 3 Gavin Lowther 64.

Green course: 1 Carl Shaw 1; 2 Eddie Aitkin 19; 3 J Scott 22.

Clubman course: 1 Scott Mayhew 15; 2 D Clarke 16; 3 Richie Hawes 17.

Easy course: 1 Barry Johnson 4; 2 Paul Pullman 6; 3 Eric McMeekin 7.

Stanley Trials Club trial, Wolsingham. – Expert course: 1 Rob Waite (Beta) 0; 2 Colin Ward (Yamaha) 2; 3 Lewis Peart

(Ossa) 5.

Green course: 1 Steven Johnson (Montesa) 17; 2 David Humble (Montesa) 19; 3 Colin Ward JNR (Beta) 22.

Clubman course: 1 Eddie Aitkin (Triumph) 1; 2 Kian Dawson (Gas Gas) 5; 3 Darren Johnson (Beta) 6.

Easy course: 1 James Cook (Fantic) 1; 2 Mike Minns (Montesa) 6; 3 Gary Daykin (Ossa) 7.

Consett & District MC trial, Butsfield Quarry, Castleside. – Expert route: 1 Colin Ward (Yamaha) 2; 2 Ian Stephen (Gas Gas) 8; 3 Dale Whittaker (Gas Gas) 9.

Green course: 1 David Humble (Montesa) 5; 2 Richard Fawcett (Gas Gas) 6; 3 Chris Laws (Beta) 10.

Clubman course: 1 Kian Dawson (Gas Gas) 5; 2 Andy Lewis (Ossa) 5; 3 Martin Phillipson (Ossa) 5.

Easy course: 1 Jeremy Saffin (Montesa) 7; 2 Brian Ridley (Fantic) 9; 3 Chris Church (Sherco) 9.

Eboracum MC second club trial, Spaughton Quarry, Kirkbymoorside. – Expert: 1 Simon Kershaw (Beta) 24; 2 Olly Kendra (Sherco) 24; 3 Simon Pickard (Montesa) 100.

Intermediates: 1 Shane Monkman (Beta) 38; 2 Gary Collinson (Gas Gas) 44; 3 James Wainwright (Beta) 49.

Clubman A: 1 Alan Carr (Scorpa) 9; 2 David Coulson (Sherco) 14; 3 William Wainwright (Beta) 15.

Clubman O40: 1 Barry Chapman (Montesa) 16; 2 Chris Laws (Beta) 18; 3 Richard Hildrick 42.

Clubman B: 1 Nic Pearson (Beta) 3; 2 Will Gibson (Montesa) 4; 3 Shaun Page (Beta) 5.

Clubman B O50: 1 Chris Banks (Beta) 0; 2 Rob Shepherd (Montesa) 1; 3 Jeremy Saffin (Montesa) 4.

Twin shock/air-cooled: 1 Alistair Jackson (Matchless) 5; 2 Mike Kendra (Fantic) 6; 3 Martin Peirson (SWM) 14.

Youth inter: 1 Zac Collinson (Gas Gas) 21; 2 Henry Jackson (Gas Gas) 75.

Youth C: 1 Elliot Laws (Beta) 1; 2 Claire Collinson (Beta) 27; 3 Mark Myers (Beta) 37.

White route youth: Imogen Laws (Beta) 51.

Fixtures

Tomorrow: Middlesbrough & District MC first Saturday trial, Lordstones Country Park, Carlton Bank, 4pm.

Sunday: Yeadon-Guiseley MC National S3 Parts Chris Carter Trial, Dob Park, 9am; Richmond MC Albert Shaw Trophy Trial, Bridge End, Arkengarthdale, 10.30am; Horsforth & District MC fourth championship trial, Greenhow, Pateley Bridge, 11am.