Another recipe for the Cook book
By TMX Archives on 30th Apr 08
BECKY Cook extended her lead in the ACU Ladies Trials Championship by taking the win at the Longwood Ladies Trial, organised by Lincoln MC&CC, at Metheringham Quarry. The event, which was a fitting finale to the club's 25-plus year tenure of this excellent venue, featured three laps of 12, mainly rocky sections. Becky was pushed hard all the way by last year's championship runner-up, Donna Fox and Emma Bristow, particularly as they both cleaned the difficult rocky climb of the eighth hazard on the opening tour, while Becky struggled through for a three. Emma had already encountered problems, a two on the third and a three on the sixth, but to say her clean on number eight was spectacular was an understatement. She floated up the large step and onto the first of the three limestone slabs, lifted the front wheel and turned to wheelie off the remaining two to the ends cards.
It was a similar story at section eight on lap two, except that this time only Emma cleaned with Donna joining Becky and the rest with a hard-working three. This was Donna's only loss for the lap, whereas Becky took one mark for a stop on number 11.
On the final circuit, Emma again dropped two on the third, this time losing control on the final step but then did remarkably well on number eight to escape with a single dab to finish on 14. Donna dropped one on the climb of section six, another three on the eighth and a single on the day's final section to join Emma on 14, but one clean adrift. As Becky dabbed twice climbing section six, it looked likely that number eight would decide the outcome. She spent quite some time studying the rocks and deciding her line, all to good effect as she floated through in perfect style clean, and finished the day on ten.
Youth A winner at the first round, Joanne Coles, started the day below her very high standard, losing 13 on the opening lap, including a maximum on the fifth. Fortunately for her, nearest rival Hannah Styles, also had a faltering start, dropping 21. Joanne improved progressively with lap scores of nine and four to claim a convincing win from Hannah, with Harriet Peacock completing the podium positions.
Things were much tighter in the Women's Intermediate class on Route B where Vicky Ellis claimed the honours despite failing to get to grips with the steep descent of section six, running straight out at the bottom on laps one and two. Niki Wraight and Emma Morphett both recovered from shaky starts to finish on 30 and 32 respectively and just prise first lap leader Hannah Kirtley-Paine off the podium.
Robyn Alderson had an easy day, comfortably winning the Youth A Interme-diate class with a loss of just 16 marks whereas Danielle Whitham won Youth B by just one point from Chloe Richardson. The pair went into the final lap neck and neck on 16 marks but Danielle emerged victorious losing just five on the final tour. Catherine Alford matched Chloe's first lap score but eventually finished third on 32. Nikita Smith lost all her marks on the rocks of section ten to claim the Youth C victory by two marks over Kate Hunter. Smith and third-placed Hannah Richardson were the only two to clean the tenth, both on the final lap.
ACU LADIES TRIALS CHAMPS
Rd 2 Majestic Crystal Ladies Trial (Lincoln MC&CC)
LADIES CLASS (Route A): Becky Cook (250 Gas Gas) 10 marks lost, Emma Bristow (250 Gas Gas) 14 (29x0), Donna Fox (250 Sherco) 14 (28x0), Katy Sunter (250 Gas Gas) 25, Saskia Baxter (125 Beta) 99.
SERIES STANDINGS after 2 (of 7) rounds: 1 Cook 40 points, 2 Bristow 32, 3 Fox 32, 4 Sunter 26, 5 Baxter 22,
YOUTH A (Route A): Joanne Coles (125 Sherco) 26 marks lost, Hannah Styles (Sherco) 60, Harriet Peacock (125 Sherco) 75, Katy Bullock (125 Sherco) 94.
SERIES STANDINGS after 2 (of 7) rounds: 1 Coles 40 points, 2 Styles 34, 3 Peacock 30, 4 Bullock 26,
YOUTH B (Route B): Danielle Whitham (125 Beta) 21 marks lost, Chloe Richardson (125 Sherco) 22, Catherine Alford (80 Beta) 32, Emma Percy (125 Gas Gas) 127.
SERIES STANDINGS after 2 (of 7) rounds: 1 Whitham 40 points, 2 Richardson 34, 3 Alford 30, 4 Percy 13,
LADIES INTER (Route B): Vicky Ellis (Beta) 28 marks lost, Niki Wraight (250 Scorpa) 30, Emma Morphett (125 Gas Gas) 32, Hannah Kirtley-Paine (125 Gas Gas) 35, Helen Lang (125 Scorpa) 47, Francesca Kirtley-Paine (125 Gas Gas) 95, Jennifer Crabtree (250 Sherco) 117.
SERIES STANDINGS after 2 (of 7) rounds: 1 Morphett 35 points, 2 Wraight 34, 3 Lang 24, 4 Ellis 20, 5 Kirtley-Paine 19, 6 Crabtree 19, 7 Cannom 15, 8 Kirtley-Paine 13, 9 Rogers 11,
YOUTH C (Route C): Nikita Smith (80 Beta) 7 marks lost, Kate Hunter (80 Sherco) 9, Hannah Richardson (80 Beta) 25, Victoria Payne (50 Gas Gas) 28, Simone Wallis (80 Beta) 37, Louise Alford (80 Beta) 63, Maisie Payne (80 Gas Gas) 76.
SERIES STANDINGS after 2 (of 7) rounds: 1 Smith 40 points, 2 Richardson 32, 3 Hunter 32, 4 Wallis 24, 5 Payne 24, 6 Alford 20, 7 Payne 18,
YOUTH INTER A (Route B): Robyn Alderson (125 Gas Gas) 16 marks lost, Harriet Shore (125 Gas Gas) 57, Emma Colwell (125 Sherco) 69.
LADIES NEWCOMER (Route C): Jayne Reeve (250 Scorpa) 66 marks lost.
NEXT ROUND: May 17 Isle of Wight Ladies Trial (Isle of Wight MCC).