Lee's alright Jack
By Barry Robinson on 30th Mar 07
EIGHTEEN-year-old Lee Sampson won his second National trial within a month when he rode his MRS Sherco to first place at the Jack Wood Trial at Bradfield on Sunday. He was the only rider to complete the 50 section one-lap trials route on a single figure penalty.
MRS also fielded the runner-up in Chris Pearsonwho finished one in front of pre-event favourite Dan Thorpe. In theClubman class, Paul Sagar, from Oswestry, was the shock winner from Paul Bennett and Kevin Hipwell.
It was a murky morning at Lumb Bush on the hillsabove Bradfield with 50 yard visibility as fog shrouded the roads andHillsborough road signs. With 152 contenders, half of which were Clubmen, the show got on the road atHill House where the fog was so dense that it was impossible to seesection three from section two, and it was all of 30 yards downhill from the two slippery rocky openers.
This Jack Wood Trial was going to be all about theyoungsters: Lee Sampson, Alexz Wigg, Ross Danby and Craig Robinson butafter Hill House and Fletchers the old guard was there with Ian Austermuhle matching Wigg ona clean card. That all changed on the three slippery horrors at TCCwhere the
first twisted and turned over mud-covered rocks. Wigg took two on thiswhile Sam Ludgate stuck a boot down. Austermuhle, Thorpe and ChrisPearson cleaned all three but Sampson drop-ped a mark getting out of the secondsub where the bankings cut down as water was dragged out of the beck.Craig Robinson, Ross Danby and Jim Lampkin all required a good heavy dab to clear the step at the end of the final sub.
NATIONAL JACK WOOD TRIAL Lumbush, near Bradfield (Hillsborough MCC)
National: Lee Sampson (Sherco) 6 marks lost, ChrisPearson (Sherco) 14, Dan Thorpe (Gas Gas) 15, James Lampkin (Beta) 17(40x0,7x1), Sam Ludgate (Beta) 17 (40x0,5x1), Alex Wigg (Gas Gas) 18, Ian Austermuhle (Beta)23, Craig robinson (Gas Gas) 28, Ross Danby (Gas Gas) 30, John Sunter(Montesa) 35 (39x0), Liam Walker (Gas Gas) 35 (36x0), Dan Farrer (Gas Gas) 37,John Shirt (Gas Gas) 44, John Crinson (Sherco) 49, Aran Drachenberg(Beta) 53.
Clubman: Paul Sagar (Gas Gas) 24, Paul Bennett(Beta) 28, Kev Hipwell (Gas Gas) 34, Dave Knaggs (Gas Gas) 37, NickShield (Gas Gas) 43, Paul Jepson (Beta) 44, Paul Heyes (Beta) 48, Ian Strickland (Gas Gas) 49, JohnHulme (Scorpa) 50, Katy Sunter (Gas Gas) 56, Richard Edmondson (???)57, Mick Glaves (Gas Gas) 60, Andy Hipwell (Gas Gas) 61, Dave Thorpe (Gas Gas) 63, Michael Benn (Gas Gas) 64.