Matchless Hutty hits the Heights
By TMX Archives on 8th Dec 06
RIDING his immaculate 410 Matchless, Len Hutty clocked up his fourth victory of the Jack Thompson Trophy at Sunday's British Bike Trial staged by the Sidcup club at the famous Canada Heights motocross venue.
Hutty's total for the two-lap, 18 section event was a very impressive 14 marks, but the real sensation of the day was the young Ben Wibberley.
The lad just came up from the Youth ranks at the start of the year, took a borrowed 175 BSA that he had never even seen before it came out of his dad's van and won the two-stroke class with the loss of just 11 marks, blowing the rest of the competitors away.
Getting the severity of a trial right in this part of the country and at this time of year is an almost impossible task but a hard working group of club members did a great job – and then the rain came.
The skies opened up all Saturday night long and only stopped just after the event had started with the course then bathed in cold wintry sunshine.
This made all the sections a tad harder and made some of the riders – those who like a trial to be more of a Sunday afternoon drive in the countryside – complain, give up and go home.
Hutty started his day well by cleaning the first two sections. Then he had a two and single dab on the next and stayed clean all the way to section 13. He lost an untidy three there and cleaned the rest, giving a first lap total of just six marks lost, the only rider in class in single digits. This put him eight clear of his closest rival, John Kendall, who was on 14.
Colin Mote, on a 500 Ariel, kept having single and double dabs and finished the morning third on 20. How-ever, a bad afternoon session dropped him down to fifth place when the results were tallied.
JACK THOMPSON BRITISH BIKE TRIAL
Canada Heights, Swanley (Sidcup & DMCC)
HARD ROUTE
Pre-unit: Len Hutty (410 Matchless) 14 marks lost, Mark Baker (500 Ariel) 33, John Kendall (350 Triumph) 37, Richard Whitebread (500 AJS) 40, Colin Mote (500 Ariel) 43, Geoff Brooker (380 Ariel) 45, Paul Ray (410 Matchless) 65, Mick Wallis (350 Triumph) 78.
Unit: Chris Dark (200 Triumph) 38, Ken Ward (250 BSA) 46, Chris Anderson (200 Triumph) 46, Graham Bridger (200 Triumph) 54, Graham Barton (200 Triumph) 72, Mike Clarkson (250 BSA) 79, Peter Tiger (280 BSA) 85, Alan Robinson (350 BSA) 88.
Two-stroke: Ben Wibberley (175 BSA) 11, Bryan Matton (175 BSA) 23, Les Matton (250 Trivil) 58, Bryan Messenger (175 BSA) 63, Roy Enticknap (250 DOT) 65, Tim Streatfield (197 Francis Barnett) 71, John Pattinson (250 Greeves) 94, Kevin Tiger (250 Greeves) 106.
EASY ROUTE
Pre-unit: John Johns (500 Ariel) 27, Mick Baldock (350 Ariel) 30, Roy West (500 Triumph) 40, Nick Burr (350 AJS) 71, Geoff Challis (500 Ariel) 86, John Mantle (350 Matchless) 90, Jeff Fincham (350 Rariefield) 94.
Unit: Laurence Burton (200 Triumph) 48, Brian Larby (250 BSA) 56, Graham Knowler (200 Triumph) 59, Richard Chellis (250 BSA) 60, Joan Westbrook (250 BSA) 65, Richard Bartlett (350 BSA) 77, Dave Bartrum (200 Triumph) 83, Mark Dorrington (200 Triumph) 87.
Two-stroke: Roger Wait (250 Greeves) 44, Doug Johnson (250 DOT) 50, Terry Sewell (250 Greeves) 51, Jim Mason (250 Sprite) 55, John Phillips (250 Ariel Dove) 64, Phil Read (197 James) 95, Derek Bentley (250 Greeves) 96, Brian Williams (250 Greeves) 119.
Girder-Rigid: David Blanchard (500 Ariel) 45.
Telefork Rigid: Mike Barton (400 AJS) 48.
For full report, results and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, December 8, 2006