Event Report by Mark Gaskell and Richard Beddoes

We hope you enjoy reading this months event report. We have tried to give you as much information as possible and it is interesting this month amongst the 91 entries to see that a third were cleanly split across both the Pre – 65 and Twinshock classes with 15 BSA’s and 7 Bultacos topping the bike marques on this event. It is great to see how healthy the entries are in these classes. Another surprise in the numbers was 40 riders contesting the Intermediate route. The extra challenge provided by this class appears to be getting very popular!

This month we have also added in a section with the names of the observers. As well as acknowledging the help they provided to allow us to compete, it is nice to see their names so you can get to know them in person… As always a big thanks goes out to these volunteers who consistently turn up to help us enjoy our days sport.

Finally the usual thanks to Dave and the Kynaston family for the use of the venue and it was great to see you observing as well. We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did.

This months event report is kindly contributed to by Mark Gaskell and Richard Beddoes.

Mark Gaskell (Intermediate) – Triumph Tiger Cub

The good weather seemed to boost the turnout, with a very full car park hinting at queues ahead. Nant Ucha is a fabulous venue, but narrow paths and streams require patience. At least you get to have the craic, and if you’re in a rush, you’re in the wrong sport!

Section 1 proved to be my nemesis this week, two 5’s for failing the step, a 5 for clearing the step, managing the bank, but then riding the wrong way through the exit, and a hard won 3.

Section 2 was the first of the (dry) stream bed sections, only my loss of concentration lost me a 3.

Section 3 involved a sinuous route over slimy rocks, which took 4 marks off me early on, until the slime wore off.

Section 4 more sinuous slimy rocks, followed by a short steep bank, and a long run out to the end. Looked far worse than it was, and I cleaned it three times. We won’t discuss the fourth attempt.

Section 5 gave me a distinct sense of deja vu. Same section, and same observer at which I had a tank/ Crown Jewels interface some months ago. That’s my excuse for a wobbly 3, fear!

Section 6 was a tough one. Slimy, sinuous rocks, with a slippery step that put you (me) on the wrong line for the exit, therefore ensuring that you (me) paddled through the end in a fairly pathetic fashion. At least that’s what I thought the observer said….

Section 7, and more of the same, with three flights of steps and a log to contend with. I managed this far better, only losing a 1 when put off by another competitor, who shall remain nameless (Moz)

Section 8. Rocks. Steep bank out of the rocks, then back to the rocks. Rocky.

Sections 9 and 10 were joined, and flowed together, like a stream. A slimy rock infested stream, with rocks, and slime. Sorry, got carried away there for a minute! A silly dab at the start of section 9 ruined a clean sheet there, which was a pity. The exit to section 10 needed very precise positioning, which is why I only cleaned it twice.

Great to see so many familiar faces at the start, and a huge thank you to all who contributed to such a splendid trial. I ache now, but in a good way.

Richard Beddoes – Beginner/Easy AJS 500cc Single Rigid

A glorious day in sunshine, with friendly faces and plenty of interesting bikes to admire, Nant Ucha is where I practice on my modern 250 beta to hone my skills. The chance to ride the big AJS there proved challenging, and very difficult at times, a rigid rear end, and a total weight of 160KG’s makes the AJS a real exhausting and often frightening venture, but it is very rewarding! When queuing and speaking to people they were very interested in the bike, but they also made funny comments, such as ‘Are you crazy?’, ‘You’re a brave man!’ & ‘You must be mental!

Section 1: Not much to challenge here, straight across the top of the bank and didn’t even have to get wet!

Section 2: Rather more of a challenge, starting in the twisting gulley, planning the route was key with the AJS as turns and greasy rocks make it a real fight, dropping only one mark but I was pleased with the result

 Section 3: Right at the bottom with Mr Kynaston kindly observing, straight across the stream proved easy enough, the only real challenge being the step at the end, but I still managed to get the bike airborne!

Section 4: Dropping into the water the only real test here was the turn before heading up the bank, the AJS is so wide that getting maximum width on turns is key but I managed to get to the top comfortably for a good blast along the bank

Section 5: Straight into the water again and creeping through the rocks, they were very greasy and kicked the bike around, maximum attack here to keep feet up and prepare for the climb out which I needed plenty of speed for.

Section 6: This section proved to be the hardest technically, starting on the other side of the stream into the first right hand bend I had to get the line right for the second tight right hander, with a big horrible rock in the middle. Straight across the stream and up the bank and it still wasn’t over; I had to force the AJS over a big tree root avoiding a rock, towards the end gates. I made a real hash of this on the first lap but the second lap amazingly I cleaned it!! Frankly, the bike could have packed up there Id have still been smiling pushing it back, loved it!!

Section 7: Amazingly only one mark lost, through three long stretches of rocks and deep pools of water, a ‘works’ dab here saw me through and I even think that by accident on the last lap I rode some of the inter route! (Always up for a challenge)

Section 8: A deceptively hard section, only one line on the easy route in my opinion over the slippy rocks, my best ride was a dab on the last lap, the first lap I stalled on the turn followed by the words Bo****ks (apologies to bystanders and readers….)

Section 9: Only one attempt, the turn at the top round the tree put me in a bit of a mess and thundering back down the hill wasn’t worth the risk, three 5’s requested from an understandingly sympathetic observer (Most observers are curious as to why you ask for a five, to which I pointed at the AJS and received an agreeable nodd)

Section 10: Only one attempt following number 9, a near ripped off exhaust put this one out of the running for me but the first 8 were great for me I would like to thank all the observers and organisers for another fantastic event, I will be out on the AJS at the next one for everyone to see, if you would like to try it then just ask, despite the size she ticks over beautifully and is very enjoyable to ride.

Now…….Where’s that plug spanner ?!

Our next event will be on Sunday 11th June at Pen Y Graig. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Top Places:

Pre 65 Expert: Kev Ellis, BSA (43)

Pre 65 Intermediate: David Beddoes, Villiers (7); Gavin Andrews, BSA (14); Jim Pickering, BSA (17)

Pre 65 Clubman: Mark Lucas, BSA (13); Peter Elvidge, BSA, (16); Les Richardson, Villiers (26)

Pre 65 Beginner: Richard Beddoes, AJS (55)

Twinshock Expert: Phil Houghton, Honda (1); Danny Littlehales, Fantic (18); Tony Gush, Majesty (21)

Twinshock Intermediate: Paul Shacklady, Bultaco (17); Paul Cook, SWM (18); Stephen Knight, Yamaha (20)

Twinshock Clubman: Graham Pennington, Bultaco (47); Phil Cottiga, Fantic (48); Matt Hopkins, Yamaha (49)

Twinshock Beginner: Chris Jones, Yamaha (83)

AC Mono Expert: Phil Hulme, Yamaha (30)

AC Mono Intermediate: Paul Young, GasGas (12); Ian Emery, Yamaha (34); Paul Cartwright, Beta (51)

AC Mono Clubman: Steven Blaxall, Fantic (54)

AC Mono Beginner: No entries

Modern Mono Expert: Tomos Price, Sherco (67)

Modern Mono Intermediate: Lewis Hurdsman, Beta (19); Paul Hempkins (19); Sam Storr, Beta (28)

Modern Mono Clubman: Paul Grocott (31); Richard Corbett, Beta (32); Thomas Atherton, GasGas (35)

Modern Mono Beginners: No finishers

Observers:

Sec 1 -Albert

Sec 2 – Geoff

Sec 3 – David and Laura Kynaston

Sec 4 – Zara Lloyd

Sec 5 -Christine

Sec 6 – Mark

Sec 7 – Angela

Sec 8 – Jan

Sec 9 – Gordon

Sec 10 – Annette

Bike Stats:

Pre 65 – 32
Twinshock – 31
A/C Mono – 10
Modern Mono – 18
Total = 91

Classes

Expert – 14
Intermediate – 40
Clubman – 27
Beginner – 10

Bikes

Pre 65:
AJS – 1
Banville – 1
BSA – 15
DOT – 2
Francis Barnett – 1
James – 2
Norton –
Other – 1
Triumph – 6
Villiers – 2

Twinshock:
Armstrong – 1
Beamish Suzuki – 1
Bultaco – 7
Fantic – 5
Honda – 5
Kawasaki – 1
Montesa – 1
Ossa – 1
SWM – 2
Yamaha Majesty – 2
Yamaha TY – 4

Aircooled Mono:
Aprilla – 2
Beta –  2
Fantic – 1
GasGas – 1
Honda – 2
Yamaha – 2

Modern Mono:
Beta – 8
GasGas – 2
Honda – 1
Montesa – 1
Other – 1
Scorpa – 1
Sherco – 4

Event Report by Rob Sloggett, Ian Emery and Paul Owen

Sunday 22nd May saw what originally started as a mild day turn into a set of changing weather which challenged the riders as the sections appeared to offer fresh surprises each lap. The 65 riders turned up to the day on 22 Pre 65’s, 20 twinshocks, 7 Aircooled Monos and 16 modern Monos. The class split was broken down into 8 Elite, 18 riding 50/50, 32 Clubman class and always it was great to see 7 beginner’s including Rhys Bagnall on his Oset 20 Light.

This months report is kindly contributed to by
Rob Sloggett (Observer Sec 4)
Ian Emery (50/50 Twinshock)
Paul “Moz” Owen (50/50 Pre 65)

Paul Owen:
The day starts off as a lovely spring morning with the sun shining, but as we started the trial at 11am it started with light rain as we got to section 1 inside the old rugged Quarry. What then followed was a monsoon, but we all stayed and had fun. I was riding the green route (50/50) on a rigid bantam.

Section 1 was under the rock face and with a steady rise up the bank and around to the right then left down a bank and just kissing the muddy pond you climbed back up the top of the bank to a sharp right turn, down a greasy bank to the out gate. Section 2 was across an old stone wall, zig zaging up and down over roots and the loose stones of the wall. It was very tricky and made you smile if you cleaned it. Section 3 was a slippy section from the rain, climbing up a large mound with an option of a sharp right turn or a slippy left drop back to the path then around the mound to a steady climb and either drop down the bank to a sharp turn back up or you could attempt the slippy roots for an easier exit, just missing a tree.

Section 4 was a short climb to the left then a climb to the right with a fallen tree that so many lost the front end on, that led to a steady ride to the exit gate around some trees. Section 5, was a long rockyish climb between some trees to a sharp left turn down a greasy bank with a rock to help you stop or in my case do a face plant! then an off camber slippy exit. I think I made the observer laugh with my rest in the middle of the section (haha). Section 6 was in a rocky bog, with large rocks to tackle and 2 sharp right hand turns on the bank. It was challenging for the rigid bantam.

Section 7 was a large rocky step followed by a tight turn up an off camber bank, across some more large rocks and to a steep drop down to the exit gate. Section 8 saw you drop down a slippy bank and immediately across some large rocks to a steep drop off to the exit gate. Section 9 looked easy as you had a tight right turn then a big rock which caught a few out including me, then a greasy mossy long climb up the bank that got grippy after the first 2 laps, then followed by a downhill bank to the exit.

Finally Section 10 was a nice easy one to finish the lap with a short steep bank around 2 trees to the exit.

Ian Emery:
For this report I thought for a change, it would be good to give my thoughts on two sections where it all went right for me and two where it didn’t.

Section 2 with Albert in command – I just couldn’t get a flow in this one. The section swept up the bank and across a log to the right before dropping back down over loose rocks and over a nasty 6ins sawn off tree stump which always seemed to catch my rear wheel and throw me off line for the slippy 180 turn that followed. This opened into a sharp step and right turn over more jagged, loose rocks before dropping back down towards the end cards. I never managed a clean with 2,2,3 followed by a 5 on lap 4 when I locked the rear on that stump and stalled. From the book of excuses I blame this 5 entirely on me being so wet and cold I couldn’t get proper feedback from the brake pedal proving my decision not to bother with waterproofs as “it wouldn’t rain that much” to be a daft one.

Moving to Section 3 I fared much better. A short climb followed (for my chosen line) by a steep descent to the left, a 180 turn back across a dip to a 90 left over exposed roots, to then squirt across the camber onto a narrow target ledge before turning sharp left and down around several trees to the ends. Some riders chose a different line taking an immediate right at the top of the first hill but this made crossing the dip very steep and I saw several riders in trouble. 0,0,0 and a daft 1 near the end cards for me.

Further on we get to Gordon’s section, no.8. This was a tough one with a sharp descent between two rows of rocks to then turn left and up the bank aiming for a “V” between two footrest snagging rocks, which if you got past led immediately to two smaller rock steps before swooping across the top of the embankment to turn right and down a steep descent to the ends. The best I managed was a 1, with a couple of 2’s, and a cold shivery 5 on the last lap locking the rear again on the opening descent.

Then came Section 9 with Anette observing, taking shelter high on the bank under the big tree. It started with a full lock sweeping right turn over a jumble of rocks, with no run up to a big cubic lump of rock which caught my sump each time as I tried to hop over it. In less than a bike’s length followed a tight 90 left and straight up a 15 foot steep climb to where Annette stood, followed by another short climb and up round a another tree to then begin the steep descent to the ends. I watch Harry Lyons on his Bantam approach the big climb and with clutch in, gave it a big handful of revs before dumping the clutch and just flew up the hill. Many others didn’t. I took a different approach not being a fan of touching the clutch once in a section, and let the Ossa chug round the left turn a smidge over tickover before squirting it at the hill, fighting the rear for grip whilst making sure I didn’t get too much and end up thrown off the back. Four cleans for me which I was well chuffed with.

Credit must go to the observers who sat/stood through some of the heaviest, persistent rain I’ve seen for a long time. As a rider at least you generate some body heat, as an observer you don’t but I noticed some had more sense than me and wore waterproofs. Thank you all including a very wet Roger Kenyon who didn’t expect the rain either.

Rob Sloggett:
Where else can you get to watch a pre 65 Matchless 350, queue up with an Oset 20 Lite (that’s 900w/36v for those that are interested). A wet day did not dash the riders spririts, even those who started the day in mild weather gear and did not bother to then get changed as the rain poured down.

Section 4 was a really interesting if not slightly long section broken down into 3 distinct phases. The entry pitched the riders up a bank with a 180 deg on camber turn. Beginners and Clubman had a gently turn, although with the changing weather the climb up the bank took a few 5’s from those not quite reading the lack of grip accurately enough. The 50/50 and Experts had a higher climb up the bank and then a loop around a tree with the Experts having a tighter turn, following the natural contours of the root system. Dropping down for the 2nd phase, the Beginners and Clubman had an easy run into the 3rd phase whilst the 50/50 and Experts once again had a climb up a low bank, with an immediate left hand turn over a log which rose up from the apex, forcing the front wheel into the curve unless the front wheel was lifted. An immediate right turn then ran the rear wheel over a hidden root which caused it to slide, taking a number of dabs off of the riders. The 3rd phase mixed it up a bit with the Beginners having a wide swing to approach a left hand turn and curved climb towards the end markers. Clubman and 50/50 had to extend further into the section with a left hand turn around a tree and a climb out across a camber. Finally the Experts had a series of tight left / right turns across a variety of gradients before linking up into the clubman route.

As a regular rider, it’s always nice to be an observer every now and then and whilst I could comment about some great rides in the Elite group, demonstrating great bike craft and an understanding of the terrain, for me the stars of the day were the beginners, some only just at the early stages of their competition experience but giving it their all. It’s no surprise that the majority of these were on smaller capacity machines as these give a safe and forgiving introduction and allows the riders to fully develop their balance and throttle control without getting themselves into trouble.

It was also great to see a number of riders not just moving classes but also bike types and I have got to say how comfortable Mark Gaskell was looking on his Tiger Cub after moving from a Sherco to a Whitehawk.

As always, a big thanks to the organisers, observers, catering team and land owners and we look forward to seeing you all at Plas Onn on the 5th June for the next event.

Top Places:

Pre 65 Elite: James Francis, BSA (8); Russ Jones, Francis Barnett (20); Kev Ellis, BSA (22)
Pre 65 50/50: Harry Lyons, BSA (12); Mark Newman, Banville (33); Tim Lewis, Triumph (34) tie with Steve Walker, Francis Barnett (34)
Pre 65 Clubman: Jon Flower, BSA (7); Roger Smith, BSA (9); Graham Miller, Triumph (12)

Twinshock Elite: Paul Smart, Fantic (12); Stephen Knight, Fantic (33); Julian Price, Fantic (36)
Twinshock 50/50: Rob Jones, Honda (25); Ian Emery, Ossa (29); Alex Barrie, Honda (38)
Twinshock Clubman: Karl Kavanagh, Fantic (12); Steve Jones, BSA (18 FC); John Sowden, Honda (18)
Twinshock Beginners: Bill Beverage, Fantic (19)

AC Mono 50/50: Gordon Wilson, Honda (34); Paul Cartwright, Beta (51)
AC Mono Clubman: Neil Francis, Aprilla (7); Steven Blaxall, Fantic (17); Andy Steele, Yamaha (19)

Modern Mono Elite: Tony Gush, Beta (4)
Modern Mono 50/50: Declan Marsden, GasGas (37)
Modern Mono Clubman: Andrew Dean, Beta (17); Nick Macgillivray, Montesa (20) tied with Steven Creaser, GasGas (20)
Modern Mono Beginners: Wayne Francis, Sherco (39); Tyler Jones, Sherco (45); Rhys Bagnall, Oset (47)

Class Breakdown:

Pre 65 – 22
Twinshock – 20
A/C Mono – 7
Modern Mono – 16

Elite – 8
50/50 – 18
Clubman – 32
Beginner – 7

Event Report by Paul Owen, Mark Gaskell and Jon Flower

Sunday 3rd April saw Aqueduct Classics put on another fantastic Pre 65 and Twinshock Trial where 66 riders enjoyed a dry days competition. The 18 Pre 65’s were joined by 23 twinshocks, 7 Air Cooled Monos and 18 modern Monos. The Clubman route was the most popular of the day with 35 bikes contesting this class and a further 20 in the 50/50 group. 7 Experts and 4 Beginners made up the final totals.

This month’s reports is contributed to by Paul Owen (Pre 65 50/50 class), Mark Gaskell (Twinshock 50/50 class) and Jon Flower (Pre 65 Clubman)

Paul (Moz) Owen: (50/50) – Rigid Bantam

There was a good turnout of riders and lots of friendly faces and banter as we rode down the farm track to the bottom of the old quarry.

Section 1 was a nice tester to how the day’s sections would be, on lap one it was nice and flowing between trees and on a light cambered bank but the roots of the trees then made it rather tricky on the following laps.

Section 2 had a raised mound on the entrance gate then a steep downhill to a sharp left, then it was around a small right handed banking back down into the gully then a long climb up to the bank top to the exit.

Section 3 was a drop into a small steep bomb hole with a sharp left turn over some slippy routes, across some rocks then a left right turn and a long climb up a steep loose incline to the exit.

Section 4 was the shortest section, with a small climb and around 2 trees over some rocks and another small bank then to the out gate.

Section 5 was a downhill start to a level platform then left around a tree, sharp right then down a steep bank to some rocks and another drop into a tight mossy left hand turn and a long steep climb back to the start gate between trees with slippy routes showing.

Section 6 was a shorter version of 5, but with a rocky gully that caught a few good riders out.

Section 7 was top of the rocky quarry, with a steady drop down 2 steps to some large rocks and a left hand turn that lead into a sharp right turn up a banked rocky section across some larger rocks then down a bank to the exit.

Section 8 looked the easiest but you had to concentrate around the slippy twisting bank as not to lose the front end.

Section 9 was a left, right, left twist then up a uneven bank to a sharp right, over a steep mound, between some trees and an off camber path to the exit gate.

Finally Section 10 started on top of the bank and you dropped into a right-hander and left up a steep bank then between the rock face and a tree that dropped into a bomb hole, climbing out to a left turn and back along a level bank, then a sharp 180 right turn downhill and along another off camber bank to a 180 left then down another bank to the exit gate.

Every section was challenging and the bits between the sections were nice to ride as well, the quarry has loads of grip but also tricky and slippy on the loose shale where it counted.

Mark Gaskell (50/50) – Whitehawk 175

Aqueduct Classics third trial of the season at the superb Pen y Graig quarry opened to almost perfect riding conditions. The numerous elevation changes make this venue a real pleasure to ride. Riding the green, or intermediate route, my main concern was whether my recent bout of man-flu would affect my day.

Section 1 looked to be a relatively simple slalom around trees and small mounds, with a slippery looking root to catch anyone not concentrating. That gave me a hard fought 3 on the second lap, for not concentrating.

Section 2 started with a fearsome looking drop from the track, before twisting around the gates to a short climb out. The drop looked far worse than it actually felt on the bike, but I was still glad each time I reached the bottom safely!

Section 3 gave me the “which gear” question, as I looked at the steep bank we had to ride up. The approach to the climb was over a jumble of rocks and a bomb hole, making the run up difficult. As it was, the grip afforded meant the climb was easy.

Section 4 again looked simple, but needed caution over a rocky gate if you were to stay clean.

Section 5 had quite a steep descent, followed by an off camber left turn, then quite a steep loose climb out. Those people who walked down the section treated the turn with far more respect that the twit who stood at the top and thought he didn’t need to. Silly three.

Section 6 caught a few out with a tricky little rock step, me included. It was easy with a dab, and I did manage a clean once.

Section 7, the rock garden, looked trickier than it actually felt under wheel. If you managed to keep the bike on line it handled the rocks easily. If you didn’t, it required a fairly huge dab to get the plot back on track!

Section 8 shouldn’t have taken any marks from me, but when my front wheel found a small tree stump, it did.

Section 9 required a steady throttle around a short climb and turn, before an off camber exit. Another silly dab.

Section 10 started badly for me, when another competitor’s bike fell on me, not once, but twice! This resulted in a badly bruised wrist, and my back wheel knocked out of line. This required a trip up to the car for spanners, and a restorative brew from excellent catering van.

The section itself was one of my favorites, having several direction changes and banks which I managed without losing a mark.

All in all, a brilliant days riding, with some great company. The silly dabs I blame on the man-flu!

Jon Flower (Clubman) – BSA C15

One of my favorite venues was host to the third round of this year’s Aqueduct calendar, with its vast amount of varied potential Pen y Graig Quarry makes a great trial!

The first unofficial section is making your way into the quarry! Working your way down the big hill and along the track under the bridge warms the old girl up just right! The lay of the land and the sterling job of the setters always make a great lap of ten sections, finishing one lap and dropping down a little way to arrive back at section 1!

Section 1 began with a short climb from the track, leveling out and heading sharp left around a tree, leading you down over some lose rocks in a small gulley. A right turn lead you down some more into a little valley, a little way on was followed by a sweeping left turn that took you uphill, over, and back down the other side of a mound about 6ft ish. You were then met with a small but sharpish bank back up onto the track and out the finish gate.

Section 2 was a cheeky little number that took you off the track into a steepish downhill descent, as you began to level out a tight 90* turn took you through the gates and into a slight uphill round to the left. Control was needed as you immediately leveled out and had to negotiate a 180* right turn which required full lock on the BSA, as you proceeded forward you dropped down a little bank and made a left 180 at the bottom round a tree. This lined you up for the final part of the section, which was a large climb up quite a steep bank, which swept round to the left halfway up, and crested to flat over loose ground through the end gates

Section 3 began on the level heading through a couple of trees on some leafy terrain, this soon changed as you dropped down about a foot into a bit of a sinkhole, as you back wheel dropped down, you immediately had a steep soil bank about 2 or 3 foot to hop up, as it crested you landed on some exposed slippy roots and kinked left on the camber. A kink right took you along a grassy/ mossy bank, followed by a left turn off the bank, down and back on yourself. As you headed across there were loose rocks underwheel, a right turn up a bank brought you out onto the rocky track, which was loose under wheel and continued steeper up a large climb. Control was needed to pull round onto the track and up it without losing traction as you turned. As you got to the top of the track you turned left onto the level and rode out the end gates over a small hump.

Section 4 was quite a short section but wasn’t without its challenges, as it made use of the undulating, rocky, mossy terrain. You began making your way forward into a swift sharp climb up a mossy shale bank, as your front wheel crested onto the level you had to turn sharp 90* left and follow the front of the bank. The ground then quickly changed into large loose rocks which you rode over between two trees. Between the trees was a slight raise in the rocks which dropped away a few feet as you went over them. You then dropped down to level and made a blip up and over some other rocks, round a tree on your left side, as you came around the tree the exit was in front of you, but a large rock was in your path, you could go round or over it, either way it would have been easy to let it catch you out!

Section 5 made use of some very large steep banks, on two levels on the way down, and one big climb up and out. You started dropping off the track at the top, and entered straight into a large downhill on hard ground, this leveled out quite graciously and you made a 90* left turn through a couple of trees and across the level for a short way. You then swung wide to the left, so you could make a 90* turn to the right, over a ledge and down a large steep loose soil bank (first time I’ve used my back brake in years!). This didn’t level out anywhere near as graciously as the first descent, as you had to negotiate a sharp 90 deg left whist avoiding / riding over rocky outcrop. Once you had made this turn you had a short way on the rocky level with a kink right, this prepared you for the final stage. A tree was the marker point where you made a tight left turn slightly back on yourself, you entered onto the uphill as you came around, and were met with a long, steep, narrow climb all the way back to the top. The climb got steeper as it went up on loose dirt and followed round to the right and the left before cresting back out onto the track.

Section 6 was a short jaunt making use of a rocky gulley. You started heading in and to the left of a tree over the rocky terrain. Reaching the tree you came around to the right and down gently, negotiating between rocks and over them at the same time. Continuing on, a small drop down into a bit of a gulley, lead you across it and up the other side, around a tree and back down into the gulley to the exit gates.

Section 7 was another short section, as you entered you were met with a challenging drop off of about a foot, leading onto a descent down a loose shale bank. This leveled out and then you made your way across a carpet of large loose rocks, to a rocky plateau. A left turn led you into another drop off the same size as the first, and into a steep loose downhill out of the end gates at the bottom.

Section 8 began on loose ground straight into a climb up a rocky bank, a tree was the marker point to make a left turn around it and come back down. At the bottom a small rocky chicane lead you around another tree to the right, this lined you up to head towards a tree trunk for you to ride over, upon the other side an immediate left turn was awaiting on some slippy ground, followed by a right turn out of the finish.

Section 9 began on the track and made a small climb up and round to the left, as you leveled off the line took you around to the right and along the side / over some slippy tree debris. A 90* left turn lined you up for a bit of a climb up a steep bank on loose rocky soil, as you crested you followed round to the right and worked your way through the trees to another right turn. A shallow descent over a grassy surface lead you through trees to another right turn, this was followed by a tricky adverse camber climb around to the left and out the finish.

Section 10 began up on a bank, with a descent down and around to the right kicking it off. At the bottom a 180* turn awaited to the left, followed by a climb back up the bank. Over the brow, a kink right awaited, dropping you off a little ledge and leading your front wheel downhill onto some lose ground and roots. You then found yourself riding on the camber on very loose ground and rocks as you made your way alongside a tree to the left. As things leveled out a slow full lock turn to the left was called for over stony ground. The two sets of gates before the exit lead you slightly downhill, but also had the camber factor again, and very loose soil and rocks under wheel. Finally a sharp right off the camber and downhill lead you out of the end gates!

Our next competition returns back to Pen Y Graig on May 22nd. As always we would like to take this opportunity to thank the land owners, club officials, observers and the catering team for giving everyone such a greats days competition.

Top Places:

Pre 65 Elite: Jack Butterworth, Triumph (10);

Pre 65 50/50: Phil Alderman, BSA (8 fc); Paul Owen, Bantam (8); Vernon Roberts, Bantam (13)

Pre 65 Clubman: Peter Cockins, BSA (0); Roger Smith, BSA (4); Jon Flower, BSA (5)

Twinshock Elite: Danny Littlehales, Fantic (14); Steve Shelley, Honda (16); Stephen Knight, Yamaha (24)

Twinshock 50/50: Rob Jones, Honda (8); Mark Gaskell, Whitehawk (13); Ian Emery, Ossa (15)

Twinshock Clubman: Karl Kavanagh, Fantic (3); Phil Cottiga, Fantic (5); John Sowden, Bultaco (7)

Twinshock Beginners: Pete Thomas, Yamaha (25)

AC Mono 50/50: Gordon Wilson, Honda (14); Paul Cartwright, Beta (26); Alex Barrie, Honda (34)

AC Mono Clubman: Neil Francis, Aprilla (1); Steve Blaxall, Fantic (10); Simon Edwards, Yamaha (45)

Modern Mono Elite: Richard Beddoes, Beta (10); Bob Shelley, GasGas (71)

Modern Mono 50/50: Declan Marsden, GasGas (10); Jim Droughton, Montesa (14); Tom Walker, Sherco (20)

Modern Mono Clubman: Ken Williams, Montesa (0); David Molyneaux, Montesa (5); Andrew Dean, Beta (6)

Modern Mono Beginners: Wayne Francis, Sherco (79)

Class Breakdown:

Pre 65 – 18
Twinshock – 23
A/C Mono – 7
Modern Mono – 18

Elite – 7
50/50 – 20
Clubman – 35
Beginner – 4

Event Report by Rob Sloggett and Paul Owen

A rapidly warming morning greeted the 65 riders who played a welcome visit to a venue that we only have limited opportunity to use. Our thanks must go out to the landowners for allowing us to experience 10 great stream sections for the third championship round of 2017. The riders of which 20 were Pre 65’s and 31 Twinshocks were supported by 7 Air Cooled Monos and 7 modern machines. A lower than normal turnout was seen across the Pre 65 and Mono group which may in part have been due to a clash with a Dales Classic event.

The drop off in entries was across the Expert and Intermediate classes  but as per last month it is great to see that the beginners class is heavily supported in the Twinshock class.

This months event report is kindly contributed to by Paul Owen and Rob Sloggett.

Paul Owen (Intermediate) – Bantam Rigid

For Round 3 of Aqueduct Classic Trials , I was riding the BSA rigid bantam in the green route.

Section 1 was at the bottom of the mountain gully, the stream was high and the submerged rocks were green and slippy, you dropped into the water and turned up stream and had to pick a line to two big covered rocks and exit over some slippy rocks to a greasy bank and out gate. Section 2 was alot easier as you dropped down a bank across the steam, right turn on the opposite banking and back across the water then a gentle bank, left around a tree and down to the exit gate,

Section 3 was off camber, down a bank to start into the water and across an ever moving rocky river bed to a sharp right turn up a steep rooted step and sharp turn left around a tree and back in the water for 10 meters to the exit gate. I was bouncing side to side on the rigid bantam trying to avoid the submerged rocks. Section 4 was short and you dropped into the stream and stayed in the middle missing the rocks and onto the right bank to a narrow steep exit gate.

Section 5 looked easy but was slippy and as you entered the start gate you then had to ride left over a greasy log but then stay to the right up some more submerged rocks to the exit gate. I almost got flung over the handlebars as my bike hit a rock, not my best section even though it looked easy. Section 6 started off on the right bank then you dropped into the water and had to turn right over rocks to more slippy boulders to the out gate, then up across the lane to the above stream.

Section 7 was a short slippy wet bank into the stream and a ride up the middle between more rocks to a tight right turn and another rooted step with a sharp turn left to some more roots and exit gate. Section 8 started in the water on the left and across to the right bank that was leaf covered and a slippy off camber bank then dropping down and immediately over a wet fallen tree and to the exit gate. Section 9 was in the field but an up hill muddy gully. You would enter the section and drop down the bank and climb up to a tight left hand turn around a tree and between a big rock and back into the gully to a gentle climb and a steep right hand slippy bank to the exit.

Section 10 was a slight uphill gully to a right steep turn, up a wet rocky bank and then another right back down to the exit gate

After the trials my boots and bike had clean from all the water hehe…

Rob Sloggett (Clubman) – Bultaco 175

Last month I reported as an observer, you may remember that the Bultaco had recently had a full engine rebuild and I wanted to give it a shakedown ride before a full competition so this month I got to exercise her legs in a full event, albeit in a class lower than I ride just to give myself a chance to concentrate on getting use to her again. I must say, I have missed the Bultaco, at my best she is the bike that has allowed me to improve my riding but Sundays event did not reflect that in the slightest! I put it down to the rear brake being on the wrong side and the different power delivery but to be honest regardless of the result I was so pleased to be riding her!

So what of the event and the sections, well as I said, it has been a while since I rode the clubman route but tackling it again you can see why it is so popular and also forms a nice stepping stone from the white route into intermediate.

A couple of sections caught me unawares and Section 7 was the first one. This is where I put my lost of marks down to the rear brake being on the wrong side! The entry started simple as a downward bank descent into the stream but as the event went on this rapidly carved out into a steeper gully a perfect wheel thickness across and a good 12 inches deep in places. The descent into the stream needed some brake control to both manage the gully and also get the entry speed into the stream just right for the next right hand turn. A mixture of “brake on the wrong side” and the soaking the rear brake had received through out the day made my technique poor to say the least and needless to say this element alone took 6 marks off of me.

Section 10 was another issue for me and a clean on the first lap was followed by two consecutives threes as I could not find any grip on the snaking mixture of gullies, cambered sweeping turns and across river bed obstacles. A walk of the section on the last lap showed me the error of my ways and whilst following the established line on laps two and three, I had failed to spot a much more smoother line with acres of grip obviously being used by others.

It was great to get back to Cwm Canol and we have to thank the land owner for kindly giving us access to use it. Its also fantastic to see the regular turnout of observers and a few new faces helping to make sure we get to enjoy our sport each month.

Our next event will be on Sunday 2nd April at Pen Y Graig.

Top Places:

Pre 65 Expert: Darren Walker, BSA (31); Colin Fray, DOT (35)

Pre 65 Intermediate: Vernon Roberts, BSA (15); Harry Lyons, BSA (16); Gary Shaw, Norton (18)

Pre 65 Clubman: Neil Walker, Francis Barnett (12); Peter Elvidge, BSA (17); Peter Cottrell, BSA (19)

Pre 65 Beginner: Nigel Houlston, BSA (29)

Twinshock Expert: Tony Gush, Majesty (18); Matt Spink, Beamish (21); Dave Wood, Bultaco (25)

Twinshock Intermediate: Jim Williams, SWM (8); Martin Nelson, Yamaha (13); Alex Barrie, Honda (19)

Twinshock Clubman: Tony Shaw, Bultaco (23); John Sowden, Bultaco (24); Matt Hopkins, Yamaha (26)

Twinshock Beginner: Steve Williams, Bultaco (22); Bill Beveridge, Fantic (23); Craig Fowler, Yamaha (27)

AC Mono Expert: No entries

AC Mono Intermediate: Ian Emery, Yamaha (18); Gordon Wilson, Honda (23); Paul Cartwright, Beta (28)

AC Mono Clubman: Steven Blaxall, Fantic (23); Neil Francis, Aprilla (48); Philip Roberts, GasGas (49)

AC Mono Beginner: Pete Thomas, Fantic (12)

Modern Mono Expert: No entries

Modern Mono Intermediate: Dan Hawley, Beta (26); Patrick Forde, Beta (34); Andrew Dean, Beta (45)

Modern Mono Clubman: Tony Rainford, Sherco (23); Hayden Rainford, Sherco (39); Bradley Jones, Sherco (58)

Modern Mono Beginners: No entries

Class Breakdown:

Pre 65 – 20
Twinshock – 31
A/C Mono – 7
Modern Mono – 7
Total = 65

Expert – 14
Intermediate – 25
Clubman – 20
Beginner – 6

Bikes:

Pre 65:
Arial – 1
BSA – 9 (2 rigid)
DOT – 2
Francis Barnett – 3
Norton – 1
Triumph – 4

Twinshock:
Armstrong – 1
Beamish Suzuki – 1
Bultaco – 7
Fantic – 6
Honda – 3
Ossa – 1
SWM – 1
Yamaha Majesty – 1
Yamaha TY – 10

Aircooled Mono:
Aprilla – 1
Beta – 1
Fantic – 2
GasGas – 1
Honda – 1
Yamaha – 1

Modern Mono:
Beta – 3
GasGas – 1
Sherco – 3

Event Report by Gordon Wilson, Karl Kavanagh and Rob Sloggett

What started as a chilly morning quickly warmed up as a great turnout of 86 riders descended on Plas Onn for the second championship round of 2017. The 86 riders of which 35 were Pre 65’s and 26 Twinshocks were supported by 8 Air Cooled Monos and 17 modern machines.

A really good spread of Expert, Inters and Clubman made up the entry card and it is great to see that the beginners class still support the riders coming into trials regardless of their ages or machine types.

This months event report is kindly contributed to by Gordon Wilson, Karl Kavanagh and Rob Sloggett.

Gordon Wilson (Intermediate) – Honda TLM AC Mono

Arriving at the familiar venue of Plas Onn I was met with a fantastic view of the mist cloud lying in the valleys and wishing I had my camera. (fortunately Jim Droughton has posted pictures of this on the FB page)
I signed on for the green route as usual and enjoyed chating with fellow enthusiasts before the start at 11 am.

I started at sec 5 with the red and green route riders as instructed by Russ where we found a tricky uphill twisty section over roots and stuff
that we have been to before but is still one of the better parts of the venue, a section that cost me most of the marks lost due to the sheer incompetence of stalling on one lap and going the wrong way out on another.

Sec 6 was another uphill challenging slippy roots and rocky stream type section and I was very pleased to just lose one dab in total on that one.
Sec 7 was an interesting down hill and twisty up the gulley type section which although didn’t cost me any marks lost featured an animated observer who waved his arms about a lot so was quite entertaining  really. 🙂

Sec 8 comprised a lot of toing and froing across a stream which was quite simple until one got to the twisty exit – cost me a few marks that did,
never managed to clean despite trying different tactics.
Sec 9, 10 and 1 were pretty innocuous ones that involved transiting up parts of the stream that is well ridden and didn’t cause any problems as long as one’s concentration didn’t slip.

Sec 2 although short and sweet had an interesting turn before the end cards that cost me dab on (at least) one occasion…..
Sec 3 and 4 were a bit like 9,10 and 1 in that they were pretty easy but easy to mess up if you took your eye off the ball.

That comprises my first and hopefully last report (editors comment: I don’t think so, especially after your comment about me on Sec 7).

I would like to close by saying that it was a thoroughly enjoyable day out with good fellow competitors, stalwart observers and marvelous organisers.

If I was to add some final words, all I would say is that I would like to see more of the type of sections that took marks from me they were challenging without being hard or frightening – ones that take dabs but you can really try to clean them.

Karl Kavanagh – (Intermediate) – Fantic Twinshock

I’m Karl Kavanagh from Birkenhead Wirral, I’ve been dabbling with trials for a few years in between running and racing amca motocross events. A year ago I decided to px my worn out modern bike for a twinshock and ended up with a ropey but all there fantic 200 with the idea of doing all the 2016 aqueduct rounds. With a bit of luck I ended up winning the clubman route from the much respected John Sowden who I’ve probably watched as a kid at local events so it was nice to go full circle.

Anyway round 2 plas onn on the green route….

I did the trial alongside Paul Hempkins who rode modern inter whilst I tackled the same route on my twinshock, he’s a fit lad and keen to crack on, often I finish first but too often end up last.

Section 1, I walked in advance and with a little advice from Graham Pennington on the entry I got through fine.
Section 2 was a similar affair and with my fantic front end recently sorted I’ve gained a bit of confidence on rocks and streams, clean again.
Section 3 after a brief walk and look at the slippy bits I zipped through with no dabs.

Section 4 the last of the banked stream sections had a rutted climb then tight round a tree, down into the gully then sharp left up and out. This sort of thing I usually start breaking up into separate parts and messing up but after a quick chat with fellow Wirral rider Tony Rainford I zipped up the climb, dropped down into the gully and did my best to make a smooth left turn out. It paid off and cleaned it with no drama, Paul came behind me and admitted he had dropped a mark which gave me confidence!

Section 5 the long ride to the far side of the trial found Harry standing ready to burst my bubble. After walking the section and watching a couple of riders tackle it I took my turn. It was a muddy in and out affair with lots of roots which my on or off throttle style gets me in trouble. Anyway I used all of my concentration up on the roots and missed a marker. Why does this always happen to me on Harry’s sections, he takes it so personally !
So first 5 points in the bin.

Section 6 had both roots and a little greasy climb but I flowed through with new found confidence after my recent rear tyre purchase, (wish I had it on at carrog isa), anyway I think missed a marker on the way out so another 5.

By now I wasn’t happy at my mistakes, probably half due to not spending enough time in the sections walking and watching others but it was cold and I like to crack on.

Section 7 I was walking it as Ian Emery came through. An experienced and stylish rider, I watched him closely as he weaved round the tight turns and headed up and out past observer Rob Sloggett.
My turn as I dropped down into the pit, my back brake was sticking a bit so I was keeping it in first and going as slow as possible, tight left turn the quick line up over some rocks, a greasy bank then tight until a loose climb out. To my surprise I cleaned it.

A bit happier I headed back up the lane and out into the daylight to section 8.

Section 8 was up and down greasy banks with a real tight exit. I went in and out the wrong markers, again! Another 5.

Section 9 had Geoff observing, a little bit steppy but I’m getting the hang of these with the old bike and cleaned it.

Section 10 drop into the gully and up and out, keeping the weight off the front and staying loose I found it easy enough.

So the rest of the trial bought me another 5 for missing a marker on section 5 and a good fall on section 8 in front of my partner and grandson (the 4yr old you see floating round on his oset) . Karen looked horrified but Logan said its ok grandad has got his helmet on!

Many thanks to all the observers that stand there in the cold so we can ride, Russ Jones and friends for running these great events and Paul Cartwright for the machining work that’s made my bike such a pleasure to ride.

Lessons learned? Probably not but I’m enjoying my trials and surprising myself now and again and I’m happy enough with that.

Rob Sloggett – Observer Section 7

Following the TY breaking down at the last competition and the engine and frame for my Bultaco rebuild being returned to me it was a quick reassembly of the Bultaco that took priority. Not wishing to go straight into a competition without a shakedown ride, the Bultaco was ridden to the section and given a bit of a shakedown before me settling down for a days observing. What a great section I was given. In one of the usual spots, this time it had a twist. Instead of being a straight up the gully, this time it was a 180 degree u shape with a drop in from the top bank for all routes leading to 4 different mid routes according to the class and then a common run up the gully to run to the end cards. So lets break it down.

Well the entry was a simple affair, if not needing a level of attention as the more inexperience riders may have been phased by the angle. No nasty cambers to catch you out, just a 15 – 20 foot long, 45 deg angle drop with a nice wide river bed with light running water to settle yourself into. Good brake control and weight over the back wheel allowed the riders to settle down quickly.

The Beginners and Clubman then made a 180 right hand loop across the river bed to bring them into the exit gully (with the beginners joining further up the gully closer to the end cards).

Intermediates dropping in then engaged their sat nav with the section giving full value to the entry price! Starting with a slight cambered attack up the left hand bank they then had to loop around a tree and drop back down into the river bed. A rougher terrain then greeted them including a right hand turn around another tree with exposed roots finishing with a left hand turn to bring them into the exit gully.

The Experts had fun as the drop into the section then required a right hand turn to commence an arched 90 degree left hand down hill turn bringing them to face the adjacent bank. A good climb up the bank looped right around a tree (with a 2-3 ft gap between the tree and the fence) and then dropping them back down the bank at quite a nice challenging angle. The final part of this combination included a tight right hand turn around a tree in the middle of the river bed finally presenting a left hand turn over a root cluster which caught a number of rider out and took the odd mark away from them.

The common exit gully was really nice and was basically a 50 – 60 ft run along an uphill gully consisting of loose stones with a root step half way up.

It was a real treat to observe this section as all of the riders seem to either find enjoyment from the challenge and improvement each lap or for those who were regularly cleaning it just seem to be having a blast on what was a technically challenging section.

As always, many thanks to the land owners, the organisers, observers and Chris for providing the catering. Our next event will be on Sunday 12th March at Cwm Canol, a venue we have not used for a while so it will be great to get back there.

Top Places

Pre 65 Expert: Darren Walker, BSA (31); Colin Fray, DOT (35)

Pre 65 Intermediate: Vernon Roberts, BSA (15); Harry Lyons, BSA (16); Gary Shaw, Norton (18)

Pre 65 Clubman: Neil Walker, Francis Barnett (12); Peter Elvidge, BSA (17); Peter Cottrell, BSA (19)

Pre 65 Beginner: Nigel Houlston, BSA (29)

Twinshock Expert: Tony Gush, Majesty (18); Matt Spink, Beamish (21); Dave Wood, Bultaco (25)

Twinshock Intermediate: Jim Williams, SWM (8); Martin Nelson, Yamaha (13); Alex Barrie, Honda (19)

Twinshock Clubman: Tony Shaw, Bultaco (23); John Sowden, Bultaco (24); Matt Hopkins, Yamaha (26)

Twinshock Beginner: Steve Williams, Bultaco (22); Bill Beveridge, Fantic (23); Craig Fowler, Yamaha (27)

AC Mono Expert: No entries

AC Mono Intermediate: Ian Emery, Yamaha (18); Gordon Wilson, Honda (23); Paul Cartwright, Beta (28)

AC Mono Clubman: Steven Blaxall, Fantic (23); Neil Francis, Aprilla (48); Philip Roberts, GasGas (49)

AC Mono Beginner: Pete Thomas, Fantic (12)

Modern Mono Expert: No entries

Modern Mono Intermediate: Dan Hawley, Beta (26); Patrick Forde, Beta (34); Andrew Dean, Beta (45)

Modern Mono Clubman: Tony Rainford, Sherco (23); Hayden Rainford, Sherco (39); Bradley Jones, Sherco (58)

Modern Mono Beginners: No entries

Class Breakdown

Pre 65 – 20
Twinshock – 31
A/C Mono – 7
Modern Mono – 7
Total = 65

Expert – 14
Intermediate – 25
Clubman – 20
Beginner – 6

Bikes

Pre 65:
Arial – 1
BSA – 9 (2 rigid)
DOT – 2
Francis Barnett – 3
Norton – 1
Triumph – 4

Twinshock:
Armstrong – 1
Beamish Suzuki – 1
Bultaco – 7
Fantic – 6
Honda – 3
Ossa – 1
SWM – 1
Yamaha Majesty – 1
Yamaha TY – 10

Aircooled Mono:
Aprilla – 1
Beta – 1
Fantic – 2
GasGas – 1
Honda – 1
Yamaha – 1

Modern Mono:
Beta – 3
GasGas – 1
Sherco – 3

Event Report by Ian Emery and Rob Sloggett

You know when a new competition season started well then the entry shows 73 bikes on a cold January Sunday morning. With 43 bikes making up the Pre 65 and Twinshock class and 51 competing in the Intermediate or Clubman class, its no surprise that the club that now enters its eight competition year is in hearty spirits as a well established classic trials club.

Lets be clear, it was cold! Cold and muddy and that sort of set the tone for the day. The sections we challenging. Not difficult or dangerous challenging, but offered that type of challenge that resulted in a higher than normal level of DNF’s either due to mechanical failure (as in my case) or riders finding that the 8 sections of 5 laps just took them to their riding limit on the day. Certainly in the Intermediate route I was riding, we were treating to a few new challenges which I will hold off for my part of the report below.

This months event report is kindly contributed to by Ian Emery and Rob Sloggett.

Ian Emery (Intermediate) – Yamaha TY AC Mono

Carrog Issa has always been a great venue and this event didn’t disappoint. For me it was the first proper competitive outing on my TY Pinky as I contest the ACM Class this year. To comply with the landowner’s wishes two sections in the main stream were dropped with 5 laps of 8 sections being the format for the day.

Section 1 was a cracker! The slight incline leading to the in-cards became a nightmare for many with some riders having several attempts just to get into the section due to the total lack of grip in the field. I took a 50 yard run up on the TY in 3rd gear (and once in 4th by accident ! ) and coasted up the hill into the section trying to maintain control for the tight u-turn left and back down, avoiding the footrest snagging tree stump and into the natural basin below where a swooping 180 turn back up the hill led to a slippy 90 left before crossing the camber to a gripless clay covered climb to the ends. I had mixed fortunes in the five laps. On a really steady throttle the TY found just enough grip pulling well at low revs and I ended up with three 3’s (including the 4th gear attempt !) and two cleans which I was pleased with. There were many high scores recorded but well done to Garry Shaw for getting his rigid Bantam round for 5 cleans.

Section 2 was a nice combination of a slippy double descent followed by a tight left/right turn combination to the ends with the slippiness of the slight incline catching a few marks. Section 3 used a similar line to the one set for the Kia National but was a bit tamer. Despite that, the lack of grip cost many a few marks especially on the slippy first turn and on the cross camber climb. Section 4 was a series of tight turns gentle climbing along the crest of the bank. The first tight u-turn saw a few lose marks often as the front pushed out but most marks were claimed by the jumble of awkward, slippy rocks just before the ends.

Sections 5 and 6 were back to back with Kara and Russ in charge. The first saw a steep double descent with a tricky dog-leg over exposed roots just before a tight left where many riders overshot and were lucky to recover with just a dab. There followed a climb up the clay bank to a left turn towards a steep bank taking you back to near where you started. The sting here was a gulley at the base of this climb, strewn with polished roots which had to be jumped hard to keep momentum up the climb. I used 1st gear for my opening lap, concerned I would need that gear to control the descent but it made for a hard fought exit. Using 2nd gear thereafter the TY flew up the climb out on a rolling throttle but needed the odd dab at the base of the descent to make the turn. For me it was a lesson as to just how well the TY’s suspension performed with the forks working hard on the descent and the rear doing the same on the exit.

 Section 6 ran alongside, dropping into the same gulley with a climb out up a slippy bank on the left to then drop back into the gulley on a cross camber and once back in follow the incline and finally climb out up the left bank. Two really good flowing sections.

Section 7 was nasty! A short but steep climb towards three trees with a choice of two paths either side of the centre tree. Left was a wider gap but had little run up for the sweeping climb and right turn to follow. To the right a narrower gap to thread through but a better line to attack the turn which was again strewn with gripless roots. My first two attempts were in first gear and yielded a 5 and a paddling 3, but thereafter I chose second gear carefully threading the TY around the tree to the right and squirted around the turn for three cleans.

Section 8 was interesting! A short climb was followed by a twisty path between trees leading to a steep down-up sump which also involved a 90 right turn. It was so narrow the front wheel was climbing the far side whilst the rear was still on its way down and the turn had to be completed whilst the front was still climbing to keep momentum and avoid another tree with the front. A climb over loose debris followed to then swing left and down across the bank to a right turn which fell away sharply needing a very quick turn to avoid snagging another tree on the way down.

Overall 8 really good technical, challenging sections. I was so impressed with the way my TY performed, testing its ability find grip and pull in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears and just how well its suspension and brakes all worked. Can’t wait for the next round at Plas Onn.

Rob Sloggett (50/50) – Air Cooled Mono TY

So as I alluded to in the introduction, this opening round had a few new treats and whilst I ended up as a DNF (bit of a trend that as the opening round in 2016 for me had the same outcome) the two laps I did compete were great fun.

So what can I pick out? Well certainly Section 1 was a treat. The first section in years I can recall requiring a 3rd gear run up with about 3psi in the rear tyre to even get into the section. I have never been good on really slippery section entrances as people who recall me riding a Beamish a few years will attest to (sorry to those who got sprayed then), but once in the section the drop into a small gully then offered a right hand turn over some rough items then up an adjacent gully to be presented with a climb up a bank, left around a tree and then loop right up the bank to exit. This took high teen / twenty scores from most of the Intermediate riders although the Pre 65 class did seem to fair much better on this section with over half of the riders dropping 13 or less.

The sections were split across the venue and they tended to be in clustered pairs with sections 5 & 6 certainly my two favorites. Both incorporating a downhill drop and then peeling off into a tight turn with a challenging run either up hill or across a gully with exposed roots (remember this was a muddy terrain day) that really felt good when the ride hooked up well.

A quick top up with fuel after my second lap resulted in the bike cutting out whilst queuing in Section 1. As I write this I have still not explored why but I am suspecting a fuel blockage of some kind as it did run rough after but died on idling. But to be honest that did not spoil my day. Why? because the event offered something a bit different. It was a tough event but it was not “silly tough”.

The next event is on Sunday 5th February at Plas Onn As always we have to pass on our thanks to the club, landowner, observers etc. for allowing us to have a good days competition.

Top Places:

Pre 65 Expert: James Francis, BSA (10); Peter Edwards, BSA (76); Kev Ellis, BSA (76)

Pre 65 Intermediate: Garry Shaw, BSA Rigid (17); Harry Lyons, BSA (35); Vernon Roberts, BSA (36)

Pre 65 Clubman: Roger Smith, BSA (19); Mervyn Powell, Arial (27); Peter Elvidge, BSA (28)

Pre 65 Beginner: No enteries

Twinshock Expert: Steve Shelley, Honda (34); Tony Gush, Majesty (46); Danny Littlehales, Fantic (63)

Twinshock Intermediate: Steve Blackburn, Montesa (65); Jim Droughton, Yamaha (70); Jeremy Sutton, Ossa (79)

Twinshock Clubman: Rob Jones, Honda (23); Gwilym Lloyd Ellis, Ossa (53); John Sowden, Bultaco (58)

Twinshock Beginner: Craig Fowler, Yamaha (65)

AC Mono Expert: Jerry Hawker, Honda (86)

AC Mono Intermediate: Ian Emery, Yamaha (27); Gordon Wilson, Honda (58); Martin Powell, Honda (65)

AC Mono Clubman: Steven Blaxall, Fantic (69)

AC Mono Beginner: No finishers

Modern Mono Expert: Richard Beddoes, Beta (56); Steve Richards, Montesa (60); Vincent Brett, Beta (64)

Modern Mono Intermediate: Paul Hempkins, Beta (41); Dave Lovell, Montesa (45); Andrew Dean, Beta (68)

Modern Mono Clubman: Tony Rainford, Sherco (47); Nick MacGillivray, Montesa (64); Hayden Rainford, Sherco (68)

Modern Mono Beginners: No finishers

Class Breakdown:

Pre 65 – 27
Twinshock – 16
A/C Mono – 9
Modern Mono – 21
Total = 73

Expert – 16
Intermediate – 28
Clubman – 23
Beginner – 6

Bike Stats:

Pre 65:
Arial – 1
BSA – 9 (2 rigid)
DOT – 2
Francis Barnett – 3
Norton – 1
Triumph – 4

Twinshock:
Armstrong – 1
Beamish Suzuki – 1
Bultaco – 7
Fantic – 6
Honda – 3
Ossa – 1
SWM – 1
Yamaha Majesty – 1
Yamaha TY – 10

Aircooled Mono:
Aprilla – 1
Beta – 1
Fantic – 2
GasGas – 1
Honda – 1
Yamaha – 1

Modern Mono:
Beta – 3
GasGas – 1
Sherco – 3

Event report by Rob Sloggett, Geoff Jones and Ian Emery

Mothers Day saw the second round of Aqueduct Classics 2016 series offer a great day’s competition to the 70 riders who braved the changeable conditions at Plas Onn (Selattyn). It was great to see that 23 of these were Pre 65 bikes with over half campaigning in the 50/50 route. A further 20 bikes were twin shocks with the Clubman route being the most popular (7 bikes). As always the Air Cooled Mono class was well represented with a good support class of Modern Monos enjoying a Championship league of their own.

This months event report is kindly contributed to by Paul Owen, Geoff Jones and Rob Sloggett

Paul Owen – 50/50 class (Pre-65)

It was a cold fresh morning on the hillside looking down the Ceiriog valley, but once I got going I soon warmed up.

Section 1,2 and 3 were going up the stream, section 1 was straight forward on the green (50/50) route, dropping into the stream and across a greasy leafy bank then back into the stream to the exit gate.

Section 2 and 3 were very similar, starting in the steam there was a rocky step that you had to get right and then around a tree, across the water to a steep slippery bank then a sudden drop back into the water and then around a few rocks to the exit gates.

Section 4 was on a grassy bank and around two trees that looked easy but you couldn’t really touch the front brake on the downhill stretch. It was then a ride across a few fields to the far end of the land to section 5 and 6. Starting off in the stream you had a rocky section between some trees, across the bank, then back into the stream and a steep incline up a greasy muddy exit, my rigid bantam was perfect for those condition.

Section 6 was similar to 5 but had a challenging 2nd half to it with rocks and roots, if you messed up the first lot of rocks you would be all arms and legs up to the exit gate. You then started to make your way back to the start with a stop in each field to experience the rocky gullies.

Section 7 saw the greens doing the same route as the expert red class, dropping into a left hand turn and up what seemed like the Grand Canyon, but after watching a few riders fail trying to pick their way around the big rocks I decided to hit it straight on and just hope for the best. It looked daunting but was a proper grin factor when I cleaned it twice and only had 2 single dabs.

Section 8 was in the next field and a similar start dropping into the stream and weaving my way on and off the muddy bank, back across the stream to a steep turn and up another rock path to the exit gate.

Section 9 and 10 were very similar with a crossing from bank to bank across the stream then a short steep rocky incline to the exit gate. Every section was challenging but nothing dangerous, another cracking trials held by the club, roll on round 3! .

Geoff Jones – Observer

Despite it being a snow threatened Mothers Day the second round Aqueduct Classic 2016 series attracted 71 riders in all, high up in the Welsh Hills at Plas Onn farm. Again the sections were set to accommodate a slightly snow covered landscape, which made for a very wet and slippery going. Luckily the terrain allowed for all sections to be more or less run in the stream which flowed through the venue, which avoided the near impossible going elsewhere and protecting the land owner’s fields.

Section 9 was set for the four routes, White (beginners), Yellow (clubman), Green (50/50) and Red (Elite).

White route more or less followed the stream bank with a water splash to cross to the opposite side where the end gate was situated, accessed by a climb out of the steam and a sharp slippery right turn to the end flag.

Yellow followed a similar course but ridden within the stream, which had the pitfalls of rolling rocks and deep pools hidden by the now muddied waters, again the end gate was accessed by a climb out of the stream with a sharper right turn to the gate, surprisingly more than a couple of riders who had cleaned the main part of the section, fell foul of the degree of offset to the end cards and missed the exit.

Green took a similar course to the Red, starting off through a water splash exiting on the opposite bank to execute a sharp right rocky turn, back into the stream with a sharp climb out and around a tree stump to dive back into the stream again, to access the end gate. Again this took one or two fives from the unwary, having cleaned the section cresting the bank and missing the sharp offset exit to the end gate!

Red obviously being the more demanding again set off through the first water splash, with a steep climb out up a rocky muddy bank to crest onto a bordering field, which although quite flat was deceptively slippery and in itself took one or two marks, with competitors losing too much momentum due to lack of grip. After a 180 deg turn the bank was descended to the second water splash with the same sharp climb out around the same tree stump that greens were using, but after dropping sharply back into the water the sting in the tail for the reds was a sharp right turn to climb a rocky waterfall In a narrow gulley, with an immediate left turn out of the section to the offset exit.

The sections in general we’re flowing but technical, with nothing to cause a stop under the slippery conditions, but never the less designed to take marks.

Rob Sloggett – Elite Class (Modern Mono)

With both of my classic bikes under the weather and having some well-deserved TLC, my aim of stepping up to Elite class on a Modern Mono this year to allow me to experience the depth of the new challenge but on a bike I felt comfortable tackling them on came into play. I was so please with the challenges laid out by Aqueduct at this level. Everything was safe but challenging and enough new variety to make me drop some fives and re-engage my brain to watch the experienced Experts on their lines.

A couple of sections really jumped out. Section 1 was an absolute gem as you entered high up a bank and dropped down perpendicular to the stream bed. The aim was to then fire it straight up the opposite bank and then a left turn on a camber around a tree whilst scrubbing off momentum. The rest of the section was straight forward but this steep drop in and equal climb out was a length and gradient uncomfortable to me. First attempt, I bottled the drop in taking a more gradual drop down the bank, almost traversing it at a diagonal. This resulted in me getting on the power at an angle with the rear wheel inevitably spinning out resulting in a very graceful five. Second lap, feeling more comfortable on the bike and looking at the lines taken, I approach high, dropped straight down and allowed the momentum plus a squirt of the throttle to fire me straight up the bank. A single dab around the tree on the 3 remaining laps left me feeling that I had improved in one area but still had something to learn regarding this type of obstacle.

Section 6 was another great section for the Elite route with a muddy entry leading to an across gully routing, a large loop on the left hand bank then traversing back across the gully over a selection of rocks and roots to enter the second parallel gully. This then offered a 20 second challenge taking an S shaped path around or over a number of sizeable rocks until you exited up a shallow right hand bank. The range of scores across all classes of bike on the Elite route shows how the team setting up the sections found the best use of the land to ensure there was something for everyone but nothing to put anyone off or put them in harm’s way.

As always, we have to pass on our appreciation and thanks to the club officials, observers, catering team and land owner. The next completion is on Sunday 3rd April at Pen Y Graig Quarry.

Top Places:

Pre 65 Elite: Ben Butterworth, Ariel (2); Russ Jones, Francis Barnett (25); Steve Thompson, BSA (26)
Pre 65 50/50: David Beddoes, BSA (4); Phil Alderman, Triumph (5); Carl Winstanley, James (9)
Pre 65 Clubman: Roger Smith, BSA (2); Terry Lloyd, Tiger Cub (7); Graham Miller, Tiger Cub (8)
Pre 65 Beginners: Andrew Huxley, BSA (27)

Twinshock Elite: Danny Littlehales, Fantic (8); Alan Miles, Chase TY (18); Steve Shelley, Honda TLR (24)
Twinshock 50/50: Philip Clarkson (9); Alex Barrie, Honda (15); Ian Emery, Ossa (18)
Twinshock Clubman: John Sowden, Bultaco (7); Karl Kavanagh, Fantic (10); Phil Cottiga, Fantic (13)
Twinshock Beginners: Pete Thomas, Yamaha (17)

AC Mono Elite: Craig Howarth, Scorpa (51)
AC Mono 50/50: Stephen Richards, Yamaha (8); Gordon Wilson, Honda (21); Paul Cartwright, Beta (57)
AC Mono Clubman: Andy Steele, Yamaha (24); Mike Sutton, Ossa (26); Steven Blaxall, Fantic (27)

Modern Mono Elite: Rob Sloggett, Beta (68)
Modern Mono 50/50: Alec Roberts, Gas Gas (9); Liam Marsden (40)
Modern Mono Clubman: Bob Shelley, Gas Gas (8), P Hempkins, Beta (10); Ken Williams, Montesa (12)
Modern Mono Beginners: Andrew Dean, Gas Gas (7); Glyn Evans, Beta (10); Pete Rainsford, Montesa (21)

Class Breakdown:

Pre 65 – 23
Twinshock – 20
A/C Mono – 9
Modern Mono – 18

Elite – 11
50/50 – 24
Clubman – 28
Beginner – 7

Event report by Rob Sloggett and Ian Emery

December has quickly come around and this report checks into the last event of Aqueduct Classics 2016 Championship campaign and what an event it was. Last visited in June, the venue whilst starting off a bit chilly quickly warmed up as the 60 riders comprising of 24 Pre 65’s, 16 Twinshocks, 9 Air Cooled Monos and 11 Modern bikes gathered at 11:00 for the off. A good split of 8 Elite riders, 22 riding the 50/50 route (to be renamed “Intermediate” for the 2017 series), 23 Clubman and 7 Beginners were offered the usual mix of 4 laps of 10 sections. And what a great set of routes they turned out to be!

Ian Emery (50/50) – Twinshock Ossa Gripper

A very cold start greeted the 60 riders at Plas Onn Farm which led to two immediate problems for me; firstly keeping the Gripper’s engine hot enough to run cleanly and secondly keeping my fingers warm to grip the bars. Luckily a clever Spaniard designed an exhaust system that works as a hand warmer too. This report covers the “Green” or Intermediate route and how my day went.

Section 1 was testing starter. A run alongside the stream with a nasty drop in over rocks to then make a difficult right turn across the water, over algae coated rocks, to then climb the far bank, traverse a camber and drop back in higher up the flow. The first turn was the hardest bit with many riders losing grip especially on the first lap. Section 2 was even harder! A drop into the stream followed by a sweeping U-turn to then climb against the water flow, across a jumble of rocks all of which seemed to be in just the wrong place to allow a smooth line to be taken. Once past these obstacles a 90 left turn followed by a traverse across slippy exposed roots to then blast through a muddy speed-sapping bog before joining the stream again. A long section, with lots of technical difficulty, needing a lot of effort to clean. Great sense of achievement if you did. Section 3 had its sting at the beginning. Two left/right 90 degree turns into the narrow stream gulley with an awkwardly placed rock just catching the rear just as the front pushed against the far bank. Easy to lose momentum but once through, the climb across a mass of exposed roots to the ends was more straightforward than it looked.

Section 4 was a drop into the stream and a tight left turn on the far bank to then climb a rooty step, to be then faced with a clay bank and a swooping left turn across the camber to the ends. It all went wrong for me here when the Ossa spun out just after the roots leaving me feet-up but pointing in totally the wrong direction. A “5” ! Not what I wanted with a Championship at stake. Section 5 was in the next stream cleverly using three parts of previously used sections to great effect. A steep drop on the turn into the stream, followed by a short blast up the far bank between two large boulders, to then cross a jumble of loose rocks, up a root step with a left turn, and then a right turn over a steep hump to join the adjacent stream with a long climb over a root step and loose rocks. Another really good section and easy to get into trouble.

Sections 6, 7 and 8 were in the stream just below the farm. Section 6 looked fairly innocuous when I walked it – a drop down several rock steps into the stream with a 90 right up a steep 7ft climb out into the field, a U-turn, back down again and up the far bank to the ends. What nearly caught me out was just how quickly the turn for the climb out appeared and several times I nearly overshot with the Ossa pulling sweetly from tick-over at the base of the climb. Section 7 resembled a zigzagging snake going back and to across the stream with each turn comprising a climb, a tight turn, and a steep drop back down, before repeating several times up the stream. The turns had to be made very quickly to stay inside the markers and each drop gave a sense of falling as I struggled to hold the bars. Section 8 was a drop in, tight left, and simple climb up the stream but several awkwardly placed rocks made things difficult. Sections 9 and 10 were in the higher part of the stream.

Section 9 cost me some marks. A gentle climb up the stream was followed by a tricky rock step ( very slippy on lap1) followed by a cross camber traverse before dropping back into the stream to turn left towards the ends. This drop back in always seemed to pull my front wheel onto two large rocks which cost me a big dab several times. Finally section 10, a nice flowing series of swooping turns up and down each bank with more grip than the exposed roots would suggest.

Overall, 10 great sections, each with their own challenges, and shows just how much thought was put in by the section-setters. A great finale to the Championship.

Rob Sloggett (50/50) – Air Cooled Mono TY

Why do we do this sport? I asked myself that as I fived my first section of the day. Then as I locked the rear brake (twice) stalling the engine and taking another two stupid fives on other sections over the first two laps, I asked myself the same question.

Then I approached Section 2 for the second lap, saw the challenge of gully and reminded myself “that’s why”.

Then the line I was totally uncomfortable with on Section 6 and tried an new approach made me realise that this sport of as much about the personal challenge as it is the results at the end of the day.

And that sort of sums up my competition (and my year). Ian has given a great review of the sections and we shared the same route (albeit different classes) so what can I add to this report? Well as I said for me the competition is about the personal challenge as much as the result and 2017 will be the year where I know where I am likely to end up and what a good improvement will look like, but what about those two sections mentioned above?

So Russ was looking after Section 2 and this was a great test of someone who is getting comfortable on the green route but offered enough to make you think and take the odd mark off you if you were not 100%. An angular left hand entrance into the gate fed you into an initial tight right hander feeding into a more open right hand arch but with some slippery roots and cambers. Across the gully and then feeding in with a left hand turn fired you up a probably 40 – 60 ft run with some nice texture of roots and rocks to keep the mind sharp. Peeling out of the gully right and up a bank then offered you a 100 deg left hand turn around a tree. A short run across a camber then fired you into a rutted gully which needed commitment of throttle and line to emerge clean. I think each run took the odd dab from me but a great challenging section which was well thought out.

Geoff looked after Section 6 and this was my nemesis. I have always attested to people who ask  me about this sport that approaching a section is probably a blend of 60% technique and 40% mental attitude and when the section is slightly outside of your comfort zone, that 40% can really come into play. When I first walked this section my mind immediately said “five”. I did not like the second obstacle. After entering off a high bank into the stream you were presented with a 90 degree right turn to fire up what (in my mind) was a formidable bank.  So what did I do? First lap I pushed the boundaries of the route (literally) and instead of using the gully tried to capitalise on the opposite bank and using a wider arch to approach the climb. Needless to say my mind said “no” and I locked the rear wheel dropping in for an immediate 5. Lap 2 I walked the section again, watched a few riders and elected for a well planted dab to make the turn in the gully and ended up with what in my mind was an acceptable 2. The bank was not actually that formidable! The next 2 laps offered acceptable scores but has planted a seed in my mind of a scenario that in my next practice session I need to master.

This was a great way to finish off the year and as always a big thanks have got to go out to the landowners, organisers, club officials and observers.

Don’t forget that our next event is on Sunday 15th January 2017  at Carrog Isa. This is the first round of the 2017 Club Championship.

Top Places:

Pre 65 Elite: Kev Ellis, BSA (26); Colin Fray, DOT (33)

Pre 65 50/50: Gary Shaw, Triumph (2); Roly Jones, Ariel (3); Paul Cook, DOT (7)

Pre 65 Clubman: Adrian Kent, Sprite (7); Roger Smith, BSA (7); Peter Cocking, BSA (9)

Twinshock Elite: Stephen Knight, Yamaha (19); Danny Littlehales, Fantic (19); Julian Price, Fantic (31)

Twinshock 50/50: Ian Emery, Ossa (18); Steve Blackburn, Montesa (27); Jeremy Sutton, Ossa (33)

Twinshock Clubman: Peter Elvidge, Bultaco (20); Keith Gush, Yamaha (23); Karl Kavanagh, Fantic (28)

Twinshock Beginner: Craig Fowler, Yamaha (47)

AC Mono 50/50: Gordon Wilson, Honda (9); Paul Cartwright, Beta (25); Martin Powell, Honda (30)

AC Mono Clubman: Neil Francis, Aprilla (10); Steve Blaxall, Fantic (35); Andy Steele, Yamaha (45)

AC Mono Beginner: Pete Thomas, Fantic (15); Chris Matthews, Fantic (92)

Modern Mono Elite: Vincent Brett, Beta (31)

Modern Mono 50/50: Declan Marsden, GasGas (26)

Modern Mono Clubman: Ken Willians, Montesa (21); Steven Creaser, GasGas (22); Mark Bill, Honda (22)

Modern Mono Beginners: Pete Rainsford, Montesa (32)

Class Breakdown:

Pre 65 – 24
Twinshock – 16
A/C Mono – 9
Modern Mono – 11

Elite – 8
50/50 – 22
Clubman – 23
Beginner – 7