Words: Trials Guru and Donna Fox

Photos: Gillian Lawson; Iain Lawrie; Angel Ucar (Main Photo); Neil Sturgeon; Nige Pearson/Trials UK Media; Margaret Critchlow; Andy Greig/Trials Central; Linda Ashford; Heath Brindley; Fin Yeaman; John Wilkinson Photography; Donald Young; Yamaha Motor Co.

Ladies competing in trials is by no means a modern phenomenon. Far from it, women have been involved in the sport almost since its very beginnings. Among the earliest female competitors was Miss Muriel Hind in 1912 when she took part in that year’s Scottish Six Days Trial, followed, of course, by the world-famous Marjorie Cottle, who became a works rider for the Raleigh, Triumph and BSA factories.

By 1926, there were so many women participating in various events and trials throughout Britain that the British Motor Cycle Manufacturers’ Union, the industry’s trade organisation, decided to honour some of the more prominent ones with a special banquet in London.

From a Christmas Pony to the World stage – A Trials Journey:

Donna Fox was born in October 1984 and was brought up in Doncaster, South Yorkshire on a farm with her younger sister, Kelly and her parents John and Annette, she has been riding motorcycle trials since the age of ten years old.

Donna Fox: “It would be fair to say that my introduction to motorcycles was perhaps a little unconventional!

One Christmas, my sister and I were bought a pony, which was tied up in the field outside the living room window. Not wishing to sound spoilt, but I remember looking out through the patio window and asking – So, where’s my bike?

According to my Dad, this was the first time I had ever shown any real interest in motorcycles. He and my uncle went riding most Sundays, while I generally stayed at home with Mum.

Later that year, the pony had disappeared and, in its place, we acquired a motorcycle for my sister and me – a Yamaha TY80. I suspect that the experience of running out of fuel and the bike subsequently taking on a mind of its own was quite enough for my sister, who soon returned to her horses!

That left me with the Yamaha, although I still had to wait until I was ten before making my first appearance in a competitive trial. I am not entirely sure how long I had to wait, perhaps three or four months, but it turned out that children could ride in trials from the age of six, so there had been no real need to wait at all! Dad enjoyed his own riding, however, and working out a system of taking turns was something he had to organise.“

In 1995, Donna won the TY80 East Midlands Championship, receiving a rather large trophy which she still has to this day. It was a proud moment and one of her early milestones in what was to become a long association with the sport.

“I began riding with the Mansfield Maun club, YMSA, Scunthorpe and several other local clubs. I soon became immersed in trials, helped along by the encouragement and support of those around me. Once I was able to pick my own motorcycle up and, to a certain extent, look after myself, Dad allowed me to ride on my own. Of course, you are never really on your own at a trial!“

At fifteen years of age, Donna was crowned the ACU British Youth B Class Trials champion in 1999.

One person who deserves particular mention is Tony Field, who took Donna under his wing during those early years. He spent time showing her the ropes, offering encouragement and helped develop a keen young rider. That sort of support can make an enormous difference when starting out in the sport.

The international adventure begins:

Then came the opportunity of selection for the Trial des Nations.

Donna Fox: “A British series had recently been developed, although at that stage I had little idea that there was also a World Championship. I certainly had no experience of travelling abroad, so passports and travel arrangements suddenly became part of the equation.

With the assistance of Terry and Linda Crabtree from the Mansfield Maun MCC, together with Robin and Gill Morewood and their young son Adam, the adventure began.

I must offer a particularly big thank you to the Morewood family. They gave up an enormous amount of their time to help me on what became an amazing journey, and their support was invaluable.

Looking back, I never really considered myself to be a girl competing in what was considered predominantly a male sport. Of course, there were not many female riders around in those days, certainly until the introduction of our own ladies-only series around 1998/99. I just simply wanted to ride trials and compete.

The encouragement I received from people within the sport was fantastic. If I am being completely honest, sponsorship opportunities were not always on a par with those available to the male riders, but the backing and support I received from so many people was more than enough to keep me pushing forward.

“The Archer family was also a great help to me, with Jen being the co-driver as being a little older, she was able to obtain cheaper insurance. Peter Archer would also mind for me when Robin Morewood wasn’t available.”

A career in international trials:

“The Trial des Nations became a significant part of my competitive career. I eventually made thirteen appearances, with team victories in 2006, 2007, 2015, 2016 and 2018.”

“The World Championship also provided some memorable results, with sixth position in 2002 and, later, a third place in 2015.”

“I also won the Jack Williams trophy at the 2008 Scottish Six Days for the best female competitor.”

All those achievements were the result of many years of riding, learning and competing, with plenty of people helping her along the way.

The motorcycles:

“Like most trials riders, I have worked my way through a fair number of machines over the years, each one marking another stage in my development.”

“My first motorcycle was, of course, the Yamaha TY80, followed by a Whitehawk Yamaha 80. The latter had a modified frame because I simply wasn’t tall enough to reach the ground properly!“

“Next came a Fantic 80, followed by a Fantic 245 the one with the forward-operated kickstart. After that came a Gas Gas 160 and then a Montesa Cota 315, supplied by RPM Motorcycles of Dinnington.”

Sponsorship and support:

“Rob Poulton at RPM became my first motorcycle shop sponsor, although my time with the Montesa was unfortunately cut short when someone decided to steal all our motorcycles one evening.”

“The incident also brought my uncle’s trials career to an end! He still maintains that he has never been beaten by Donna Fox, so he refuses to borrow or buy another motorcycle in case that record is broken. Fortunately for me, that remains a rather useful excuse!“

“At this point, Rob Poulton suggested that having brand-new motorcycles would help my chances of attracting sponsorship. With his assistance and the backing of Malcolm Rathmell Sport, I acquired my first completely new Sherco motorcycle in 2001.”

That marked the beginning of the years competing on Sherco, which ran from 2001 until 2007.

“There was a brief spell on a Scorpa between January and March 2007, but I simply couldn’t get on with it at all. So I returned to Sherco with the ACE MRS team, run by Mark Kilhams and his family for 2007/08, followed by the ACE Trials Team Gas Gas in 2009 and then Acklams Beta for 2011/12.”

The Pinhard Prize:

The Sunbeam Motorcycle Club annually presents the prestigious ‘Pinhard Prize’ to a member of the motorcycle community under the age of twenty-one. It is one of the sport’s most highly regarded awards, recognising the outstanding young sporting motorcyclist or administrator competing or operating under the jurisdiction of either the ACU (Auto-Cycle Union) or the SACU (Scottish Auto-Cycle Union).

Judging takes into account achievements on the national and international stage, together with contributions to local clubs and the wider motorcycling community.

In 2004, the recipient was Donna Fox, whose award recognised her outstanding performances in motorcycle trials at both national and international level.

Pedal power:

Then pedal bike trials and life in general began to take over, and competitive motorcycle trials took something of a back seat.

Donna competed in Bike Trials for five years, becoming British National champion three times and British Bike Trial champion in 2011 reaching top domestic ranking. She also achieved a seventh place in the 2012 Bike Trial World championships.

The return in 2015:

Donna Fox: “Turning thirty gave me the perfect excuse to make a present to myself. I decided that I would have another go at a few World Championship rounds in 2015, returning on a Sherco.

Before the first event, I had made a fairly straightforward decision: I would ride for fun, but if I finished outside the top ten, that would be the end of my World Championship ambitions.

As it turned out, I finished fifth and fourth at my first two outings. Perhaps we weren’t doing too badly after all!

Little did I realise that this would develop into the best season, and produce some of the finest results, of my entire career. It just goes to show what a difference age, experience and a little maturity can make.

The 2015 season was particularly rewarding, including third place in the World Championship and another Trial des Nations victory.

I continued on Shercos in 2016 and 2017, before making another change for 2018, this time to a Montesa Cota 4RT.

I remember having to persuade Emma (Bristow) to come along to a practice session to prove that I hadn’t completely lost my mind and that I could actually ride a four-stroke!

The proof came in competition, with fourth place at Addingham in the World Championship and another Trial des Nations team victory. I think the 4RT did rather well!“

A taste for the classics:

Donna: “Alongside modern trials, I have also developed an interest in classic machinery.

“Dad and I decided to embark on the twinshock journey together, purchasing a couple of Honda TL125s. They were particularly special because the TL125 had been Dad’s first trials motorcycle.”

“It became a very enjoyable project. Dad’s engineering skills, combined with my enthusiasm for pushing the limits of the machines, made for some entertaining times.”

“My interest in older machinery has continued to grow and I now have several classic motorcycles, including ‘Banny Annie’, my BSA Pre65 competition bike.”

Donna has dominated her class at the annual Pre65 Scottish Trial since 2018, missing out only in 2020, 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, winning the Joan Westbrook Trophy for the best female competitor on her BSA Bantam.

Into the administration:

It was time for Donna to put something back into the sport which had given her so much fun and to see the world. Her riding experiences and globe-trotting were to be put to good use by the governing body, the Auto-Cycle Union. For the TrialGB in 2025 she was appointed the Women’s Section Adviser, working closely with the event organisers and the National Federation to ensure section consistency and quality. She was also the ACU Kickstart programme trainer, delivering women and girls-specific training events aimed at increasing participation in the sport.

Looking back, it has been quite a journey for Donna Fox, from a little girl looking out of the window on a Christmas morning and asking where her motorcycle was, to competing internationally, representing her country and enjoying some wonderful experiences along the way.

“I have been fortunate to meet some fantastic people and receive tremendous encouragement throughout my time in the sport. The results and championships are important, of course, but the friendships, experiences and opportunities that trials has provided are just as valuable.”

And it all started with a Yamaha TY80, a machine that started so many riders in the sport!

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