The annual Scottish Six Days Trial is only a few weeks away now and preparations are building up in the usual ‘SSDT Fever’.
Arrangements have been made to once again have national radio coverage provided by the local station, NEVIS RADIO based in down-town Fort William which hosts the event.
Follow the Trials Guru on Nevis Radio – May 2nd – 7th
Each morning between 07:00 and 11:00 hrs GMT the Outside Broadcast Team comprising of David Ogg, John Weller and John Moffat will keep listeners up-dated with rider interviews, daily results and information about the trial. The station ‘anchor-man’ is Si Abberley who usually hosts the Nevis Radio ‘Drive-Time’ show in the afternoons.
You can listen to the action from the Parc Ferme on your radio if you are attending the trial or if you aren’t then ‘Listen Online’ by logging into the Nevis Radio website – nevisradio.co.uk
NEVIS RADIO Outside Broadcast SSDT 2016 is sponsored by MICHELIN and TRIAL MAGAZINE UK
Toni Bou (Centre) takes his tenth X-Trial World Title, Albert Cabestany (Left) and Adam Raga (Right) – Photo: Trial Magazine UK
Toni Bou – Repsol Honda made it ten titles in a row with a faultless display at the final round 2016 FIM X-Trial World Championship in Marseille, France. Bou overcame some initial nerves during qualification to then go on to dominate the final with a totally clean performance. However Toni’s route to his tenth straight crown in this series was anything but easy as the title fight went to the very last section of the night.
Albert Cabestany – Sherco pushed Bou hard throughout the evening and was a worthy runner-up on the night. Adam Raga – TRS had to finally be content with third place as the Spanish trio finished well clear of eventual fourth placed Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Honda. The final order in the general standings amongst the main three protagonists was confirmed as Bou, Raga and Cabestany respectively.
A very relieved Bou said. “I am so happy to finally take this tenth title, it just feels so incredible and almost difficult to believe. I felt so much pressure tonight, perhaps more than when I won my first title and you saw this with the mistakes I made early in qualification. Thankfully I recovered with some better riding and in the final it was the perfect way to finish the championship with a completely clean lap.”
Qualification – Wild card rider Jaime Busto – Repsol Honda stole an initial advantage over Eddie Karlsson – Montesa in the first dual lane race of the night, as the young pairing open qualification that comprised of five long and technical sections. Despite having to ride out front Karlsson showed great composure as he lost two marks in the first hazard. In contrast Busto again failed to show his true talent and had to wait until the final section to avoid a maximum score. With a total of twenty-two marks Eddie ended the night one better than Jamie as the duo finished seventh and eighth respectively.
It was a close call between Fujinami and Alexandre Ferrer – Sherco in the next head to head sprint, but it was the Japanese protagonist who got the nod. This was to prove a good omen for Fujinami as he produced his best performance of the season to finally claim a place in the final with a tally of fourteen marks. Despite great support from the noisy home fans Ferrer was unable to make it through to the main event and had to settle for sixth spot overall.
The next pairing proved to be a mismatch as Cabestany delivered an incredible ride losing just two marks after be being beaten by Jeroni Fajardo – Vertigo in their dual lane encounter. Whilst Albert’s showing would prove to put him top of qualification Fajardo endured an inconsistent outing that would finally rule him out of the final and into fifth position as he fived the last hazard on the opening lap.
A crash on the first pipe in the race as he lined up against Raga confirmed just how nervous Bou was. A further fail on the second section for Toni really showed just how tense the reigning champion was during the early part of his opening lap, but typically he recovered strongly not dropping any further marks to book his place in the final. Raga was robust in his approach throughout and only a two mark ride in the fifth hazard prevented him matching Cabestany’s score. However Adam’s tally still took him into the final in second place behind Albert, but in front of Toni.
Final – With Fujinami soon out of the hunt, it was left to the Spanish threesome to fight it out one more time. Raga found himself trailing his two main rivals early on after a below par ride in the first section in the final which was ridden in the reverse direction, as was the case with all the other hazards. Very little separated Bou, Cabestany and Raga throughout what proved to be a low scoring and tense finale meaning that the championship was not decided until the very last section of the series. Raga applied the pressure one last time with a stunning sign off ride, but with Bou matching his performance and Cabestany taking a more calculated approach Adam still ended the evening in third and just short of stopping Toni taking a tenth title.
James out front on his Bultaco in 2015, flanked by friends, Boyd Webster (183) and Alan Mudd (182) – Photo: Neil Sturgeon
El Donkey, the nick-name given to Skipton rider James Moorhouse’s Bultaco Sherpa 340 will be ridden in the forthcoming Scottish Six Days Trial (2-7 May, 2016) in Lochaber.
Allocated number 255 this year, the machine suffered engine failure on the tough Tuesday run which had stressed the 35 year old machine to it’s limit.
Moorhouse had to retire as the motor had suffered irreparable damage, but vowed to have the machine rebuilt for 2016.
James also has his own amusing nick-name which is ‘P***-Tank Frank’.
The SSDT ballot was run and James was successful in his entry. Last year he rode number 181 and the elderly Bultaco caused great interest with SSDT supporters, many who remember similar machines being ridden in the 1980s.
James’s usual riding companions, Boyd Webster and Alan Mudd are not far away at numbers 247 and 248.
James Moorhouse wrote: “Wow! – Thanks for the support Trials Guru, much appreciated! Here are some details of the improvements I have undertaken on my 340 Bultaco. Altered top clamp to change the rake. HFS internals in the front forks. I’ve re-lined the hubs fitted Rockshocks. Over sized frame tubes, tube-less rim on the rear. Right to left rod for brake instead of cable. Fat-bars with 6 inch rise. Electronic ignition. Lengthened front part of the exhaust pipe. Made straight through and narrowed the club-foot rear exhaust. Fitted a Keihin flat slide carburettor. Smaller seat“. Kind regards see you all in Fort William – James Moorhouse, Skipton, Yorks.
James Moorhouse with ‘El Donkey’ in the 2015 SSDT – his 35 year old Bultaco Sherpa 340cc – Photo: Neil Sturgeon
Trials Guru has spent a few days on a vacation in the Lochaber area, just taking in the scenery without a motorcycle, by way of a taster for what will be happening in just a month from now. We are talking about the Pre’65 Scottish and Scottish Six Days Trials.
So just as a taster, here is the entry list of the SSDT and a photo of a well-known SSDT section!
See you in Fort William, see you in May.
Trials Guru
SSDT 2016
No Name – Nationality – Bike – Previous Rider
1 Michael McNiven – Scottish – Beta – Yes
2 Rhuaraidh Mackay – Scottish – Sherco – Yes
3 Jack Dignan – Scottish – Beta – Yes
4 Nicholas Paxton – British – Montesa – Yes
5 Andrew Paxton – British – Montesa – Yes
6 Sean Doyle – Irish – Scorpa – Yes
7 Joan Gaspar – Catalan – Sherco – Yes
8 Marc Viladomiu – Spanish – Yes
9 Benjamin King – British – Gas Gas – No
10 Thomas Haslam – British – Gas Gas – No
11 Danny Haslam – British – Montesa – Yes
12 Jesper Antonsen – Denmark – Beta – Yes
13 Dan Joergensen – Denmark – Honda – Yes
14 Carles Esteve – Catalan – Sherco – Yes
15 Urreta Diego – Spain – Beta Evo – Yes
16 Trevor Heath – British – Jotagas – No
17 Raymond Haslam – British – Gas Gas – No
18 Joeseph Haslam – British – Beta – No
19 Aitor Lafoz Ortiz – Spain – Montesa – Yes
20 Thomas Hetze – Germany – Beta – No
21 Ernst Schweiger – Austria – Montesa – No
22 Leopold Steiner – Austria – Montesa – Yes
23 Joan Pere Santure – Andorra – Vertigo – No
24 Xavi Vilaro Torrents – Spanish – Gas Gas – No
25 Dougie Lampkin – British – Vertigo – Yes
26 James Lampkin – British – Beta-Uk.Com – Yes
27 Ramon Palau Forte – Spain – Scorpa – No
28 Alfons Soler Ferran – Spanish – Montesa – No
29 Neil MacNiven – Scottish – Montesa – Yes
30 Ally Morrice – Scottish – Sherco – Yes
31 Richard Gaskell – British – Ossa – Yes
32 Stuart Gaskell – British – Beta – Yes
33 James Johnson – British – Beta – Yes
34 Harry Lampkin – British – Vertigo – Yes
35 Paul Dixon – British – Vertigo – Yes
36 Jordi Pascuet – Spain – Jotagas – Yes
37 Simon Pickard – British – Jotagas – No
38 Roman Kyrnyckyj – British – Jotagas – No
39 Nigel Birkett – British – Scorpa – Yes
40 Stephen Dixon – British – Birkett Scorpa – No
41 John Holland – British – Beta – Yes
42 Amos Bilbao – Spanish – Montesa 4Ride – Yes
43 Ben Bowkett – British – Gas Gas – Yes
44 Matthew Christopher – British – Beta – No
45 Julien Panabieres – French – Vertigo – No
46 Patrice Pastou – French – Vertigo – Yes
47 Ben Hemingway – British – Uk-Beta.Com – Yes
48 Dan Hemingway – British – Beta – Yes
49 Scott Alexander – Scottish – Beta – Yes
50 Paul Paterson – Scottish – Beta – Yes
51 James Burroughs – British – Beta Uk 300 – Yes
52 Becky Cook – British – TRS – Yes
53 Craig Talbot – British – Beta – Yes
54 Gareth Talbot – British – BVM Beta – Yes
55 Sam Haslam – British – GasGas – No
56 Jack Lee – British – John Lee GasGas – Yes
57 Yuriko Kobayashi – Japan – Beta – Yes
58 Kanji Kono – Japan – Beta – Yes
59 Hiroaki Onishi – Japan – Beta – Yes
60 Chikao Namita – Japan – Beta Evo – No
61 Emma Bristow – British – MRS Sherco – No
62 James Fry – British – MRS Sherco – Yes
63 Jean Marc Breton – French – Vertigo – Yes
64 Franck Olivier – French – Montesa – Yes
65 Robbie Allan – Scottish – Honda 4RT – Yes
66 Richard Devine – Scottish – Mickey Oates Honda 4RT – No
67 Tim Junkleiwtz – German – Sherco – No
68 Jan Junklewitz – German – Sherco – No
69 Matthew Maynard – British – Sherco – Yes
70 Jack Stones – British – Aklams Beta UK – Yes
71 Christophe Fabre – French – Vertigo – Yes
72 Max Figarella – French – Gas Gas – No
73 Donna Fox – British – Sherco – Yes
74 Chloe Richardson – British – Beta – Yes
75 Jonathan Richardson – British – Beta – No
76 Euan Campbell – Scottish – Scorpa – Yes
77 Aaron Smyth – British – Montesa – No
78 Paul Lonergan – British – Sherco – No
79 Gareth Andrews – Irish – Montesa – Yes
80 Andy Perry – British – Montesa – Yes
81 Russell Houston – British – Montesa – No
82 Andrew Blackman – British – John Lee Beta – Yes
83 Chas Lee – British – Gas Gas – No
84 Fred Michaud – French – Sherco – No
85 Andre Buchwalder – Switzerland – JGas – No
86 Noe Pretalli – Switzerland – Montesa – No
87 Guy Favre – French – Scorpa – Yes
88 Sam Connor – British – Beta – Yes
89 Jonny Starmer – British – Beta – Yes
90 Valentin Leiser – Swiss – Beta – No
91 Dominique Guillaume – Swiss – Scorpa – No
92 Bruno Royer – French – Beta – No
93 Gilles Burgat – French – Sherco – No
94 Michel Front – French – Scorpa – Yes
95 Paul Nicholson – British – Montesa 4RT – Yes
96 Gary Pears – British – Scorpa – Yes
97 Ross Danby – British – TRS UK – Yes
98 Luke Walker – British – MRS Sherco – No
99 Gareth Palmer – Scottish – Sherco – Yes
100 Patrick Palmer – British – Sherco – Yes
101 Andrew Anderson – Scottish – Scorpa – Yes
102 Lewis Byron – Scottish – Beta – No
103 Chris Alford – British – Gas Gas – Yes
104 Anthony Farrow – British – Montesa – Yes
105 Adam Mccanna – British – Montesa – Yes
106 Martin Sandiford – British – Beta – Yes
107 James Dabill – British – Vertigo Factory – Yes
108 Jimmy Mccanna – British – Montesa 4RT – Yes
109 Allan Adamson – Scottish – Ossa – Yes
110 Kevin White – Scottish – Montesa 4RT – No
111 Jan Brockmeyer – German – Montesa – No
112 Juergen Heinze – German – Montesa – Yes
113 Thomas J Weir – Scottish – Gas Gas – Yes
114 Robbie Weir – Scottish – Gas Gas – Yes
115 Josh Worthington – British – Montesa – No
116 Adam Norris – British – Beta – Yes
117 Victoria Payne – British – Sherco – No
118 Scott Cameron – British – Beta – Yes
119 Calum Murphy – Scottish – TRS – Yes
120 Stuart Crayk – Scottish – Gas Gas – No
121 Joe Spivey – British – Splat Sherco – Yes
122 George Spivey – British – Splat Beta – No
123 Jess Bown – British – Scorpa – Yes
124 Matt Bown – British – Scorpa – No
125 Peter Miltenburg – Netherlands – Sherco – Yes
126 Chris Burgin – British – Gas Gas – No
127 Ben Burgin – British – Gas Gas – No
128 Duncan Hutchison – Scottish – Beta – Yes
129 Clarke Hutchison – Scottish – Gas Gas – No
130 Tom Hudson – British – Beta – No
131 Jim Hudson – British – Beta – Yes
132 Karl Clark – New Zealand – Beta – Yes
133 Paul Jackson – New Zealand – Beta – No
134 Tom Affleck – British – MRS Sherco – Yes
135 Andy Chilton – British – Montesa Honda – Yes
136 Jack Sheppard – British – Montesa – Yes
137 Morten Andersen – Danish – Montesa – Yes
138 Thomas Pedersen – Danish – Sherco – No
139 Lee Edmondson – British – Beta – Yes
140 Thomas Sagar – British – Sherco – Yes
141 Andrew Sagar – Welsh – Sherco – Yes
142 Thomas Hick – British – Acklams Beta – Yes
143 Guy Kendrew – British – Beta – Yes
144 Ashley Wood – British – Gas Gas – Yes
145 Chris Beecroft – British – Montesa – Yes
146 Sam Jennings – British – Montesa – No
147 Jamie Stephenson – British – Montesa – Yes
148 Travis Fox – USA – Gas Gas – No
149 Dennis Sweeten – USA – TBC – Yes
150 Joe Jennings – British – Sherco – No
151 Toni Zink – Germany – Sherco – No
152 Dan Peace – British – Gas Gas – No
153 Ian Austermuhle – British – Beta-Uk.Com – Yes
154 John Crinson – British – Beta – Yes
155 Paolo Lazzaroni – Italian – Beta – No
156 Alessandro Merlo – Italian – Beta – No
157 Per Berggren – Swedish – TRS – Yes
158 Simon Sharp – British – Vertigo – Yes
159 Sam Sharp – British – Vertigo – Yes
160 Massimo Parodi – Italian – Beta – No
161 Davide Morando – Italy – Beta – No
162 Miles Carruthers – British – Sherco – Yes
163 Ian Weatherill – British – Vertigo – Yes
164 Lewis Peart – British – Ossa – Yes
165 Bobby Clark – British – Ossa – No
166 Rob Waite – British – Beta – No
167 Mark Grant – Scottish – Montesa 4RT – Yes
168 Giorgio Corrieri – Italy – Montesa – No
169 Paolo Broganelli – Italian – Montesa Cota – No
170 Lewis Bell – Scottish – Montesa – Yes
171 Liston Bell – Scottish – Montesa – Yes
172 Cfn Stuart Mack (Reme) – Scottish – Acklams Beta – Yes
173 Wo2 Vince Mackintosh – British – Acklams Beta – Yes
174 Phil Wiffe (Reme) – British – Acklams Beta – Yes
175 Cpl Sam Sanderson – British – Acklams Beta – Yes
176 Richard Suffell – British – Beta – Yes
177 Sandra Gomez – Spain – Scorpa – Yes
178 Josep Maria Prat – Spanish – Vertigo – No
179 Fred Adams – British – Montesa 4RT – Yes
180 Robert Paterson – Scottish – Montesa – No
181 Craig Horne – Scottish – Montesa – No
182 Marcel Albos – Andorra – Gas Gas – Yes
183 Albert Arana Puig – Spanish – Gas Gas – Yes
184 Scott Gordon – Scottish – Montesa -Yes
185 Euan Allan – Scottish – Beta – No
186 Jamie Reid – Scottish – Beta – No
187 Ralph Yeaman Jnr – Scottish – Scorpa – Yes
188 Ralph Yeaman Snr – Scottish – Ossa -Yes
189 George Edyvean – British – Montesa – Yes
190 Rob Pollard – British – Beta – Yes
191 George Pollard – British – Beta – Yes
192 Chris Curtis – British – Sherco – Yes
193 Jorge Alonso – Spain – Vertigo – Yes
194 Manel Jane – Spanish – Vertigo – Yes
195 Alberto Bordoy – Spanish – Vertigo – Yes
196 Chris Pearson – British – MRS Sherco – Yes
197 Dan Thorpe – British – Gas Gas – Yes
198 Vaclav Bruj – Czech Republic – Sherco – Yes
199 Ernie Byrne – British – Beta – No
200 Axel Jane – Spanish- Vertigo – Yes
201 Albert Albo – Spain – Vertigo – Yes
202 Joan Moncanut – Catalan – Gas Gas – No
203 Philip Baxter – British – Montesa 4RT – No
204 Louis Grey – British – Beta – Yes
205 Katy Sunter – British – JST Gas Gas UK – Yes
206 Mark Sunter – British – Gas Gas – Yes
207 Osamu Kioka – Japan – Montesa – No
208 Masaki Inomae – Japan – Beta – Yes
209 Gary Macdonald – Scottish – Scorpa – Yes
210 Duncan Macdonald – Scottish – Scorpa – Yes
211 Craig Houston – Scottish – Scorpa – Yes
212 Colin Ward – British – Beta – Yes
213 Travis Ward – British – Beta – No
214 Noe Reinoso Serra – Spain – Sherco – No
215 Carlos Casas – Spain – Montesa – Yes
216 Kevin Mosey – British – Montesa 4RT – No
217 Declan Bullock – British – Beta – Yes
218 Takeshi Miyabara – Japan – Beta – No
219 Katsuyoshi Sugiura – Japan – Beta – Yes
220 David Hollands – British – HLS Beta – No
221 Gordon Murray – Scottish – HLS Beta – Yes
222 Ross Murray – Scottish – HLS Beta – Yes
223 David Anderson – Scottish – HLS Gas Gas – Yes
224 Stuart Anderson – Scottish – HLS Gas Gas – Yes
225 John Charlton – British – Beta – Yes
226 Stephen Larkin – British – Montesa – Yes
227 Joe Baker – British – MRS Sherco – Yes
228 Tom Hooper – British – MRS Sherco – No
229 Andrew Stevenson – Scottish – Montesa 4RT – Yes
230 James Carr – British – Scorpa – Yes
231 Alexz Wigg – British – JSTGas Gas – Yes
232 John Shirt – British – Gas Gas – Yes
233 Michael Brown – British – JSTGas Gas – Yes
234 Jack Ferguson – Scottish – Beta Evo – No
235 Dougie Gibson – Scottish – Gas Gas – Yes
236 Fanus Boshoff – South African – Beta – Yes
237 Peter Leslie Simpson – South African – Beta – Yes
238 Kevin Chapman – British – Gas Gas – Yes
239 Richard Timperley – British – Acklams Beta – Yes
240 Corey Dubik – British – Acklams Beta – Yes
241 Matthew Alpe – British – Beta – Yes
242 Tom Middleton – British – Beta Evo – No
243 Joel Sadler – British – Beta – Yes
244 Sam Yeadon – British – Acklams Beta – Yes
245 Davy Morewood – British – Beta – Yes
246 Reece Morewood – British – Beta – No
247 Boyd Webster – British – Beta – Yes
248 Alan Mudd – British – Beta – Yes
249 Rene Mabily – French – Vertigo – No
250 Thomas Mabily – French – Jotagas – Yes
251 Joe Hutchinson – British – Gas Gas – No
252 Scott Turpin – British – Gas Gas – Yes
253 Aran Drachenberg – British – Inch Perfect Trials Beta – Yes
254 Graham Tales – British – Beta – Yes
255 James Moorhouse – British – Bultaco – Yes
256 John Battensby – British – MRS Sherco – Yes
257 James Stones – British – MRS Sherco – Yes
258 Andrew Battensby – British – Beta – Yes
259 Stefan Bernhart – Germany – Gas Gas – No
260 Frederik Ganter – German – Gas Gas – No
261 Paul Terry – British – Sherco – Yes
263 Gavin Lowther – British – Sherco – Yes
263 Andreas Zipf – Germany – Beta – No
264 Klaus Deisinger – German – Gas Gas – No
265 Darren Palmer – British – Montesa – Yes
266 James Black – British – Sherco – Yes
267 Lee Mcgee – British – Montesa – No
268 James Mcdougall – Scottish – Gas Gas – Yes
269 Andrew Nicholson – British – Gas Gas – No
270 Grant Reid – Scottish – MSport Montesa 4RT – Yes
271 Iwan Roberts – Welsh – Beta – Yes
272 Michele Bosi – Italian – Bet -a No
273 Jon Berlin – South African – Vertigo – No
274 Adrian Lewis – British – Vertigo – No
275 Bill Merritt – USA – Vertigo – No
276 Daryl McCall – Scottish – Beta – Yes
277 Sandy George – Scottish – Beta – No
278 Barry Kinley – Manx – Beta – Yes
279 John Chatto – British – John Lee Beta – No
280 Brian Wojnarowski – Canadian – Sherco – Yes
281 Richard Midgley – British – Beta-Uk.Com – Yes
282 Sam Boocock – British – Appys Beta – No
283 Sam Cahill – British – Trials UK Beta – Yes
284 Nigel Sharp – British – Beta Evo – Yes
285 Gary Maclennan – Scottish – Beta – Yes
Thanks to the SSDT committee for the permission to publish their entry list.
Graham Taylor told Trials Guru: “I am the secretary of South Yorkshire and Derbyshire TRF. Could you please try to get as many of your readers to object to the TRO on Washgates you may not be aware of this? If it closes it will affect the Bemrose, Reliance and other trials. We have a feeling Hollinsclough will be the next target, see the attached link”.
So that’s two years passed since Trials Guru was created and what a 24 months it has been.
Taking stock we have brought you articles from the sport, special sections on competitors and machines and some great photographs from both amateur and professional photographers from around the globe.
It is encouraging to know that you, the reader enjoys Trials Guru, both here and on facebook/twitter, where we tend to set the links to new material when it becomes available.
We have also set a new logo on our facebook page which replaces the 1977 photo of Yrjo Vesterinen in the SSDT and updated our header photo.
Keep watching, it is all down to you! – More to come from the world of Trials.
The ‘Dan Stewart Memorial’ Loch Lomond Two Day Trial is one of Scotland’s premier trials held on the west sides of Loch Lomond, just north of Glasgow. First held in the early seventies it has grown into one of toughest trials in the Scottish calendar. Organised as always by the Loch Lomond Motorcycling Club.
Dave Thorpe in the 1978 Loch Lomond Two Day on his Bultaco – Photo: Jimmy Young, Armadale
The Saturday route entails a lap of around 40 miles with 45 sections and Sunday is two laps of 11 miles with 25 sections. There are 2 fuel stops on Saturday. All sections are observed.
The route is all off road covering moorland and high mountains reaching the heights the surrounding horizons.
It is at heart a clubman trial but with sections suited to expert riders which can be tackled by good and eager B level riders.
Youth A riders are permitted to ride at the discretion of the Clerk of Course.
Entries will be taken up until the 20th of May. If you were unlucky not to get a entry to the SSDT then this trial is the next best thing for you.
Friend, Dave Austin (left) with Mick Gallagher ‘Munch’ taken recently.
With respect, a short tribute to Michael Thomas ‘Munch’ Gallacher
1959 – 2016
The trials world was stunned by the news that Mick ‘Munch’ Gallagher had died suddenly on Wednesday, 16th March, aged 56. It is believed that he was playing a game of football and took unwell. Paramedics were called but were unable to revive him.
Known as ‘Mick’, ‘Micky’ or ‘Munch’ to his many friends and customers, he built up a business called M-Sport in Stevenage, Hertfordshire specialising in Montesa 4RT preparation and repairs.
Mick had been a Montesa dealer at the time of the model’s initial importation to the UK in 2005 and had carefully researched how these advanced and technical machines were built and rapidly amassed a great deal of knowledge on the brand.
Munch became the go-to man when riders encountered a problem with a 4RT. After the closure of the original Montesa UK importer in 2009 and for a period of time the non availability of machines, Mick became an independent dealer/repairer of the 4RT, but also had agencies with other brands, being a trials only retailer.
Gallagher was a regular official observer at the annual Scottish Six Days Trial and was known as a fair, but firm observer who understood the rules of the event and marked riders on what he saw, irrespective of their ability or stature. He wore his SSDT observer number-one bib with pride and was usually in the teams consisting of friends, Fred Savage, Mark Maynell and the Austin brothers, Dave and Clive.
Mick regularly was a ‘back-marker’ at the Pre’65 Scottish, ensuring that sections were closed on time and any stragglers accounted for.
Munch also had a long association with the famous Scott Trial in Swaledale, North Yorkshire, helping the event on numerous occasions as an official. He also enjoyed his outings with friend Fred Savage up to Mid Wales and Shropshire for trials events.
The funeral arrangements will be a celebration of Mick’s life with a humanist service at Harwood Park Crematorium at Stevenage, Hertfordshire on Tuesday 12th April at 2.45 pm, thereafter friends and family will gather at the Orange Tree, Baldock. Family flowers only with donations to the local air ambulance service.
Munch’s personal Montesa 4RT pictured at Fort William, we are posting this as the rider-less machine at rest, as our tribute to Mick Gallagher.
John Moffat: “Munch was a very good friend who I trusted 100% not only when it came to doing work on my bikes, but in everything he undertook. He will be a great loss to his customers of MSport. I got to know Mick in 2000 at the SSDT and he was a very keen supporter of trials sport in general. I know we call this website Trials Guru, but Munch was truly the ‘4RT Guru’. Mick was full of fun and always up for a good laugh when the opportunity arose. He and I had many phone conversations over the years. Munch was a decent, knowledgeable and warm human being who will be sorely missed by all who knew him”.
‘Munch’ in his having a laugh mode at the 2013 SSDT – Photo: James Maynell
Trials Guru sends its heartfelt condolences to Munch’s family, his widow Theresa, daughter Jemma and son Ross.
Trials Guru is all about trials worldwide, however here is a slight deviation from the normal!
John Moffat apart from being a trials rider and enthusiast has always enjoyed other forms of motorcycle sport from an early age and openly admits he has a 100% respect for those who race motorcycles, either for a living or sport.
He has attended the MCN Scottish Motorcycle Show for many years as an announcer/interviewer and this year the guest of honour was seven times TT winner and trials enthusiast, Mick Grant.
Trials Guru’s John Moffat with Mick Grant, 7 times TT winner and trials rider at the Scottish Motorcycle Show, 2016 – Photo: Dan Jess
Son of a Yorkshire miner, Grant took up racing in 1967, strangely enough as he had a road bike and couldn’t afford a trials bike!
Moffat had the job of interviewing Mick on four occasions during a hectic weekend in the ‘Carole Nash Classic Pavilion’ at the Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston near Edinburgh on March 12th and 13th. It had nearly 500 classic motorcycles on show.
As a bonus, they were joined on the Sunday afternoon by 23 times TT winner, racing legend John McGuinness from Morecambe who aims to equal Joey Dunlop’s TT titles and Scots racer Stuart Easton who started in the sport as a youth motocross rider who went on to race for Paul Bird Racing and Hydrex Honda.
Trials Guru’s John Moffat interviewing racing legend, John McGuinness with Stuart Easton standing by on the right of the pair – Photo: Trials Guru/Jean Moffat
So you see, it’s not just trials we get involved with in Trials Guru, there is always something interesting going on!
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