We have added more photos to our special ‘section’ on trials in the North East of England.
More photos from Jaxx Lawson and a new contributor, Ray Crinson who was a very good North east rider in the 1970s and 1980s. father of current rider, John Crinson.
So have a look and see what we have been doing!
Coming soon to Trials Guru, an article taken from the Trials Guru’s original notes made in 1999 on the life and times of trials rider and former SACU President, Honda Motorcycle & Power Sales Manager for Scotland & NI – Bob Paterson.
The Highland Classic 2 Day Trial in Scotland has been overwhelmed with entries this year.
The trial is organised by the go-ahead Inverness & District Motor Cycle Club Ltd at the highland shooting estate, Alvie which is situated four miles south of Aviemore.
Originally an idea of club chairman, Malcolm H. Smith as a Pre’65 event back in 2003 for Scottish riders who were unsuccessful in obtaining an entry for the Pre’65 Scottish, it was increased by taking in twin-shock entries in 2005 and increased to a two-day event the same year.
In 2013 the introduction of a ‘guest of honour’ from the sport of trial saw Yrjo Vesterinen and the Bultaco team from the 1970s seriously increase the events profile and the number of riders fill the 130 maximum.
Last year the entry was closed only five days after opening, such was the event’s popularity. The guest was former Greeves rider Bill Wilkinson and in 2014 it was Dave Thorpe. The 2016 is the ‘Yamscot’ Edition with former Yamaha factory rider and five times SSDT winner Mick Andrews who will ride a specially prepared Yamaha TY twin-shock.
Entry Secretary Rick Lound has been swamped by entry forms this year. “I live way out in the countryside and the postie has had more envelopes in one day than he has all week!”
Yorkshire born Lound has taken over the task this year from Inverness man, Dave MacKay who steps down after 28 years service to the club.
Chairman, Malcolm Smith is a gun-dog trainer and estate shooting consultant who has close ties with the Alvie Estate and the Highland Field Sports Association.
Smith said: “We have been aware that our trial is becoming the event to take part in, but we have to limit the entry to ensure that the infrastructure can cope. We are quite a small club which punches above our weight. We have a small team of enthusiasts that are keen to keep the trial popular and to live up to it’s title as the friendliest classic trial in Scotland and probably now the United Kingdom”.
Malcolm continued: “We are all proud of the event and more importantly so is the Alvie Estate Laird, Jamie Williamson and his staff. The clerk of the course has no intention of increasing the events severity, we have a winning formula and have no plans to change that. We are keen to make only detail changes to enhance rider experience of competing on ground that is usually preserved for hunting and shooting activities”.
At the time of this report, the entries officially closed on Tuesday, 23rd February and was oversubscribed by over 50%. An entry list will be released by the club after competitors are all advised of their entry being accepted.
A new ‘section’ on Trials Guru – Bullock at Large
Well, not exactly!
Here is a photo of well-known factory Yamaha, Honda and Bultaco road racer Tommy Robb back in 1971 on an electric trial bike at the Earls Court motorcycle show.
Tommy wonders if this was the first ever electric trials bike that perhaps inspired the current trend towards electric power?
If it isn’t, then it’s a great old photo to see how the future was shaped.
It appears to be based on a Triumph 250 Trophy chassis with an electric motor and a battery bungee tied into the frame. Compare it to the current electric bikes that are now on sale to see how technology has progressed in the last 45 years?
Mike Rapley has been beavering away sorting out some of his fantastic images of trials taken almost 40 years ago, this time it’s the 1978 British Experts Trial.
Trials Guru is proud to present more of Rapper’s photographs on Recalled by Rappers and Chairman’s View.
Still more mouth-watering photos to come from the UK’s top trials journalist.
The Inverness & District MCC have announced that their special guest of honour for the 2016 Highland Classic Two Day Trial on June 11 & 12 – ‘THE YAMSCOT EDITION’ will be former Yamaha factory trials rider, MICK ANDREWS. They will be paying homage not only to the ‘YamScot’ effort from the mid 1970s by Shirlaws Motorcycles, but also to the rider who won five Scottish Six Days Trials, two of them Yamaha mounted. Having moved from the Spanish Ossa factory, Andrews rode special factory OW series machines, which led to the development of the production TY series twin-shock bikes that were used by ‘YamScot’ riders in Scottish events. Shirlaws’ owner Leslie Shirlaw formed the YamScot team to promote Yamaha machines in Trials, Motocross and Road Racing. Mick Andrews will enter into the spirit of the trial by riding a suitably prepared Yamaha machine at Alvie. – Entry forms will be released and available on 20th February, 2016.
The Highland Classic was started in 2004 as a one day event for pre’65 machines at the highland shooting estate, Alvie. The second year entries were increased by the addition of twin-shock classes and finally in 2006 it was extended to a two-day event. The event has gained popularity, but entries became very sought after from the 2013 event, with the introduction of the special guest of honour feature, which is very popular with riders and the estate management who always have a representative present for the ‘address of the trial’ with some short introductions and speeches led by a welcome from the owner of Alvie & Dalraddy Estates himself, Laird Jamie Williamson. The event has been over-subscribed since 2013.
Previous Highland Classic guests of honour include Yrjo Vesterinen (2013); Dave Thorpe (2014) and Bill Wilkinson (2015).
Entry forms and regulations will be released by event secretary, Rick Lound on Saturday 20th February. Last year’s competitors will be sent forms by post, but they will also be available at Telford on the Classic Trial/Trial Magazine UK stand, The Putoline Oils stand and the Inverness & District club website (www.idmcc.co.uk).
Support for the event has been promised by both Classic Trial Magazine and Putoline Oils UK.
A popular brand even although it has suffered financial hardship, Gas Gas are set for a return. The new Gas Gas TXT 300 Racing, the model most awaited by the fans of Trial and two-stroke engines. The new models of the Gas Gas TXT 300 Racing will begin production in March in the renovated facilities in Salt under strict quality standards of both manufacturing and of components, as the Girona factory emerges with this strong commitment in the manufacturing of all products.
Highlighted by a sincere commitment to quality and for constant improvement of its TXT 300 Racing model, next week, we will reveal this new flagship of our brand in the sport of Trial, at which point full details will be available with specifications of this new model in which Gas Gas has devoted a special dedication of attention to every detail.
Also Marc Colomer has joined the Development Team at Gas Gas Motos.
Something different for Trials Guru readers. We occasionally collaborate with other trials enthusiasts and here is something special for you.
Not a lot has been written about the 1980 FIM World Trials Champion, Swede, Ulf Karlson. However that has changed recently when James Brown of the ‘retrotrials.com’ website went across the sea to Sweden to interview Ulf at his home.
Read about the quiet man of trials who let his results do the talking for him.
Karlson was faithful to the Montesa brand throughout his career.
Read about his achievements and what happened to him when he disappeared from the trials scene.
Ulf Karlson’s story is exclusive to retrotrials.com, read the Ulf Karlson interview: HERE
Just opened, a special Trials Guru ‘section’ for trials in Ireland.
Go straight to: Irish Trials
TRIALS GURU - DEDICATED TO TRIAL 