So, This is Yorkshire!

Date of the Scott Trial 2023, Saturday 14th October.

Results for 2022 Scott Trial (15 October 2022):

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Regarded as the most famous one-day motorcycle trial in the world, Trials Guru consider a ‘special section’ is appropriate to celebrate this great British (Yorkshire) institution.

This section of Trials Guru features the work of C.H. Wood, courtesy of the David Wood Archive, Bradford along with images from Barry Robinson and Trial Magazine UK.

The Scott Trial has been organised by four motorcycle clubs in its’ one hundred year history. It currently uses North Yorkshire National Park ground and has planning permission granted until 2020. It annually raises money which is donated to the ‘Scott Charities’, a grouping of charitable trusts and organisations in the North Yorkshire area.

The event is currently organised by the Richmond Motor Club (Yorkshire)Ltd – Scott Trial committee, an enthusiastic band of trials supporters, current and past competitors and people that just love the event for what it is. 2016 marked the twenty-fifth year of Richmond organising the event for the Yorkshire Centre ACU. They are the current custodian of the event. Later in this page you will learn more of the fourth such custodians.

It is run under the rules and regulations of the Auto-Cycle Union, with a ‘Special Permit’ and is a time and observation event, where the fastest rider sets the standard time for completing the whole course. All other competitors lose a mark per every minute you are late & part thereof that they are behind the fastest rider’s standard time.

A little history of the Scott Trial:

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The trial was actually a testing event created in 1914 by Alfred Angas Scott, the founder of the Scott Motorcycle Company for his employees of his motorcycle factory in Shipley and his local sales agent.

The idea was to ride machines and navigate their way from the factory, through the rough countryside and over tracks and bye-ways to Burnsall in the Craven district all in North Yorkshire.

This was a true test of not only the Scott machines, but the riders’ abilities at the same time. There were, according to the results for 1914, 14 competitors of which 9 finished the event.

Due to the outbreak of World War I, the trial recommenced in 1919 and continued to be organised by the Scott Company employees until 1926, when the Bradford Club took the event under it’s wing. Bradford was the mother club of Clarrie Wood, the Scott factory rider and of course Allan Jefferies, the great Triumph rider/dealer who built up a large dealership in the town of Shipley, West Yorkshire.

Harold Wood was one of the original course plotters and put a power of work into organising the event over the years. Harold Wood (of C.H. Wood) was also a prolific motor-sport film-maker and his firm was the ‘go to’ company for large organisations such as Castrol who used film footage taken by Wood in their movies that were shown at motor and motorcycle clubs to promote the sport and their products. Nick Jefferies, son of Allan Jefferies, quite correctly points out that these are two different people, a common mistake to make many years later. Nick Jefferies has ridden in many Scott Trials during his career as a trials rider and has a fantastic knowledge of motorcycle sport.

Allan Jefferies ran the motorcycle dealership in Shipley which bore his name. The Jefferies family have had therefore a long association with the Scott Trial.

The Jefferies are indeed a unique Yorkshire family of competition motorcyclists who rode in trials and racing. Allan Jefferies rode in the TT between 1947 and 1949 gaining two second places.

His eldest son Tony raced on the Island between 1969 and 1973, winning three TT’s; the 1971 Formula 750 and Junior plus the 1973 Production 750cc Races. He had a crack at the Scott in 1973 on a 325cc Bultaco. Tony’s son, the late David Jefferies, started racing at the TT in 1996 and had achieved six wins by way of two treble victories in 1999 and again in 2000. Nick Jefferies, Allan’s younger son has his own claim to fame by winning the Manx Two Day Trial in 1976; the Senior Manx Grand Prix in 1983 and the Formula One TT in 1993. Nick has ridden a variety of racing machinery including the New Zealand built Britten and over the years having had the privilege of racing factory machines from Loctite Yamaha, Silkolene Honda, Castrol Honda and Honda Britain as well as factory CCM Britain and Honda trials machines. He has forty Silver and two Bronze TT replicas in his collection at home. The Bradford Club organises the national Allan Jefferies Trophy Trial annual in his memory.

The Scott was to become an event that Grandfathers, Fathers and Sons competed in and Fathers and Daughters also. Notable winners with offspring winners have been, Vic and Johnny Brittain; Martin and Dougie Lampkin and Gerald and Jonathan Richardson.

Alfred Scott died in 1923, but his creation lived on. The Scott Trial rapidly becoming a prestigious event in the trials calendar, and by the mid nineteen-twenties it had contributed to the belief that Yorkshire-men were the toughest trials riders in the land.

In 1938, the trial locus was moved to Swainby in Cleveland County, this was because of land loss in the Yorkshire Dales. The running of the Scott Trial was also placed under the joint control of the Middlesborough & Stockton Motor Clubs.

In 1951 the Auto-Cycle Union restructured and the large Yorkshire Centre was split into two centres which became the separate Yorkshire and the East Yorkshire Centres. At this point, the organisation of the event was moved across to the Darlington Motor Club which was affiliated to the Yorkshire Centre ACU with the event moving to Swaledale in the North Yorkshire National Park where it has remained to this day.

The trial eventually passed to the Richmond Motor Club (Yorkshire) Ltd in 1991, the current custodians of The Scott.

As occurred in 1962, the weather can be very harsh, making the course extremely difficult for the competitors. In 1998, only twenty-one of the one hundred and forty-seven entries completed the course. This event was won by Graham Jarvis, for the third time, with the fastest time of 5 hours 50 minutes. In 2008 rain reduced the finishers to sixty out of two-hundred, with Jarvis winning for a record eight times and once again the following year, making him the most successful rider in the events’ hundred year history.

In 1963, Phillip H. Smith from Ilkley compiled the first book on the event. It was called ‘The Greatest of All Trials’. Copies of which appear occasionally in on-line auction sites.

The 1974 Scott was extensively filmed by a BBC film crew which made use of a helicopter for the aerial shots. It showed many of the well-known parts of the event including Fremington Edge. It was a little disconcerting for some of the riders when the helicopter followed them across the moors, many thinking they had developed machine trouble, but it was the sound of the aircraft’s rotors. An excerpt of the whole film is still available on ‘YouTube’ which was used as a short filler feature by the BBC for some years after, called Two-Stroke Cowboys.

Two-Stroke Cowboys video

A longer edition showing the full programme is available here:

BBC TV Scott Trial 1974

The modern Scott trial is still a time and observation event run over an off-road course of approximately eighty miles, with usually seventy-five observed sections. The riders lose marks on observation in the sections and for finishing behind the fastest rider who sets the trials’ standard time. 

Over the years a wide range of special awards and memorial trophies have become associated with the Scott Trial. This includes the award for best Yorkshire-man, or woman, the oldest finisher, and a variety of club and special awards.

There are now forty-one different awards given out at the presentation evening after the trial. A dedicated team of club riders and other volunteers gather in the observer books when the trial is still progressing and ferry these back to Trial Headquarters throughout the day. There is a results team which have the scores, time calculations and final results produced by around 10 pm in the evening. The presentation of awards follows the charity auction.

The winner is never known or publicised until his or her name is finally read out at the presentation of awards. This creates a tense atmosphere and one of excitement and eventual jubilation for the winner of the annual event.

It has been described as the greatest test of man and machine and is an event in which the club riders can still compete over the same course and sections as the top international riders.

Many riders over the years have won Scott ‘Silver’ and ‘Gold’ spoons and these are treasured possessions of those who won them. Each year sponsors purchase the spoons so the organisers can continue this fine tradition. Every year the top six finishers (including the winner) receive a Gold spoon and the remaining 20 finishers receive Silver spoons. The spoons are bought each year by spoon sponsors, these are enthusiasts who keep the tradition going. Some of these sponsored spoons are paid for by people to celebrate the memory of a relative.

The 2014 event was the Centenary of the Scott Trial, this ensured a full entry of two-hundred competitors, with many of the past winners attending the trial.

The Richmond Club organised a special Centenary Dinner at Tennants in Leyburn. A further dinner was also organised in the November by Alan ‘Sid’ Lampkin at the Ripon Spa Hotel. This event was attended by many members of the Richmond Motor Club and past riders and winners of the Scott. The Scott Re-Union dinner at Ripon was for many years organised by the late Tom U. Ellis of BSA fame and is held every five years.

The Scott is a unique event, with a real social conscience.

SCOTT CHARITIES:

When the Middlesborough & Stockton Motor Clubs organised the event, funds were raised for St Dunstans, now the Blind Veterans UK, with Darlington raising money for Guide Dogs for the Blind. This was changed when Richmond took over as event organisers, raising money for a variety of institutions.

Each year the Scott Trial raises money for the ‘Scott Charities’, these are local non-profit making organisations who are too small to attract grants from the usual sources. After the 2013 Charity Donation Evening a total of £137,600 has been donated in the time since Richmond Motor Club took over the running of the trial in 1991. 

The Trial proceeds each year are added to this total and presented to the charities in late February annually.

Some photos from previous Scott Trials:

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There have been a fair number of famous riders from other motorcycle sports who have tackled the Scott Trial over the years, one of which was the famous racing motorcyclist, Geoff Duke.

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Scott Trial action photocase:

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SCOTT TRIAL LANDOWNERS:

The Scott Landowners, land agents, factors and game keepers are an extremely important, nay crucial, element of this event. Without these men and women’s co-operation, the trial would not take place. Much negotiation takes place each year to ensure the smooth running of the Scott. It is fitting that a tribute be made to these individuals, some who have granted permission for over fifty years!

The Scott Landowners articles are the copyright of Mr. Barry Robinson, published here with his express permission, were first published in the Scott Trial programmes 2016 – 2018:

1. The Harkers of Booze

Words and photo: Barry Robinson

The Scott Trial relies on the kind permission and valued co-operation of the many landowners. The committee are very grateful to have such supportive farmers and landowners in Swaledale and given that the event uses so many areas of land during the day, it would not be possible to run the Scott successfully without their generosity.

Barry Watson, former competitor, enthusiast and long-time Richmond club member accompanied by photo-journalist, Barry Robinson called into meet sister and brother, Hazel and Dennis Harker one sunny afternoon, for tea, scones and some friendly Yorkshire hospitality…

The Harker family have farmed at Town Farm, Booze for almost a century. From 1950 the pastures and moors of Fremington Edge have formed a part of the back-drop for the Scott Trial. Hazel and Dennis Harker inherited this two hundred and four acre farm, when their father passed away.

Indeed Hazel Harker remembers the visit of Darlington Motor Club official Eddie Williamson who rode into the hayfield on his motorcycle to ask their father Tomlin Harker for permission to run the Scott Trial over their ground.

That was in the summer of 1950, the trial originally ran in the November but it was brought forward to its now traditional date in October. This was in deference to the daylight hours and unforgiving moors. Hazel and her brother have watched every Scott Trial barring the 2001 event when Foot and Mouth disease axed every trial.  “I have every programme from that year onwards” added Hazel. Initially the big names of British trialling won until 1960 when a trio of Lampkins heralded a new era.

Arthur and Alan initially, then the seventies when Malcolm Rathmell and Martin Lampkin all battled for the Alfred Scott Trophy. Dougie Lampkin arrived on the scene in 1994 and visited Town Farm with Martin to request permission for a walk through exploration of the Booze sections which were as high as ten in number on the Harker pastures.

Martin’s instruction to Hazel was to tell Dougie to “get a move on”. The Richardsons, Sunters, Aldersons and Birkett came on the scene then Graham Jarvis and Ian Austermuhle and James Dabill.

One frequent visitor was Scott Trial winner, for Sunbeam, Eddie Flintoff, who dispensed ‘Nuttall’s Mintos’ sweets to competitors. And those who enjoyed afternoon tea and biscuits at Town Farm include a certain Graham Hill grand prix star, his signed picture hangs in their dining room, taken when on a shoot on Fremington Edge; all the Lampkins; all the Rathmells; all the Richardsons and Spaniard, Amos Bilbao along with Japanese star in the news at world level – Takahisa Fujinami.

Now that is name dropping in the top league.

Consider also that Hazel and Dennis watch World and British superbikes, Moto GP and Formula One. They know the big names in all facets of bike-sport from track to trial.

Barry Watson added: “Hazel’s scones and ginger biscuits are to die for!”

2. The Ridleys at Kexwith

Words: Barry Robinson Photo: Stuart Lowther

Richard Ridley and his family have one clear advantage over other Scott Trial enthusiasts; they can walk out of the front door of their remote farmhouse and be standing on the actual Scott Trial course.

Better still, by walking fifty yards they can view a Scott Trial section because it is on the Ridley acres, way out on the moors beyond the hamlet of Hurst. No parking or traffic problems, just the bleating of sheep, and the harsh squawk of an airborne grouse on the wing.

The Ridley family have resided and farmed at Kexwith Farm since 1950 when Herbert Ridley, Richard’s grandfather, first ventured onto the remote 2,500 acre moor. In 2016 Richard embarked on his ninth October adventure by riding a new Montesa. The big question will be – a ninth Scott Trial finish, well he did. His father tasted the Scott Trial on a Yamaha 250 used mainly for shepherding sheep. His opinion was that rounding up sheep was akin to riding the Scott Trial.

His long remembered ‘flight’ down Fremington Edge, preceding the Yamaha, by which time its’ braking system was defunct, is now Scott history. Over and out for Raymond, so his brothers Les and Eric had the last laugh. They also had a taste of the Scott Trial in the fifties and sixties when machines were weighed by the hundred-weight. Richard attacked the trial riding a Beta in 2008 and from that debut ride posted eight finishes in nine starts. One year he missed a couple of sections and was posted a non-finisher although he did complete the course.

Consider also that Richard is not an every weekend trials rider and does not practice, as his work on the farm takes care of that. To ride three trials every year, the Reeth 3 Day and the annual Eric Ridley and then tackle the toughest one day event on the British, maybe world, calendar, is some feat.

3. The Allison Family of Telfit

Words and Photo: Barry Robinson

The Scott Trial first visited Telfit Farm way back in 1950 when Mr. Eddie Williamson called in to discuss running the event through the Allison land. William Allison, the father of brothers John, George and Albert, duly gave his permission. William started farming ‘Telfit’ in 1938. John Allison recalls watching the trial when he was five years old with his father and brothers. It was the era of the famous ‘Rest and Be Thankful’ section which can be seen quite clearly from the Allison homestead to this day. For those familiar with the ‘Orgate Falls’ section, ‘Rest and be Thankful’ is a quarter of mile up the road towards Telfit Farm.

John Allison recalls those heady days. “Competition was fierce. I watched one competitor ride over the back wheel of a fallen rival to get up the section. The following year I walked up the river bank to Helwith to check that all the gates had been closed. I could hear engines under load as riders fought their way up ‘Dickie Edge’, in the dark. Of course the Scott Trial in those days took place in November and the daylight soon vanished. Many competitors also wore Red Poppies as it was very close to Remembrance Day. My brothers and I were always excited when the Scott Trial day came round but on one occasion we all contracted Chicken Pox and were not allowed to go and watch the event, much to our disappointment. We did not miss the action though as we pulled our beds up to the front windows and watched the riders climb ‘Orgate Bank’ in the morning and evening. Our heroes were of course Sammy Miller, Malcolm Rathmell and all the Lampkins, but we always watched for our local competitors, hoping to see them do well”.

“Our brother George was the only one of us to actually compete. That was in 1979 riding a Beamish Suzuki. To this day one of my biggest regrets is that I did not have a go. I did buy a BSA C15 for farm work duties but encountered the Post Office van head –on. Needless to say it was Scott Trial day! That incident put me in hospital with a cracked hip and a broken hand. When I woke up, Malcolm Rathmell was in the next bed to me with a broken wrist and ankle! It was a strange way to meet one of our Scott Trial heroes!”

“Over the years there have been many changes to the course as the bikes have become more advanced. The section ‘Rest and Be Thankful’ where spectators lined both sides of the climb is no longer a challenge. ‘Cold Knuckles’ replaced it to provide a more difficult section. For many years I was involved in the trial being a member of the Swaledale Fell Rescue organisation and now continue to help in the role of Road Marshall. After a life-time watching the trial crossing Telfit land, my brothers and I decided in 2016 that it was time to retire from farming. I am sad to think that we are no longer owners of a small part of the Scott Trial course but we hope the trial will continue for many years to come”.

The story continues though as the new owner of Telfit had given the Scott Trial permission to use the land for the 2017 trial.

4. Lynas of Holgate

Words and photo: Barry Robinson

Sixty-one years ago, Gordon Lynas and his family moved into a farm at Holgate, way out on the moors west of the hamlet of Marske. His immediate neighbour and lifelong friend was Herbert Ridley. Note this name as it crops up in Scott Trial folklore, because like the Lynas regime, the Ridleys can boast three generations involvement with this legendary event. Gordon created his own rules and was friendly towards trials riders, but anyone seeking permission to venture onto the Lynas acres, and there were a lot of acres and visitors, was to be sure to have a bottle of good Scotch on hand which was consumed and maybe a second bottle for emergencies. That ritual persisted for years, the late David ‘Tubby’ Allison, Colin Lowes, Pete Bainbridge, all experienced the ritual. Rumour has it that Tubby parted with his Morris Minor 1000 wing mirrors whilst traversing the cattle grid at Holgate. For uninformed readers, the breathalyser wasn’t even thought of back in those happy days.

Gordon was friendly towards the two-wheeled brigade and did what most moorland farmers did, buy a shepherding machine. That was before the invention of the ‘quad’ when Gordon farmed Kersey Green. The Lynas working fleet consisted of a Yamaha ‘Pinky’ for Jacky, a 125 Scorpa for his son Scott and a Stuart Feeny deal on a Sherco at the Great Yorkshire show. Where else would Colin Appleyard’s manager strike? Jacky’s wife Angela dispensed machines and parts at Norman Crook’s motorcycle emporium when she met her future husband.

Jacky watched his first Scott Trial in 1957, when Artie Ratcliffe came out tops on his works Triumph. Hilda and Norman Waters were close to being family as was Eddie Bentley, names synonymous with the Scott Trial. His recollection of the event which traversed the firing ranges when the huge red flags were flying at full mast. Those adventures signalled the end of the Scott Trial on Feldom Range. He also witnessed, with Hilda and Norman, Rob Shepherd at ‘Hell Holes’ trying to win for the second time on the factory Honda, but the chain became dislodged and was wrapped around the engine sprocket. Twenty-five minutes later, Shepherd was on his way, but in vain.

A competitor in the 1960s contacted Gordon Lynas and requested permission to walk the ‘Hell Holes’ and ‘Goats’ sections. Permission was granted with the proviso that the said competitor called in for a cup of tea.

The land and farm at Kersey Green came into the tenancy of the Lynas family in the 1970s. Son Scott and Grandson Finnly work those vast acres which contain: Hell Holes; Lumers; Staircase; Goats; Hollin Wood; Kersey Ghyll and Thring Ghyll. Every section is heaving with Scott Trial history. Grandson Finnly may soon become a Scott Trial spectator.

Having spent his working days riding his shepherding motorcycles, Jacky bit the bullet and entered the Scott Trial in 1984 on a 250 Beamish Suzuki. His experience rounding up the sheep on the moors paid off until he encountered a huge drop off in Hollins Wood. While pondering whether or not to ride off the precipice, Martin Lampkin appeared at speed and shouted to Jacky to ‘get on with it, or else’. Jacky did go down, but end over end fashion, remarkably remounting without a scratch. Undeterred, he bought a 200cc Fantic for another Scott Trial in 1985. Lighter and a better bike it may have been, but alas the Lynas physique did not stand the pace. The Scott interest waned and Jacky stuck to minding his livestock on the machine. He was back at the Scott Trial in 2010 when the unfortunate Matt Maynard broke his leg at ‘Hell Holes’ and went off to hospital in a helicopter. Jason Eyre also indulged in an ambulance ride from the Lynas acres after a Scott Trial excursion.

In amongst the farming activities at Holgate and Kersey Green, Angela and Jacky Lynas developed their one-hundred and forty acre arable and sheep farm, Ravensthorpe along with their Larklands Luxury cottage holiday complex.

The Lynas clan are really a breed apart; they can be very sociable or very fiery. Meeting Jacky on the right day, at the right time and there were great recounts to listen to.

5. The Stones of the Scott

Words and photo: Barry Robinson

Pepper Hall Farm, Arkengarthdale, is steeped in motorcycling history, owned by the Stones Family who have farmed the one hundred and seventy acres since George Stones, Robert’s grandfather, bought the farm in 1930 and also add in twelve hundred acres of moorland.

Farming beef, sheep plus agricultural contracting taking in green harvesting and winter maintenance contracts with the local authorities, keeps the Stones family busy all year. On that vast expanse of land are some well-known Scott Trial sections. This includes ‘By Pass’; ‘Tubby’s Tank Trap’, ‘Grand Canyon’ and the unforgiving ‘Black Hills’ which few spectators have ever seen, let alone climbed up the steep moorland and entered the barren rock strewn ravine.

The now faded into history ‘Tottergill’ was also a Scott Trial section up to the last decade or so. Those competitors that rode it will never ever forget the muscle-sapping climb. Not only has Robert Stones and his son Jack tasted the Scott Trial, but Clark Stones, Robert’s father, was also into motorcycling. He bought the 197cc DOT, used by Ray Sayer around 1953 and actually rode it at 40 mph all the way up to Aberdeen University. The DOT was sold in Aberdeen and replaced by a 350cc Matchless, a man’s machine. The original owner was Leyburn’s Cyril Palmer. Mr Palmer was probably the first owner of a ‘proper’ trials machine in Swaledale, Coverdale or Wensleydale.

Son Robert dived into the unknown in 1982 entering the Scott on a 200cc Montesa. That was the first of over a dozen starts.  One occasion that ended in retirement was when Robert set off, unknowingly, with a broken ankle and fell off on the Grouse Moor eventually retiring at ‘By Pass’. His adventure on the Montesa 4RT was tested to the full. At petrol halt one, it was noticed the handlebars were now a two-piece component, but his friend Mike Jennings produced a new set of ‘bars and off Mr Stones went again to finish within time.

1988, the year of the big washout, was memorable in as much as Phillip Alderson was in company with Robert carrying their machines across the raging river. Shrewd Mr Stones ensured his bike was carried across first, just in case Mr Alderson departed as soon as he got his machine onto dry land – surely not Phillip?

Of course Robert’s son Jack had no options, he lived on Scott Trial land so five starts and five coveted Scott Spoons is now the tally. He did suffer though while showing off his doughnutting skills, Jack the Lad, when his new 300 spat him off. The ‘endo’ produced a broken shoulder that hurt like hell.

Jack: “I lied about the pain. Dad would have killed me if I did not start the trial while my mother, Cheryl, did her best to get me to go to A and E. The bone was sticking up above my shoulder, but I thought I had better get on with it. My best memory was the 2015 Scott when an electrical fault surfaced after the first petrol stop. The motor kept dying on the ‘Grouse Moor’ and I was ready to call it a day when my mother yelled at me to stop being a softy and get on with it. I did and by some miracle got home to claim the last Scott Spoon” Watch out for Jack Stones in the Scott Trial. He never loiters.

6. The Wallis Family of Park Top Farm, Marske.

Words and photo: Barry Robinson

One hundred and nine years on and the Wallis family still farm Park Top Farm high above the village of Marske. Present guardians of the four-hundred acre Dales Suckler and Sheep farm are Robert Wallis along with his son’s Ken and David. Robert’s great grandfather was first a tenant at the farm way back in 1908, with the future generation purchasing it in the early 1960s when the local Marske estate was sold off.

The Scott Trial moved into the Richmond area in 1951 and Ken’s father Robert remembers Bill Nicholson winning the trial that year. The event then moved to start at Park Top Farm in the Letter Box Field near the Feldom road junction in 1963. Darlington and District Motor Club ran the trial in the 1970s with Hilda and Norman Waters in charge of the event and the Waters and Wallis family became great friends from then onwards.

Robert never owned a motorcycle but always cooperated with the organisers by moving stock from field to field to accommodate the October event. His connections with the trial extended to being a Special Police Constable whose duties involved traffic control in the start area and these voluntary duties extended for over twenty years with Scott Trial entrants including winner Bill Wilkinson always passing the time of day with Constable Wallis!

David Wallis is also a Scott Trial supporter and used to remove parts of the stone boundary walls on the Scott Trial course and rebuilt them after the trial. Those ancient walls are now gated which saves him a good deal of time and he is now in charge of animal movements relating to the trial.

David‘s real claim to fame is dismantling, in a gale, single handed, the control centre marquee. It was either get it down or have it destroyed by the increasing wind onslaught. This was achieved while the officials were staging the awards function in Richmond.

One major regret for Ken Wallis is never having competed in the event but his sons, Richard and John, have not only spectated, but observed and competed in the greatest one day test of strength and stamina.

Ken is still in involved and is commander of his start field team that work almost from dawn to dusk erecting the marquee and offices plus a huge amount of directional signs in the parc ferme and adjacent cars park required to control traffic.

Ken’s duties increased last year, when he took on the role of General Secretary of the Scott Trial from Diane Horner and previously his wife Chris who undertook the task for seven years as well as being a key player in the results team, whose headquarters are in the Park Top farmhouse!

Not generally known is the pre-event Friday ritual initiated by Mr Wallis who somehow furnishes a meal of fish and chips for his parc ferme working staff. Certain members of the Press heard about this ‘Last Supper’ get together and enjoyed the hospitality.

7. Richard Coates, Head Gamekeeper of the East Arkengarthdale Estate.

Words: Barry Robinson

Richard Coates each year has to get through the ‘Glorious Twelfth’ grouse shooting without any problems. It takes a lot of work and input to manage a shooting estate and game keepers are a significant part of that management system.

Those vast open areas on the Swaledale and Arkengarthdale moors bring hundreds of thousands of pounds every year into the local economy; consequently there is a now a constant pressure on any Head Gamekeeper.

In his youth, Richard Coates would travel from Swaledale to Wensleydale to meet his young lady, now his wife and Practice Nurse at Leyburn Surgery, Janet at the Three Horse Shoes in Wensley.

There, the courting couple first encountered men on motorcycles doing strange things way back in the eighties when Richmond Motor Club activities appeared to centre at the Three Horse Shoes which was the then headquarters of the club.

The young couple could be no nearer motors, cycles and trials as Janet’s parents also farmed in the Wensley area, from 1985 to 2000. The Blue Bar Trial and the Gerald Simpson Trial utilised Janet’s family’s land.

Being in the thick of this motorcycle off-road action led to an interest that still thrives to this day.

The title ‘Head Gamekeeper’ means that this is the man who holds the key to trials sport. Whatever he says is the last word. He alone dictates the go and no-go areas.

Trial organisers happily adhere to the guidance of the gamekeepers to ensure a well-run event which minimises any disruption to the land and its operations.

Richard Coates has been instrumental in gaining permissions for the Richmond Motor Club. The national Mintex Youth Trial and the Reeth Three Day Trial are examples of his influence, as is the daunting ride across the legendary ‘Grouse Moor’ which faces Scott Trial competitors today.

Obviously steeped in trials folklore Janet and Richard observe at trials while their son Thomas makes an impression riding as he has done since the age of twelve. Thomas works for R.L.T Joinery and has ridden in the Scott Trial three times so far. Two facts emerge, Thomas just had to be a trials rider and Richard just had to become a member of the Richmond Motor Club and Scott Trial Committees.

The Scott Trial – Hall of Fame:

Year – Winner / Fastest Rider to set Standard Time

1914 – Frank Philip (Scott) / Frank Philip (Scott)

1915 – 1918 – World War I – No Trial

1919 – Geoff Hill (Triumph) / Geoff Hill (Triumph)

1920 – Clarrie Wood (Scott) / Clarrie Wood (Scott)

1921 – Clarrie Wood (Scott) / Clarrie Wood (Scott)

1922 – Harry Langman (Scott) / Billy Moore (Scott)

1923 – Ernie Mainwaring (Scott) / Clarrie Wood (Scott)

1924 – Wally Clough (Scott) / Wally Clough (Scott)

1925 – Eddie Flintoff (Sunbeam) / A. Jackson (AJS)

1926 – Eddie Flintoff (Sunbeam) / W. Evans (Triumph)

1927 – Oliver Langton (Scott) / W. Evans (Triumph)

1928 – Eric Langton (Scott ) / Eddie Flintoff

1929 – Vic Brittain (Sunbeam) / Eddie Flintoff

1930 – Len Heath (Ariel) / Allan Jefferies (Scott)

1931 – Vic Brittain (Sunbeam) / Stanley Woods (Norton)

1932 – Allan Jefferies (Scott) / Allan Jefferies (Scott)

1933 – Len Heath (Ariel) / Len Heath (Ariel)

1934 – Ken Wilson (Panther) / Ken Wilson (Panther)

1935 – Len Heath (Ariel) / Allan Jefferies (Triumph)

1936 – Billy Tiffen (Velocette) / Allan Jefferies (Triumph)

1937 – Allan Jefferies (Triumph / Allan Jefferies (Triumph)

1938 – Len Heath (Ariel) / W.J. Smith (Levis)

1939 – 1945 – World War II – No Trial

1946 – Bill Nicholson (BSA) / Bill Nicholson (BSA)

1947 – Bill Nicholson (BSA) / Bill Nicholson (BSA)

1948 – Jim Alves (Triumph) / Jim Alves (Triumph)

1949 – Bill Nicholson (BSA) / Bill Nicholson (BSA)

1950 – Bill Nicholson (BSA) / Bill Nicholson (BSA)

1951 – Bill Nicholson (BSA) / Bill Nicholson (BSA)

1952 – John Draper (BSA) / David Tye (BSA)

1953 – Arthur Shutt (Francis Barnett) / David Tye (BSA)

1954 – Jeff Smith (BSA) / Jeff Smith (BSA)

1955 – Johnny Brittain (Royal Enfield) / Gordon Jackson (AJS)

1956 – Johnny Brittain (Royal Enfield) / Gordon Jackson (AJS)

1957 – Artie Ratcliffe (Triumph) / Brian Stonebridge (Greeves)

1958 – Sammy Miller (Ariel) / Jeff Smith (BSA)

1959 – Jeff Smith (BSA) / Jeff Smith (BSA)

1960 – Arthur Lampkin (BSA) / Jeff Smith (BSA)

1961 – Arthur Lampkin (BSA) / Arthur Lampkin (BSA)

1962 – Sammy Miller (Ariel) / Jeff Smith (BSA)

1963 – Sammy Miller (Ariel) / Arthur Lampkin (BSA)

1964 – Bill Wilkinson (Greeves) / Bill Wilkinson (Greeves)

1965 – Arthur Lampkin (BSA) / Arthur Lampkin (BSA)

1966 – Alan Lampkin (BSA) / Arthur Lampkin (BSA)

1967 – Sammy Miller (Bultaco) / Bill Wilkinson (Greeves)

1968 – Sammy Miller (Bultaco) / Gordon Farley (Greeves)

1969 – Sammy Miller (Bultaco) / Malcolm Rathmell (Greeves)

1970 – Sammy Miller (Bultaco) / Alan Lampkin (Bultaco)

1971 – Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco) / Alan Lampkin (Bultaco)

1972 – Rob Shepherd (Montesa) / Rob Shepherd (Montesa)

1973 – Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco) / Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco)

1974 – Rob Edwards (Montesa) / Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco)

1975 – Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) / Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa)

1976 – Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) / Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa)

1977 – Martin Lampkin (Bultaco) / Martin Lampkin (Bultaco)

1978 – Martin Lampkin (Bultaco) / Martin Lampkin (Bultaco)

1979 – Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) / Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa)

1980 – Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa) / Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa)

1981 – Martin Lampkin (Bultaco) / Nigel Birkett (Fantic)

1982 – Martin Lampkin (SWM) / Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa)

1983 – Gerald Richardson (Armstrong) / Gerald Richardson (Armstrong)

1984 – Nigel Birkett (Yamaha) / Gerald Richardson (Yamaha)

1985 – Gerald Richardson (Yamaha) / Gerald Richardson (Yamaha)

1986 – Tony Scarlett (Yamaha) / Philip Alderson (Yamaha)

1987 – Philip Alderson (Yamaha) / Harold Crawford (Yamaha)

1988 – Philip Alderson (Yamaha) / Harold Crawford (Yamaha)

1989 – Philip Alderson(Yamaha) / Gerald Richardson (Yamaha)

1990 – Rob Crawford (Beta) / Philip Alderson (Yamaha)

1991 – Philip Alderson (Yamaha) / Philip Alderson (Yamaha)

1992 – Steve Colley (Beta) / Wayne Braybrook (Gas Gas)

1993 – Steve Colley (Beta) / Rob Crawford (Aprillia)

1994 – Dougie Lampkin (Beta) / Dougie Lampkin (Beta)

1995 – Rob Crawford (Yamaha) / Rob Crawford (Yamaha)

1996 – Graham Jarvis (Scorpa) / Steve Colley (Gas Gas)

1997 – Graham Jarvis (Scorpa) / Graham Jarvis (Scorpa)

1998 – Graham Jarvis (Scorpa) / Graham Jarvis (Scorpa)

1999 – Graham Jarvis (Scorpa) / Wayne Bratbrook (Montesa)

2000 – Wayne Braybrook (Montesa) / Henry Moorhouse (Gas Gas)

2001 – Foot & Mouth outbreak, no trial

2002 – Michael Phillipson (Beta) / Ben Hemingway (Beta)

2003 – Graham Jarvis (Sherco) / Graham Jarvis (Sherco)

2004 – Graham Jarvis (Sherco) / Graham Jarvis (Sherco)

2005 – Graham Jarvis (Sherco) / Ian Austermuhle (Beta)

2006 – Dougie Lampkin (Montesa) / Dougie Lampkin (Montesa)

2007 – Dougie Lampkin (Montesa) / Dougie Lampkin (Montesa)

2008 – Graham Jarvis (Sherco) / James Dabill (Montesa)

2009 – Graham Jarvis (Sherco) / James Dabill (Montesa)

2010 – James Dabill (Gas Gas) / Michael Brown (Sherco)

2011 – Jonathan Richardson (Sherco) / John Sunter (Montesa)

2012 – Michael Brown (Gas Gas) / Michael Brown (Gas Gas)

2013 – Dougie Lampkin (Gas Gas) / Jonathan Richardson (Ossa)

2014 – James Dabill (Beta) / John Sunter (Montesa)

2015 – Ian Austermuhle (Beta) / Jonathan Richardson (Beta)

2016 – James Dabill (Vertigo) / Jonathan Richardson (Sherco)

2017 – Dougie Lampkin (Vertigo) / James Dabill (Vertigo)

2018 – Dougie Lampkin (Vertigo) / Jack Price (Gas Gas)

2019 – James Dabill (Beta) / Jonathan Richardson (Montesa)

2020 – No Trial – Covid Pandemic

2021 – Jack Price (Vertigo) / Guy Kendrew (Beta)

2022 – Jack Price (Vertigo) / Jonathan Richardson (TRRS)

With thanks to the Richmond Motor Club (Yorkshire) Limited – Website

 

The Scott Trial on Trials Guru, acknowledgements and copyright:

© – Images, by kind permission – (please respect their copyright):

• Eric Kitchen, Worldwide Copyright, All Rights Reserved
• John Hulme / Trials Media, Worldwide Copyright, All Rights Reserved
• Gus Wylie, Kinlochleven
• Barry Robinson, Ilkely, Worldwide Copyright, All Rights Reserved
• Neil Sturgeon, Darlington, Worldwide Copyright, All Rights Reserved
• Jaxx Lawson @ Joat’s Imagery – All Rights Reserved, no reproduction unless with express permission of the copyholder
• Andrew Moorhouse/Studio Six Creative, Darlington, Worldwide Copyright, All Rights Reserved
• Charlie Watson, Hull
• C. H. Wood, Bradford – copyright of the David Wood Archive (All rights reserved – Worldwide copyright)

© –  The Scott Trial on Trials Guru –

Text: Trials Guru/Moffat Racing, John Moffat – 2016 (All Rights reserved)

Trials Guru wish to thank the committee of the Richmond Motor Club (Yorkshire) Ltd and the Scott Trial committee, for their co-operation in preparing this feature on the Scott Trial.

Please remember that the content of the official programme of the Scott Trial is the intellectual property of Richmond Motor Club (Yorkshire) Ltd and may not be reproduced in any format without the prior and express permission being obtained. The articles on the Scott Landowners are reproduced with the permission of Mr. Barry Robinson of Ilkely who created them by interviewing the landowners and obtained their permission to publish these articles. The articles first appeared in the Scott Trial official programmes 2016-2018.

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