MOTOR SPORT: The Eastern Centre trials championship finally got underway this year at the Ipswich MCC trial at the Offton lime pits. With 12 dual routed sections in these disused workings, the 50 riders tackled the steep climbs and large tree roots three times on this hot Sunday morning.

THE Eastern Centre trials championship finally got underway this year at the Ipswich MCC trial at the Offton lime pits. With 12 dual routed sections in these disused workings, the 50 riders tackled the steep climbs and large tree roots three times on this hot Sunday morning.

With nearly 20 riders going on the hard expert route, it was not the Eastern centre riders who found the going to their liking, but the two visitors from the South Midlands, Chris Koch and Richard Allen, who set the standard for the day with some remarkable rides. Chris only lost two marks on the steep climb of section 11, and Richard only one on the sandy turns of section eight. At the end of the day they had both lost only 23 marks each and had both had 22 cleans, so it had to go to the most single marks lost and the win went to Chris with nine to Richard's eight. Behind these two was Julian Harvey just five marks adrift, and an excellent ride from Mark Reason to finish a fine fourth.

The intermediates produced a surprise winner in Mark Baldwin. This was his first win in this class, and apart from a failure at the steep tree roots of section 12, he never looked anything but a winner all day. Five marks back it was a different story with Trevor Harvey, Richard Norman, Kevin Hammond and Gordon Mackerall all fighting for second place and at the finish only four marks separated all four riders.

The invited novice and youth had to ride the inter route and it was youngsters Neil Fenn and Gary Scarlett who produced some fine rides to win their respective classes, but best of all on this route was expert rider Alan Collier, who proved he has lost none of his skills and went round for an incredible loss of only 11 marks.

Results

Hard Route – Experts: 1 C Koch (Montesa) 23, 2 R Allen (Beta) 23, 3 J Harvey (MRS Bultaco) 28, 4 M Reason (Beta) 35, 5 M Banham (Beta) 43. Youth Expert: 1 J Smith (Bultaco) 99.

Main Route – Inters: 1 M Baldwin (Gas Gas) 27, 2 T Harvey (Bultaco) 32, 3 R Norman (Gas Gas) 33, 4 K Hammond (Bultaco) 34, 5 G Mackerall (Gas Gas) 36.

Novice: 1 N Fenn (Gas Gas) 54, 2 M Sheppard (Bultaco) 64.

Youth A: 1 T Ashton (Gas Gas) 44.

Youth B: 1 G Scarlett (Gas Gas) 42, 2 S Douglas (Gas Gas) 61.

Expert: 1 A Collier (Beta) 11, 2 D Cordle (Gas Gas) 30.