Round 4 of the ACU Belle Trailers Youth National took place at the fantastic Dudwood venue in Derbyshire. It was everything a National should be, with an impromtu ‘parents vs kids’ rounders match the night before and a gathering of friendly faces and laughter on the morning of the event. This trial catered for all classes from D small wheels up to the big players in the A class.
After a very hot Saturday, perfect cool conditions on Sunday greeted the 70 riders. 12 sections were set, with a great variety… some through mud puddles and slimy rocks, some dry and technical, and a handful in the river. A perfect mix.
The D-small wheel class for riders up to 9 years old has been them most interesting in some ways, as there has been less consistency in the results. A few mistakes can drop a rider right down the order, whereas a shining ride from any of the top ten could bag them a win.
The Isle of Man’s Jacob Wilson pulled his second win of the year on his OSET 20.0R, giving him a 3 point championship lead over Northern Ireland’s Mason Crawford, who finished in 5th. Second on the day and third in the series is Tom Gibbons, who is surely due a win this year after a series of being ‘oh so close’. Bobby Crabtree was third after his fine win at the previous round in Scarborough. Coming into the mix at Dudwood was 7 year old Fletcher Ely from Kent, who finished just off the podium after a ‘most cleans’ tie decider - one clean off the podium. Lot’s of riders to watch this year!
In the C Medium wheel class, Elliot Smith continued his run of good form on his OSET 24.0R with a clear win over the Isle of Man’s Stanley Cubbon. That makes 3 wins from 4 events for Elliot. Behind Stanley the other riders were tightly grouped, with Scotland’s Joe Drysdale 2 points behind for the final podium spot. A big well done to Elliot! Elliot has grown into his 24.0 now and loving every minute on it.
As has been the case all year, the top positions in all the bigger classes were taken by ex-OSET riders. A massive well done to Harry Turner who’s 3 for 3 wins this year so far in the B’s, and Jack Dance for his big win in the A’s. Both started their trials careers on OSET’s, as did most of the entry!
Next up is round 5 run by the Yeadon and Guiseley Club in Yorkshire on Saturday July 13th.
