A DRY sunny autumn morning made for great riding conditions for the Jersey Motorcycle and Light Car Club’s first ever Beach Trial event at L’Etacq.
Following two brilliant days of the Jersey Rally, from fast rally stages on four wheels, to slow skillful clutch control on two wheels, made for a great spectacle of motorsport.
A total of 35 riders headed to the foreshore of St Ouen to grace the unnerving jagged rocks, boulders, pebbles and shale to ride ten competitive sections, and the pressure was on for some riders, with a crowd of 50-plus spectators looking on.
With this being uncharted territory for most riders, it was anyone’s game.
Adam Le Cheminant’s bottomless brunch once again took top spot in the Expert A class, closely followed by Lee Rogan, and just three points adrift was Jersey’s young gun, Sherco Factory Team Rider Tom Le Breton, aged just 17.
Even stevens in the B+ route meant it came down to cleans, with Thomas Mollet just pipping Danny Lowe to the win.
Following up the rear just 11 marks behind was Wayno Boschat who had some cracking rides for only his third time entering the B+ class.
Ride of the day went to Beach Shack Ryan Gregory coming out on top in the B route clubman class with just 11 points, and his first time victory over the legend of trials Mr Glen Hamel. With only one or two costly fives between these guys, everything is to play for this season.
Although not technically in the adult B class just yet, what a ride it was from the young Corey Wood, who would have come third overall with just 24 points.
All of the practice and training in France seems to be paying off and young Wood is certainly one to watch.
The tightest of classes in the C+ saw a valiant effort from all riders, but it was John Philpott who grabbed first with just 20 marks, followed by Gary White and Sean Copp.
Another tie-breaker for fourth place was battled out between newly-wed Amelia Miller, and the electrician from St Ouen, Elliot Brown, coming in with 15 and 14 cleans respectively.
The Twin Shock class was dominated by Richard Blandin once again, a true testament to trials riding from Blandin taking these old bikes over terrain this difficult.
Yet another tie breaker for the C route novice class saw Jon Wood and Harry Carré battling it out for a place on the podium, but it was Wood just getting top spot with 20 cleans to Carré’s 16, followed by Javier Marquez and Amanda Wright.
Next in the trials calendar is the biggest one of the year – the Jersey 2 Day Trial.
Over 100 riders from all over the UK, Guernsey and France take to the woods, rocks and streams over 9/10 November, with a demonstration at AAL recycling from some of the top UK and EU riders the Friday evening before the event.
