Thursday September 30th 2021
Thursday, September 30th, 2021Below you see a pic of Outlaw Dave taken 17 years ago at a Classic Trial in Stony Plain Alberta.- I’m riding a TY 175 that I had tricked up a bit with a Sammy Miller tank/seat unit plus other stuff which I don’t remember. - The bike worked really well and I had good success with it, before I sold it to Mark ONeil. - You will also note that I am wearing the old traditional Trials gear, much of which I had especially made in the UK. ( Pic by Steve Richardson)
Like anybody who has been riding in competition for any length of time - I’ve accumulated quite a lot of hardware - a lot plasters the wall of my shop with others either in boxes hidden away someplace or given to clubs for recycling. - However, none are more precious than these few that have somehow survived all the moving around over the years, including the trip across the pond, I know that I still have the first ever award that I won in a Trial back in 1956 someplace, but it’s not one of these, although it looks very similar.
Back in the old days, you did not know how you had done at a Trial on the day, and would only get this result, by checking out the National Motorcycling Newspaper the week after - where all results of the previous weekend events were posted.
Don’t forget that in the 1950’s - most Trials had an entry list of around 100 riders and everybody rode the same line, so at many Trials you were competing against the top “Works” riders.
Here are a few that I found, notice that they always engraved your name on the award, which you received in the mail a few weeks later. - It took me a minute to remember the name of the B&B MC club. - I think it was Broughton and Bretton - from the Cheshire Center. - WMC may have been Wrexham. - and as I recall the cup was for finishing runner-up at a Trial in Wales. - Ah! yes - lots of memories.
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Below you see a pic of Sammy Miller - note that Sammy is using “Body Lean” or as the Americans called it “Body English” to avoid running over the section ends card. - If he had knocked that card over, it would have been a “5″ mark penalty. - We often neglect to explain the rules at riders meetings, but I did remember to do this at the Revvy event. -
And one of Mick - showing the importance of body position - no hop & bop in those days.
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Check out this video link as it pertains to the suggested hook up between MCC and CMA - It will obviously get mixed reaction especially from BC where many of the top Trials riders in Canada reside. - On the plus side, at least it’s something, and only time will tell if in fact any clubs West of Saskatchewan decide to join any new alliance. - The bottom line is that most Western clubs have now forged ahead with their own event Insurance, and do not need any National body except for any rider wishing to participate in either the Scottish Six Days, or the Trial Des Nations. - I think we just need to keep an open mind, and hope that any new joint Administration is for the good of the sport.
https://zcu.io/xo0F
On a personal note - I take my hat off to anybody that spends their own money and goes over to Europe to compete. -
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