outlawtrials.com

An early morning mist over the lake signals the cooler weather that is associated with the approach of Autumn, and while holiday makers might prefer the +30 temperatures, for me, the Fall is the best time of the year.

I got an email from Andrew James, saying that he was confused by the second email I sent regarding the postponement of the Outlaw Trial, so if anybody else is not sure, or knows of somebody who was planning on attending the Summerland event slated for next weekend, please contact them, and inform them that the new date is October 9/10 -( Thanksgiving is on the Monday) - We have posted this notice on the front page of Trials Canada and Trials Central, plus sent the info: to the various clubs, but inevitably there are some folk who miss the message.

We are certainly disappointed in having to change the date - the first time ever - but as mentioned, the whole Forest is like tinder, and even though we had a shower of rain last night, we need a lot more in the coming weeks in order to avoid any more fires. - PLEASE NOTE THE CAMP FIRE BAN IS STILL IN EFFECT IN THE OKANAGAN VALLEY.

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Nicky Hayden had a “Get off” in practice for Sunday’s Moto GP race at Indianapolis, but apart from a loss of skin on his arm escaped injury - he still managed a 3rd best time behind Team mate Casey Stoner and Jorge Lorenso.

The weather also played a role in F1 qualifying at Spa, with rain upsetting a few teams - Mark Webber grabbed another pole with Lewis Hamilton 2nd and Robert Kubica 3rd.

More news as it happens. ——————->>>

Well we had a bit of a rain shower last night, but nothing too much - we need a lot more than that - the bad news was a big wind storm earlier in the day that hit the Southern part of the Valley, so we will likely find trees down and tape blown about in our Summerland Trials location. -There was a grass fire in the Falder area yesterday, which is not that far from where we ride, and then of course there is the big Forest Fire still burning West of Penticton.

We have heard from a number of riders, who are glad we postponed the Outlaw Trial, as the new date suits them better - naturally there will be some people who won’t make it, but at least we are fairly sure of being able to have a camp fire at that time of the year.

As posted yesterday, the Manx Two Day Trial starts tomorrow, and Michael Brown is the favorite to win this one,- Alexz Wigg and Jack Challoner will be competing in Czecho at the European Championship.

I did some maintenance on the Beta yesterday, and changed the air filter as is usual after a ride - I can’t stress enough how important this is on any dirt bike, as there is more engine damage done from plugged filters than anything else, and it only takes minutes to do. - I always have a spare filter clean and oiled ready to swap - it’s also a good idea to take a minute to check inside the airbox for dirt or water as well.

Moto GP is at Indy this weekend - should be a good race, and F1 fans can check out the latest from Belgium - both these should be on the Speed Channel .

Yesterday was another very hot day in the Valley, and even though we were out early at Yankee Flats, it was a real work out riding sections. - As it turned out, Robbie from Hinton Alberta, and myself had a great time, and although he is new to the sport, he rides very well and caught on quickly to the coaching and my interpretation of what trials is all about, and what is required to set up sections etc. - We needed quite a few breaks to sit in the shade, but it was a really enjoyable day, and Robbie is definitely “Hooked”.

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The ISDE in Mexico looks to be in big trouble, with more teams pulling out, because of the uncertain safety issues - thank goodness we only have weather related problems with our events.

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It looks like the recent Cahors Trial in France had a few casualties - Heath of r2w in the UK is reporting that Jeroni Fajardo, is likely out for the rest of the season with ligament damage, and also Alex Ferrer and Grattarola  are sidelined through injury.

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Moto >> News
The 2010 Manx National Two Day Trial

The 2010 Manx National Two Day Trial gets underway at 8am from the legendary TT Grandstand this Saturday in the Isle of Man.

The solo entry is led by world championship contender Michael Brown, while the sidecars will have multiple British Champions Robin and Gill Morewood leading the way and providing the target for all their competitors. 

Over 270 solos will set out on their 53 mile, 46 section, 9hr 30min tour of the southern half of the Island, which will be followed on Sunday by a 51 miles, 36 section, 8hrs 15min tour of the North.

The solo route has a different look this year and will start off in the middle of Douglas with the first section on ‘The Arches’, a venue used previously during the Trial Des Nations. This will be followed by sections on Douglas Head and a new venue at Kewaigue, near to Douglas Golf Club. The day will finish with 2 sections at Knock Froy, where refreshments will be available.

Leading riders in the National Solo class will include debutant Michael Brown (MRS Sherco), who was last in competitive action on the Island as a member of the Great Britain team during the 2007 Trial Des Nations. He will be challenged all the way by 2009 winner Sam Haslam (DJM JST Gas Gas) who after such a successful debut last year won’t want to give away his crown easily. And hot on their heels will be Dan Thorpe (JST Gas Gas), a true National trial legend after recently achieving the unique feat of recording 100 National trial wins. The Manx is one of these victories, but Dan is well overdue to add to his previous success here.

The solo Clubman class is the usual lottery with any number of former national riders having dropped down making this class even more competitive. Darren Wasley will probably start as favourite after registering victory for the past two years, but although they will be mounted on bikes around 20 years old, Juan Knight and Andy Cripps won’t be far away. Add to that many other leading clubman level riders and we should see a very close contest.

The sidecar class will start out as a battle between the two Robin’s, Morewood and Luscombe. Having been victorious a total of 21 times between them over the years they bring so much experience that it would take something special to beat them. However there are a couple of crews who could provide that challenge, particularly a couple of crews from the victorious Isle of Man Inter Centre team. Jamie Teare/Jane Birchall are probably the main challengers alongside the father and son pairing of Adrian/Aaron Smith.

A mammoth sidecar route containing 99 sections over the two days should provide a real test for the crews, in what many consider to be the best event of the year.

Sponsors

Without our sponsors it would be impossible to put on such a successful event and the organising committee are very grateful for all their support.

For the 4^th year in a row Manx Independent Carriers are the main sponsor of the Solo Class, and will provide the overall Solo winner with the prestigious replica of the Manx Sword of State. Manx Independent carriers are celebrating their 25^th Anniversary this year and we are happy to be involved with their celebrations of this milestone.

We are again grateful to AD Hewett Dental Practice for providing overall sponsorship to the Sidecar Class. Established in the Isle of Man only within the last couple of years, the practice has over 20 years experience of providing excellent service to clients nationally.

Other event sponsors this year include Wilson and Collins Ltd, Monster Energy, Station Garage, Corletts Building Materials Manufacturers, Azzy Paints, Kelly Blinds, Road and Track Motorcycles Ltd and Franklin’s.

Event Details

Riders and Observers signing on will take place on Friday 27^th August 2010 at the Villa Marina,located centrally on Douglas Promenade.

The trial itself commences from 8am on each day from the TT Grandstand.

The weekend is completed by the Presentation of awards on Sunday evening, also at the Villa Marina, with doors opening from 8.30pm.

Contacts

For further information relating to the Trial please go to our website www.manx2day.com, or visit the website of the MGP Festival www.mgpfestival.com

Alternatively contact the secretary of the meeting, Vanessa Cubbon on 01624 625909.

For press details contact Andrew Cubbon andrewcubbon@manx.net or 07624 430603.

Notes

The Manx Two Day Trial was first run in 1955 as a National level, two day event. It was established as an additional ‘distraction’ for spectators to the Manx Grand Prix and remains as such to the present day. The trial has developed to become the largest event of its type in Great Britain, with annually over 330 individual competitors taking part across both solo and sidecar classes, attracted by the variation in terrain and beautiful countryside the Isle of Man has to offer.

The event is organised by a subcommittee of the Isle of Man ACU Centre and works closely with all of the relevant bodies on the island including landowners, Government Departments and other motorcycle clubs with the aim of offering a unique experience for riders and spectators alike.

Today I am meeting a new rider from Hinton AB at our local Yankee Flats location, to show him some Trials stuff - we will be out early before it gets too hot (+32 later )

I see there are a couple of good shots of Foordy posted on facebook today from the Xtinction race.

Not too much other news, although the upcoming weekend looks busy in Motor Sport, with the F1 race from Spa, and the Moto GP from Indianapolis.

more later ————->>>

While checking the results of various events over the past couple of months, one thing stands out loud and clear in both World Moto GP and also World MX - There are NO British riders at all in Moto GP, and only a couple who have competed in some of the MX series. - So what does this say about a Country that used to “Rule” in both these racing disciplines?

Well maybe it’s just a sign of the times, and of course the huge cost of fielding a Team, but never-the-less, it’s an interesting change of status. - Of course the “Brits” are well represented in World Super Bike, and in Trials a few riders such as James Dabill and Michael Brown make up the numbers behind the dominant Spanish, and certainly the future seems bright with the young guns like Challoner, and Sheppard doing well in the junior ranks.

I see that Antonio Cairoli from Sicily has just clinched the World MX title in Argentina - there was only one USA rider in the top ten ( he posted a 10th & 9th) Jimmy Albertson, - but you have to wonder about the cost for all these European riders making a trip like that. - It seems strange that the top MX stars like Stewart, Dungey etc, have steered clear of the World Championship ( I know Stewart was injured) - the Americans failed to show much interest in their own GP - which was held at one of the best tracks in the World. Could it be Politics ?

The Xtreme Enduro in Alberta last weekend, has been hailed  ( not the weather type) - as a huge success - I watched some of the video clips on the Offroad site and read the comments by Dan Parris  - sure looked like a good place to sell handlebars !! - A few names jumped out in the results - Thomas Cordner from Victoria did well, as did Ryan Gadd from Moose Jaw - both are Trials riders, and as mentioned yesterday “Foordy” thoroughly enjoyed himself.  It was Kamloops Husky rider, Cory Graffunder who took the overall.

Back at the “Ranch” - we had a surprise phone call from Billy Traynor yesterday - he is still living in Texas, and will be making a trip up this way in September, so he had hoped to ride the Outlaw - not sure if the change of date will effect his plans, but it sounds like he is having fun on the 300 Evo 4T that he has been riding this year.

more news as it happens —->>

After a cool “Autumn” type of day yesterday, this morning we have a clear blue sky and sunshine - so here we go with  some of the latest news.

Foordy phoned with a report on the Xtinction Enduro that was held in the badlands of Alberta, and it sounds as though it was a great event. - It certainly proved to be a challenge with a bottomless creek and steep hills catching out many of the riders.  - He was full of praise for the Beta RR450, and had no trouble on the big hills - there will no doubt be a full write-up and pics on the Offroadmotorcycling web site later today.

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Will Duggan took the win both days in Ontario at the CMA Nationals with Jordan Szoke 2nd and Jon English 3rd.

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Last week I mentioned how good the latest small bore bikes are, and young Jack Sheppard proved the point at the British Championship event held in Devon at the weekend, when he took his 125 Beta Evo to first place in the Expert Class ( and they had some BIG walls) - As expected James Dabill (GG) was the winner in the Champ class, ahead of Alexz Wigg (Beta) and Michael Brown (Sherco)

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Ben Spies was on Wind Tunnel last night, chatting about his Yamaha factory ride for 2011 - he seems like a really nice young guy - very modest.

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Jake Whitaker has won the Australian Trials Championship, the 19 year old New Zealander took the win last weekend on his tricked out Beta Evo 290 ( pic on the New album)

It looks like there was a “sprinkle” of rain last night, but not enough to help the extremely dry forests of BC, and as I posted yesterday, the Outlaw Trial has been postponed until the Thanksgiving weekend of Oct 9-11th - The Monday is the Official Holiday, so folk wanting to get back home for the traditional Turkey supper, should not have a problem. - the weather in the Okanagan is also normally great for riding in the Fall, plus it’s still warm enough for camping, so the “Biffies” have been re-scheduled, along with other things we need for the event.

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I just checked out the web-site - offroadmotorcycling.ca - and it gives really good accounts and pics of the Ormstown Vintage Rally in Ontario, plus news from the Xtinction Hare Scramble and Enduro  in Alberta - I see Jason Schrage won again yesterday. - but also noted that Guy Perrot made the long trip from Kamloops BC.
One of the pics featured from the Vintage event shows a very nice TT 500 with lots of bling - back when I worked for Yamaha Canada, I  “Tricked up” a TT that was supplied by Walt Healy - the bike was was fitted with an alloy swing-arm plus YZ forks, trick pipe, small YZ tank and a cut down seat - I also drilled about a zillion holes everywhere to save what amounted to about  5 lbs - It was fun to ride and was later moto-crossed by an Alberta guy - can’t remember his name  - I wonder if this is the bike that is now owned by Lawrence Hacking, as he also worked for Yamaha around that time.

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More news as it happens >>>

I must say it’s nice to have cooler temperatures in the Valley, but still no rain and now the Fire West of Penticton has grown  to double it’s size - Fortunately it’s mostly in the high mountain terrain.

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In the latest Sherco News Release, there is a pic of French rider David Casteu - who has just clinched the World Cross Country Rally Championship in the 450 class - many people will recall that he led the 2009 Dakar for 3 days before a big crash put him on the sidelines. - With a full range of models, including Enduro, Trials and small street bikes, Sherco have come a long way since 1998 - Owner Marc Tessier has also recently bought back Scorpa - and is putting Sherco engines in those.

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With the HOT days and weeks of summer winding down, we can once again look ahead to some great riding in the Fall - there is nothing that beats an early morning trip in September or October in the Okanagan Vally.  - As many of you regular readers know, we are lucky to be able to get out on our Trials bikes pretty much year round.

Another advantage of visiting this area in the Fall, is the lack of Tourist Traffic, and also better rates on Motels & camping spots. - Of course many folk take the opportunity  to load up with fresh fruit and Okanagan wine, which is World Famous.

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IT’S NOW OFFICIAL - THE OUTLAW TRIAL IS POSTPONED UNTIL OCTOBER 9/11th ( Thanksgiving Long Weekend)

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Well Momma Bear got home last night from Alberta, so I’m looking forward to some good cooking once again - she said the smoke from the fires (in BC) was really thick in Alberta.

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As mentioned earlier - Will Duggan and Devon Dargis are in Ontario this weekend to ride the CMA Nationals - which should qualify them for the TDN - although you can never be sure.

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Chatted to Foordy last night, he will be heading to the Badlands tomorrow to ride the Beta at the Xtinction Enduro, being hosted by the Corner-Grass boys. He has even fitted new tires, so look out you guys.

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I see there are some pics on Facebook of the Vintage event last weekend in Ontario - Jeff Smith was the guest of honor, and looked to be wearing the same Can Am riding pants that he had on in 1986 at Moose Mountain.

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Our condolences go out to Steve Richardson, who lost his father recently - although I never met his Dad, I’m told he was a fine man and one of the best mechanics on the West Coast in his day.

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Because the virtual memory on my PC continues to be low, I will be deleting more old stuff from the files, so if you want to save anything, I suggest you do it quickly.

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The big story today is that we may be forced to postpone the Outlaw Trial because of the Xtreme Fire conditions in the Forestry - We have been monitoring the weather closely for the past week and with the forecast not showing any rain for  the next 14 day term, the outlook appears grim.

Please watch for a final decision on this by next Wednesday (25th) - I will post on this blog plus on Trials Canada ( we have already mentioned the situation on the front page)

If indeed we change the date - it will be held on the Thanksgiving Long Weekend of October 9/10/11th - not that this would be a bad thing, as the weather in the OK Valley is always great in the Fall.

Pete and myself will be out again today, working on the sections, and after so much hard graft, the last thing we want is a problem with a camp fire ban etc. - The Outlaw is always a big Social event and after the switch to the later date because of the WEC National, we really want  to continue this theme with as many riders as possible.

UPDATE !! - Just back from Summerland - Have posted a few more pics on the gallery  - VERY DRY DOWN THERE.
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“White Man Speak with Forked Tongue” - these could very well have been the words of James Stewart ( The MX not the movie star) - In a press release on the Cycle News site - Stewart claims the selection committee for the upcoming Moto X Des Nations Team, didn’t give him a fair shot. - He is however very Professional  in the news article. - Of course this type of hassle has been going on for years, and in all Countries, including Canada. - As far as the Trials scene goes, the history of who gets to ride has been well documented on Trials Canada, but essentially - you only get chosen, if you belong to the CMA and can afford to pay your own way, - I would suggest that the BEST Overall team for either the ISDE or the TDN has never been picked to represent Canada, in any given year - and maybe the same goes for other Countries. - It all comes down to money and Politics. -

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More News as it happens