Below is an interesting report on the 2003 Scottish – courtesy Trial Mag UK – You might see a familiar name in the results. – But is it an American?
The 2003 Scottish Six Days Trial winner Joan Pons (ESP) will be competing in the 2025 Two Day Costa Brava trial Trial CostaBravaTrials Magazine
The popular Spanish rider Amos Bilbao had taken victory in the Scottish Six Days Trial on the two-stroke Montesa Cota 315 in 2002. In 2003 he was back to defend his title, but it was to be another Spanish rider who would take the victory just over 20 years ago. That rider was on the Sherco entered as a privateer, Joan Pons. He was not exactly unknown, having reached the heights of world number three in 1994. With no hotel organised Joan Pons prepared for the week accommodated in the Sherco race truck. Kinlochleven-based rider Gary MacDonald (Sherco-GBR) moved into the lead on the Thursday, maybe he was about to rewrite history but it was not to be as, in a very close finish, it was late entrant Joan Pons from Spain who took a very narrow victory from Ben Hemingway (Beta-GBR). MacDonald dropped to third to finish just in front of the previous year’s winner Amos Bilbao (Montesa-ESP). As a new motorcycle trials manufacturer, Sherco had appeared in 2000 and had started to put the infrastructure in place to challenge the trials world. Ex-world round rider Joan Pons had been taken on as the person to help to develop riders in its new Sherco academy. One of the riders was a very young Gary MacDonald but he was outpointed by his master as Pons hit the Scottish Six Days Trial for the first time, with the Sherco rider taking win.
Words: John Hulme – Pictures: Eric Kitchen
Results Special First Class Awards
1: Joan Pons (Sherco-ESP) 26; 2: Ben Hemingway (Beta) 28; 3: Gary MacDonald (Sherco) 31; 4: Amos Bilbao (Montesa-ESP) 32; 5: Dan Thorpe (Gas Gas) 36; 6: Steve Colley (Gas Gas) 36; 7: Bruno Camozzi (Gas Gas-FRA) 38; 8: Wayne Braybrook (Montesa) 41; 9: Sam Connor (Sherco) 42; 10: Joe Baker (Sherco) 55; 11: Andy Huddleston (Montesa) 55; 12: Dan Hemingway (Beta) 57; 13: James Lampkin (Montesa) 62; 14: John R Shirt (Gas Gas) 65; 15: Sam Ludgate (Beta) 66; 16: Steve Saunders (Gas Gas) 70; 17: Harold Crawford (Gas Gas) 75; 18: Tom Sagar (Beta) 76; 19: Christophe Bruand (Scorpa-FRA) 78; 20: John Lampkin (Beta) 80; 21: Martin Crosswaite (Scorpa) 80; 22: Takumi Narita (Scorpa-JPN) 83; 23: Ryan Bell (Gas Gas-USA) 83; 24: Philip Alderson (Sherco) 84; 25: Adam Norris (Beta) 84; 26: Dan Clarke (Scorpa) 85; 27: Frederic Bochet (Sherco-FRA) 87; 28: Roger Williams (Beta) 88; 29: Roger Mount (Gas Gas) 90; 30: James Dabill (Scorpa) 93; 31: Juan Knight (Gas Gas) 100; 32: Carles Casas (Montesa-ESP) 101; 33: Aran Drachenberg (Beta) 101; 34: Chris Huddleston (Montesa) 102; 35: Stephen Dixon (Beta) 104; 36: Mark Jackson (Montesa) 104; 37: Richard Gaskell (Montesa) 108; 38: Gregory Eyries (Scorpa-FRA) 108; 39: Fumitaka Nozaki (Scorpa-JPN) 111; 40: Sean Conway (Montesa) 111; 41: Wilson Craig (Gas Gas) 114; 42: James Noble (Montesa) 115; 43: Gavin Johnston (Beta) 123; 44: Chris Pearson (Sherco) 124; 45: Dominique Guillaume (Scorpa-CHE) 124; 46: David Pye (Sherco) 126; 47: Miquel Vergel (Gas Gas-ESP) 127; 48: Chris Curtis (Beta) 132; 49: Tony Kaye (Sherco) 133; 50: Adrian Harry (Beta) 139; 51: Tom Norton (Beta) 142.
Machines: Beta 13; Gas Gas 11; Montesa 10; Sherco 9; Scorpa 8.
Countries: GBR: 39; ESP: 4; FRA: 4; JPN 2; CHE 1; USA 1.
Best Newcomer: Joan Pons (Sherco-ESP)
Best Foreign Rider: Joan Pons (Sherco-ESP)
Best Services Rider: Andy Huddleston (Montesa)
Best Over 40: John Lampkin (Beta)
Best Lady Rider: Iris Kramer (Gas Gas-GER)
Best Up To 200cc: Martin Crosswaite (Scorpa)
Best 201cc–250cc: Joan Pons (Sherco-ESP)
Best Over 250cc: Ben Hemingway (Beta)
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Answer to the last quiz – Diego Bosis the great World Class rider, who left us too soon. – Brett, Pete Varey and Harlow – got it early.
Quiz today – Guess who?
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Yesterday, being Remembrance Day, we spent very quietly, watched the various services from all over the World – and later watched a couple of movies movies related to these horrific times in our history. -The one “Patten” featuring George C Scott I thought was well produced, with great acting, and it reminded me that many years ago, while at a large Lawn & Garden Show in Louieville -Kentucky, I visited Fort Knox, where they have the truck used by Patten in Europe – all very interesting, but I regret not taking any photographs.
“Lest we forget”
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