Rockshocks Classic Trials Championship Round 1: Congleton and DMCC 17/03/2024
Report and Photographs by John Dickinson
The new look five round 2024 Rockshocks Classic Trials Championship got underway on Sunday, March 17, hosted
by the Congleton club at their well known Mow Cop venue, high above the Cheshire town. A cracking entry of almost
140 riders had eagerly awaited the start of the series, staged at the setting of the very first Classic Championship
round back in 2014.
But following a seemingly never ending period of wet weather, culminating in long
periods of overnight rain, the Mow Cop hillside was the muddiest that the series has
ever seen! Although the Congleton club faithful have no doubt seen it like this before
and I personally recall a very muddy Mow Cop mudbath back in the old SEBAC
Twinshock series days!
Whatever, everyone got parked and everyone got underway including - eventually -
some unfortunates who had got stuck in a traffic jam following a bad accident on the
M62.
The formatted classes were as established which has been refined to Air-cooled Mono, Twinshock and Pre-75
Britshock. BUT following several years of very low entries in the Expert Britshock, for 2024 the Expert Britshocks
were incorporated into the Twinshock Championship. Clubman continued with healthy entries in all three classes.
So what happened on the day? Well, basically the two laps of 20 sections turned into
something of a war of attrition with the enemy being endless, slippery MUD - including
between sections - although at least the weather bucked-up and observers were able to stay
dry and enjoy their day.
The 32 Expert entries relished the challenge with just seven retirements and as expected
witnessed the bulk of the field in Air-cooled Mono and Twinshock.
Best score was posted by Miles Jones who has won both the Britshock Championship (on a Triumph Cub) and
Twinshock (Honda TLR) but this year is targetting the Expert Air-cooled Mono title on a Honda RTL. Miles dropped just
40 marks, which was a good score on a difficult day but Bristol's Scotty Cameron pushed him close on the Fantic
twinshock.
There was actually little between the A-CMs and Twinshocks, the difference on he day definitely down to the rider.
To many, riding in mud is a black art but to watch a mud-master clean what looks an impossible section is something
else.
Reigning Air-cooled Mono Champ Roman Kyrnyckyj (TLM 260) certainly has the skills and
his powerful ride on the muddy penultimate sub on the first lap was awesome. Also keeping
his score in the 40s was London based Chris Koch who informed us that the mud 'down
south' was 'different' to that at Mow Cop!
Although the Britshock class is now incorporated with the Twinshock there was actually a
close battle between Harry Bowyer on the rasping little Triumph Tigress twin, Nigel Scott on
Gerry Minshall's James and Rob Bowyer's well known Triumph twin. Unfortunately Liam
Robinson retired his Greeves - with re-built motor - with just four sections to go.
All three Clubman classes were well supported with the lowest Clubman score going to
Twinshock winner - and reigning class Champ - Derrick Edmondson. Derrick used his multi
skill-set to maximum effect to master the conditions on his sweet-running TLR200. Again it
was a close-fought class with James Lamin just five marks behind Eddy while Thomas White
completed the podium.
Pete Ruscoe bossed the Air-cooled Monos in what was a Honda dominated 1-2-3. Pete and
third placed Steve Williams, mounted on two-stroke TLM260s, sandwiching Tony Rimmer's
TLM200.
Britshock saw Bantams rule the roost, Tim Blackmore in great form to take a clear-cut
maximum points from Paul Howells and Devon's ever present Martin Gilbert.
The Clubman rate of attrition was high with 24 retirements, some machine related
some with rider problems.
Massive thanks to the Congleton club faithful, Martin Beech and co, who battled the
weather and made the very best of what they had to work with.
