The ninth round of the 2023 Rockshocks Classic series hit its most northerly destination when Cumberland County MCC staged the Diane Shield Memorial Trial near Newcastleton, right on the English - Scottish border, and bucked the recent trend with a healthy entry of over 70 hopefuls.
Paul Norman was in charge and the Wobbler exceeded himself, extracting the maximum from the venue. It is a cracking piece of land but the long, steep, narrow gullies don't always lend themselves to dual routes. So Wobbler provided several individual sections just for the Expert classes to give them a challenge as the multiple big steps aren't really Clubman friendly. Similarly, there were several, easier, Clubman only sections. The system did require a couple of extra observers but allowed maximum use of the land.
Best ride on the Experts course - and winner of the Diane Shield Memorial Trophy - was fittingly Nick Shield's best pal Michael Irving, having ridden round with Nick all day, both Majesty Yamaha mounted in the Twinshock class.
Irv was on top form, dropping just 10 marks, half that of Dunfermline's Neil Dawson who finished runner-up, Dawsy enjoying his outing with pals Ian Shedden, Grant Adamson and Grant Smith.
Stu Gaskell took third place on his TY175, having recently blown the budget on electronic ignition, replacing its 40 year-old points ignition!
Nick Shield just missed out on a podium spot as did Yorkshire's Glen Scholey, three fives on the second lap of the 20 sections, not helping Glen's total on his RSC Honda four-stroke.
Lancashire's Chris Garlick had abandoned his BSA four-stroke for a switch to Air-cooled
Mono on a Fantic where he ran out a narrow Expert winner over Honda TLM260
mounted Roman Kyrnyckyj, Korky just two marks down but well ahead of third placed
Patrick Edwards on the TY Yam. Scot Michael McNiven was out on a Honda TLM260 -
there being no class for his usual Yam TYZ!
Expert Britshock saw Paul Dennis on the Bantam as the sole finisher in class, bagging
maximum Champs points after James Noble retired with a sick Cub and Robin Luscombe
had to give best after busting his hand - which on the following day he said was still
swollen and multi-coloured.
Largest Clubman class was Twinshock and it was series leader Derrick Edmondson again holding off all-comers on his Honda TLR. Derrick dropped just four marks to finish five ahead of a three-way tie for the minor placings.
It was series regular Dave Wardell on his Fantic who shaded Ian Cheetham who enjoyed another great ride on a very standard Bultaco. And in fourth was Luke Furness mounted on a rarely seen machine, an Armstrong two-stroke.
The Honda TLRs of championship chasing Mark Barrow and Michael Platts followed
in a very competitive class.
The usual suspects were out in force in Clubman Britshock and it was Darren Walker
on his 350 BSA having a winning ride, with a three mark buffer over regular rivals Chris
Myers, from Cumbria on the Tigress engined Tribsa and namesake but no relation, Ian
Myers from Wetherby on his Cub.
Clubman Air-cooled Mono produced a well deserved max points for Paul Norman, the
man who put so much work into the day. Wobbler was the sole A-C Mono rider in single
figures, just eight marks on the Fantic to pip Honda TLM mounted Steve Williams and
Cumberland County home rider Derek Wilson on his Yamaha.
Huge thanks to Wobbler, Leeroy and the rest of the team for a brilliant day's sport.
Rockshocks Classic Trials Championship Round 9: Cumberland County 06/08/2023
Report and Photographs by John Dickinson
