80th PERCE SIMON TROPHY TRIAL

The 80th running of the Perce Simon Trophy Trial, the third oldest trial in the UK after the Scottish Six Days and the Scott Trial attracted a strong expert entry, keen to win the cash prizes on offer provided by six time winner Sammy Miller who was on duty as official starter. More importantly the experts wanted to get their name on the famous trophy which boasts a ‘who’s who’ of British Trials as previous winners including Gordon Jackson, Malcolm Rathmell and John Lampkin. The club reverted to presenting the trophy to the best expert in 2022 instead of the best Pre65 rider which has been in place for the past 13 years. The Ringwood club excelled themselves with new sections cut out, added to regular favourites on the three laps of twelve sections, rain showers challenged the riders as conditions at certain sections changed from lap to lap. 

In the experts, starting from section 1, Will McBain and Matthew McDonald set out their intention to compete for the prizes being the only two riders to open up with cleans, managing to climb over a very slippery angled wood step to exit the section.  Four time winner Andrew Blackman was back to challenge for a fifth win to make him second behind Miller in the honour’s list but he  started with a dab, whilst Ben Lovelace who had been unbeatable at Ringwood in 2022 surprisingly lost a five. At the end of the first lap McBain was on four, MacDonald and Blackman on five, and young Joe Snelling on nine. McBain was in tremendous form, losing two on lap two and registering a clean third lap, his dominance was shown on section 11 where a climb over a huge tree trunk uphill caught out many of the top group who fell backwards off the trunk, but McBain recorded three cleans with an explosive climb on to the trunk, braking to keep the back wheel on top in order to make the sharp right turn out of the end gate, pure class for a five mark win and putting his name on the famous  trophy. McDonald lost one and Blackman two whilst Snelling also impressed with three cleans one the section. McDonald  finished 3-3, and Blackman 3-3, he  lost two on the sandy climb on the last section which cost him second place. The impressive Snelling held onto fourth. Former double Perce winners Kev Nolan and Wayne Holdsworth circulated together trading places in the clubman experts. Holdsworth made a slow start opening up with 9-7 on the first two laps and couldn’t catch up with Nolan who had 4-4 followed by eight on the third lap. Holdsworth finished with a good lap of three but couldn’t catch Nolan. Third placed Nick Hosford completed a good season taking the Clubman Expert Southern Centre Championship. Paul Doney topped the strong clubman field by three from Alex Penrice. Mark Elms finished fourth giving him enough points to take the centre championship from leader Graham King. Wayne Geary dropped down a class after finding the mud of last year’s Hamer Warren event challenging, he topped the sportsman class with an excellent ride for two, but it was Ian Wakeford on his Fantic Twinshock who produced the one of only two clean trials in winning the Twinshock C class. Mark Owen who was runner up to Geary took the sportsman championship on his aged 370cc GasGas ahead of brother Scott, Mark raised a few eyebrows on some of the more challenging sections, the suspension certainly showing it’s age. Local rider John Miles on his trusty BSA Bantam finished five ahead of Neil Clarke on the DOT in Pre65 C. It was closer in Pre65 D with Trevor Newell getting within one mark of championship winning Jim Gray but having to settle for second. On the D route Jason Colein produced the second clean trial dropping down a class for this event he finished one ahead of Danny Orr. In the Youths, National Youth B rider Taylor Burnell produced a spectacular performance on the B route to top the Youth B on forty five whilst National Youth C rider Mason Tidd produced a polished ride for nine, fifteen ahead of David James, Burnell and James took the centre championships. NJ Hyde was Youth D winner from Jack Holdsworth out on a new 125cc GasGas and Thomas Tidd impressive in his first season riding an Oset. Sam Hosford on his Oset and Tommy Wakeford on his 50cc petrol Sherco completed the strong class.

Having lost the car parking at the traditional ‘muddy’ Hamer Warren site, Ringwood produced a Perce Simon with ‘different’ challenges which was appreciated by the bumper 122 entries!

Results - The top six

Expert A: Will McBain (Vertigo) 6, Matthew McDonald (Vertigo) 11, Andrew Blackman (Beta) 11, Joe Snelling (GasGas) 20, Ben Lovelace (Beta) 24, Tom McCabe (GasGas) 29

Clubman Expert: Kev Nolan (Vertigo) 16, Wayne Holdsworth (GasGas) 19, Nick Hosford (Montesa) 33, Bailey Tibbs (Beta) 51, Rob Hoyles (GasGas) 60, Lenny Tidd (Beta) 62.

Clubman B: Paul Doney (GasGas) 15, Alex Penrice (GasGas) 18, Wayne Vincent (Montesa) 21, Mark Elms (Beta) 23, Derek Francis (TRS) 26, Martin Kilbey (TRS) 26

Youth B: Taylor Burnell (GasGas) 45, Harrison Crickmore (Beta) 65, Adam Kilbey (TRS) 101

Sportsman C: Wayne Geary (Scorpa) 2, Mark Owen (GasGas) 3, Scott Owen (GasGas) 6, Ben Bowdidge (Beta) 18, Ivan Stainforth (Montesa) 18, Andy Gregory (Beta) 19.

Veteran C: Tony Chalk (TRS) 5, Mick Treagus (GasGas) 6, Simon Thornhill (Scorpa) 7, Chris Guppy (Vertigo) 9, Adam Hardy (Montesa) 10, Simon Dean (Beta) 11, Andy Somerton (GasGas) 11.

Twinshock C: Ian Wakeford (Fantic) 0, Kev Downer (Fantic) 2, Dave Renham (Fantic) 7, Martin Medcraff (Beta) 11, Philip Martin (Bultaco) 14, Stephen Forrest (Bultaco) 19

Pre65 C: John Miles (Bantam) 20, Neil Clarke (DOT) 25, Bob Hampton (BSA) 33, Nick Woolley (Ariel) 35 

Youth C: Mason Tidd (Beta) 9, David James (GasGas) 24, Ollie Barr (TRS) 41 

Beginner D: Jason Colein (Sherco) 0, Danny Orr (Montesa) 1, Guy Monk (TRS) 3, Steve Wagstaff (Sherco) 6, Lloyd James (Honda) 9, Chris Burnell (Honda) 16.

Twinshock D: Karen Clarke (BSA) 11, Mike Popperwell (Honda) 12, Geoff Parker (Fantic) 24

Pre65 D: Jim Gray (Ariel) 8, Trevor Newell (Royal Enfield) 9, 

Youth D: Noah James Hyde (Beta) 10, Jack Holdsworth (GasGas) 19, Thomas Tidd (Oset) 30, Sam Hosford (Oset) 42, Tommy Wakeford (Sherco) 54

Thank you to Andy Withers / Awsportsphoto for the report and pictures.