If motorcycle trials riding could ever be referred to as a drug it would be class 'A', and I'm a full-blown addict. My problem stems from when I returned to the drug.... oop's I mean sport way back in 1999 with my addiction now riding an all time high, I love falling off my bike, getting caked in mud and drenched through with rain, what other sport offers so much discomfort but is so rewarding.

The trial on Sunday was a fantastic day for all riders and spectators, if you've ever ridden at Wainscott you will know rain and chalk are not the best of mix's, the dilemma for the poor old officials on the Saturday before the trial was the weather forecast said rain 'maybe', I'm guessing when I say this is what lead to the expert white route being laid out the way it was because it was the easiest I have ever ridden. Well done to all the officials and Gary Roberts the big Jessie for all your hard work on the Saturday.

The trial consisted of ten sections with four different routes; Section eight caught my attention by the vocal noise of a two-stroke engine saying "if you rev me any harder my pistons going smash out of this engine and into your lower private bits, It must have been Gary Roberts Montesa". When I finally arrived at section eight and walked maybe half of the section because I didn't want to wear the course away with my boots took a long look at where my bike needed to be for the up hill assaults, I toyed with the idea of using fourth gear but settled for third and big fist full's of revs - and so I began the screaming Montesa Gary Roberts section. If you attended the AGM meeting this year that Geoff Brooker hosted 'bless his little cotton socks', he said the key word to remember when trials riding is the word 'believe'. Yes, believe I will clean this section I said to myself and not bottle it. Belieeeeeeeve.... I set off positive, motivated and passed through the start gate the likes of Steve Colley could never hope to compete and ran the bike up to my first take-off point, picking the revs up I ran the bike slowly forward approximately 2 feet at which point I let the clutch lever out fully and at the same time nailed the throttle, the drive up the bank took me over two sets of roots about six feet apart and the best way I could think of getting over these was to float the front wheel. (This was the correct way of riding up this bank because I saw another rider try to run his front wheel over these roots and he came a cropper big style). After a short turn at the top I rode back down a very steep decent and into a gully driving up and out - next came the second big up hill drive which first meant you needed to drop back into the gully for the run up and then Belieeeeeeeeve.... again for the second time screaming the living granny out of my bike for what seemed a terrify climb to stand there and look at whilst walking around the section - I then turned sharp right at the top for the final time and ran back down and out for a CLEAN.
By Cliff Barnett 'MBT'