British Trials Championship Round 6 Brimham Rocks, Yorkshire
James Dabill on board his Sandiford supported, Future TRW
Montesa Cota 4RT made a dramatic return to the British Solo
Trials Championship, when he snatched a thrilling last lap
victory on his first showing at the UK domestic series this
year. Dabill has been absent from the British scene due to
him concentrating on the Italian championship this season,
with many of the rounds clashing.
Desperate to put the disappointment of last weekend’s
poor result at his home GP behind him, James arrived at the
North Yorkshire venue with only a win on his mind. The close
and compact course of twelve sections, which were ridden three
times all had a similar theme with dry boulders set on a steep
wooded hillside being very much the order of the day.
The expected duel between Dabill and reigning British champion
Graham Jarvis, who currently heads this years’ series,
drew a good size crowd, who were not to be disappointed as
the two pre-event favourites finished the first lap locked
on seven marks apiece. However the favoured duo had strong
company in the form of newly crowned Junior World champion
Michael Brown who had completed the first lap on a score one
mark better than Dabill and Jarvis.
The three way battle soon became a straight head to head
between Brown and Dabill, as Jarvis failed to match the early
pace with two poor closing laps that would eventually demote
him to a distant fourth place. James had moved ahead come
the end of the second lap, with a lap total of just five marks,
which had come solely from his failure at the difficult fifth
section.
A solid dab at the same hazard on his third and final visit
and another awesome clean at the mighty slab in the equally
difficult sixth section looked to have sealed Dabill the win.
However an unexpected and soft five at section eight meant
it was an uncomfortable and tense close to the trial for James,
who would eventually take the victory by two marks from Brown.
“After last weekend it was important for me to bounce
back immediately with a good result. Having had Graham beat
me at Hawkstone, I thought he would be the main threat today,
but as it turned out it was Michael who pushed me right to
the wire.”
“A stupid mistake late on made it much closer than
I wanted, but thankfully I had still done enough to take an
important win ahead of the summer break.”
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