For the third day in a row, not only did the sun continue to shine, but the defending champion Dougie Lampkin - Vertigo kept his feet firmly on the footrests to record yet another faultless performance and continues to hold the lead at the halfway stage of the 2017 Scottish Six Days Trial (SSDT). Despite now also qualifying for the Over-40 class at the age of forty-one, Lampkin continues to show his winning appetite for this iconic event even after having won on a record ten previous occasions.
As is the case every year, the winner at the end of six long and gruelling days of holding the handlebars will be a worthy one, and it is a feat that Spanish rider Jordi Pascuet - Gas Gas continues to pursue as he sits just three marks back from Lampkin after he added two marks to his tally today. Whilst Pascuet is using his experience to keep in contention, 2016 FIM Trial World Cup winner Jack Price - Gas Gas can count on his experience far less at the tender age of nineteen as he remains locked on three marks overall with his Spanish rival and in third place for the week to date.
Suffolk’s Jack Sheppard - Beta matched Lampkin’s and Price’s clean performance on day three to move up to an interim fourth spot on a total of four marks, a score matched overall by teenager Thomas Minta - Gas Gas who continues to impress on his SSDT debut. Scotland’s lone flag flyer in the higher order, Gary Macdonald - Scorpa very much remains in the mix in sixth position following his single dab ride today.
Michael Brown - Gas Gas delivered his best showing of the week thus far as he was one of the five riders to stay clean on the day and remains in touch with the leaders despite currently sitting in seventh place. Sam Connor - Beta, the last of the contenders still with a single figure tally overall, followed by Andy Chilton - Scorpa and Sam Haslam - Gas Gas occupy eighth, ninth and tenth places respectively as the mid-point in the 2017 SSDT was reached.
In addition to the main prize, the campaigns for the other awards remain work in progress with three days still to go. Thomas Minta continues to excel at the top of the Newcomer class, with Jack Peace - Gas Gas having now moved into second spot after having dropped just eight marks today. Gary Macdonald’s chance of retaining his crown as best Scottish rider remains as strong as ever as he continues to feature high up the overall order. Emma Bristow again increased her lead in the Female division, and whilst Dougie Lampkin cannot yet be certain of the main prize, he looks clear favourite to lift the Over 40 award come the end of the week.
Day four will break with the traditional Thursday route and will see the action kick off at Leanachan ahead of moving on to Laggan Locks before then following a route normally associated with Tuesday, as Witches and Trotters Burn will bring to a close the longest day of the week.
Day Three Results can be found here -
http://www.ssdt.org/docman/2017-ssdt-daily-results/245-2017-ssdt-day-three-provisional-results