It’s nearly time for the eagerly awaited North Berks SuperTrial, now part of an ACU Series of SuperTrials, the first round being held back in June by Scarborough DMC which was won by Dan Peace followed by Jack Price and Dan’s younger brother Jack Peace taking the third step on the podium. Yeadon-Guisley DMC run the third and final round, The MacKenzie SuperTrial at Addingham Moorside, above Silsden in Yorkshire on the 28th August.
Back to the North Berks SuperTrial – As usual Stu and the team have had the heavy machinery in the Arena re-configuring the sections to test the World class riders that will be joining us again this year.
The Ladies take centre stage on the Saturday morning. Again, we have the country’s top riders. Emma Bristow will be looking to retain her title which she has held since the first ladies North Berks Arena Trial in 2014. Becky Cook won’t be taking part this year as she has turned to pedal power instead of motorbike and is currently travelling the World competing in the 2017 World Enduro Series with great success. Jess Bown will be trying her hardest to snatch the win, and the rest of the field will be trying their hardest to get on the podium.
This year we see Youth A class competing on the Saturday afternoon, these include all the up and coming young stars of the future and what a promising bunch, headed by current Trial125 2nd place man Billy Green. These young guys will not be afraid of hitting the big stuff, they all ride National and/or World level trials, so it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.
Last year, in the absence of James Dabill who has held the crown since 2009 with seven consecutive wins, we were treated to a spectacular battle for the top spot, which was finally won by Welshman Iwan Roberts, taking the glory from the ever popular Michael Brown who finished just three dabs down. The youngsters really stepped up, Jack Sheppard took third place, Jack Price forth and Dan Peace rounding out the top five positions.
What will happen this year? Dibs is back, so rest assured he will be 100% focused and determined to regain his title on the infamous technical rock sections of Seymours Arena. James is on good form, currently sitting in seventh place in the TrialGP World Championship after the USA round in July. James certainly has some stiff competition to deal with, Jack Price who is also competing in TrialGP currently stands in 13th position in the World Series and is heading the British Trials Championship so you can expect full on commitment from him as usual. Iwan Roberts is top of the Trial2 World Championship, Toby Martyn holds 4th place, Dan Peace in 6th and Jack Peace in 9th place in his first year in the Trial2 Championship after winning the 2016 Trial125 Series. Dec Bullock currently sits in 18th place in the standings. The rest of the field are competing at the highest level in the British Trials Championship so any one of them could come away with the win on the day.
The action gets underway at 10.00 on Saturday with the Ladies Arena Trial, followed by the Youth A Trial. The guys get started at 10.30 on the Sunday morning so make sure you’re here to see the action unfold.
Come for the weekend. There is free camping on the Friday and Saturday night, there’s always a great atmosphere in and around the Arena. Toilets and refreshments are on site and there will be plenty of trade stands on Sunday, including John Lee Motorcycles, BVM-Moto, SXS-TRS, Acklams Beta, John Shirt GasGas, so there is a great opportunity to purchase some new kit or even place an order for that new bike you’ve been promising yourself. Admission is £10 for adults, £5 for 5-16 year olds and under 5’s are free. Its a great family weekend so get it in your diary and make sure you get over to Seymours on 19/20 August.