Forty years on the Richmond Motor Club’s unique Youth Time and Observation Mintex Trial goes from strength to strength. The fact that entries have been pouring in recent weeks for the trial on June 23rd bears out the level of interest for what is probably the only time and observation event for youths in Europe.
In those early days the trial took place at Moor House Farm, Marske. Moor House was the venue for eleven years. Grassington’s Glen Scholey won the first trial. Big names in trialling followed such as Gerald Richardson, Tony Scarlett, Blackie Holden jnr, plus double winners Steve Reynolds and Nathan Cannell.
Changes were implemented in 1990. The time aspect was taken out after concerns about health and safety issues. Over the following nineteen years the trial ran as a youth trial and occupied land at Ballowfields, Carperby and Healaugh.
The trials ran observation only and the entry numbers dropped off for no apparent reasons. The winds of change arrived at gale force in the summer of 2009 when Nathan Stones climbed into the driving seat as Clerk of Course. The Arkengarthdale agricultural and sports turf contractor literally shifted the event into his back garden, or near.
The legendary Scott Trial section Bridge End became the launch pad for the Mintex Trial. The blast up the steep heather clad moor from the start was the right recipe for reintroduction of the time factor. Seldom had those youngsters utilised the last third of the throttle. Pure bliss - albeit a few seized engines.
New pastures beckoned for 2010, to Hurst and School Master Pasture. Right on the Scott Trial route of the seventies and eighties. And the names? Richard Sadler, Jack Price, Tom Minta, Toby Martyn, Sam Yeadon and one Class B youngster by the name of Billy Bolt who won outright in only his second attempt. Last year Bellerby teenager Ryan Brown won the coveted Mintex Trophy. His attack up the waterfall rocks at Ridleys was spectacular on lap one and even more on lap two.
The national status implemented by Nathan Stones brought in tyre giants Michelin on board. The company supplied prized tyres. Ryan Brown won three Michelin tyres. His father Peter was certainly smiling as he guarded £300 worth of rubber.
The names entered to date on the Chris Wallis list includes Harry Hemingway, Jack Dance, Liz Tett, Chris Barnett and Kilmarnock‘s Jamie Simpson. The format for the trial is unchanged with two twenty-mile laps and thirty observed section and time plays a major role in who wins. In other words, half a Scott Trial and more or less on the same terrain as the legendary October event.