It was a nail-biting round again, at the penultimate round of the OSET ACU British Youth Trials Championship. As many watched results being posted, positions changed with every lap for the D-Class small wheels. Hoping to wrap up the championship was Welsh wonder, Lewis Hurdsman.
The lad from Chirk, North Wales rode his OSET 20.0 R to take second on the day – enough to secure the title British Small Wheel’s Champion.
Dad, Lance, said: “We’re absolutely made-up! It’ll be a great drive home tonight. The D-Class is full of great riders, but it was Lewis’s consistency that won it for him. He’s been on the podium at every round and we’re looking forward to riding in Derbyshire, knowing the championship is in the bag.”
Not so, for the riders behind Lewis, with everything still to play for between OSET riders, George Hemingway, who had a fantastic ride at Richmond – taking the win and Myles Hutchinson, who is always in the top five.
Just behind them, Alex Horne surprised everyone on the day to sit comfortably in third after the first lap – eventually finishing seventh after the tricky rock sections got the better of him.
Meanwhile OSET riders Jenson Jones stormed into a convincing sixth place, while Jasper Fox and Toby Shaw made the top 10.
Ian Smith, founder and CEO of OSET Bikes, said: “It’s three years on the bounce that OSET has taken the D-Class Small Wheels Championship and we are delighted for Lewis who we have seen riding OSET bikes competitively since the age of four.
“Like the two British D-Class Champions before him, he started riding at the first OSET Cup and has gone on to take the ultimate accolade – the number 1 rider in the country!”
Moving up a wheel size, it was another solid podium performance by Trials UK rider, Dominic Horne taking second place on the prototype medium-wheeled OSET 24.0. He has improved every round, closing the gap on series leader Ashton Brightmore. These two are a league apart from the chasing pack.
If anyone was in any doubt of the transition from electric to petrol, the C-Class medium wheels podium, should kick that argument into the long grass for good as Harry Turner, Henry Stephenson and Harry Hemingway – all OSET graduates - enjoyed the top three places. The three H’s are OSET veterans and are now the ones to beat on fossil-fuelled machines.
Ian Smith, added: “It was at this same venue last year that Harry Hemingway won the D-Class small wheels from Harry T by one dab that came down to the last section of the last lap. It’s serendipity that this is the venue where Harry T not only took the win but the championship. It’s definitely going to be fun to watch all three of these boys as they progress through the bike sizes, as there’s little between them!”
Biting at their heels will be Lewis and Dominic, both of whom move up to C-Class for 2016.