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LEGEND
ORIOL PUIG BULTÓ PRE-65 TRADITIONAL
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Summer 2022
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Advertising Manager Lisa Reeves lisa@trialmag.com Editorial Staff Matthew Heppleston, Heath Brindley, Justyn Norek Snr, Justyn Norek Jnr, Nick Shield and John Moffat. Photographers Barry Robinson, Malcolm Carling, John Shirt Snr, Colin Bullock, Cyrille Barthe, Eric Kitchen, Alan Vines, Toon van de Vliet, Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright, The Nick Nicholls Collection at Mortons Archive, Don Morley, Motorcycle News and Brian Holder. Proof reading Jane Hulme and Davina Brooks Design and Production Dean Cook The Magazine Production Company www.magazineproduction.com Printing: Buxtons Press © 2022 CJ Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publishers. Great care is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication, but neither CJ Publishing Ltd or the editor can be held responsible for its contents. The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Publishers. Classic Trial Magazine is published by: CJ Publishing Limited, registered in England Number: 5947718. Classic Trial Magazine: ISSN: 2049-307X 4
Front Cover: Oriol Puig Bulto – Credit: Mike Rapley Summary Picture: 1982 SSDT: Steve Monk, John Hulme and Joe Buckworth. Trials Media
Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
Welcome • Classic Trial Magazine
WELCOME
FEATURES
INTERNATIONAL
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DEVELOPMENT
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COMPARISON
36
SIDECAR
46
LEGEND
54
ONE MOMENT
66
TRADITIONAL
70
VINTAGE VINES
88
Pre-65 Scottish Seeley Honda
1988 Beta V Fantic
Winner – Phil Granby Oriol Puig Bulto Mark Kemp
1982 Scottish Six Days Trial 1972 Inter Centre Team Trial
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Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
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Classic Trial Magazine • Summer 2022
15
International • Pre-65 Scottish
MAGIC MACDONALD PRE-65 SCOTTISH
Classic Trials Magazine editor John Hulme is an organised individual, and he booked me to cover the Pre-65 Scottish Trial some months before the event. I reminded him that this was my 44th visit to the Scottish Six Days and that I have also been to every one of the Pre-65 trials held at the same time! Of those 44 visits, I have written reports and taken pictures at 43 of them, including my first in 1964; the photos appeared in this magazine earlier this year. I also took the opportunity to nag him that as well as writing for my former employer, Trials and Motocross News, I have also written about the festival for the Hondaway magazine of the early ’80s, Cycle News in the USA and for the magazine in France, Moto Journal and, I guess, other titles that have escaped my memory. So what is the point of these two opening paragraphs of blather, you may rightly ask – which my Editor insists I use? Well, frankly, not much; suffice to say that over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to report on close finishes at the Pre-65 Scottish, but few as close as this year’s event turned out to be. Words: Mike Rapley and John Hulme • Pictures: Trials Media, Sandy Plenty, Eric Kitchen, Judy MacDonald and REH Forks
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Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
Pre-65 Scottish • International
Best Newcomer: Joel Gowan (BSA)
N
Ben Butterworth (Ariel)
o doubt readers will have read or heard, by the time they get round to reading this, that Kinlochleven based resident, Gary Macdonald, won the trial with the loss of a single mark from Joel Gowan, who also lost just a single mark. Still, perhaps dear reader, you are unaware that the tie decider went down to the furthest clean, with Gowan losing his single mark just one section earlier than Macdonald. That is a close finish in anybody’s book after all the other decision-deciding rules were taken into account, and arguably as close as any previous Pre-65 Scottish Trials have been in the past, despite many of them being tied results.
200-STRONG ENTRY
The reason is that the trial reverted to being a single loop for the 200-strong entry, the figure-of-eight format used for many a long time being discarded in favour of the riders all setting off at one-minute intervals and riding the same section order for all. This was the organising Edinburgh and District Club decision, undertaken for two reasons: One, to ensure the observers didn’t have to endure a long wait between the first half of the field finishing before the second half arrived, which at times has been up to two hours; secondly, to ensure that if there is a tie, the furthest clean could be the decider, which in this case proved to be a prophetic decision.
Russell Rooksby (Ariel)
Classic Trial Magazine • Summer 2022
Best Over 350cc & Best Performance Day Two: James Noble (Ariel)
Best Up To 200cc: Chris Greenwood (BSA)
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Development • Seeley Honda
FOUR-STROKE FASCINATION SEELEY HONDA
Classic Trial Magazine has opened the door to so many interesting articles. This one is no different from how it came about, but, as always, it includes that vital ingredient: motorcycle enthusiasts. When Mike Rapley called to inform me, he had found some old negatives at home, which included the original press photographs for the Seeley Honda. So I thought about getting this piece of the Honda trials story into the magazine, but how could I make this four-stroke fascination come to life, considering certain information would be missing? Then, a few months later, a phone call from an old friend Trevor Kemp was a breath of fresh air, allowing me to bring this feature to life. Further information on the Anglo-Japanese machine was researched, and before long, we had a fascinating story coming to fruition. With the words and support from Trevor, I could start to date relative pictures. As well as my regular photographic contributors, I started to scan the many Alan Vines pictures I had. Lo and behold, some superb, unseen pictures were found from the early days. Then, good old Eric ‘‘EK’’ Kitchen came up with some colour shots from 1980 to support the ones from the other contributors. Words: John Hulme with Trevor Kemp • Pictures: Steve Bird, Barry Robinson, Erik Kitchen, Alan Vines, Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright, Trevor Kemp Collection, Jimmy Young
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At the 2006 Scottish Motorcycle Show Colin Seeley, seen here at the front sat on the machine, was interviewed by a Seeley Honda trials fan, John Moffat.
Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
Seeley Honda • Development
Wanted – If Honda had produced this four-stroke HRC trials model, ridden by Rob Shepherd in 1979, it would have sold out immediately.
1980: Kiyo Hattori’s arrival from Japan put the Seeley Honda in the spotlight; he was very entertaining, to say the least…
1980: Trevor Kemp was heavily involved with the Seeley Honda trials project.
A
s we are all aware, photographs tell a thousand words, and it was the ones supplied by Steve Bird, taken by his late father, reminded me of when I rode in the 1980 SSDT in the company of Eddy Lejeune on the 250 Seeley Honda. I was on the John E Shirt supplied 320 Majesty Yamaha. We had a brilliant time. Recalling one of my funniest moments is when Eddy asked me the lines in some of the sections — Eddy, asking me, John Hulme, which line to take? We had a super week, and Eddy just beat me. During the week, his staple diet was Belgian waffles topped with a wide range of Belgian chocolates, and he was more than happy to share them! Most of the words in this feature came from Trevor Kemp, but I’ve also added some of my memorable notes surrounding the Seeley Honda. Here, Trevor takes up the story. Classic Trial Magazine • Summer 2022
HONDA UK
My involvement in Honda trials machines began a few months after joining Honda UK as an area field manager. Later in my working life with the company, I was also involved in the off-road planning committee as a representative for Honda UK with the manufacturer in Japan. Unfortunately, after leaving the John Banks Honda Centre to start work at Honda UK, I lost my sponsored Bultaco ride that came through the dealership. Jim Sandiford, the official Montesa UK importer, had wanted me to ride a Montesa through the John Banks Honda Centre, but it never worked out due to the dealership’s commitment to Comerfords. With my new work position in place, he kindly loaned me a new Montesa Cota 348 that had just been launched when I moved to Honda UK. As well as the Montesa importers, at that time, Jim was also a multi-franchise dealer for many brands, including Honda. After winning several trials in the Eastern and South Midland Centres, Sandiford’s placed a ‘‘Montesa success’’ advert in which I was featured. This advert came to the notice of our Sales and Marketing Director’s desk; he got 27
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35
Comparison • Beta vs Fantic
BETA VS FANTIC
ITALIAN S
During the long 1988 FIM World Trials Championship season, it would be challenging to find a winner, event after event, and predict who would arrive after the final event as the victor. It was not just a competition about the riders but also about the machines they were riding and developing to be at the cutting edge of the sport and pick up the ultimate accolade of world champion. The machines were prepared by Italian technicians in Italy; the first built-in Barzago, Brianza and the second in Rignano sull’Arno, close to Firenze. The two machines chosen to fight for the title were the Fantic 303 series 2 versus the Beta TR34. The technician and rider for Fantic would be Dario Seregni and Donato Miglio, and for Beta, it would be Fabio Viscardi and Jordi Tarres. As a mark of respect, we also remember the technician-and-rider combination who were developing the Aprilia TX 312. Ettore Baldini was the technician, and Diego Bosis was the rider, who both passed away well before their time. Words: Originally written by Christian Valeri, it is supported by Dario Seregni, Donato Miglio, Steve Saunders, Jordi Tarres, Fabio Viscardi and John Hulme • Pictures: Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright, Infotrial.it, Toon Van Da Vliet, Eric Kitchen and Photo Trial
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Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
Beta vs Fantic • Comparison
TALLIONS
T
he Fantic 303 and Beta TR34 were the second-generation models after their launch in 1987. Moving into 1988, they were the evolution of two proven motorcycles. Machines coming from Italian manufacturers were leading the way in development, and rider skills from both Michaud and Tarres pushed the boundaries of the sport into a new era. The 1988 FIM World Trials Championship would turn into a titanic battle between the French rider Thierry Michaud (Fantic) and Spain’s new trials superstar Jordi Tarres (Beta), which would go all the way to the final of the twelve rounds, held in Poland. Classic Trial Magazine • Summer 2022
Thierry Michaud was loyal to Fantic after its troubled years in the mid-80s and had given them world titles in 1985 and 1986 on the new generation single-shock model. On the other hand, Jordi Tarres was the new superstar, with one focus for him and the Beta: the world championship. In 1987, he was on fire with his dynamic riding — he and the Beta won seven of the 12 rounds as Diego Bosis on the Aprilia pushed Michaud onto the podium’s final step. Fantic were on a mission in 1988 as Donato Miglio joined both Michaud and Great Britain’s Steve Saunders in the factory team. 37
Winner • Sidecar 1968
SIDECAR 1968
GRANBY’S CLAIM TO FAME
When you have known someone pretty much all your life, you tend to miss things from the early days that you did not know about as a young boy. It’s only when you talk to them in later life you realise you don’t know as much about them as you thought! It was the case of Phil Granby, whom my father, Ron, had known for many years. I had always associated Phil with sidecar trials when he was the passenger for the late Alan Morewood, who passed away in 2020, but as an eight-year-old, they were just more of my father’s motorcycling friends. I was attending a motorcycling celebration ten years ago when I saw Phil Granby wearing a nice jacket with a pinned shiny badge. I jokingly asked him what it was, and he said quite modestly it was an award from when he was a British Trials Champion. Really? In 1968, the sidecar pairing of Alan Morewood and Phil Granby had won the ACU British Sidecar Trials Championship, amongst some pretty good riders. It was time to learn more about Phil Granby’s claim to fame. A chat at the Pre-65 Scottish where Phil was observing revealed more. Words: John Hulme with Phil Granby • Pictures: Alan Vines, Yoomee Archive and Trials Media
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Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
Sidecar 1968 • WInner
John Douglas Trial
ACU BRITISH SIDECAR TRIALS CHAMPIONS
1968 was a disruptive year in Great Britain as the Foot and Mouth disease had created many problems, including a late start to the ACU British Sidecar Trials Championship. Believe it or not, it was a difficult day travelling through the snow to the first round on 6th May, the Knut Trial. Starting the year with a win was a huge confidence booster; it was the start of a winning combination for Alan Morewood and Phil Granby. They took the title in style on 20th October with six wins from six starts at the Welsh Trophy. With two rounds remaining, they were 32 points in front of Roy Bradley and Christine Bull (500 Ariel). In round seven, the Kickham Trial, they were beaten in a close battle by Roy Bradley but came back to win the final round, the second running of the Knut Trial in December, in front of 21 other sidecar riders. Phil Granby: “They were fantastic times and ones I still treasure, but life was certainly very different in 1968 to what it is now. We used to travel to events in Alan’s Volvo, complete with the Ariel on the trailer behind. The deal we agreed on for all the trials we competed in was to split the fuel; we both paid for our own food and accommodation. “I was working as a JCB digger driver earning £12 a week, but it was money well spent for the amount of fun we had. It was strange being a passenger; Alan was a very good solo rider in his own right, but as the saying goes: ‘A passenger can make a good driver better, but he cannot make a bad driver good.’ We worked well together and never really argued; we just got on Classic Trial Magazine • Summer 2022
with the enjoyment. “I had met my first wife, Lorraine Keeling, at the end of the 1968 season. Having won so much, I decided to call it a day. I was saving for a deposit for a house and getting married; that was where my priority lay. “Alan and I remained good friends right up until he passed away. I still enjoy my
motorcycling as much as ever, and I can be found most weekends at a trial somewhere in the country. “I still attend the Pre-65 Scottish and the Six Days Trial with my second wife Liz as well as many other national trials, but I do not compete anymore; we both just enjoy the friendship the sport brings.”
British Experts Trial
47
Legend • Oriol Puig Bultó
THE BULTACO GENTLEMAN ORIOL PUIG BULTÓ
During the ‘70s and ‘80s, Barcelona was the nerve centre of motorcycling in Spain and the sport of trials worldwide. Bultaco, Montesa and Ossa had their factories in the metropolitan area, and the city was abuzz with the comings and goings of riders, technicians, importers and journalists. This is how my friend Michel d’Awans, the renowned Belgian journalist, defined it in such important magazines as Moto Journal and Moto Revue in Europe. Michel explained that whenever he needed an article, he asked the editorial office for permission to travel to Barcelona for a few days. His base was the Hotel Colón in the heart of Las Ramblas, wherefrom he would arrange visits to the factories, photograph some prototypes and conduct an interview or two, always returning to Paris with a lot of material to publish and some ‘scoop’ to be printed at an international level. On one of these trips at the beginning of 1981, Michel decided to test the two official motorcycles, rivals par excellence: the Bultaco Sherpa 340 prototype, in the hands of Finland’s Yrjo Vesterinen, and the white Montesa Cota 349 of Manuel Soler. During 1981 both riders had exchanged factories, and ‘Vesty’s’ return to Bultaco was quite an event in the trials world. For the occasion, Michel convinced the two Team Managers, Bultaco’s Oriol Puig Bultó and Montesa’s Oriol Guixà, to meet Manuel and Vesty in Sant Feliu de Codines, the homeland of the Tres Dies dels Cingles. When I was looking through my Moto Journal collection, searching for some data, what opened my hands was an interesting article published in February 1981 in Moto Journal magazine. At that moment, I had the idea of trying to interview the two Team Managers 40 years later with the excuse of the article and review their professional career, which should reveal an infinity of curiosities. First, Oriol Puig Bulto. Words: Valentí Fontsere, John Hulme • Pictures: Oriol Puig Bulto Collection Bultaco, Eric Kitchen, Mike Rapley, Malcolm Carling
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Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
Oriol Puig Bultó • Legend
Oriol defended the brand right from the early Bultaco days. Here pictured in the famous endurance race, the Montjuic 24 Hours.
Sharing some time with the big boss and Oriol’s uncle Don Paco Bultó after the Trial de Presidentes in 1974. Don Paco was a big influence in Oriol’s career.
After road racing it’s time for scrambling. Oriol riding at Shrubland Park, Ipswich, in July 1961 with the first motocross prototype.
ORIOL PUIG BULTO, A BULTACO GENTLEMAN
Barcelona has changed a lot; it is no longer the city it was in the early ’80s, but it still has that attraction it once had when it comes to the world of trials. All the Spanish brands are still around, and many of the protagonists of the time still live there; however, some have unfortunately left us. Having Oriol Puig Bultó ten minutes from my home is a luxury. Two afternoons with him, a good coffee, and the invaluable collaboration of his charming wife Marta to search through the archives made it a pleasure. Oriol is the living memory of Bultaco, and conversing with him is like entering the Bultaco of the great days. When we say that Oriol Puig Bultó can explain the entire history of Bultaco to us, we say it since he was there from its foundation to its closure. There is no one better than him to tell us everything trial lovers want to know about Bultaco! So much has been written about Bultaco, but, as you are about to read, there are always things to explain and discover.
INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
Oriol was studying industrial engineering in 1958 when his uncle, Don Paco Bultó, and a group of stalwarts left Montesa to create Bultaco. Oriol did not participate in the founding meeting on May 17th 1958, because he was busy with exams, but his father gave him a package of shares in the new company. The majority of shareholders also included members of the Bultó family: Pepe Bultó, a wellknown businessman and brother of Don Paco; the Marqués brothers, Luís, father of the well-known Bultaco, and Italjet technician Manuel; Juan Soler Bultó, father of Manuel Soler; Juan Chalamanch (future General Director); and José Narbón, future mayor of Sant Adrián del Besos, who provided the factory facilities. Classic Trial Magazine • Summer 2022
November 1962: Oriol rode in the famous Saint Cucufa trial, near Paris. It was the first Bultaco trials expedition abroad.
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One Moment • Mark Kemp
John Miles, Bob Miles, Steve Saunders, Rick Ferrier, Keith Turner, Mark Kemp and Dave Watson.
BVM MOTO STEVE SAUNDERS
You are the ACU Youth A-Class British Trials Champion, you leave school at 16-yearsold, and are looking for a job; the answer to the CV is in this opening text. All Steve Saunders wanted to do from a very young age was ride a trials motorcycle. However, his parents, Dennis and Pauline, encouraged the next move would be employment while he progressed from the youth classes. The in-thing in the late ’70s and early ’80s for youngsters looking for a job and future employment was the Youth Training Scheme (YTS) scheme. YTS was the name in the United Kingdom of an on-the-job training course for school leavers aged 16 and 17 and was managed by the Manpower Services Commission. Accredited organisations were required to provide at least 13 weeks per year of training away from the job and include life skills and social skills. A standardised form of certification was issued at the end of the training period. This would be the ideal opportunity for Steve Saunders to find employment while pursuing his exciting trials prospects. The opportunity opened the door into the world of Mark Kemp and the BVM Motorcycle shop. Words: John Miles, Steve Saunders, Yoomee Pictures: Alan Vines
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1970: The one to beat; Mark won the Southern Experts Trial when he was only 20-years-old.
Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
Mark Kemp • One Moment
1974: Looking studious on the Montesa.
A
s we all know, in the case of Steve Saunders, he moved under the arm of Mark Kemp, the BVM owner. The rest, as they say, was history as he became a true motorcycle legend in the trials world; today, he is the official TTRS motorcycle importer into the UK. Finishing his trials shop career after many successful years, Mark moved away from the trials world, spending valuable time with his family by taking semi-retirement. Sadly, on Saturday 13th February 2022, Mark Julian Fitch Kemp (Baron von Mylius) passed at his home after a fight against cancer. This is the eulogy that his long-time friend John Miles read out at the funeral.
1981: a very young Steve Saunders got all the good jobs at BVM!
parents used to bring him to visit us so he could use our practice ground, and with Tony and Malcolm Davis only a mile-or-so away, he had plenty of scope to learn the skills he showed in later life.
FIRST TRIAL
Mark’s first trial was the Stroud Valley MC Minchinhampton Cup Novice Trial at Lypiatt Park in April 1967, two months before his 16th birthday; naughty boy — you had to be 16 before entering in those days. But, unfortunately, he was beaten by another local youngster destined for great things, albeit in a different genre of off-road motorcycling, one Andrew Roberton.
Leaving Harrow, Mark went to Oxford University, where he studied engineering, but as soon as he passed his driving test, he was close enough to home to get back for trials at the weekends. He soon became a force to be reckoned with around the area, always featuring near the top of the finishing order. Like any aspiring youngster, Mark wanted to test himself against the stars, so he started entering national and international trials. His most noticeable success was when he won the Cingles Three-Day Trial in Spain, but he also won a number of British national trials and was a regular points scorer in the ACU British Trials Championship; he won the Southern Experts Trial when he was only 20. In the late ’70s and
MARK JULIAN FITCH KEMP
Along with my brother Bob, Dennis Saunders and Tony Davis, I had probably known Mark longer than anybody else. We first met when he was about 14-years-old, and we used to go for trials practice with Dennis. Mark’s father was the Steward of Seven Springs House, a Gloucestershire Education Authority external learning facility, where Dennis worked. Mark’s parents had previously run a hotel in Hampshire. When Mark’s father, Ralph, passed away quite young, Mark’s mother, the wonderful ‘Flower’, took over the running of the centre. At this time, Mark was away at school at Harrow, so he was not always there when we were playing at trials on the grounds. However, when he was home, he was fascinated by the sport and convinced his parents to get him a motorcycle. Too young to compete in those days, he travelled to trials with Dennis, Bob and myself, his push bike wedged on the trailer. His Classic Trial Magazine • Summer 2022
1982: It’s new-van time with Steve, Mark and Geoff Gibbons.
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Traditional • 1982 SSDT
BERNIE BREAKS THE MOULD 1982 SSDT
Interest in both the FIM World Trials Championship and the Scottish Six Days Trial was very high in 1982 and, on the tips of so many trials enthusiasts’ tongues, they were still the ‘Ones To Win’. It wasn’t just for the riders but also for the manufacturers who valued the publicity of claiming the wins so much for the bragging rights; they knew winning sold their machines. In the 1982 FIM World Championship, Belgium’s Eddy Lejeune on the four-stroke Honda RTL was on top, with two wins in Spain and Belgium and a second-place finish in Great Britain. Hot on his heels was the American Bernie Schreiber, who had made a move to SWM from Italjet. He opened his world championship account with two runner-up positions in the opening two rounds and a win in Great Britain in the March. They would be up against the old guard of Great Britain with Martin Lampkin (SWM) and Malcolm Rathmell (Montesa), both previous winners of the event and still very capable of winning. The 1981 Scottish Six Days winner, Gilles Burgat from France, had moved from SWM to the new, ever-growing Fantic team on the new 240 model, and you could not write out of the winning equation the first foreign winner in 1980, Finland’s Yrjo Vesterinen, on his Bultaco. As an outsider, could John Lampkin bring home the win on the new Anglo Italian CCM two-stroke machine? He had scored his first FIM World Championship points in Spain at a very wet opening world round back in February. The days of the Spanish reign from the manufacturers were over as the Italians made massive inroads into the trials market. With over 100 foreign riders entered in the event, would the winning mould from Europe be broken? We were about to find out. Words: John Hulme and Mike Rapley • Pictures: Eric Kitchen, Toon van de Vliet, Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright, Yoomee, Norman Eyre.
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Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
1982 SSDT • Traditional
Toni Gorgot (Montesa-ESP)
Gilles Burgat (Fantic-FRA)
Eddy Lejeune (Honda-BEL)
Martin Lampkin (SWM-GBR
John Hulme (Gori-GBR)
John Hulme: “Never in my wildest dreams would I have believed that way back in 1982 I would be pulling together an article today on my last twin-shock ride in the Scottish Six Days Trial on my green Gori. What is strange is that for one of our other regular contributors, Mike Rapley, it would also be his last twin-shock ride in the Scottish Six Days Trial on a Bultaco. We would both return to the event to ride it. Mike in 1995 for his final time, and 2003 until 2006 for me when the dream of publishing Trial Magazine curtailed my riding career at very short notice. With Mike Rapley’s notes, when he was working for Trials and Motocross News, here are our memories from the SSDT of 1982.” Classic Trial Magazine • Summer 2022
WEST END CAR PARK
The paddock at the Scottish Six Days Trial is better known as the Parc Ferme, which can be found in the West End Car Park in Fort William, on the shores of Loch Linnhe. At 31 miles long and about 1.2 miles wide, the loch stretches past Fort William, fed from the north by Loch Eil, continuing as far as the Firth of Lorne to the south, and from the east by Loch Creran, opening up into the Firth of Lorne at its south-western point, the location is fitting for the start of the ‘Scottish’. Unfortunately, the traditional ‘Weigh-In Day’ was a frigid and wet affair as the heavens opened on the West End Car Park for the majority of the Sunday. The wretched weather put a real dampener on the day, keeping riders and spectators to a minimum. 71
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Order securly at www.trialmaguk.com/shopfront/ or fill the form below and return to: Trial Magazine, 48 Albion Road, New Mills, High Peak, Derbyshire, SK22 3EX. Tel: 01663 744766 or email england@trialmag.com 01 Classic Trial Magazine Protective Binder 02 Classic Trial Magazine Drawstring Gym Bag 03 Lochaber Scottish Six Days Trial 1909–2011 04 NEW: Classic Trial Magazine Beanie 05 Motorcycle Retro Replay Magazine 06 A Complete Guide to Motorcycle Trials 07 Motorcycle Competition Scotland 1975–2010 For Europe and Worldwide P&P, please place your order at: www.trialmaguk.com/shopfront/
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04 NEW: CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE BEANIE Be part of the team and keep your head warm. £9.99 inc. P&P
05 MOTORCYCLE RETRO REPLAY MAGAZINE
Take a step back in time to 1965–1985. A golden age of motorcycle sport. A4 Size. 132 Pages. £10.98 inc. P&P
06 A COMPLETE GUIDE TO MOTORCYCLE TRIALS
Produced by Yoomee for Steve Saunders it covers every aspect of the sport. The book is A4 size in full colour, 134 pages and comes in the semi hardback format. £19.99 inc. P&P
07 MOTORCYCLE COMPETITION SCOTLAND 1975–2010 100 pages covering all aspects of the motorcycle sport in Scotland. The book is A4 size and comes in the semi hardback landscape format from the Trials Guru, John Moffat. £19.99 inc. P&P
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Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
NEW!
TRIALS MODELS A SUPERB GIFT FOR
ANY TRIAL ENTHUSIATS From Spanish model manufacturer, TrialReplic, in association with Yoomee, present its range of 1:6 scale size replica trials motorcycles exclusively for sale in the UK. TrialReplic is a family business that was created out of a passion for our wonderful sport of motorcycle trials. The company is dedicated to the manufacture of 1:6 scale replicas of motorcycle trials models, using both metal and plastic materials in their production.
Honda RTL RED
We all remember the winning years of this machine in the hands of the FIM World Trials Champion Eddy Lejeune from Belgium and ACU British Trials Champion Rob Shepherd.
Ossa Mick Andrews Replica
This Mick Andrews Replica model is a fitting tribute to the man who developed the Spanish Ossa, ‘Magical’ Mick Andrews.
The current model range includes Honda, Montesa and Ossa. More models are lined up for the future. Sold as display models for the collector, they make the perfect gift for the motorcycle trials enthusiast. Get yourself along to the website: www.yoomee.co.uk and start collecting these exciting models or call: 01663 749163 for more information. Each model is priced at £69.99 including FREE P&P.
Honda TLR
Very much a part of the classic trial’s scene in the modern world, this machine, the Honda TLR is the starting point for many of today’s highly modified four-stroke machines.
Montesa Cota 247
With a long sporting history of over 75 years the Cota 247 is the trials model that put the name of Montesa on the road to its worldwide trial’s success.
Honda RTL WHITE
In the USA, the four-stroke RTL ‘Team’ machines carried this white and red colour scheme as ridden by the late Marland Whaley.
Cota 247 Ulf Karlson Replica
A fitting tribute to the man that this Montesa replica model is named after, Sweden’s Ulf Karlson who gave Montesa early European success.
ORDER YOURS TODAY! www.yoomee.co.uk/product-category/trialreplic or call: 01663 749163 TO ORDER OVER THE PHONE Yoomee Ltd, 48 Albion Road, New Mills, Derbyshire, SK22 3EX
Vintage Vines • 1972
ACU INTER-CENTRE
TEAM TRIAL
The one to win – with pride at stake and riding for your centre, I competed on many occasions representing the Cheshire Centre. I felt it an absolute honour to be part of the team. The trip to this event in 1972, held at New House Farm, Burrington near Ludlow in Shropshire and organised by the Midland Centre, was the chance to see all the top riders from the various centres around the United Kingdom in action. Interestingly, at 11 years old with my father Ron as a spectator, I was unaware at the time that John Moffat (a man who would become such a good friend) also attended with his father, Thomas Arnott Moffat, who was the Scottish ACU team manager. As they say, it is a small world, even back then. The teams’ choice was compiled of either the top five riders in the relevant centre championships or, in other cases, the best riders from the ACU British Trials Championship. Having first started in 1932 when the northerners were the winners, the team event hit an all-time high in 1972 with a record 21 centres entering, including, for the first time, invited riders from the Scottish ACU, hence John Moffatt and his father attending with a team from the AMCA who were also first-timers. Of the 22 centres under the authority of the ACU, the only one that had not sent a team was South Wales. Of the five riders from each centre, only the top four scores would be used to find the winning team. Words: Yoomee and John Moffat • Pictures: Malcolm Carling, Alan Vines, Yoomee Archive A fine Spring day welcomed the 105 riders on Sunday the 16th April to the venue found on the edge of the Mortimer Forest, where the organising centre had plotted out a well spreadout course consisting of 35 observed sections on a five-mile lap to be ridden twice. Fortunately for the Clerk of the Course, Mike Winwood and his team, the hills and rivers were relatively dry, and with the sun coming out on the day, the gentle breeze kept everyone dry. The Midland Centre
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had made a bold move by putting the event on private ground for the first time instead of a roadbased competition. The terrain was ideal for trials, as I would find out when I competed in an early ACU Schoolboy British Championship round a few years later in 1977. The landowner, Stan Thomas, was very generous with his land. It contained a wide variety of ideal trials terrain, including exposed hills and valleys with rivers and muddy banks to test the riders. In a nice
touch, found on many occasions in the trials world, Stan Thomas’ family provided refreshments at the start, all homemade, of course.
THE ONES TO WATCH
I still have the programme from the event, and it includes a tick against the riders we were to look out for as the ones to watch. Many spectators had turned out to see the great Sammy Miller in action as he retired from the British Championship
Summer 2022 • Classic Trial Magazine
1972 • Vintage Vines Martin Lampkin (Bultaco) Yorkshire: The strong power of the 326.2cc Bultaco suited the youngest of the three Lampkin brothers. He had given the machine its first UK win at the second round of the ACU British Trials Championship, the Cotswolds Cup in March.
Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco) Yorkshire: Back on the 250 Bultaco. Rathmell had tried the 325 model but after a poor performance in the European Championship he reverted to the lower-capacity Spanish machine for this event.
events. His name was still in the news, though it was rumoured that he had turned down an offer from Yamaha to develop a 360cc model as the motorcycle trials manufacturers looked towards producing the larger engine-capacity machines. Miller had re-signed for Bultaco for a three-year term and arrived at the event with a prototype 325 engine housed in his Hi-Boy frame. Martin Lampkin would also be using the 325 engine; the actual capacity was 326.2cc in his Bultaco. His elder brother Alan and fellow Bultaco team rider Malcolm Rathmell stayed with the 250cc engine. These three riders would travel to the event in the recently acquired new Comerfords Bultaco Ford Transit van; as they would say now, it was ‘Full Factory’ all the way. The new Ossa MAR replicas had arrived earlier in the year and proved a very popular choice with a good spread of the Spanish machines in the entry. The man behind the machine’s development, Mick Andrews (hence the MAR model name), was riding his new Spanish-registered machine — the one he would compete on in the Scottish Six Days Trial a few weeks later. The once-mighty trials machines from Great Britain were in steep decline in the trials world, and only a handful would be entered. However, John Luckett was riding the recently introduced 170cc Minarelli engine Cotton Cavalier model and with it came the good news that the British motorcycle manufacturer had won an order to supply £15,000 worth of the new trials machines to the growing USA market. Also attracted to this new overseas business was Tim Wassel, who showed his new Sachs engined machine at the start area. Still, the Spanish Armada of Bultaco, Montesa and Ossa dominated the entry.
Alan Lampkin (Bultaco) Yorkshire: Sid, as he is better known, along with Rathmell remained with the less-powerful 250 Bultaco. Rathmell and the two Lampkin brothers were part of the Bultaco UK Shell sponsored team.
Classic Trial Magazine • Summer 2022
Rob Shepherd (Montesa) Yorkshire: A win at the Kickham National Trial in late March had secured the young Yorkshire farmer his place in the team. He had scored his first National Trial win at the Peak Trial in November 1971.
Bill Wilkinson (Ossa) Yorkshire: Still sporting a Greeves riding top, the elder of the two brothers from Kettlewell did not have the best of days.
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