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Trials

JACK PRICE (BBGGUK) had a mega ride on his PRO125 finishing 16th overall and 3rd best Youth rider J. Details 

ROSS DANBY (JSTGGUK) won Round 2 of the Midland Centre Championship on Sunday. In fact Ross has been unbeaten this year on his PRO300. After winning the first big Trial of 2010 (Vic Brittain) he has also won 3 local Trials. Ok, they were not big events but ‘a win is a win’ and at least he’s out their competing J. Ross now is looking forward to the Round 1 of the Novogar series this weekend at the popular Wallace Cup Trial.

JONNY WALKER (JSTGGUK) won again beating his fellow Cumbria Darren Brice at the Robin Hood Trial..

Gary MacDonald has agreed terms with John Shirt

GARY MacDONALD has agreed terms with John Shirt and will be a JST GAS GAS UK Rider for 2010 with support from the popular Scottish Trials Dealer, Highland Leisure Sport.

Gary has had a long and successful relationship with MRS and Sherco and wants to thank them for all they have done for him.

Gary simply wants a change of bike to boost his enthusiasm for next year. He will ride a JST Prepared PRO300 and will hopefully ride the British Trials Championship in the Expert A Class which he finished 2nd this year.

GAS GAS won the main Class this year with James Dabill but our best GG Rider in the Expert A was Lee Sampson in 4th. We really need a Rider to win both Championship and Expert Classes and I’m pleased that Gary is now onboard.

The Expert A Class really is a very competitive and successful class in the British Trials Championship.

Gary will also look forward to his (and GGUK) favourite event….The Scottish Six Days Trial which im confident he’ll be successful in on the Gasser.

Dan the Northern Expert

Dan Thorpe, JST GGUK Rider has finished the National Trials season off well with winning the Peak National Trial last weekend and he’s also just won Saturdays popular Northern Experts Trial organised by the Manchester 17 Club !

Jack Challoner was second and George Morton was third.

JSTGG Teamsters Dan Farrer and Craig Robinson were 4th and 5th respectively.

GG also won the Clubman Class with Darren Wasley J

Congrats to Dan Farrer for winning the “2009 Edgar Series”.

Ross Danby (JSTGG) had a weekend off his GG Pro and jumped on his GG EC200 and rode the WOR Tough One’s Little Bro and finished 6th overall behind a quality entry!

James Dabill, No1 JST GGUK rider has just won the Lakes 2 Day Trial.

This traditional style National event was as popular as ever and it was superb. The sections were of perfect severity and both the National and Clubmen Class were well supported.

The no-stop rules were enjoyed by the majority and the top riders adapted well. The observers weren’t too harsh for a ‘split-second’ stop and this kept everyone happy.

James sometimes struggles to keep focus at the easier National events so I’m really pleased that he ‘kept his head’ this weekend and won the prestigious ‘Lakes’ event for the first time. Dibs is really enjoying his riding at the moment and this win will add to his confidence for this coming ‘Scott’ weekend.

Michael Brown was second and Sam Haslam (JSTGG) was a very close 3rd dropping the same amount as Michael and only one more than Dibs. Sam has been in fantastic National form of late and he now looks forward to a blast round the Scott this coming weekend.

The top 3 riders were well clear of 4th and 5th place men JR and Wiggy with JSTGG Teamsters Ross Danby and Dan Thorpe close behind finishing 6th and 7th respectively.

Also well done to Roger Williams and Nick Shield who finished 1st and 2nd in the Clubmen Class, both on GAS GAS J

JTS GGUK Weekend

Last Ladies WTC; Firstly on Friday was the last round of the Ladies WTC in Italy and JSTGG rider Emma Bristow finished 12th place. Joanne Coles on her ACEGG finished 5th and clinched 4th in the Championship which is a fantastic achievement on a 125cc. Hannah Styles on her ACEGG battled on and finished 14th.

Ladies TDN; Then on Saturday the British Ladies Team WON THE TRIAL DES NATIONS! Congratulations to Becky Cook, Joanne Coles, Emma Bristow and all Minders, helpers, sponsors and families. I am especially happy because both Joanne and Emma are both on GAS GAS J

Mens TDN; Sunday was the men’s Trial Des Nations and as expected Spain won with Team GB 2nd and Italy third. I was there to help Dibs and the Team and I can say that Doug, Dibs, Pune and Alexz all gave 100% and all rode very well. Doug was ‘masterclass’, Dibs was back to form after his ‘blip’ in France and Browny had his best ride of the year. Alexz contributed a lot to the Team and looks at home with the rest of the Champ Class riders. I must say that the observing was……’hilarious’ and all the major Teams were penalized apart from the Italians! The event was brilliant but maybe a bit too hard for most Teams.

Travers National; SAM HASLAM AGAIN!!! Sam, JSTGG, is on a roll at the moment with winning the Manx 2 Day, White Rose and now the Travers National yesterday. I’m reeeeeally happy with these results and hope it continues. Dan Thorpe finished 2nd yesterday and must be getting frustrated with Sam ‘pinching’ his win bonus! Nevertheless Thorpey is still one of the countries best all round Trials riders and will get his own back on Sam soon?

Youth BTC; Yesterday Team JST GAS GAS Rider GEORGE GOSDEN clinched the 2009 B Class title finishing 2nd on the day. George has won the Championship even without competing the final round on his home soil in October. Congrats to George and his father Alan. The last round in the IOW will decide the other positions where JSTGG riders Chris Stay and Tom Dexter will carry on the fight. Chris was 4th yesterday and Tom was 5th. JSTGG ‘A’ Class rider Chris Short finished 4th, only one mark off the podium. Chris will now focus on the last round to hopefully finish 3rd in the Championship which would be fantastic. Also well done to TrialsUK GG rider Joe Faunthorpe who won the D Class small wheel class his TXTBOY.

HIPWELL Trial; GAS GAS Riders blitzed the popular Manchester 17 Hipwell Trial with the Top 5. Dan Farrer won, Rich Timp 2nd, Craig Robinson 3rd, Daniel Greatorex 4th and Darren Wasley 5th. Roy Palmer won the Clubman class…..also on GG

BOU TAKES REVENGE ON DAY TWO OF THE OPENING GRAND PRIX

Day two of the Grand Prix of Ireland brought another closely fought battle, with Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa HRC winning the deciding trial of the first round of the 2009 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship. Yesterday's victor Adam Raga - Gas Gas could not repeat his performance of twenty-four hours earlier and had to settle for second spot on this occasion. The young Spanish pairing sit at the top of the initial championship standings locked on thirty-seven points apiece, but with Bou holding the tie break advantage thanks to having had the better second day result.

Behind this leading duo, Albert Cabestany - Sherco made it an all-Spanish podium with two consistent laps making some amends for the disappointment of missing out of a rostrum place yesterday. Confirming himself a real threat amongst the front-runners, Jeroni Fajardo - Beta looked strong in the slippery conditions and came home in a close fourth spot. In contrast Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa HRC struggled throughout the day and could only manage fifth position this time out.

Following Saturday's ultra tough competition, revisions were made to several of the sections for all the classes in an attempt to reduce the overall severity of the trial and to lower the scores. These modifications and the arrival of bright sunshine created a far more balanced event, which whilst proved to be easier, was still a suitable test for this elite gathering of trials riders. Although Bou was headed by Raga at the half way point, two incredible rides in sections seven and eight on the final lap sealed his victory as Adam quickly notched up two fives in the same two hazards.

Alexz Wigg - Beta made it two wins in two days in the Junior class to open up a healthy lead in the overall standings ahead of Alfredo Gomez - Montesa, who finished as runner up once again. Matteo Grattarola - Sherco completed the podium, improving on the fourth spot he recorded yesterday.

It was a similar story in the Youth division with Jonathan Richardson - Sherco earning his second victory of the weekend to give himself an eight point advantage over Tanguy Mottin - Gas Gas ahead of round two in Portugal in two weeks time. Mottin took second place today ahead of newcomer Maxime Warenghien -Sherco who made his debut appearance on a World podium.

Dougie Lampkin produced a better performance on the second and final day of the opening round of the 2009 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship, but could only match the same position as he recorded yesterday. Another sixth place leaves Lampkin in sixth spot in the general standings after the first two counting days of the eleven in total.

Modifications to many of the sections overnight served up an easier trial and with sunshine overhead it promised to be a better day for the ex multi World champion. Lampkin progressed as far as the ninth hazard before he dropped his first five on the first lap.

This relatively straight-forward opening section of three in the dramatic quarry set high up the mountain proved to be a real bogey hazard for Lampkin. The Beta rider only reached the ends cards on his final attempt after three previous failures over the two days. Despite this set back Dougie rounded out the lap in fifth spot and ahead of Takahisa Fujinami.

Looking to improve on his sixth place of yesterday, Lampkin attack the final lap with real fight, but whilst he battled to the best of his ability a series of four fives would prevent his progress up the leader board. The last of these came in the penultimate section of the day and ended what had not been a great weekend for the thirty-three year old.

A slightly dejected Dougie commented. " I felt much better this morning and apart from yet another five in section nine I was quite happy with how the first lap went. It was a much better trial and with much more riding rather than pushing, so I was confident I could improve on the second lap, but in the end that was not the case. Back to back fives in sections seven and eight pretty much destroyed my chances of finishing in the top five, the one saving point was I managed to clean section nine on the last lap."

Day 2 Results: (2 Day event) World 1: Bou 15 2: Raga 23 3: Cabestany 31 Junior 1: Wigg 28 2: Gomez 35 3: Grattarola 35 Youth 125cc 1: Richardson 19 2: Mottin 25 3: Warenghien 32

2009 FIM Riders Championship Current Standings: World 1: Bou 37 2: Raga 37 3: Cabestany 28 Junior 1: Wigg 40 2: Gomez 34 3: Grattarola 28 Youth 125cc 1: Richardson 40 2: Mottin 32 3: Borrellas 30

2009 FIM Manufacturers Championship Current Standings: 1: Gas Gas 55 2: Montesa 53 3: Beta 44 4: Sherco 40

RAGA STEALS A NARROW VICTORY ON DAY ONE OF IRISH GRAND PRIX

The 2009 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship begun with a fierce duel between the two title favourites. In which Adam Raga - Gas Gas would eventually steal an important initial victory over reigning champion Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa HRC. In tough conditions on the north west coast of Ireland the two young Spanish riders eclipsed the opposition, finishing twenty marks clear of third placed Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa HRC.

Albert Cabestany - Sherco mounted a strong second lap fight back after a poor opening showing, but this was still not enough to stop Fujinami defeating him on a most cleans tie break. Beta team mates Jeroni Fajardo and Dougie Lampkin rounded out the top six respectively and were the final two riders to stay in double digits after twice completing the fifteen ultra difficult sections.

Bou made the slightly better start through the initial three hazards, but a five at section four gave Raga an advantage he would not surrender for the rest of the day, despite Toni's best and persistent efforts. Rain in the morning eventually gave way to blue skies later in the afternoon, but in reality the weather overhead did little to effect the ground conditions, which were slippery at best.

Such was the level of the competition, that the story of the trial was a mixture of outstanding rides in some places followed by a series of unforced errors by all the top riders. This was perfectly illustrated at the penultimate section where Bou recorded a double failure whilst Raga dropped a dab on each occasion. This proved to be part of the winning difference and confirmed Raga's late win.

In the Junior class Alexz Wigg - Beta recorded a clear victory to open his campaign, coming home thirteen marks in front of Alfredo Gomez - Montesa. Fellow British rider Jack Challoner - Beta made a great debut in this category to complete the first day podium.

Maintaining the British theme Jonathan Richardson - Sherco grabbed his first ever victory in the Youth class to establish himself as a early title hopeful. Richardson was joined on the rostrum by Pere Borrellas - Gas Gas from Spain and French teenager Tanguy Mottin - Gas Gas.

Dougie Lampkin opened his 2009 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship campaign with a slightly disappointing sixth place on the first day of the Grand Prix of Ireland. Lampkin fought his way around two laps of what proved to be a tough opening test for all the riders, with only the top six finishers managing to keep their scores under one hundred marks.

In the majority the hazards featured a mixture of slippery riverbeds and steep muddy climbs, with the exception of three awesome sections set in the quarry at the top of the mountain and the two man made affairs in the start finish area. Dougie started well and recorded the first clean in second watery hazard, which he then quickly followed up with a superb single dab river in the next section just up stream.

However Lampkin's joy was short lived as a series of fives and threes soon took his tally to a hefty forty eight marks come the close of the first lap. Typically Dougie continued to fight ever inch of the way, but could do little to better his earlier performance or challenge those in front of him.

A similar second lap showing left the thirty-three year old ten marks behind his younger teammate Jeroni Fajardo and just outside a top five finish. Lampkin will hope he can make amends tomorrow, when the second day of the event gets underway.

Dougie explained. "I made a good start, but after the initial few sections I never had a good feeling for the rest of the day. I know the sections were tough and slippery, but I really had no answers. I made some changes to the bike at the end of the first lap, but if I was honest it never really gave me what I was looking for. It has been tough physically too, but hopefully from what I have learnt today, I can make a better result tomorrow."

Day 1 Results: (2 Day event) World 1: Raga 48 2: Bou 50 3: Fujinami 70 Junior 1: Wigg 45 2: Gomez 58 3: Challoner 60 Youth 125cc 1: Richardson 20 2: Borrellas 30 3: Mottin 42

2009 FIM Riders Championship Current Standings: World 1: Raga 20 2: Bou 17 3: Fujinami 15 Junior 1: Wigg 20 2: Gomez 17 3: Challoner 15 Youth 125cc 1: Richardson 20 2: Borrellas 17 3: Mottin 15

2009 FIM Manufacturers Championship Current Standings: 1: Montesa 32 2: Gas Gas 29 3: Beta 21 4: Sherco 19

Dabhill keeps winning

FRENCH INDOOR; James Dabill, Team JST GAS GAS UK No.1 rider has just finished a busy weekend winning twice!

He drove with his No.1 Minder Jack Lee to Chalon sur Saone, 2 hours south of Paris in France and WON an Indoor Trial beating Factory Beta rider Jeroni Fajardo and GG Rider Loris Gubian on Friday night! To beat Jeroni after he has competed in all of the World Chamionship Indoor Rounds this season is impressive. Jeroni has a good bike and technique for indoors so for James to beat him with NO indoor practice this year and never ridden a Gasser indoors before is a fantastic result. Also worth noting he won this indoor with the normal Michelin rear tyre....keeping his 'lights' for Ireland WTC etc.. James is raving about the new Michelin 'light' tyres but was happy to ride the indoor on the normal tyre so this proves that both tyres win ;-)

1. James Dabill - 11 2. Jeronio Fajardo - 13 3. Loris Gubian - 30 4. Alexandre Ferrer - 43 5. Benoit Dagnicourt - 55

JACK WOOD NATIONAL

Dibs then he drove back to sunny Sheffield and absolutely thrashed the oppostion winning the infamous Jack Wood Traditional National Trial yesterday. The Jack Wood is a no-stop event which for a World Championship Rider can be tricky changing their 'mindset' from FIM rules to NOSTOP rules. Dibs did this with ease and simply coped with the different rules and conditions. The Jack Wood is perfect practice for the forthcoming SSDT with mostly tricky steam sections that he rode effortlessly. The concentration needed for this type event is similar for the Scottish and i was very pleased with James' focus. Welldone to National ace Dan Thorpe who made it a GG 'one-two' finishing second!

Jack wood results attached...

Dibs will now prepare for the first WTC in Ireland this coming weekend. He knows he has a good bike and i know i have a good rider so we will be ready.

More GG news

Team JST GGUK Trials rider Ross Danby rode in the 1st round of the Greyhound Cup Trial held by the Llanfyliin & DMCC club at Greenhall in a very sunny Wales yesterday and won the trial on ‘0’. Excellent sections and a superb venue.

Also worth a mention in the GG news this week is our valuable GGUK employee ANDY HIPWELL won the Clubman Class at the Ilkely Grand National Trial on Saturday! Welldone pal..

TEAM JST GAS GAS UK Rider JAMES DABILL has won the first round of the 2009 British Trials Championship.

After two months with his new GG PRO300 2 stroke... James Dabill has delivered!

The first round yesterday was a fantastic event in everyway....yes Dibs won but not only that, the actual event was a huge success. In this negative 'doom and gloom' world at the moment it was nice to see a very 'positive' start to the 2009 BTC. The venue and weather was superb. The sections were of perfect severity and length and the results were close in all classes. So firstly a big congrats to the Scarborough Club. Also, the first round was interesting for many reasons...Dougie Lampkin was riding and many of the Top riders were on new bikes...DABILL, BROWN, MORRIS, WIGG etc. have all changed bikes for 2009 so there was alot to see.

The practice lap was on Saturday afternoon and Dibs looked good. Very focused and confident riding most sections before his rivals. The start time he picked for the next day was not ideal, being the second Championship rider to start after George Morton, James knew that he would probably have to ride the sections in front of Lampkin and Brown to finish the first lap in the allowed 3 hours. This didnt bother James as his confidence was high. The first section was sensibly a fairly easy opener which all the Champ class cleaned. The second was very difficult with a very steep, short climb with zero run up over a log at the top. All the riders spent nearly ONE HOUR at this section and Dibs was under pressure to get a move on. He rode the section after Morton and failed on the climb, looping the bike out in a spectacular crash.....not ideal. This didnt affect James too much and he cleaned the next section with ease. He was awesome at section 5 with a mature one dab ride. He continued around the lap riding first putting pressure on Doug and Micheal. Dibs had another '5' when he was timed out on section 13 but blitzed the last section to finish the first lap on 15. He shared the lead with Browny, with Doug three marks behind on 18 lost. The second lap went very well for James, only an error on section 5 where he failed on the relatively easy part of the section spolit his lap. After this '5' he simply went on a roll to finish the lap on 8. Dibs was 'in the zone' and looked awesome on the second lap and i was more than happy. To be fair to Doug he was also on a roll on the last lap and after section five both Dibs and Doug were level. I think with Dibs not knowing this helped because he was riding out in front not knowing how Doug or Micheal were doing... At the finish we all waited for Micheal and Doug to finish. Micheal came in with a lap of 12 and the first thing he did was to shake the hand of his good mate and rival Dabill. We then waited for Lampkin which unknown to us had to clean the last section to win. Doug 'fived' the last and therefore JAMES DABILL WAS THE WINNER ! Me happy ;-)

Shaun Morris was 'the best of the rest' in 4th, Wiggy 5th and Jack Challoner 6th (who looked impressive). JST GAS GAS Teamsters Sam Haslam and Ross Danby were 7th and 8th respectively.... Craig Robinson (JSTGG) was 10th and was pumped to get up the big step on the last section which Doug 'fived'. Craig improved on the last lap and is certainly not out of his depth in the main class. I think we'll see Craig suprising a few people this year...

It is not yet known if Doug will compete in the entire series but nevertheless, i think every round will be this close. Dabil, Browny and Doug will be close all year which will make the 2009 BTC the most exciting Championship for quite a few years.

In the Expert 'A' Class Ian Ustermule won from Sam Connor with Gary Mac 3rd. LEE SAMPSON (TRC GAS GAS) was the best GG rider with a superb last lap to recover well from a poor first lap. JST GG Rider Liam Walker was 6th and Thorpey (JSTGG) 8th. Jonny Walker (ACE GAS GAS) was the best 125 in the Expert 'A' beating Ben Morphett and Jonathan Richardson.

In the Expert 'B' Class GAS GAS rider RICKY WIGGINS was the winner! Well done.

Thanks to Jack lee (Minder) and Factory Kev (Mechanic) Pic. Trial Mag. Regards Shirty

The 1st Round of the NOVOGAR National Trials Championship

The Wallace Cup took place, organised by the North Berks Club. Sam Haslam was the best of the JST GG riders losing out on a threeway tie break with Sam Conner and Chris Pearson. All three riders lost 3 marks and Chris and Connor shared the win with Haslam 3rd losing out on the furthest clean tie break. Ross Danby (JSTGGUK) was 4th beating JSTGGUK No1 Rider James Dabil who was dissapointed to finish 5th with only 7 marks lost. Richard Allen (JOHN LEE GAS GAS) won the Over 40 Class which was a good start to retain his title.

JSTGGUK Youth A Class rider Chris Short finished 3rd at the 2nd Round of the YMSA Championship.

Yorkshire Centre Championship Round – Cowling Cragg, Keighley 15/2/09

JST Gas Gas UK riders Liam Walker and Dan Thorpe finished 1st and 3rd place respectively at Bradford & DMC’s Timperley Cup trial yesterday, where just under 80 riders turned out in the soggy conditions.

Section 9 was the only really testing section and proved to be decisive as this was the only section to take marks off of the two team riders. This involved a muddy rut with a 5 foot rock step at the end. Liam parted with a dab on his 1st lap which proved to be his only loss of the day, taking the win from Junior World Champion Jack Challoner by 1 mark. Dan, who was riding for the first time in 3 weeks, was a bit wobbly on the 1st lap and overbalanced in the rut causing him to require 3 hefty dabs to get his Gasser back on track. However, this also proved to be his only loss of the day, taking 3rd position from Ben Hemingway on most cleans.

Team JST Gas Gas rider Katy Sunter was not on her usual form but still managed to finish 5th on the popular Clubman’s course.

First win on Gas Gas for Dabill

No.1 JST GAS GAS UK Rider James Dabill had his first GG win yesterday at the Yeadon-Guiseley Motor Club event at 'Keighley Gate'.

Having just returned from a weeks practice in Spain with his Factory Team mates Adam Raga and Marc Frexia, Dibs easily won the event from Chris Pearson and Sam Ludgate. This event was used as warm up for the Colonial National Trial this coming weekend which 'everyone' is riding....

Not exactly a 'major' achievement yesterday (and not taking anything away from Chris and Sam) but a win is a win and a good confidence booster for this weekend...

Cheers Shirty

First GG ride for Dabill

New JST GGUK signing JAMES DABILL rode his first event of the year yesterday at the Cliff Collinson National Trial organised by the Scarborugh Club.

Dibs finished 2nd behind Micheal Brown so i guess its 'one-nil' to Browny ! Jack Challoner was 3rd.

All three riders rode well and Browny came out on top. Dibs made a couple of mistakes which resulted in a '5' in the second group and a '3' in the last group, ironically both on hill climbs.

As it was his first ride on GG i naturally went along to support him. It was strange to see Dibs back on a skinny 2 stroke and also strange to see Micheal on a Sherco....they both looked happy and confident. The crowd was following them both from secton to section and they were together the whole trial.. not quite holding hands but nearly! Its going to be an exciting year watching these two....

It was also a good oportunity for Dibs to ride at the Harwood Dale venue with the view of the first British Championship Round being held there the first weekend in March. Its a shame a few more BTC riders didnt ride... fairplay for Gary Mac for travelling down all the way from the Highlands. I can tell you from walking round yesterday that the club have already begun extensive work with the sections and it will be a fantastic first round.

Thanks to Trialmag for the pic of James.

Also congrats to DAN THORPE and FACTORY KEV who won their respective classes at the MANCHESTER 17 'FISHER TRIAL' yesterday.

Regards Shirty

Dan wins Northern Experts

Dan Thorpe headed a Team JSTGG UK filled podium winning the Northern Experts Trial on Saturday. The Multi National winner rode very focused to beat his GG Team mates Ross Danby and Shaun Morris who were 2nd and 3rd respectively.

This was a fantastic win for Dan who is back to his winning ways after also winning the Peak National Trial last weekend.

Ross Danbys' 2nd place was his first event on a PRO280cc bike after riding a 250cc all year. Ross was well pleased to beat both Shaun Morris, Lee Sampson and especially Michael Brown.

GG also won the Clubman Class with Richard Allen who rode a 2003 Raga Rep beating Mick Boam in second and cheif GGUK Spannerman Kev Hipwell who finished 3rd on his 225cc special.

WELL DONE TO ALL ! Shirty

Experts: Dan 4 Ross 8 Shaun 8 Sampson 11 Brown 12 Austermule 17

Clubmen: Allen 4 Boam 5 Hipwell 7

Thorpey wins the Peak National Trial

Dan Thorpe (JSTGG) won yesterdays Peak National Trial in miserable weather conditions in the Peak District. Dan excells in these slippy conditions and won his umpteenth National. Chris Pearson was 2nd with JSTGG Team riders Dan Farrer and Richardo Timperly 3rd and 4th.

The JST GG Trials Team were out in force at the superb Lakes 2 Day Trial and DAN THORPE was the best GG finishing 5th embarrassing his younger Team mates. As I said last week, Thorpy is still a superb UK Traditional Rider and I'm pleased he's had a good result at the Lakes.

Shaun Morris, Sam Haslam and Ross Dandy (all JSTGG) were disappointing finishing 6th, 8th and 10th respectively.

Lets hope for some better results at this weekends infamous SCOTT TRIAL !

Regards Shirty

JSTGG Final Round

Yesterday was the final round of the 2008 British Trials Championship at the Bradford clubs Skyrakes venue.

Torrential rain drowned the practice lap on Saturday afternoon but sunshine blessed the Yorkshire hillside all day yesterday.

The event rode well with the drying sections and a superb event it turned out to be.

Dougie Lampkin was again a welcome rider to the BTC and he duly won the main Class.

The real pressure was on Graham Jarvis and Micheal Brown for the overall Championship which went down to the wire. These two were neck and neck all day, both making plenty of mistakes. Graham beat Michael by two marks at the finish so he has yet again defended his British Championship Title. Congratualtions go to Graham Jarvis and Sherco.

Alexz Wigg was 4th on the day and confirmed his 4th place overall for the Championship.

Shaun Morris (JSTGG) was 5th and best GG on the day. Shaun has finished 3rd overall this year and best GG Rider. It has been hard at times this year for Shaun because he has been slightly off the pace of Graham and Micheal. Shaun has still given 100% at the events, just maybe more focus and the correct kind of practicing is needed for Shaun to challenge for the Title he so nearly got his hands on last year. Shaun is awesome in the dry conditions but im afraid its rarely dry in the UK so he needs to focus on his weakness'.

Sam Haslam (JSTGG) was 6th and secured his No.5 bib for next year. Sam has been consistent all year and has enjoyed his own battles with Alexz and Ross. Sams ultra smooth riding style is not flash but very effective. I think after a hard working winter training programme we hope to see a fitter and stronger Sam Haslam for 2009 which will possibly give Sam that bit of aggression and strength he needs.

Ross Danby (JSTGG) was 7th yesterday and has finished 6th in the Championship. It has been Ross' first year in the main Championship Class and has done well. I like the focus that Ross has and his aggression, but he does need to control it sometimes. When he keeps his head he really is impressive.

Craig Robinson (JSTGG) has battled on this year and has enjoyed it. He has every intention in staying in the main Championship Class for next year and i admire him for that. If there was an award for 'most imporved rider' then im sure Craig deserves to win it this year ;-) Craig has finished 8th Overall.

In the Expert Class congratulations go to Joe Baker and Scorpa. Joe has ridden well at every round and deserves winning this Class....Joe won again yesterday....easily. Jack Challoner was 2nd on his 125. DAN THORPE (JSTGG) was best GG finishing 4th on the day which was enough to confirm 3rd in the Championship. The technical sections in todays BTC do not favour Dan's traditional riding style but i still believe he can win and he remains a Top Class UK Trials Rider who is a valued member of my Team. Dans best result was 2nd at the WOE Round and has never been out of the Top5 all year. Next best JSTGG rider was Liam Walker in 6th and also 6th in the Championship for 2008. Ben Wibberley (GG) has ridden well all year and always gives 100%. Ben has finished 8th in the Championship. Dan Farrer (JSTGG) was 11th yesterday and has also finished 11th in the Championship.

Ben Morphett (JSTGG) who has been in awesome form lately simply had a 'bad day at the office' yesterday and he finished 4th in the Youth Class. Ben has had a fantastic year this year where he has won everything he set out to do.

WELLDONE TO ALL and roll on BTC 2009.......;-)

Cheers Shirty

Get well soon Emma !! Emma Bristow broke her wrist on Saturday at the East Yorks two day Trial. She collided with another rider and is now in plaster for 6 weeks. Not the best but at least it has happened at the end of the her very sucessful season. At least she wont embarress plenty of guys by beating them in the Scott Trial !

Cheers Shirty

Becky 2008 Women's World Championship runner up

JST GASGAS UK rider Becky Cook secured a fantastic runner-up position in the 2008 Women’s World Championship after the final two rounds held over the past two weekends. Round 2 was held in Castelloli, Spain and it proved the toughest so far, with the majority of the sections set up a long gully.

Becky started the first lap positive but it soon became apparent that time was going to be very tight due to lots of queuing. Consequently she had to rush the last few sections and threw away some unnecessary marks. She finished the first lap on twenty seven marks plus two time penalties. This put her in third position five marks behind Iris Kramer. Becky improved her second lap to eighteen marks but it wasn’t enough and she finished in third place six marks behind Iris.

With a second and third placing apiece in the championship so far, Becky and Iris were now tied on points in the runner-up position, so it all came down to the final round held in Andorra, the day before the Trial des Nations.

After spending several days beforehand practicing and setting the bike up to the high altitude conditions, Becky was feeling confident.

Sections five, six and thirteen were the tough ones this week. She cleaned the opening four sections, then unexpectedly fived the next. But a confident clean on number six put her back on track. Becky completed the rest of the course for just one more mark including cleaning the thirteenth. Her fist lap score of six put her in second spot, three ahead of Iris Kramer with Laia Sanz still on clean.

Becky then rode a superb second lap, just dropping two marks, a dab apiece on sections five and six to secure second position, with Iris feeling the pressure and dropping a further twelve marks. Laia had another clean lap to take the win.

This result completes another successful year for Becky including winning her fifth British title and now moving up a place in the World rankings to second.

Thanks to her family and sponsors especially John Shirt Jnr (GASGAS UK), BVM Trialsport and Wightlink ferries for their continued support.

Adam Raga (GAS GAS ) finished second yesterday to Toni Bou at the Final Round of the 2008 WTC in Spain. Marc Frexia (GAS GAS) finished 7th on the day and 7th in the Championship. Congratulations to Toni and Montesa on winning this years World Championship.

Sam Haslam (JSTGG) returned to the WTC this weekend and finished 7th carrying his ankle injury. Sam has finished 5th overall in this years Junior WTC standings. Ross Danby (JSTGG) finished 6th and also finished 6th in Championship in his first year...

Becky Cook (JSTGG) finished 3rd at the second round of the Womens WTC in Spain on Saturday. Becky is now joint 2nd in the Championship with Iris Kramer with the last Round this coming 'Friday' in Andorra. COME ON BECKS! Emma Bristow (JSTGG) was 10th. Congratulations to Laia Sanz and Montesa on winning the Championship.

Dan Thorpe (JSTGG) won the very popular 'Hipwell Trial' with his gasser Team mates Craig Robinson and Richard Timperley finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. Good to see Timp back on a gasser and worth noting that has chosen to ride a new 225cc which come complete with a 'fixed smile' !

Phil Alderson (JSTGG) WON the Yorkshire Centre Trial yesterday beating local superstars....

Regards Shirty

BTC Hook Wood Thames MCC

Shaun Morris (Team JST GAS GAS UK) finished on the podium again yesterday and now secures 3rd place in the Overall 2008 Championship Standings with one round to go.

The Thames organised event at the Hook Wood venue yesterday was a complete contrast to last years dry event which Shaun won!.

With the recent wet weather conditions drenching a mud / clay based wood together with a mix of imported rocks and logs you can imagine how slippery the sections were! Nevertheless it was the same for everyone and there will always be a winner no matter what the conditions and weather etc.

Graham Jarvis was the easy winner with a 35 mark win over Championship leader Micheal Brown. Graham 'mudmaster' Jarvis is superb in these snotty conditions and although he is older than his rivals his experience and focus meant he dealt with the conditions without getting frustrated and i must congratulate him and Sherco for a superb win.

Micheal Brown was a distant 2nd and had a few issues with his 'little legs' and a niggling back injury. However, i think he accepted that Graham is still the man in these conditions and although he got a good thrashing he still finished 2nd. Micheal still leads the Championship but by only one point with the final round to go which is at the Bradford Clubs Skyrakes venue on October 5th. The pressure is on these two now!

There is now no pressure on GG Rider Shaun Morris so lets hope he can finish the year with a win! This would be very welcome to Shaun as he missed the Bradford Trial last year because of his damaged eye where we were hoping for a GG British Champion.

Alexz Wigg was 4th yesterday with an awesome first lap which was only 5 marks behind Graham and 10 infront of Browny! Alexz has now probably confirmed his 4th place 'bib' for next year aswell.

Ross Danby (JSTGG) was 5th beating his injured GG Team mate Sam Haslam who struggled with his injured ankle. With intense physio and accupuncture during the week i was pleased to see Sam riding and giving it 100%. Sam still leads Ross in the Championship but only by one point so these two will be locked in their own battle at the last round. There is also only one point between them in the Junior WTC !

Craig Robinson (JSTGG) was 8th and actually enjoyed himself. Craig has never given up this year in the tough Championship Class and i admire him for that.

In the Expert Class Jack Challoner won on his 125 so congrats to him. Boe Jaker was 2nd and still has an 8 point lead so it's looking like Joe will retain the Expert Title this year.

Dan Thorpe was best JSTGG in 5th with his Team mate Liam Walker in 6th. Dan is now a fairly safe 3rd the Championship and Liam is 6th.

Dan Farrer (JSTGG) had his best BT result of the year finishing 8th.

In the Youth Class, Team JSTGG rider Ben Morphett continues to impress taking an easy win over JR by 19 marks. This was a good win for Ben but more impressive is the fact that he would have finished 3rd in the Expert Class!

Well done to all! Shirty

Next and final BTC event is October 5th at Skyrakes...

Results round 6 (Thames MCC)

Championship Class 1: Graham Jarvis (Sherco) 80 2: Michael Brown (Beta) 115 3: Shaun Morris (JSTGas Gas) 123 4: Alexz Wigg (Montesa) 123 5: Ross Danby (JSTGas Gas) 150 6: Sam Haslam (JSTGas Gas) 158 7: George Morton (Beta) 162 8: Craig Robinson (JSTGas Gas) 170 Expert Class 1: Jack Challoner (Beta) 53 2: Joe Baker (Scorpa) 69 3: Ben Hemingway (Beta) 83 4: James Fry (Sherco) 83 5: Dan Thorpe (JSTGas Gas) 92 6: Liam Walker (JSTGas Gas) 95 7: Chris Pearson (Sherco) 99 8: Dan Farrer (JSTGas Gas) 112 9: Ben Wibberley (Gas Gas) 113 10: Gary Jenkins (Sherco) 134 Youth Class 1: Ben Morphett (JSTGas Gas) 78 2: Jonathan Richardson (Sherco) 97 3: Jack Sheppard (Beta) 98 4: Jonny Walker (Sherco) 99

2008 BRITISH TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP

1: Michael Brown (Beta) 102 2: Graham Jarvis (Sherco) 101 3: Shaun Morris (Gas Gas) 92 4: Alexz Wigg (Montesa) 69 5: Sam Haslam (Gas Gas) 62 6: Ross Danby (Gas Gas) 61 7: George Morton (Beta) 43 8: Craig Robinson (Gas Gas) 36 9: James Dabill (Montesa) 34 10: Lee Sampson (Sherco) 28

Expert

1: Joe Baker (Scorpa) 114 2: Jack Challoner (Beta) 106 3: Dan Thorpe (Gas Gas) 82 4: James Fry (Sherco) 73 5: Ben Hemingway (Beta) 67 6: Liam Walker (Gas Gas) 60 7: Chris Pearson (Sherco) 52 8: Ben Wibberley (Gas Gas) 41 9: Garry Jenkins (Sherco) 35 10: Mathew Jones (Sherco) 26