Dougie Lampkin - Beta was back in
teaching mode as he took control of his annual Master Class
Trials Schools, which take place in early August each year.
This was the twelfth consecutive year that the ex multi FIM
Trial World Champion has conducted his training sessions
with the event proving as popular as ever with the classes
packed full on each of the three days.
Dougie was joined by a star studded cast
of supporting instructors that included his father and 1975
FIM Trial World Champion Martin Lampkin, reigning British
Trial Champion James Dabill, FIM Youth Trial Vice World
Champion Jack Sheppard, ex World championship minder Woody
Hole and Harry Lampkin who remains the the best bike catcher
in the business. The twenty pupils who attended each day,
which encompassed a wide range of ages and abilities,
enjoyed no less than fours hours of riding as part of their
experience as they benefitted from an unrivalled wealth of
knowledge offered by this highly decorated team of teachers.
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Riders from all over the UK travelled to Dougie's hometown
of Silsden in West Yorkshire to be a part of this year's
event, with some participants having come from as far afield
as Cornwall and Scotland to get tuition from Dougie and his
team. This year's venue provided a good mixture of terrain
with the riders tackling a variety of different sections to
develop their skills across a whole range of testing
situations. Even ex FIM Superbike World Champion Neil
Hodgson popped in to polish up his off road skills on one of
the days, which provided an extra treat for those who
happened to be present.
Confirming the great appeal of the sport,
riders from as young as five years old right through to
sixty plus attended over the three days of action, with them
all enjoying a hearty lunch kindly provided by Red Bull to
ensure they had plenty of energy for the afternoon session
each day. Dougie treated his pupils to a private
demonstration to bring things to a close each afternoon,
before he personally handed out certificates and awards to
all those who had successfully completed the course.
Commenting on the twelfth edition of his
Master Class Dougie said. "It's been a great few days
once again. We have had a good mix of riders who have put in
a lot of effort and who have really got a lot back in
return. There is no better feeling than seeing a big grin on
a kid's face when he has just cleaned a section that ten
minutes earlier he was telling you he couldn't do."
Reinforcing this point, Kevin Waldron
from Gloucestershire wrote. "My ten year old son Joe
has just done the Dougie Lampkin trials school and said it
was the best day of his life! I have to say all those
involved, Jake, Woody, Harry, Martin and Dougie, were all
absolutely brilliant and gave him all the encouragement and
advise he needed. He made great improvement during the day,
not only in his riding but also in his confidence. I'd like
to say thanks to everyone who was there and that we'll be
back next year!"
Images by kind permission of Eric Kitchen
High resolution copyright free images for editorial use
available on request.
