VINTAGE VINES

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 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

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.

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.

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.

Sammy Miller (Southern) and Tony Sharpe (Northern) share their thoughts on the proposed line at a section.

STRENGTH IN DEPTH

Under the watchful eyes of the ex-BSA works rider Tom Ellis, the Team Manager, the Yorkshire riders were defending the title and were undoubtedly the ones to beat. The strength and depth of the team were shown in the final results as, despite none of its five riders recording the best performance, they had three riders in the top ten.

Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco) led Yorkshire home with the third-best performance, followed by Martin Lampkin (Bultaco) and newcomer to the team Rob Shepherd (Montesa), with Alan Lampkin (Bultaco) the final points scorer. Bill Wilkinson (Ossa) did not have the best of days, and his final result did not count.

Sammy Miller had a point to prove. He was still a very top-class rider but limited his national outings after many years of winning. However, he still loved the challenge of motorcycle trials and would use this event as a benchmark where his abilities could still take him. He was in the early stages of the development of the new 325 Bultaco, and this was an opportunity to see how it performed against the other manufacturers. As it happened, such was the severity of some of the more challenging hazards that he had the opportunity to show his superior throttle control. As a watching spectator, it was still a pleasure to witness such a great rider in action. As his second-best individual performance as a member of the Southern Team told its own story, he was still a master of his chosen motorcycle sport!

Paul Dunkley (Bultaco) Southern: Standing tall on the 250 Bultaco, this top ten finish in the event was well deserved, and supported Sammy Miller as the team finished second.

Sammy Miller (Bultaco)

Southern: This close-up shot shows the distinctive cylinder head and barrel on the new 325 Bultaco that Miller had ridden to a winning debut at the Don Mountstevens Trial in late February.

Sammy Miller

(Bultaco) Southern: Showing his usual will to win, you can clearly see the Hi-Boy frame on the Bultaco with the bottom frame rails replaced by an aluminium sump guard.

Geoff Chandler (Bultaco)

Southern: This fantastic rider, who would only get better – just look at the superb riding style as he goes for a clean on this muddy hazard.

Mick Andrews (Ossa) East Midland: As always, the true professional trials rider Mick looks very confident and quite rightly so; he had won four of the opening five rounds of the European Championship on the new Ossa. This the Spanish registered machine he would win the Scottish Six Days Trial on a few weeks later.

BACK UP

Providing backup to Sammy Miller in the Southern Team was his shop manager Paul Dunkley (Bultaco), who claimed fourth place overall, beating Martin Lampkin by a single mark, which was an excellent result considering the high standard of riders. Unfortunately, Geoff Chandler (Bultaco) did not have the best of days, finishing on 66, but his final score and the one of Chris Legg (Montesa) on 70 marks lost was enough to bring home the runners-up trophy.

Having taken the event’s lead on the first lap by losing just 13 marks was Mick Andrews (Ossa), followed by Sammy Miller on 20 and Martin Lampkin on 21. Miller was the best rider on the second lap, losing just 11 marks, but Andrews remained calm to part with 17 and led the East Midlands Team home in third position.

The second-best performer in the East Midlands Team was Bruce Melville (Bultaco) on 66 marks lost and then Chris Milner (Montesa) on 68, and Ted Breffitt (Ossa) on 71.

The fight for the final podium position had been quite a close one as Gordon Farley (Montesa) led the South Eastern Team to fourth overall and Rob Edwards (Montesa) the East Yorkshire Team to round off the top five.

The event had proved a huge success, and the Midland Centre had proved that private ground for the team event worked well. The severity of the sections was perfect, and none were altered for the second lap; such was the experience of the Clerk of the Course. The Midland Centre Team, managed by Ross Winwood, came home in sixth position, headed by the sometime Speedway rider Steve Wilson (Ossa).

Chris Milner (Montesa) East

Midland: A man of many machines, he is seen here on the Montesa but he would soon purchase a brand new Bultaco to further his trials career. Ted Breffitt (Ossa) East Midlands: Very much an Ossa rider, Ted had recently taken delivery of one of the new Ossa MAR models that came into the UK in early 1972.

Gordon Farley (Montesa)

South Eastern: His earlyseason form had been affected by a badly sprained ankle and then a cut hand from a crash in practice, but just one week earlier he had bounced back by winning the Lomax National Trial in North Wales; as they say, you can never keep a good man down.

Brian Hutchinson (Bultaco) East

Yorkshire: Better known for his rides on ‘Micro’ machines he rode the event on a 250 Bultaco after moving from the Sprite Team.

Rob Edwards (Montesa) East

Yorkshire: After a poor first lap he used his experience to rescue the day with a much better ride to put in a top-ten performance to lead the team home.

Steve Wilson (Ossa) Midland: A man of many talents, earlier in the week on the run-up to the Inter Centre Team Trial he had crashed heavily at a Bradford Speedway meeting but he bounced back with the best performance for his Midland Centre Team on the Mick Bowers sponsored Ossa.

Ian Haydon (Montesa) South Western: It is most definitely a five as the Montesa slides away right under the nose of the observer. John Luckett (Cotton) South Western: Staying loyal to one of the last British trials motorcycle manufacturers, John is on the latest offering from Cotton, the Cavalier model.

Tony Davis (Bultaco) Western: With brother Malcolm missing on motocross duty, Tony, as immaculate as ever, turned in a very creditable top ten finish.

John Moffat – Trials Guru: “I cannot believe it is 50 years since I attended the ACU Inter-Centre Team Trial at Burrington, Ludlow, in the April of 1972. I was 14 years old and mad-keen on motorcycle trials. However, youth trials had not been adopted in Scotland at that time, so I was either a spectator or an observer at events until I reached 16 years old, when I could apply for a competition licence to compete.

“1972 was the first year the Scottish ACU was permitted to field a team as a national club of the ACU. I remember well travelling south with my parents from our home in Bathgate, West Lothian, to watch my boyhood heroes of the sport, many of whom I became good friends with in later life. Of course, the best of trials riders represented their ACU centre, which included Sammy Miller, Malcolm Rathmell, the Lampkins Alan and Martin, Mick Andrews and Rob Edwards; it was a veritable who’s who of British and European trials riders of the period. In fact, we walked around part of the course in company with Rob’s father, Bob Edwards, a very pleasant and interesting gentleman.

“The Scottish team consisted of Jimmy Morton, the well-known Bultaco dealer from Sorn in Ayrshire, Stan Young (Edinburgh), Dougie Watson (Airdrie) and the Scots-born Bill Emmerson, who at that time promoted ‘Macrae Kippers’ from Stonehaven as his family had connections with the firm. He was dishing out stickers and packs of kipper fillets around the car park that weekend.

“I had never seen a team event before, but watching the best trials riders in the world compete for their centre was something completely different from what I had previously experienced.”

Lawrence Telling (Montesa) Wessex: ‘Sparky’ as he was better known guides the Montesa to another clean ride on one of the more difficult hazards.

Dennis Saunders (Bultaco)

Western: Taking a needed ‘dab’ Dennis is the father of Steve Saunders.

Clive Smith (Ossa) North West: One of four trials riding brothers, Clive was another rising talent spotted by Jim Sandiford who was his sponsor through his motorcycle shop for many years.

It was not all doom and gloom for the British motorcycle manufacturers. Tim Wassel had planned to produce 100 BSA Bantam Wassel trials models. As the engine supplies dried up Ross Winwood, seen here joined him to start work on a Sachs engine model. This is the end product on show at the Inter Centre Team Trial. Eric Adcock (Bultaco) North West: Loyal to DOT motorcycles for all his career, with no machine available from the Manchester based manufacturer he rode a Bultaco on loan from Jim Sandiford.

Jim Sandiford (Bultaco)

North West: Another rider who was always immaculately turned out, wearing his Shell Oils overalls, Jim was a part of the Bultaco UK team supported by Comerfords.

Working to control the noise level from the trials machines the ACU had a noise meter operator in action, something we would see much more of as the year progressed. INTER-CENTRE TEAM TRIAL 1972

RESULTS: 1: Yorkshire 193, Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco), Martin Lampkin (Bultaco), Rob Shepherd (Montesa), Alan Lampkin (Bultaco), Bill Wilkinson (Ossa); 2: Southern 205, Sammy Miller (Bultaco), Paul Dunkley (Bultaco), Geoff Chandler (Bultaco), Chris Legg (Montesa), Bill Gunner (Bultaco); 3: East Midland 228, Mick Andrews (Ossa), Bruce Melville (Bultaco), Chris Milner (Montesa), Ted Breffitt (Ossa), Howard Doncaster (Montesa); 4: South Eastern 234, Gordon Farley (Montesa), Alan Ketley (Bultaco), Derek Adsett (Ossa), Ken Brooker (Bultaco), Richard Whitebread (Bultaco); 5: East Yorkshire 245, Rob Edwards (Montesa), Jack Galloway (Montesa), John Pattison (Bultaco), Brian Hutchinson (Bultaco), Malcolm Dennis (Montesa); 6: Midland 270, Steve Wilson (Ossa), Karl Rowbotham (Bultaco), Arthur Browning (Bultaco), Scott Ellis (Bultaco), Mick Bowers (Ossa); 7: South Western 311, Ian Haydon (Montesa,) Brian Higgins (Bultaco), Colin Dommett (Bultaco,) Mick Sexton (Ossa), John Luckett (Cotton); 8: Wessex 353, Lawrence Telling (Montesa), Peter Valentine (Bultaco), Neil Collin (Bultaco), Chris Watts (Bultaco), Brian Shuttleworth (Bultaco); 9:

Western 382, Tony Davis (Bultaco), Jon Bliss (Saracen), Bill Andrews (Bultaco), Dennis Saunders (Bultaco), Mark Kemp

(Ossa); 10: North West 397, Jim Sandiford (Bultaco), Phil Clarkson (Bultaco), Brian Lancaster (Bultaco), Clive Smith (Ossa), Erik Adcock (Bultaco).

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