1963 George Wolfe & The Clayton Trophy Trial - 1-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

Description

1963 George Wolfe & The Clayton Trophy Trial - 1-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article
Original, Vintage Magazine Article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm)
Condition: Good
George Wolfe And The
Clayton Trophy Trial
The Clayton Trophy Trial was held 5th
August, in the Derbyshire hills and moun-
tains near Buxton, Derbyshire. It was or-
ganized and run by the Wood Green and
District club of Wood Green, an east Lon-
don suburb. As is usual with the national
trials and most others over here, it was
well organized. The club members must
be really enthusiastic to organize and run
an event that is nearly two hundred miles
from their home area.
The event started at 10:30 a.m., on a
very nice Sunday morning. The nearly 275
solo entries were sent off at half minute
intervals and then the sidecars were sent
off ten minutes later at one minute in-
tervals. .
We were away all right, and had a nice
easy ride of five or six miles to the first
group of subs (sub-sections) al a rocky
uphill stream-bed called Checks. After
watching several of the tail-end solos, and
a few of the earlier chairs we had our
try. The section was divided into three
subs and is considered pretty lough by
even the best. We stopped on the first
sub, but fooled through the second then
stopped again in the third sub. None of
the chairs cleaned the third sub-section
although Alan Morcwood, with his wife
as the passenger, got through with a
single dab.
The next section was Robinson’s Rocks,
which is a big rock filled stream bed and
it is quite a job to get to (real good
enduro stuff) . Wc fared poorly there too
with a five and a three. Then back up to
Wicken Walls, with its two subs in a rock
strewn uphill gully, at one time a cart
track. We were fortunate and did better
here, cleaning both the subs.
On then a short distance to Greenwood,
another steep downhill rock filled gully
where we suffered a big hole in a crunch-
ing encounter with some Derbyshire lime-
stone.
We carried on then through several
more sections, comprising six sub-sections
and arrived at Tenterhill after a typical
stretch of rocky and steep, downhill track
between and along stone walls, which
have stood for many, many years. Tenter-
hill is a steep uphill climb over loose rock
and steps. It’s usually divided into three
sub-sections, but this year it was one long
section of about a hundred yards. The
majority of chairs cleaned this though, in-
cluding us.
Next was Hollingsclough, the bone of
the chairs and nearly all the solos. No
sidecars have cleaned this rock filled uphill
gully in many years, although years ago
it was regularly cleaned by chairs and
even three wheeled cars. But weather,
time, and countless spinning wheels have
left it a mass of loose boulders and rocky
steps, up which few riders have been able
to ride without heavy footing or stopping
completely. It’s about a hundred yards
long and is usually divided into three
or four subs, the worst being the bottom,
the first sub. The weather was nice this
year and many of the solos managed to
clean the three subs. Chances looked good
for the chairs and although none of them
cleaned it two got through the first sub
with a loss of three marks and Alec Wright
(who won the Welsh Three Day, sidecar
class) dropped only one mark on the first
section, was clean in the second but slop-
ped in third, for a total of six. Peter
Roydhouse, 500 Norton was best on I lol-
lingsclough, dropping only three total all
on that first and worst sub. We managed
it with a loss of six. total.
On then to the next section but many
of the riders got lost for a few minutes
due to route cards being lorn down or
turned around (oh yes, the clubs have that
trouble here, too). We and several other
chairs were among the lost, but soon
found our way and went on to the next
section and then the special lest, used to
break any possible ties.
After a few more sections, reached after
crossing some of the Derbyshire moors on
narrow dirt tracks and foot paths, then
narrow but paved roads we went through
the small town of Longnor, where the
Pemrose Trial starts (I’ve ridden it twice
now). Then on over some more paved
roads down and then up some real hills,
to the last section, called Dow Low. This
is a real stopper for most chairs, although
it appears easy at first. It’s a series of
sharp left and right hand turns over out-
crop limestone rocks, in a walled, grass
covered lane. The grass is usually damp
and soon the rocks become very greasy
and wheel spin stops most of the chairs
although a couple overturn, on the couple
steep cambers near the end of the section.
Wc get over the hardest part but stop
with wheel spin on a small area of wet
grass between the rocks.
Ji’s over now with a couple miles of easy...
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