HAVING lost the traditional venue of Headley Park, Farnham Motorcycle Club held their popular Phil Mellers Trial for classic and twin-shock bikes at Butser, just south of Petersfield.

Probably due to this course’s reputation for more extreme terrain, the event attracted a slightly smaller entry of 52 riders.

But clerk-of-the-course Pete Smith and his team left out the soaring chalky climbs and steep descents used in events for modern bikes, so that riders enjoyed a day in the sunshine on a course designed for their historic machines.

With three classes won on zero marks and no ties for first place, it seemed just the right severity.

Class A was for the oldest, mainly pre-war bikes with girder forks and no rear suspension. Adrian Mountain recorded a convincing win on his 350cc Triumph, losing just six marks to runner-up Arthur Frearson’s 27 on his 250cc AJS.

The later, post-war machines with telescopic forks and no rear suspension competed in class B. Richard Talbot, riding a 350cc Matchless, had another clear victory, losing his only mark on the twists and turns of section 10.

Second place went to Les Stars who dropped 14 marks on his 500cc Ariel and third to Chris Hurworth on a 500cc BSA.

Class C was the blue riband event for the iconic machines made in the heyday of the British motorcycle industry of the 1950s and 60s, with rear suspension but separate engine and gearbox.

This and the subsequent classes rode a harder route and Paul Edwards had a good ride to coax his 500cc Ariel through the 36 sections with a loss of just two marks, one on the very first section and one on the roots and cambers of section 4.

Anthony Talbot piloted his 410cc Matchless to second spot with six marks, closely followed by the beautiful sounding Norton /Ariel special of Steve Jones.

Class D was for unit construction four-strokes and, like the other two classes for more modern machines, it was won without loss. John Dismore rode his 200cc Triumph to victory well ahead of Shane Stalker, 250cc BSA, on 10 and John Miles, 500cc Triumph, on 12.

Class E for British two-strokes was a much closer battle with Ian Peberdy, 185cc BSA, on zero, just one ahead of similarly mounted Richard Miles, with Paul Casling, 250cc DOT, just behind on three.

The increasingly popular class for the twin-shock machines of the 1970s and 80s had the largest entry and here again just one rider went unpenalised with only single marks separating the first 14 places. Geoff Muston, on his SWM, led Mike Vincent (Bultaco) and Steve Sell (Ossa), both on one, with second place going to Vincent on the ‘furthest clean’ rule.

Full results and more photos can be viewed at www.farnhammcc.co.uk