Hart emerges victorious from tricky contest at Churchill Rocks

MOTOCROSS

Weymouth's Kevin Hart topped the expert class awards in the Mendip Vale Club's Annual Winterhead Cup trial.

The event was staged over three laps of a dozen sections at Churchill Rocks.

Hart finished eight marks clear of Oliver Humphries with Jeremy Cross a distant third.

Despite it being the only event in the area, the organisers were disappointed by a low turnout of only 43.

Hart incurred half his total in the sixth section, which featured a stony climb with tree roots near the exit.

He also lost marks in the first and last sections, which were just as difficult.

Humphries incurred a ten- mark debit in the sixth and three more in the first and a further 13 elsewhere.

The severity of the sixth can be judged by the fact that Cross lost maximum marks there on all three laps – and he suffered an 11-mark penalty in the first.

Clubman expert class winner Jason Atwell incurred one- and two-mark losses in seven different sections, but the result may have been different if Henry Pym had not stopped in the fourth section on one of his laps.

Over-40 years of age class winner Hedley Ashford had three stops recorded against him, plus eight single-mark penalties, but he still had a very comfortable 18-mark advantage over Ray Perkins at the finish.

Results – Mendip Vale MCC Trial at Churchill – Expert class awards: K Hart 18 marks lost, O Humphries 26, J Cross 65. Clubman expert awards: J Atwell 8, H Pym 13, M Champion 26. Non-experts: M Walker 49, R Strong 63, J Hemmings 76. Novice: J Ridgeway 14, A Wilcox 19, M Ridgeway 26. Over-40 years: H Ashford 23, R Perkins 41, D Hassall 56. Over-50 years: T Wall 22, G Scrivens 51.