Upcoming events:
From Monday 22nd to Sunday 28th June – Alport TT. This is the traditional and excellent club race from the Birchin Clough carpark and not to be confused with the new Alport Watershed TT that we’ll be running the from Monday 29th June. Both are counters in the DP 2020 TT Leagues.
Until Thursday, 25th June – Tha Sprunce (Route 2 Race 5)
There were 26 competitors on the Burbage Skyline TT races with wins for Emily Barnett and Ralph Skrimshire. Curiously, for a race over a fixed course on ground that most of us know very well, there was a surprising amount of navigational variation, including by yours truly who needed two goes but still ended up hacking though tussocks towards Carl Wark in the mist. Race Officer Lewis penalised himself a couple of minutes for taking what were essentially a couple of long-cuts and I for one think that a Stewards Enquiry should reverse this decision and let his actual time stand.
The Crookstone Crashout TT closes on this (Sunday) evening. Andy Harmer tells me that “This was the 73rd running of the race which I first organised in June 1984 and despite Foot and Mouth, Kinder closed for 6 weeks through severe fire risk, deep snow and ice making parking impossible the event always managed to find a window allowing the race to be run twice a year”. Long may it continue.
In August, the Calendar has a couple of gaps in the series of DPFR 2020 TT races. Prospective volunteer Race Officers are encouraged to get in touch with series organiser Lewis Ashton with suggestions. Please!
27 runners completed Race 4 of Tha Sprunce, although only 26 owned up to having done so! With a hint of dampness underfoot for much of the week, most times posted were slower than previously. In the Race 4 handicap, Ken Jones rolled back the years to score a famous if narrow victory.
This was the last running of Route 1 and Sally Fawcett is the overall handicap champion for the four races on this route, winning narrowly from the ever improving Ken Jones. I’ll compile a new handicap table for the four races that we’ll run on Route 2.
Race 5 on Route 2 is now open, details of which are in the Calendar. There is undoubtedly scope to go wrong in the Rivelin woods north of the A57. Firstly, about 225 metres after the first crossing of the A57 you come to a wooden post. Don’t take the left hand path unless you want to visit the Rivelin Needle. Secondly, just over 1km after that first crossing of the A57, don’t miss the stile on the right that takes you onto the path that leads down across fields back to the A57. Finally, getting run over on either the A57 or Redmires Road is strictly prohibited!
Jim Paxman
21st June, 2020