2014 Gold & Silver Star Trial
Event Report
Josh Veale wins maiden Gold Star
BTRDA Gold & Silver Star Championship Final
Saturday 10th January
Invitation Only
38 starters
Josh Veale won his first BTRDA Gold Star sporting trials championship on Saturday in Cumbria. The event was shortened to two rounds due to a heavy snow shower, after crews had battled with gale force winds at the appropriately named Gale Hall Farm.
Veale’s win in his historic live axle Sherpa was extremely popular with some magnificent trickling resulting in him leading all day. Conditions were continually changing and the ground proved extremely difficult to read prompting all competitors dropping big scores, apart from Veale who become the first live axle winner in five years. Josh’s dad Ian has tried for over twenty years to win the Gold Star and has so far failed! Fellow young competitor, and former double British champion Thomas Bricknell finished six points behind after a poor first round, coincidentally the same result as six years ago.
The first few sections for each competitor saw plenty of grip but the conditions soon deteriorated, speeds increased and then engines started screaming. A quick snow shower during the second round made conditions bleak at the 1500 foot high venue and the mistakes crept in and scores rapidly rose. Outgoing championship chairman Julian Fack completed the top three, despite having no oil pressure come the end of the day, and whose age is more than the sum of Veale and Bricknell’s. A point further back saw highest placed Midland competitor Peter Fensom and best Southern driver Roland Uglow who tied. The top five were covered by just nine points. Duncan Stephens was attempting a hat-trick of Gold Stars but mistakes crept in and a couple of clipped posts saw him drop back to sixth ahead of best Northern driver Simon Kingsley. After the season long battle for the British championship between Ian Bell and John Fack, both suffered with punctures and poor day neither featuring in the top ten.
The Silver Star is for the second stream of qualifiers, and Nick Speed won the category by a single point from Northern Irelands Harry Barr. Richard Sharp repeated his result of a year ago with third in the Silver Star, with son Joe who had won the season long passenger award.
1. Josh Veale / James Washer, Sherpa, 50
2. Thomas Bricknell / Lester Smith, Crossle, 56
3. Julian Fack / Meg Marrion, Crossle, 58
4. Peter Fensom / Liz Fensom, Hamilton 59
5. Roland Uglow / Laura Wilks, Crossle, 59
6. Duncan Stephens / Beth Carroll, Crossle, 66
7. Simon Kingsley / Jo Edwards, Crossle, 68
8. Mark Milne / Vickie Hunter, Crossle, 69
9. Andrew McKinney / Chris Millar, Concord, 73
10. David Rance / Katie Rance, Crossle, 76
Event Images
Event Details
Saturday 10th January will see the 2014 BTRDA Sporting Trials championship come to its climax with thirty eight crews battling for the coveted Gold Star trophy and is expected to be one of the most open ever with upto ten different potential winners.
During the seasons twenty one events spread throughout England competitors scored points based upon their overall placing culminating in the top twenty scorers entering into the Gold Star category and the second twenty invited to partake in the Silver Star. In addition the Northern Ireland Trials championship top five are also invited into the Gold and Silver Star categories.
Saturday’s trial will act like a cup final with the championship decided on the day in what are expected to be ultra trickling (no spinning wheels) conditions on the site near Melmerby in Cumbria. The site was last used for the championship final in 2008, which saw Thomas Bricknell finish a close second. He has subsequently won the Robin Jager trial at the same vast venue on numerous occasions and will be one of the favourites to lift the Gold Star for the first time. Roland Uglow will also make the journey from Cornwall having won five events during the second half of the season, and is the man on form looking for his maiden Gold Star.
John Fack won the ultra close British championship in November with lots of magnificent trickling during the season and is another favourite having finished runner up twelve months ago to Duncan Stephens who has won the Gold Star the last two years, but has been completely off form since and blew his engine at the last event. Fack battled with four time British champion Ian Bell all year, so Bell is another possible to winner of the Gold Star having also won five events during the year but is yet to win the Gold Star. Peter Fensom finished third last year and has won two events in his new car since the summer, and Ian Veale has moved the gearbox to the rear of his Sherpa and consistently finished on the podium since. Simon Kingsley is a multiple northern champion but has been pressed hard by Mark Milne this year, while Brian Edgar makes the trip over from Ireland having won the championship twice before.
The Silver Star is also very open but harder to pick a potential winner. Former champion Pat Henson has changed his car during the year, but hasn’t got to grip with the change of drivers position yet. Local driver Richard Sharp joined the sport eighteen months ago and has become a regular winner of the novice class, and fellow local driver Boyd Webster will debut his new car too and won the Silver Star in 1995.
The Gold Star is likely to feature a new name on the trophy with only four previous winners competing.