# 2000 British Biketrials Championships - Final

*October 8, 2000*

Video footage is on the way...

**Report from UK BikeTrials.com Ambassador, Paul Thomson:**

The final round of the British Biketrial championship took place on
8th October in Llangollen, Denbyshire. The location had been used
previously for motorbike events and consisted of mud, rocks, slippery
banks and water - all your favourite trial components... not! The
section builders made the most of the stream/river which ran through
the area by setting 8 of the 10 sections in it ensuring
non-functioning brakes and soaking clothes all day. Despite this, the
sections were very well designed, calling for good balance and some
tough moves. Many complaints were heard about the difficulty of the
sections, but the top riders were capable of putting in some low
scores and if one rider can get through a section, everyone else can
at least try. In my opinion it was good to see a change of style from
the other rounds - trials, particularly in the UK, is not all big dry
rocks.

The results were as expected - the junior class was dominated by Kurt
Brain, followed by Kris Leeson, who was, unbelievably, riding in
Wellington boots! The elite class went to Chris Akrigg who put in some
fantastic rides to beat Eddie Tongue. Chris's ride in one section had
to be seen to be believed - unfortunately the video camera was
elsewhere at this point: the last obstacle in one particularly steep
section was a large rock in a steep, ie 45 degree, slope, with no room
to stop before plunging into the river. With considerable time in
hand, Chris pointed his bike at the rock and let go of the brakes -
bunny-hopping it with grace and crashing straight into the river at
some speed - which saved him one dab! Still, one dab means a lot to
these guys! The senior competition was wrapped up by David Holmes with
Daniel Holroyd in 2nd.

**Results:**

Elite:

1. Chris Akrigg (Pace) 42

2. Eddie Tongue (Pashley) 49

3. Martin Hawyes (Giant) 54

4. Stephen Thompson (Megamo) 69

5. Matt Tongue (Pashley) 75

6. Paul Thomson (Monty) 92

7. Darren King (DMR) 98

Senior:

1. David Holmes (Megamo) 55

2. Daniel Holroyd (Giant) 66

3. Barry Deeks (MAD Saracen) 69

Junior:

1. Kurt Brain (Megamo) 26

2. Kris Leeson (Leeson) 53

3. Chris Wright (Monty) 57

The final national standings are now available. No surprises to see
Chris Akrigg in top place, but he was pushed hard at a couple of the
rounds. Shame Eddie Tongue missed round 1 (he was busy putting in an
amazing 3rd place ride at Sea Otter). One noticeable absentee was
Martyn Ashton, again missing out due to a demanding demo timetable.

David Holmes put in some great performances to take the seniors title
and Kurt Brain dominated the juniors, despite his age putting him in
the cadet category. If he was to move into Elite next year, as some
rumours suggest, he could easily get a top three placing; he's rapidly
becoming Britain's best hope for the future.

**Final Standings:**

Elite:

1. Chris Akrigg (Pace) 72 points

2. Martin Hawyes (Giant) 52

3. Eddie Tongue (Pashley) 49

4. Matt Tongue (Pashley) 30

5. Stephen Thompson (Saracen/Megamo) 26

6. Stuart Matthews (Megamo) 18

7. Paul Thomson (Monty) 17

8. Richard Lynch (Monty) 15

9. Ian Cooper (Raleigh) 14

10. Darren King (DMR) 13

10. Barry Huskinson (Megamo) 13

Senior:

1. David Holmes (Megamo) 55 points

2. Barry Deeks (MAD Saracen) 39

2. Jon Taylor (Pashley) 39

Junior:

1. Kurt Brain (Megamo) 72 points

2. Kris Leeson (Orange/Leeson) 63

3. Chris Wright (Monty) 40

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© 2000 BikeTrials.com