The Scott Trial is a British

motorcycle trials Motorcycle trials, also known as observed trials, often called simply trial/s (with or without the plural "s"), is a non-speed event on specialized motorcycles. The sport is most popular in the United Kingdom and Spain, though there are participan ...

competition dating from 1914 run over an off-road course of approximately 70 miles. One of the most challenging trials events in the UK, its appeal is to clubman riders as well as international professional riders. The Scott raises money for the "Scott charities", a range of local non-profit making organisations.

History

The Scott Trial began in 1914 when

Alfred Angas Scott Alfred Angas Scott (1875–1923) was a British motorcycle designer, inventor and founder of the Scott Motorcycle Company. A prolific inventor, he took out over 50 patents between 1897 and 1920, mostly concerning two-stroke engines and road vehi ...

, inventor and founder of the Scott Motorcycle Company challenged the workers at his factory to ride from the factory in Shipley through the

Yorkshire Dales The Yorkshire Dales is an upland area of the Pennines in the historic county of Yorkshire, England, most of it in the Yorkshire Dales National Park created in 1954. The Dales comprise river valleys and the hills rising from the Vale of York ...

Burnsall Burnsall is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the River Wharfe in Wharfedale, and is in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The village is approximately south-east from Grassi ...

, a riverside village near

Grassington Grassington is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. The population of the parish at the 2011 Census was 1,126. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is situated in Wharfedale, ...

. Of the 14 starters only 9 finished. The event was reintroduced after the First World War in 1919 and although Alfred Scott died in 1923 the event continued to be run by the Scott workers until 1926. The Bradford and District Motor Club then took over the management of the event and moved the start and finish to

Blubberhouses Blubberhouses is a small village and civil parish located in the Washburn Valley in the borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, a county in the north of England. The population as at the 2011 Census was less than 100. Details are included in th ...

, a small village in the borough of

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa wate ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four cou ...

. In 1938 the land was owned by the

Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...

Waterworks Authority which decided not to allow motorcycle trials on their property, so the trial was moved again to Swainby, on the north western corner of the

North York Moors National Park North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' i ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

and control was taken over by the

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

and

Stockton Stockton may refer to: Places Australia * Stockton, New South Wales * Stockton, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region New Zealand *Stockton, New Zealand United Kingdom *Stockton, Cheshire *Stockton, Norfolk *Stockton, Chirbu ...

Motor Clubs.

Swaledale

In 1950 the

Auto-Cycle Union The Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) is the governing body of motorcycle sport in Great Britain, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, but excluding Northern Ireland.

, the governing body of motorcycle sport in Great Britain, divided the area into the North Eastern Centre and the Yorkshire Centre and the Scott Trial was moved to

Swaledale Swaledale is one of the northernmost dales (valleys) in Yorkshire Dales National Park, located in northern England. It is the dale of the River Swale on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire. Geographical overview Swaledale runs ...

, one of the northernmost dales in the

Yorkshire Dales National Park The Yorkshire Dales National Park is a national park in England covering most of the Yorkshire Dales. Most of the park is in North Yorkshire, with a sizeable area in Westmorland (Cumbria) and a small part in Lancashire. The park was design ...

, where it has remained to this day. The

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington under ...

and District Motor Club took over the organisation until 1990, when the

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a ...

Motor Club took over.

The 1962 Scott Trial

In his career of over 1000 wins trials champion

Sammy Miller Samuel Hamilton Miller, MBE (born 11 November 1933) is a Northern Irish championship winning motorcycle racer, in both road racing and trials. He was appointed an MBE in the 2009 New Year Honours. In 2013, Miller was named an FIM Legend for ...

considers the 1962 Scott Trial as the greatest ever. A week of rain meant the course was muddy and dangerous. Conditions were so bad that only 40 finished from a field of 185 that started, with Miller's

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

500cc a clear winner. This was Miller's second of seven Scott Trial wins.

Present day

The current Scott Trial continues to be a time and observation event run over an off-road course of 84 miles, divided into 76 sections. Riders lose marks for putting a foot down or "footing" in the observed sections and for finishing behind the fastest rider. Over the years a huge range of special awards and memorial trophies have become associated with the Scott Trial, including 'best performing Yorkshireman' and 'oldest official finisher'. As in 1962 the weather can be as harsh as the course. In 1998 only 27 of the 147 entries completed the course. On this occasion Graham Jarvis won for the third time with the fastest time of 5 hours 50 minutes. In 2008 rain reduced the finishers to 60 out of 200 with Jarvis winning for the 8th time. In 2009 Graham Jarvis won again despite being 28 minutes slower than the previous years runner-up James Dabill. His unique skill over the sections, losing him 22 points compared to Dabill's 38, gave him his ninth win. The 2010 Scott Trial was won James Dabill with a 4-point lead over Graham Jarvis. Three-time winner, Dougie Lampkin, retired due to machine failure in the early stages for the third year in succession. The 2011 Trial was won by 19-year-old Jonathan Richardson; James Dabill and Ian Austermuhle were joint second.

Women competitors

The first woman to start a Scott Trial was Mrs E. Knowles in 1921. In 1926 Miss Majorie Cottle was the first female official finisher. It was her second attempt and she finished on a further three occasions, the last in 1931. From 1925 Miss E. Foley entered six times but never finished. Before 1940 a further eight women competed but none officially completed the course. From 1950 to 2001 there were seven female riders, three making two attempts, and one entering three times, but none were successful. Katy Sunter's first of fourteen attempts was in 2002, and since then she has had ten official finishes. The new wave of women competitors has seen twelve other women enter, of whom Emma Bristow has finished six times, Maria Conway and Chloe Richardson twice.

Gallery

File:Graham Jarvis 2009.jpeg, Graham Jarvis, winner 2009. Section 41. File:James Dabill 2010.JPG, James Dabill, winner 2010. File:Jonathan Richardson 2011.jpg, Jonathan Richardson, winner 2011. File:Michael Brown Scott Trial 2012.jpg, Michael Brown, winner 2012. File:October 2013 Scott 030.jpg, Dougie Lampkin, winner 2013. Section 40. File:James Dabill 2014.JPG, James Dabill, winner 2014. Section 41. File:Jack Price 2022.jpg, Jack Price, winner Scott Trial 2022. Section 40.

Scott Trial Winners

The Scot Trial Souvenir Programme 22 October 2011. Eric Kitchen. Page 60.

References

External links

Video of the Scott Trial

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