Arbecey 2015
organised by Trail 70 Classic

Trail 70 Classic Club with Joel Corroy called for the great 2 days classic trial in the wood, 100km of interzones in 2 days, with riders from France, Jersey, UK, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Deutschland, Schweiz, Netherlands, etc

Special guest rider Yrjö Vesterinen, World Champion 76/77/78 on Bultaco.

Wow, Vesty was my idol when I was a young boy. Many of his posters hanged in my room

Vesty 1977 World Champ

Saturday was a fine day and the parc was crowded when I arrived 10h. I parked my Honda CRV next to the Stampfli / Salch / Aebi Camp.

I got my start plate and greeted many friends under the warm French sun.

Start Arbecey	Thierry Violinis Tiger with puncture
A special Ariel 500 for sale at Trail 70	many trick parts
nice Cota 242, about 86 kg, one of the light twinshockers and Armstrong 320, 89kg	BSA 350, about 115 kg

and then I saw a special red Bultaco

nice prepared, standard Bulto 1979	Yrjö Vesterinen
Yrjö and Charles Coutard in the middle
	Hanna Vesterinen's 125 Bulto
280cc Bulto, below 80kg
a  very nice 340cc Bulto	with Vesty's signature on the tank
a 1975 Bultaco, the world champion model of Martin Lampkin	Vesty, ? ,  Charles
Hanna Vesterinen on Sunday at the start

a great RTL for the mono air cooled class
RTL 250 cc	little sister 200cc
beauty 200cc Lady	red blue TLR 200 with lower pegs and tank seat combo
a Hossa 125	250 TLR
trick yokes
Alex Stampfli, 2nd in the Pre65 Expert on BSA, 42 points	Thierry Gemsa, winner Pre65 Master and Fabien Hamann, winner Twinshock Inter red
Forza Italia ! Club Pollein from Valle di Aosta	Mr. Honda, Edy Adam
Bernd Kreutz Junior on Royal Enfield	Mark Stokes Trifiel. He won the Pre65 Experts with 39 dabs.
Steve Martin, Mr Majesty's weapon
in memoriam Claude Peugeot, Mr. Trial of the 60ies in France
my little Honda

Despite having a starting time, there was a que, but nice weather. There were 2 subrounds called bouclé A and B with 6 zones each on Saturday. The zones were really easy, when concentraded and not missed an arrow. I managed the first round with 1 dab, but as I was no more watching or not concentraed enough, I made 9 dabs (with one nasty 5) in the 2nd round. Anyway, I enjoed a nice day in the woods with friends and then a cool beer after the trial.

There was also at about 18.30h the "tour d' Arbecey" or cavallcade with everybody cruising and waving around in the little village. People were waving from the gardens and even a priest was giving his blessings!

Then, there was a nice gesture of Vesty and Charles, signing posters, with a big queing up of the fans like me.

In the tent, a nice diner was served and beer & wine was altered the friendly mood.

Chris Aebi is fitting Rock Shocks on his works OW Yamaha	Jean Cailloud on the works RTL 360 with Joel Corroy during the cavalcade

Sunday started with nice weather and fresh baguette & coffee. Just before the start, I got a nail in my back tire. Merde! My friend Walter Frei, who arrived this morning, gave me motivation and helped to change the tube. But I lost time and started late.

Start on Sunday morning	everybody saw the weather forecast...
Hanna (again) in the sun. She was brave and rode with nicely in the mud later on	a trick fantic with hugh dampers
Thierry Violini is happy

Queing up at the zones, clouds and wind arrived. I could ride the first boucle in dry conditions, but then heavy rain started for the 2nd boucle. I arrived at zones, where riders were desperate, but managed to pass in the 3rd gear on the torque of my 250cc thumper, were all the riders around me failed. Charles Coutard also has passed an hour ago, but nobody else I was told. Hmm, the zero zones or yesterday became 5ers in the mud..

At zone 9&10, Vesty arrived. Walter and me were watching the master passing impossible zones. wow, bravo, just great.

Due too the rain, I did not bring my camera, what i regretted now. But fortunately, Philippe Stocker took a great video http://trialvideos.free.fr :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0p4aCFoX78

Vesty is about 60 years old but still a great rider.

Finally back, with an almost crash with a tree in the interzone due to no sight in the rain, I decided to give up after 1 round: Abandon, like many more riders.

With an erarly start I might have finished, but it was no more fun for me. I saw the later winner Mark Stokes going on the round in short sleeves, no rain jacket, brr, tough guy those English!

Patrick Garcia from Provence, finisher in the Expert Pre65, bravo!	Francois Guyard has to repair a puncture, but finished with 83 points
here the 15'000 EUR Ariel special
Vanessa from Jersey is waiting to clean here nice TY 175	uups, another puncture...

here the podium (I left home early)

Classements:     Pre65  Twinshock   Mono

The Pre65 Expert saw Mark Stokes on the Trifield Twin on first podium with 39 points. Second my friend Alex on the BSA 350 with 42 points and third Joel Corroy on his Ariel with 47 points.

Pre 65 Master was headed by the Zone 68 boss Thierry Gemsa with 42 points before the Belgium Motobécane champ Michel Dubucquoy.

Pre 65 Gentlemen with the 82 years old George Greenland on 2nd position with 33 makrs and 3rd is Swiss George Brodbeck on DOT with 73.

The Twinshockers Inter red was lead by Fabien Hamann on SWM with only 13 points lost in 2 days and rain!!!, just 1 point (!) followed by Trialsport editor Hans Greiner from Germany on a Bultaco. Hans was just behind me, on the 2nd Boucle. He must have ridden at least 1 bouclé in the mud with almost impossible zones in the red Inter class and lost only 13 dabs. Bravo! A comissair in the zone 10 told me, after I passed in the mud in the blue line with a 3, that it was a long time ago, somebody saw the end with a 3. Except a crazy Bultaco rider, who managed a zero in the rain and the red Inter zone, jumping over the 1.5 meter mud rock at the exit...a myth is born, gell Hans!

Oh, and our heros did very well: Charles Coutard won in the blue Master Twinshockers with 33 points, 2nd the Swiss Pierre Alain Revaz (early starter?, but still bravo!) with 36 and then Vesty with 38 points. From 32 riders, there were 15 finishers and the rest "abandon" like me...about half of the riders finished in total.

By the way, I had the 3rd puncture in 5 years here in Arbecey, but this time with luck in the car park and not in the farest corner.

So, ab big organisation from Team Corroy for us affecionados. A superb Saturday and a nice half day on Sunday, still fun and international trial sports.

Merci, grazie, grazias, danke schön Joel !

http://www.trail70.fr

Link to trail 70 with fotos and classements    (click on CLUB TRAIL 70 Classic in left middle)

Selected Fotos from Pierre Quemin, a gifted fotographer and fan

Clips with links to youtube by HondaPat

HondaPat