Richmond Motor Club Scott Trial Charity Event
Richmond Motor Club saw the annual Scott Trial charity event run on Saturday 11th October, with 190 riders setting off from the Start Field just outside of Marske. For once, the sun was shining and the riders were blessed with warm weather. The ground was dry after almost a week with little to no rain. This made for a fast pace, with Standard Time being set in just 4 hours, 46 minutes and 35 seconds.
The riders attempted 76 sections planned out by Clerk of Course Andrew Swainston & helpers and covered approximately 87 miles over the day. Out of the 190 starters, 89 riders finished the full course within the allowed time.
Spectators were pleased to once again see familiar road racer & TV personality Guy Martin (GasGas) attempt the trial. He showed improvement by getting further round the course than his two previous attempts.
Following his success at the Reeth 3 Day Trial earlier in the year, 6 times World Champion Adam Raga (Sherco) returned to The Dales for a new challenge, having never competed in The Scott Trial previously.
Jonathan Richardson (Vertigo) was once again the first rider home and set Standard Time, completing the course in 4 hours, 46 minutes and 35 seconds.
Richardson vastly improved his observation score from 2024 – dropping just 33 on observation. This put him into the overall lead and he claimed his second Scott Trial victory, 40 years after his father Gerald Richardson last won the event. Jonathan first won The Scott Trial in 2011 at the age of 19 and was almost speechless when he was called up to collect the Alfred Scott Memorial Trophy at the presentation of awards at the Kings Head, Richmond on the evening of the trial.
Richardson’s low score on both time and observation, alongside low scores from Richard Sadler (Vertigo) & Alfie Lampkin (Vertigo) meant that the Vertigo Team won the Scott Trophy for a trade team of three riders on the same make of machine entered by a manufacturer’s agent.
The Eric S Myers Trophy awarded to a team of three riders entered by an ACU affiliated club was won by the Richmond A Team, consisting of Jonathan Richardson (Vertigo), Richard Sadler (Vertigo) and Guy Kendrew (GasGas).
Young George Hemingway had a fantastic day, attempting his first ever Scott Trial at the age of just 17. Hemingway finished with a low score of 25 on observation and just 10 marks on time, putting him in second place. He was also awarded the Herbert Scott Cup for the best performance by a first timer, and the T Cowie Trophy for the best performance by a rider under the age of 21. Hemingway was also the second fastest back to the Start Field, completing the Scott Trial in 4 hours, 55 minutes and 59 seconds.
Local rider Richard Sadler (Vertigo) finished with 27 marks on observation and 18 marks on time, just landing him in third place. Jack Peace (Sherco) had the best observation score of the day on an impressive 18 marks lost, but unfortunately lost 29 marks on time, pushing him down into fourth place. Peace was awarded the Frank Fletcher Trophy for the best performance on observation only.
Newcomer Jack Dance (GasGas) was fifth, dropping 23 on observation and 36 on time. Spaniard Arnau Farré had a fantastic improvement on 2024’s result, finishing in sixth place compared to last year’s eighteenth place and bagging himself a Scott Gold Spoon.
Adam Raga (Sherco) found the day (in his own words) “brutal”. He finished with the second best score on observation only, dropping only 21 marks throughout the day, but the Spaniard struggled to keep the pace and finished with 41 time penalty marks. Raga finished in seventh position overall and was awarded a Scott Silver Spoon.
Alice Minta (Beta) was awarded with the MHT Trophy for the best performance by a lady rider, finishing with 138 marks on observation and 92 marks on time; total score 230.
Young Bill Reeves (TRRS) did exceptionally well for his first attempt at the Scott Trial, arriving at many sections 20 minutes before any other rider. He was the fifth rider to arrive back at the Start/Finish Field and finished in 27th position, narrowly missing out on a Scott Silver Spoon.
On the evening of the trial, the awards were presented to riders who gathered with their friends and families to discuss the day’s events over a drink (or two) in Richmond. An auction was held prior to the awards presentation to raise extra funds for the local charities. Guaranteed and paid for entries to prestigious trials in both England and Scotland were very kindly donated by various Motor Club Committees. The auction raised over £2,500, which will be added to the total charity funds raised by the 2025 Scott Trial. The money raised from the 2025 event will be presented to the charities in Spring 2026.
Richmond Motor Club’s Scott Trial Committee would like to thank everybody involved in the mammoth task of organising and running the event! The Club is indebted to the landowners who allow the event to run over their land each year – thank you. Also a huge thank you to the 2025 Scott Trial main sponsor L & A Dent Game Dealers Ltd, and to everyone who has supported the trial in 2025. Well done to everybody who attempted the trial, we hope to see you next year!
Full results, awards and a section-by-section analysis can be found here:
