All posts by johnmoffat1957

Get Ready For Alvie 2023

We are getting closer to the 2023 Highland Classic Two Day Trial and plans are moving swiftly to bring you the ‘Friendliest Classic Trial in Scotland’, The Suzuki Edition.

In preparation for a smooth rider matriculation, we will be accepting riders for signing on at 08:30 on Saturday 10th June until 10:30, that’s 200 competitors in 120 minutes!

Riders will also receive their ‘Welcome Pack’ which will include their machine racing number and a numbered sticker for the rear of the safety helmet so that the number is visible from the front and rear. There will also be some products from our ‘Trial Partners‘.

Our official piper, Donald Morrison will play some Highland tunes from 10:30 until 10:45, just prior to the start where we will introduce our 2023 Guest of Honour, Nigel Birkett plus some other noteable riders.

The IDMCC committee and directors are looking forward to welcoming you to Alvie Estate!

Marker board Refresh

For the 2023 Suzuki Edition, we have refreshed our section marker boards, which are bespoke to the Highland Classic and promote our major Trial Partner, Alvie & Dalraddy Estates who are the landowners.

The boards were specially commissioned from Racing Service, Sport & Design in Madrid, Spain and they arrived this week.

RACING SERVICE

The boards give clear detail of the section begins and ends for riders and officials.

We are sure that you think they look smart!

2023 TAKES OFF

The entry form for the 2023 Highland Classic – Suzuki Edition opened at 8pm on Wednesday 1st February and again the event proved popular enough to attract 264 entries for 200 places!

This means that 64 entrants are initially disappointed, however history tells us that quite a number of entrants withdraw prior to the event, some many weeks prior, due to injury, family and work committments and so on.

This means that a high proportion of unsuccessful entrants eventually gain a place, so if you are on the reserves, don’t despair!

A surprise entry was received from our previous Guest of Honour, the 1979 World Trials Champion and 1982 SSDT winner, Bernie Schreiber!

Bernie posted on his global facebook page immediately after receiving his entry confirmation:

Apparently the 2023 entry is full and oversubscribed again, but I’m thrilled to receive a Highland Classic entry and return to the friendliest Classic Trial in Scotland organized by the Inverness & District Motor Cycle Club Ltd. The Highland Classic Trial history can be traced back to 1950. The 2023 Suzuki Edition will take place at Alvie Estate on June 10th &11th with Nigel Birkett as guest of honour over the two-day weekend. Huge thank you to Sir John Moffat for the opportunity to ride one of his unique machines, but he said it will be a surprise and announced only in May. – Whit’s fur ye’ll no go by ye!

Bernie Schreiber will be flying into his base near Zurich in Switzerland after having joined the members of the NEOTT (North Eastern Oklahoma Trials Team) for a long weekend at Tulsa Mountain Trials, Oklahoma on 13/14 May, a short break, then out again to Inverness for the Highland Classic in June! Looks like he will be having a busy summer in 2023.

Bernie Schreiber will be promoting trials in the USA this year at Tulsa Mountain Trials

The Highland Classic 2023 Reserve List is displayed on this website – HERE

2023 SPECIAL FEATURES

Photo Credits: Gavin Shaw & David Lewis

There will be a very special feature at this year’s Highland Classic Two Day Trial, apart from being the Suzuki Edition where we pay homage to the Japanese marque in trials!

On display for trials enthusiasts will be the 1946 ex-factory AJS 16MC of Hugh Viney who won the 1947-49 Scottish Six Days Trial on this very motorcycle.

1947 was the first year that Hugh Viney had entered the SSDT and he won it on his first attempt!

The machine will be seen in the Trial HQ at Alvie Estate for all to see and appreciate what works riders were issued to compete on in the late forties and early fifties. This is a unique piece of trials history, it is amazing that this 77 year old machine has survived intact after being sold by the factory when later models were developed.

Hugh Viney apart from being a works rider, became the AMC Competitions manager when his trials riding career came to an end after a serious car accident. Viney had also represented his country in the annual International Six Days Trial on numerous occasions post war.

The AJS HXF641 came up for sale at Bonhams in April 2019:

First registered to AMC in October 1946, this 350 AJS was ridden in period by one of the biggest trials stars of the day, Hugh Viney, who had left his job as a local government surveyor to join the London-based manufacturer. During the war, Sergeant Viney had been a riding instructor in the Royal Corps of Signals, honing his off-road skills in the Yorkshire Pennines and moors. By all accounts he was somewhat reserved, preferring to let his results do the talking. And what a sensation he would turn out to be, winning the arduous Scottish Six Says Trial (SSDT) on his debut in 1947 and going on to repeat that victory in 1948 and 1949, securing the first hat-trick in SSDT history. As well as his SSDT successes, Viney won Gold Medals at every International Six Days Trials between 1949 and 1954, cementing his status as one of the greatest riders the sport has ever seen.

Hugh Viney in the 1947 SSDT on his way to victory in HXF641 (Photo: Bonhams)

It is certain that Viney rode ‘HXF 641’ to win the 1947 SSDT – it was pictured in Motor Cycling magazine (22nd May 1947 edition) as part of an article by Bob Holliday entitled ‘Gentlemen – The Winners’ – and it is believed that he used this same mount in 1948 and ’49. The original logbook (issued 10th October 1946) records Associated Motor Cycles Ltd of Plumstead as first owner and is signed by one of the Matchless founders, Charlie Collier. The first change of ownership is dated April 1950 when the machine passed to one Rodney Bainbridge of Shrewsbury. Many years later, in 1990, Hugh’s son Michael was able to purchase his father’s old SSDT winner, which he sold to Bob Gardiner in 1992 (see correspondence and V5 copies on file). A few years later the ex-Viney AJS was featured in The Classic Motor Cycle (December 2001 edition) in an article written by Roy Poynting.

APICO HIT Perfect 10

Apico Factory Racing have supported the Highland Classic Two Day Trial for ten years!

The company based in Burnley, Lancashire have been supportive since 2013, the only break being in 2020 when all motorcycle sport activity was disrupted by Covid-19.

Apico supremo Dylan Brown and his Promotions Manager, Scott Cannon are both very enthusiastic trade supporters of a variety of events throughout the UK and it is a pleasure to have them support the Highland Classic.

Their support is to provide items which go towards the rider’s welcome packs when they sign in at Alvie Estate.

OBSERVERS WANTED

The appeal begins for the 2023 Highland Classic Two-Day Trial. We always need around 18 observers for both days to make the event successful.

If you can spare some time to help the club, we would like you to complete the Observer’s application form as soon as possible.

We have a draw for both days with cash prizes and there is a goodie bag, packed lunch and meal supplied both days for all observers.

APPLY NOW PLEASE!

2023 Observer’s Application Form

Get ready to enter

The entry form for the Highland Classic – Suzuki Edition will be online soon and is only an entry form, not inclusive of entry fee. Payment of the entry fee will be by bank transfer after rider’s entries are confirmed.

It is a fairly simple form to complete, but make sure you pull together all the information you will need, to swiftly and fully complete the entry form, when it is released at 8pm on 1st February 2023. This is necessary as we have experienced that the available spaces of which there are 160, fill up very quickly. 40 spaces are reserved for our Trial Partner supported riders and special guests of the club. There is no ballot, its ‘first come, first served’.

What you will need to hand:

Your Name; Full postal address incl. postcode; Phone number; Emergency or Mobile number; The route (A or B); Class; Club; Machine inc. CC and year; Tee-shirt size; If machine is fitted with REH forks or not; Gender – M/F; Licence issuing authority and licence number; E-mail address; Reserve list option Y/N; Bring Observer Y/N; Sign declaration.

Tip: Do not attempt to enter anyone elses’ form for them, you will not have sufficient time to enter yourself and for your mates, even if you have all their details to hand. In 2022 the entries were full within ten minutes of entries being opened! We estimate it takes around 4-6 minutes to complete the online entry form.

Good luck!

New Trial Partner for 2023

The Highland Classic Two Day Trial 2023 has a new ‘Trial Partner’ – Inverness business, Gavin Cairns Roughcasting Ltd has decided to support the event in 2023.

We are delighted that the firm has come on board, the company chairman, Mr. Gavin Cairns, himself a keen trials rider will take part in the event.