WEDNESDAY 24TH MAY –
USA WORLD TRIAL CHAMPIONSHIP 125cc CLASS – 3RD & 4TH ROUNDS

Robert Andrews had a successful two days of competition at the US GP held in the awesome trials venue at Trials Training Center in Jasper, Tennessee. Along with his full-time mechanic and minder Harold Crawford, David Rodgers also made the trip to add further minding wisdom to the rising Irish Trialstar. This was made possible thanks to the loan of Canada’s lady trials rider Kerry Williams-Gas Gas. The venue was perfect for trials, a 650-acre estate an off-road paradise of rivers, banks, climbs, steps and drops! The two days of competition could not have been more extreme, Saturday was blistering 90 degrees heat with a high a level of humidity, exhausting to stand in let alone try to ride world-class sections. Robert admitted after the trial, (when he had the energy to talk to us), that it had been the most exhausting day he had ever experienced on a bike. He did however give every ounce of energy he had, as Harry and Dave coaxed and encouraged the Bangor teenager all day long to the last whistle on section 30, some 5 hours 30 minutes later. It was indeed a tough day which he survived and finished a respectable ninth position in the ultra competitive 125cc category.
Following some extensive resting over night in the air-conditioned safety of the hotel room it was a welcome feeling to be greeted with an overcast morning for the 10am start of two more 15 section laps of the forest park. Spectacular overnight thunder and lightning plus heavy showers turned the last 7 sections on the rocky hillside from dry and grippy to grease covered boulders which made for a new objective, get through for a three rather than Saturdays which was not to concede any marks! The weather suddenly was not the enemy rather the course, which became a battle of survival as to who could save the most five mark penalties on what became a ‘butter mountain’. Bert got no shortage of encouragement as yet again Harry and Dave shout the instructions as the 1 minute 30 seconds per section was always difficult to beat in the heavy conditions.
Robert never once dropped the head and gave it all that was in his tank, which netted him another ninth place finish and a leap up the championship table to joint ninth overall.
Robert will miss the next round the Japanese GP and will continue the remaining rounds which are all European based, his next GP being on the 25th June in France.

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