BETA UK rider Ian Austermuhle, from Malton, was in fantastic form at Low North Park, Harwood Dale, on Sunday.

East Yorkshire Championship points were at stake at this Scarborough District Motor Club trial and, with blue sky and sunshine to boot, the cream of East York Centre riders battled it out over a four-lap, 10-section course.

Austermuhle gained a one-mark win in the expert class over Scarborough’s British champion Michael Brown, with Whitby’s Andy Chilton, also of Beta UK, in third.

Early sections caused the riders little bother, but the greasy, angled rocks of section five proved decisive and, surprisingly, Brown succumbed here with three marks lost, while Austermuhle, Guy Kendrew, Chilton and youth ‘A’ winner Dan Peace – Kirkbymoorside’s young star – all cleaned.

Austermuhle lost one mark in the middle gully on the second lap, as did Brown, but he still sealed the win.

Kirkbymoorside’s Mark Harrison finished two marks adrift of Carlton’s Matt Maynard in the intermediate class, while the Peace brothers, Dan and Jack, produced cracking rides to end on 11 and 17 marks respectively and finish first and second in their youth class, matching many experts’ scores. But for a poor attack on section 10 – fiving the second lap – Dan’s score would have placed him among the top experts.

Thornton-le-Dale’s Kate Hunter failed in her bid to wrest clubman ‘B’ glory away from the experienced Dave Wilkinson, the latter winning by six marks, but she did produce the only unpenalised rides on the awkward, greasy rocks of section seven.