Jump

Westmorland Motor Club were running the Helsington Scramble for the first time in fifty years and Mrs C wanted some practice at panning with her camera. Filter in a warm, sunny Sunday and it was a no-brainer as to what today’s activity would be.
The track is actually within walking distance, but we took the car down and parked it in the shade of a tree a short distance away, partly because we wanted to go into town afterwards, but mostly to avoid having to walk back home, uphill in the heat.
The bikes were all “Twin shock” models ranging from classic 1960s BSAs to 1980s Hondas and Maicos. Plenty of classes, but they were sometimes grouped together so as to make a full starting grid. Very slick organisation - as one race was was completing its last lap, the competitors for next were lining up at the start. As soon as the track was clear, they got a 15 second board, and then a 5 second board before the gates dropped and they were away.
The course was as close as anyone could remember to that of 50/60 years ago and it made for some close racing as the bikes roared around the twisty and undulating terrain. A few spectacular spills, but no real damage to man or machine - and with three rounds of races in the day, there was always going to be another chance for a run.
But it was very hot and there was hardly any shade. Which probably explains why I’m sitting here now with a cold flannel covering my very red forehead! Still I think that’s better all round than if it had been wet, cold and muddy - all possible in a Lake District summer!
It was a lot of fun and very well organised. Let’s hope it’s deemed a success and once again becomes a permanent fixture in the local motorsport calendar. And as there were classes for riders over 50, maybe I could have a go myself…