Three young brothers from Driffield are trials bike barmy and hoping to write their names as champions of the sport.
Edward Wainwright, at seven-and-a-half years old, is already leading the ACU (Auto Cycle Union) OSET Youth Trial GB Championship, as he bids to become British champion in his age group this year. He led the boys in the Trial 4Y Debutants section of the championship opener last month, held at Harwood Dale and hosted by Scarborough & District Motor Club, with further rounds to come this summer.
Younger brother Oliver, six, is honing his trials skills with his sights set on becoming an Enduro rider. Meanwhile, Rupert, two, is riding his first motorbike, inspired by his siblings, parents and a grandparent.
Trials biking is a whole family affair, with dad William – following on from his own father Richard – and mum Abi getting in on the action. The Wainwright brothers all ride OSETs, which are electric off road bikes.
William said: “It’s something my dad and I did and the boys wanted to do the same. They’ve all ridden from very young, starting at two-years-old, and they can compete from the age of four.
“They are now doing riding nearly every week, either practising or competing. We compete locally most of the time but riding the national events takes us further away.
“Edward has won two rounds of the six there will be this year and he hopes he can carry on to be British champion. He is 100 per cent committed to trials.
“Oliver has just started dipping his toe in Enduro [it combines downhill and cross-country elements] – he has done one event and came second – and knows he needs to ride trials to get the necessary skills to transfer to Enduro. Rupert is on the smallest 12.5in wheel size OSET bike and wants to be like his brothers.”
William, who works in the agricultural industry, said the boys’ involvement in the sport was being led by them. “There’s no pressure, it’s all very organic.
“If they want to ride, they will ride; if they don’t, they won’t. I know I played a lot of rugby – too much – when I was young and by the time I was in my late teens and early 20s, it was something I wasn’t very fussed about.”
The boys’ mum Abi also rides so she can keep up with her sons’ passion. William said: “It means we spend a lot of time together as a family, which is great.
“Having that common interest, we’re not split up doing different things. The national trials are multiple-day things but it’s not just about the competing, there may be 50, 60, 70 children there and the friends the boys are making from all corners of the country is great.
“One of our best friends is a family we met who are up in Scotland and we got together because of trialling. We go up there fairly regularly.”
A spokesperson for OSET said: “The Wainwright brothers are following in the footsteps of two riders from Yorkshire who are both now World Champions – the Hemingway brothers, who are related to trials royalty, Dougie Lampkin, who is their uncle. Yorkshire is the heartland of trials riding with dozens of motorbike clubs and hundreds of riders each weekend taking to the countryside, on private land, to test their personal capabilities on bikes.
“People in their 70s and beyond still ride, making it one of a few sports that is multi-generational. The OSETs the Wainwright brothers ride are perfect for riding in the back garden and practising skills without annoying the neighbours.”
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