Northgate

Competitor Analysis Report – Northgate Trial 2025

17th May 2025 | ASWMC & BTRDA Sporting Trials Championship Round
From the perspective of your friendly but fiercely competitive rival...

🚙 Overview

The 2025 Northgate Trial once again lived up to its reputation: muddy, merciless, and mildly masochistic. With four rounds of off-road drama spread across six hills designed to challenge even the most stubborn diff-locks and the bravest clutch pedals, it was a proper test of driver skill, patience, and whether your passenger still speaks to you after the event.

🏆 Top Performers (a.k.a. "the ones we’re plotting to beat next time")

1st – Thomas Bricknell (Car 1, RED INDY) – 28 Points

Bricknell didn’t so much win as dominate. With just 28 points across the board, he danced his way through the sections with the finesse of a goat on a tightrope. Word is he only dropped points to give the rest of us hope. Congratulations (grudgingly), Tom—you made it look suspiciously easy.

2nd – John Fack (Car 6) – 33 Points – First RED INDY Award

Fack’s opening round of 9 was smoother than a freshly waxed bonnet. While most of us were still arguing with our tyre pressures or wondering why Hill 2 looked like a trap from Indiana Jones, John sailed through with style. Well played.

3rd – Alan Murton (Car 2) – 52 Points

Alan kept things steady, proving that sometimes the tortoise really does beat the hares—especially if the hares are stuck axle-deep in Hill 5.

🔍 Hill Highlights (and Hazards)

• Hill 5 was, quite frankly, out for blood. If your car didn't stall here, your confidence probably did. Between the gradient, the grip (or lack thereof), and the occasional hidden rock with vendetta energy, it claimed many points and possibly a few egos.

• Hill 2, meanwhile, seemed to be the crowd favourite for creative lines—ranging from "bold and effective" to "oh no, not again."

• Round 4 proved that even the best drivers get tired. Several hopefuls went in smiling and came out muttering things that can't be printed here.

👀 Notable Driver Moments

• Roger Bricknell started strong, but Hill 5 played him like a fiddle with a broken bowstring.

• Stuart Beare & Sam Beare showed some serious family flair. A few more clean runs and the Beare name might be printed permanently on a trophy—or a warning sign.

• Colin Flashman, with 47 points, delivered one of the cleanest runs in Class 3. He also managed to keep all his panels intact, which is practically cheating in this game.

🔧 Lessons from the Mud (A.K.A. What We’ll Pretend We Knew All Along)

1. Start strong or spend the day catching up. Round 1 set the tone, and those who kicked off clean stayed on top. That morning bacon sandwich? Crucial strategy.

2. Hill 5 owes us all an apology. Seriously. If this hill gets any trickier, it’ll need its own insurance.

3. Consistency beats heroics. Some competitors went all out for glory. Most of them found it at the bottom of a rut, face down in a puddle.

📉 For the Record

Clive Raymont sadly retired—either mechanically or spiritually—we're not sure. But we pour one out for his efforts (and probably his diff).

🔮 Final Thoughts from the Muddy Middle-Pack

Northgate 2025 was a festival of friendly competition, mud-based misery, and moments of triumph that made it all worthwhile. If you're gunning for the top step next year (as we definitely are), remember: drive smooth, plan your hills like a chess game, and for the love of traction, respect Hill 5.

And to Thomas Bricknell—we’ll be watching. With binoculars. And maybe a drone.

End of Report
Filed by your competitive-but-mostly-good-natured rivals in the lower ranks.