The Scott Trial

Every year on a Saturday in October Marske’s roads are busy with the followers and spectators of the world-famous Scott Trial – an endurance motorcycle trials event.  The Scott trial, started in a similar fashion to the “reliability rides” that were popular in pedal cycling at the beginning of the last century.  It was as much a test of machine as much as rider.  Today that has changed and the riders, much more than the machines, are really put through their paces. 

Alfred Scott had founded the Scott Motorcycle company in 1908, and began producing powerful motorcycles based on twin two-stroke engines.  These fast machines won a number of Isle of Man TT races before the First World War1.  The first Scott Trial was in 1914. The company challenged its workers to ride from their factory in Saltaire, near Bradford, to Burnsall, near Grassington2.  The photo below shows Allan Jeffries riding for the Scott Motorcycle Company in 1932 on the moors near Harrogate, West Yorkshire.

Allan Jeffries, riding for the Scott Motorcycle Company, at Cat Crags in 1932 on his Sprint Special3. This was also the first “Proper Scott Trial” Win – see below for explanation. Reproduced here with the kind permission of Richmond Motor Club.

Over time the event’s location in Yorkshire has changed several times. Since 1950 the event has been based in Swaledale2, and was first run from Park Top Farm in Marske in 1963.  Since 1990 the Scott Trial has been run here by the Richmond Motor Club.  A long list of over 60 local landowners, farmers, land agents, managers and gamekeepers each year give permission for the Trial to cross their land.  In preparation livestock is moved from fields on the day before the race4,5.

The Trial typically covers around 130km across Swaledale and Arkengarthdale, and is entirely off-road.  The Scott Trial starts in the morning at Park Top Farm.  Competitors do the route “on-sight”, and there is no chance practice any part of the route beforehand.  Riders set off 20 seconds apart. The fastest riders, based on previous form, start at the back.

The Scott Trial route in 2022. Reproduced here with the kind permission of Richmond Motor Club4.

The organisation of the Scott Trial is founded on a very large volunteer effort, especially from the local area.  Simply marking the course requires 7500 flags to be put in place.  On the day itself over 250 volunteers to referee the course (“observers”), marshall spectators, and be on-hand at moorland pit stops to add petrol to tanks (“team splash and dash”). The Trial raises between £5000 and £10,000 each year for local charities and organisations4. 

The 2022 Scott Trial Charity Presentation evening. Photo by Charlotte Brown, and reproduced here with the kind permission of Richmond Motor Club4.

The route includes a number of “Observed Sections”.  Here, riders accrue penalty points if they put one, or both feet, down whilst traversing challenging rocky ravines, crossing rivers, or splashing through waterfalls.  For example, a full stop with both feet down will lead to a 5 point penalty6.  The fastest rider in 2021 was Guy Kendrew (pictured below), but because he accrued 41 minutes of penalties in the Observed Sections he was not the overall winner. The overall winner that year (Jack Price) who was 6 minutes slower but only accrued a 17 minute penalty over the Observed Sections.

The fastest rider in 2021 (Guy Kendrew). Photo by Neil Sturgeon, and reproduced here with the kind permission of Richmond Motor Club4.

A few of the names of the Observed Sections illustrate the terrain:  Cold Knuckles, Goats Splash, Grand Canyon, Tank Trap, Surrender, and Rotten Wood.  Typically, only around half the 200 starters make it round the course in full.  By mid-afternoon, and after a gruelling five hours or so, the first riders return to Park Top exhausted and covered in mud from head to toe.  Riders will have re-fueled their bikes on the way round but often not their bodies – those who do eat prefer Jelly Babies4!

A rider tackles the “Goats” Observed Section in 2023.

There are however few celebratory cheers for the first riders back as a team of spreadsheet wizards has to tot up the penalty points for up to 200 riders over the 75 tricky Observed Sections.  Riders also have points scored against them for the number of minutes that they are slower than the fastest rider.  A “Proper Scott Win”, when the fastest rider is also the overall winner, is untypical. The first Proper Scott Win was Allan Jeffries in 1932 (see photo above).

The final straight. A rider returns to the Start Field after 6+ hours.

So whilst the riders are sprucing themselves up for the awards presentations in the Kings Arms in Richmond the results team works feverishly to figure out the overall scores for each rider.  It is often after 10pm when the scores have been totted up and carefully checked7.  There are over 40 trophies in total to be awarded. Suspense builds as the roll call of trophies finally reaches the name of the overall winner of the Alfred Scott Memorial Trophy at the end of the evening5.  Most coveted also are the golden and silver spoons for the top 26 competitors. Notable trophies include:

  • The Alfred Scott Memorial Trophy.  For best performance on the trial on “time and observation”.   
  • The Eddie Flintoff Rose Bowl (named after the winner in 1925) is for the fastest rider, who creates the “Standard Time”.
  • Special Gold Scott Spoons are awarded to the best six riders, and Silver Spoons for the next 20 riders. 
  • The Scott Trophy is awarded to the best team of three drivers on the same make of machine, entered by a manufacturer/agent.
  • Trophies are reserved for members of motor clubs from Bradford, Northallerton (the “White Bear” trophy), Middlesbrough, Thirsk, Ripon, Guisborough, Scarborough, Wetherby, Spen Valley, Yeadon/Guiseley, Huddersfield, York and West Leeds.
  • The MHT Trophy is awarded to the best lady rider.  Diversity is also acknowledged in awards to new riders, older riders and young riders. 
  • The Billy Moore Cup is awarded to the best performance by a Yorkshireman “born and bred”.  Geographic variety is also recognised in the Jim Riding Memorial Trophy awards the best Lancastrian, and the Ross Kinley Trophy for the best Manx rider. 
  • The R Woodward Wilson Memorial Trophy goes to the last official finisher!
  • The Alan Longfield Memorial Trophy is awarded to the best performing rider from the parishes through which the trial is run, including Marske and New Forest.
The Alfred Scott Memorial Trophy. Reproduced with the kind permission of Richmond Motor Club4.

The webmaster would like to thank organisers of the Scott Trial for their help in the development of this web-page. Any errors, omissions, and badly drafted text are those of the webmaster.

Return to What Happens Here pages

  1. Wikipedia. Scott Motorcycle Company. Accessed 2023.[↩]
  2. Wikipedia. Scott Trial. Accessed 2023.[↩][↩]
  3. Philip H Smith. 1963. The Greatest of all Trials – a light hearted history of the classic Scott Motor-cycle Trials.[↩]
  4. Richmond Motor Club. Official Souvenir Programme 2022. Privately published programme[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
  5. Richmond Motor Club. Official Souvenir Programme 2023. Privately published programme[↩][↩]
  6. Local contributors 12:  Conversations with local volunteers.  2023.[↩]
  7. Local contributors 12:  Conversations with local volunteers.  2023.[↩]