56º North June 2019 | Page 69

We can't forget the work that put in by our support crew from Kingdom off Road Motorcycle Club, Dave and Connor Paton.

In addition to providing mobile support, Dave and Connor did all the cooking and admin at the lodge the team were staying in - thankfully with no complaints from the riders.

The whole team got off to a good start on the Monday and had reasonable scores for the first couple of days as they got into their rhythm.

Neil and Allan were aiming or less than 50 per day whilst Graeme and Duncan were on the hunt for scores under 100 daily.

It was a battle, there's no doubt about that but conditions being somewhat dry certainly helped on the moor crossings - which can often be a struggle in wet conditions.

By mid-week, well-versed in what was needed the scores were reducing and the whole team were going into the closing days with high morale looking forward to each day's sections.

As the week drew to a close the scale of their achievement hit home climbing the Town Hall Brae in Fort William and setting off for the finish line back in the seafront car park the team rode in together crossed the line together and although they may have been a bit battered and bruised from the week's events the reaction to crossing that finish line said it all.

We want to thank Allan and Neil for sharing their expertise at the SSDT and taking on their responsibilities the way they did - real Ambassadors for the sport and a tribute to the sort of enthisiasm there is around Trials and the SSDT.

We also have to thank Graeme and Duncan for their unwavering efforts, through thick and thin, black and blue and for finishing the SSDT in style.

Team56N will be back at the SSDT in 2020 with two new rookie riders.

The riders for 2020 will be selected later this year with any rider from Scotland being considered for the sponsorship subject to the conditions of the SSDT and our own selection process. If you're interested, let us know.