British Trials Champs: Still on trial!
By John Dickinson on 25th Nov 11
Following a week of earnest telephone calls and e-mails editor 'JD' continues the quest for a British Trials Championship solution...
British Trials Champs: Still on trial!
Following a week of earnest telephone calls and e-mails editor 'JD' continues the quest for a British Trials Championship solution...
I do try hard not to run the same subject two weeks running in this column as it can all get a bit precious and inclusive but now and again it is worth persevering with a line – if only for the greater good of the sport.
Not for a long time has a column caused so much of a stir as did last week's when I posted my own personal slant – and that of others – regarding the state of the British Trials Championship. The good news is that so many people responded, which means that there are an awful lot of you out there who genuinely care. And I include those officials on the ACU trials committee in the latter.
I've nothing whatsoever against any of them personally. I've known virtually all of the committee for decades with Mick Wren and myself having originally started riding trials at about the same time and place and went on to under-achieve spectacularly in our trials endeavours which began (and ended!) at roughly the same time.
Last week, wearing our respective official hats, we engaged in a series of lively e-mails on the subject before, being the gentlemen that we are (or aspire to be!) putting the subject to bed while celebrating Mick's good lady wife Judith's 50th birthday (Fanfare: there Ju, now everyone knows!) in a select gathering last Saturday evening. Good motorcyclists that we are, the evening took place in the excellent White Hart pub in rural Bouth, near Newby Bridge, which is run by 1989 Manx Grand Prix winner, Nigel Barton.
To digress, the Barrow and District club's Boxing Day trial used to take place in the woods at Bouth where, come the finish, there was an annual race to see whether the riders or observers could get to the White Hart first for some festive fun. Sometimes the observers won. Still haven't worked out how. And more's the pity the trial moved from the venue.
But back to the business in hand... So, I'm bearing no personal grudges whatsoever – just showing the same concern over the British Trials Championship as everyone else. And I don't blame the committee for being defensive. As with every job on the planet, we can all do a better job than anyone else. We could all manage the England football team, run the British MXGP and edit T+MX far better than the clowns currently running these respective shows, so sorting the British Champs is easy peasy!
I've heard many and various cures, most based on 'no-stop' rules, with some going further, wishing for a return of traditional trials to the series – including the Scottish Six Days and the Scott. I know not everyone goes along with this proposal but you can't argue that they are are important British trials and why shouldn't they be included in the series?
Whatever the stance, all are of the opinion that whatever happens a change is needed as there is no way forward by maintaining the status quo. Single figure Championship entries are what we've got and without change that's where it will stay.
To go off on a tangent I still feel that all parties with a vested interest should get round the table and investigate the issue from scratch. Like what is the purpose of the British Trials Championship? Is it just to find the ‘best' trials rider in the country or should it go further than this? Should it be trying to attract newcomers to the sport – like other major sporting occasions and series do?
If you watch a Champions League footie final, or Wimbledon or the Masters golf or even MotoGP you certainly marvel at the skill on display from the leading proponents. But at the same time you also know that you could actually have a go at whacking a tiny white ball around the Old Course at St Andrews, or bowling an over at Fred Flintoff at Lords or riding a motorcycle round Silverstone or Philip Island. You certainly wouldn't be threatening Tiger Woods or Valentino Rossi, but you would still get round the self-same course or track. I've ridden an MXer round the full Hawkstone Park circuit. Granted I'd have been lapped by a National rider by the time I got round – but I still did it!
Now, get on your trials bike and let's see you have a go at the same sections as Toni Bou. Correct, even National winning trials riders know that even thinking about this is a total and utter non-starter. So what chance have you of attracting a newcomer to the sport if the World (or British) Championship is his/ her introduction? The answer, as you well know, is absolute zero.
The World Trials Championship, once a fantastic shop window for the sport that attracted large entries (and drew even larger crowds) has been turned into a circus, nothing more nothing less. And as I was once memorably told, people will watch a lion tamer in a circus – but no-one then goes out and buys a lion. Same applies to Championship trials.
As I said last week, I don't believe that a straight return to no-stop will achieve anything much if adopted in isolation. But the debate must happen – or there simply won't be a Championship left to argue over.
NB: We'll take all this to the Trials Torque column next week and give something else a run out on here...
British Trials Champs: Still on trial!
Following a week of earnest telephone calls and e-mails editor 'JD' continues the quest for a British Trials Championship solution...
I do try hard not to run the same subject two weeks running in this column as it can all get a bit precious and inclusive but now and again it is worth persevering with a line – if only for the greater good of the sport.
Not for a long time has a column caused so much of a stir as did last week's when I posted my own personal slant – and that of others – regarding the state of the British Trials Championship. The good news is that so many people responded, which means that there are an awful lot of you out there who genuinely care. And I include those officials on the ACU trials committee in the latter.
I've nothing whatsoever against any of them personally. I've known virtually all of the committee for decades with Mick Wren and myself having originally started riding trials at about the same time and place and went on to under-achieve spectacularly in our trials endeavours which began (and ended!) at roughly the same time.
Last week, wearing our respective official hats, we engaged in a series of lively e-mails on the subject before, being the gentlemen that we are (or aspire to be!) putting the subject to bed while celebrating Mick's good lady wife Judith's 50th birthday (Fanfare: there Ju, now everyone knows!) in a select gathering last Saturday evening. Good motorcyclists that we are, the evening took place in the excellent White Hart pub in rural Bouth, near Newby Bridge, which is run by 1989 Manx Grand Prix winner, Nigel Barton.
To digress, the Barrow and District club's Boxing Day trial used to take place in the woods at Bouth where, come the finish, there was an annual race to see whether the riders or observers could get to the White Hart first for some festive fun. Sometimes the observers won. Still haven't worked out how. And more's the pity the trial moved from the venue.
But back to the business in hand... So, I'm bearing no personal grudges whatsoever – just showing the same concern over the British Trials Championship as everyone else. And I don't blame the committee for being defensive. As with every job on the planet, we can all do a better job than anyone else. We could all manage the England football team, run the British MXGP and edit T+MX far better than the clowns currently running these respective shows, so sorting the British Champs is easy peasy!
I've heard many and various cures, most based on 'no-stop' rules, with some going further, wishing for a return of traditional trials to the series – including the Scottish Six Days and the Scott. I know not everyone goes along with this proposal but you can't argue that they are are important British trials and why shouldn't they be included in the series?
Whatever the stance, all are of the opinion that whatever happens a change is needed as there is no way forward by maintaining the status quo. Single figure Championship entries are what we've got and without change that's where it will stay.
To go off on a tangent I still feel that all parties with a vested interest should get round the table and investigate the issue from scratch. Like what is the purpose of the British Trials Championship? Is it just to find the ‘best' trials rider in the country or should it go further than this? Should it be trying to attract newcomers to the sport – like other major sporting occasions and series do?
If you watch a Champions League footie final, or Wimbledon or the Masters golf or even MotoGP you certainly marvel at the skill on display from the leading proponents. But at the same time you also know that you could actually have a go at whacking a tiny white ball around the Old Course at St Andrews, or bowling an over at Fred Flintoff at Lords or riding a motorcycle round Silverstone or Philip Island. You certainly wouldn't be threatening Tiger Woods or Valentino Rossi, but you would still get round the self-same course or track. I've ridden an MXer round the full Hawkstone Park circuit. Granted I'd have been lapped by a National rider by the time I got round – but I still did it!
Now, get on your trials bike and let's see you have a go at the same sections as Toni Bou. Correct, even National winning trials riders know that even thinking about this is a total and utter non-starter. So what chance have you of attracting a newcomer to the sport if the World (or British) Championship is his/ her introduction? The answer, as you well know, is absolute zero.
The World Trials Championship, once a fantastic shop window for the sport that attracted large entries (and drew even larger crowds) has been turned into a circus, nothing more nothing less. And as I was once memorably told, people will watch a lion tamer in a circus – but no-one then goes out and buys a lion. Same applies to Championship trials.
As I said last week, I don't believe that a straight return to no-stop will achieve anything much if adopted in isolation. But the debate must happen – or there simply won't be a Championship left to argue over.
NB: We'll take all this to the Trials Torque column next week and give something else a run out on here..
I do try hard not to run the same subject two weeks running in this column as it can all get a bit precious and inclusive but now and again it is worth persevering with a line – if only for the greater good of the sport.
Not for a long time has a column caused so much of a stir as did last week's when I posted my own personal slant – and that of others – regarding the state of the British Trials Championship. The good news is that so many people responded, which means that there are an awful lot of you out there who genuinely care. And I include those officials on the ACU trials committee in the latter.
I've nothing whatsoever against any of them personally. I've known virtually all of the committee for decades with Mick Wren and myself having originally started riding trials at about the same time and place and went on to under-achieve spectacularly in our trials endeavours which began (and ended!) at roughly the same time.
Last week, wearing our respective official hats, we engaged in a series of lively e-mails on the subject before, being the gentlemen that we are (or aspire to be!) putting the subject to bed while celebrating Mick's good lady wife Judith's 50th birthday (Fanfare: there Ju, now everyone knows!) in a select gathering last Saturday evening. Good motorcyclists that we are, the evening took place in the excellent White Hart pub in rural Bouth, near Newby Bridge, which is run by 1989 Manx Grand Prix winner, Nigel Barton.
To digress, the Barrow and District club's Boxing Day trial used to take place in the woods at Bouth where, come the finish, there was an annual race to see whether the riders or observers could get to the White Hart first for some festive fun. Sometimes the observers won. Still haven't worked out how. And more's the pity the trial moved from the venue.
But back to the business in hand... So, I'm bearing no personal grudges whatsoever – just showing the same concern over the British Trials Championship as everyone else. And I don't blame the committee for being defensive. As with every job on the planet, we can all do a better job than anyone else. We could all manage the England football team, run the British MXGP and edit T+MX far better than the clowns currently running these respective shows, so sorting the British Champs is easy peasy!
I've heard many and various cures, most based on 'no-stop' rules, with some going further, wishing for a return of traditional trials to the series – including the Scottish Six Days and the Scott. I know not everyone goes along with this proposal but you can't argue that they are are important British trials and why shouldn't they be included in the series?
Whatever the stance, all are of the opinion that whatever happens a change is needed as there is no way forward by maintaining the status quo. Single figure Championship entries are what we've got and without change that's where it will stay.
To go off on a tangent I still feel that all parties with a vested interest should get round the table and investigate the issue from scratch. Like what is the purpose of the British Trials Championship? Is it just to find the ‘best' trials rider in the country or should it go further than this? Should it be trying to attract newcomers to the sport – like other major sporting occasions and series do?
If you watch a Champions League footie final, or Wimbledon or the Masters golf or even MotoGP you certainly marvel at the skill on display from the leading proponents. But at the same time you also know that you could actually have a go at whacking a tiny white ball around the Old Course at St Andrews, or bowling an over at Fred Flintoff at Lords or riding a motorcycle round Silverstone or Philip Island. You certainly wouldn't be threatening Tiger Woods or Valentino Rossi, but you would still get round the self-same course or track. I've ridden an MXer round the full Hawkstone Park circuit. Granted I'd have been lapped by a National rider by the time I got round – but I still did it!
Now, get on your trials bike and let's see you have a go at the same sections as Toni Bou. Correct, even National winning trials riders know that even thinking about this is a total and utter non-starter. So what chance have you of attracting a newcomer to the sport if the World (or British) Championship is his/ her introduction? The answer, as you well know, is absolute zero.
The World Trials Championship, once a fantastic shop window for the sport that attracted large entries (and drew even larger crowds) has been turned into a circus, nothing more nothing less. And as I was once memorably told, people will watch a lion tamer in a circus – but no-one then goes out and buys a lion. Same applies to Championship trials.
As I said last week, I don't believe that a straight return to no-stop will achieve anything much if adopted in isolation. But the debate must happen – or there simply won't be a Championship left to argue over.
NB: We'll take all this to the Trials Torque column next week and give something else a run out on here...
