Variety is the spice of life
By TMX Archives on 20th Jul 12
CONGRATULATIONs to Ross Danby on winning the British Trials Championship round last weekend in Devon. And to Jotagas and importer Steve Saunders.
Now, Toni Bou and Dougie Lampkin, or Stefan Everts and Ricky Carmichael, would no doubt put up a spirited argument to the contrary – but to us innocent spectators in life, variety really is the spice.
It is a full two years since someone other than James Dabill – or Michael Brown – last won a BTC event. Alexz Wigg it was at the same event. Before then – well, you tell me!
The eyes of the whole trials world are actually on the British Trials Champs this year. Why? Because the ACU trials committee has actually dared to be different.
In a move that was certainly not universally popular – pockets of resistance tend to be small but noisy – a return to no-stop observing has been adopted.
The whole idea is to attempt to boost numbers riding British Championship. Not boost support class numbers – actual Championship class.
In Britain the numbers of riders prepared to enter the actual British Championship had reached a state of ridicule. As low as six. You may ask how such a situation could realistically be defended but you'd be surprised.
What isn't surprising is that other countries also find themselves in a similar position.
They, just as in Britain, relied (rely) on support classes to prop up the Championship. In reality this boils down to ambitious dads throwing cash at kids who often show much less enthusiasm for success than their parents.
Hence we are not the only country looking for a way to boost Championship trials.
Even the World Championship has more than a weather-eye on what is going down in Britain.
By "World Championship” I actually mean those who pay for it. That's the factories who support those few riders at the top, not the FIM who seem happy with the status quo.
The bottom line is that the WTC has seen a worrying stagnancy at the top. Bou, Raga, Cabestany, Fujinami and Fajardo remain virtually impreganable week-in week-out.
Cabestany and Fujinami in particular should have been ousted by ‘youngsters' by now – even Raga is rapidly approaching that stage.
Yet in reality are these senior citizens of feet-up under any real threat from below? Check out the results of this year's series for your answer.
That answer is clearly "No!”
Time was when any of a dozen riders could win a British or World Championship trial. If there is to be a viable future for either series we need to rapidly rediscover just why that was so...
