2's company - 3's a crowd
By TMX Archives on 11th Dec 08
This week JD tells us it's trials, trials and even more trials, he looks at the ACU's decision to break the trial mould into three classes... WELL, it is the trials season, so heads down for a trials-biased column. Last week on page two we released the ACU Trials Committee's plans for next season's British Trials Championship. The core of the matter is they have upped the number of classes to three, from Championship and Expert to Championship plus Expert A and Expert B. Now, I know full well the reason behind this, the Committee is trying to encourage riders to move up to Championship - which is struggling to attract a dozen riders - and away from the Experts, which is currently a very strong class.
Looking at this in isolation, you could easily believe that this is a logical move. In theory, a rider starts his trials championship career in Expert B, and then over a couple of seasons his skill improves so he moves up to Expert A and then eventually into the full British Championship.
But in actual fact, this just won't happen. The problem is that in reality there are only, being generous, half a dozen riders who can truly make a genuine attack on the British Trials Championship. It is effectively a series for riders with World Championship aspirations (e.g. Michael Brown) or for riders who have been there and done that (e.g.Graham Jarvis, Dougie Lampkin??). The Expert class suits those riders who want to ride the prestigious BC series but who realise that they are not up to the full Championship course. So far so good.
The big problem is that Championship riders do not slowly come-up through the field. In reality they come through as exceptional Youth riders and if they are ever going to make the big-time they are capable of going straight from Youth A or Expert into Championship. Michael Brown, James Dabill and Alexz Wigg are prime candidates. Yes, Jack Challoner rode Expert this year - but as a 17 year-old on a 125 and Jack is the exception that proves the rule every so often. He will skip easily direct to Championship...but there isn't a Jack Challoner every year. Now I apologise in advance if I am proved in future to have got this wrong, but I don't see another rider in the current Experts group who could - one day - make a GENUINE impression in the Championship class!
The irony here is that in 2008, as in previous years to be honest, the Experts class has been very keenly contested. I personally find it more entertaining and interesting than the Championship. My thinking is, why dilute this into two classes when it stands on its own feet? We have been to three classes before with the Masters, which attracted no support. I appreciate the subtle change with Expert A and Expert B but in reality, at best all it will do is split the current Expert class.
By its very nature the Championship class is never going to attract huge numbers. It is for the elite and given a strong supporting Expert class, which it certainly has, it has been working OK. I realise this won't make me any friends on the ACU Committee but I think we can all get by with our different points of view...personally, I think having the two champs classes works well, three just dilutes the Experts...
* YOU will see on Page 2 that John Lampkin has signed Alexz Wigg for his Beta team and inherits Alexz's minder, the irrepressible Ulsterman Harold Crawford. Johnboy said, tongue in cheek - "You can't win 'em all...”
*WOULD you believe it - there's only one week to go until the annual T+MX Big Christmas Double Issue!
It really does fly round, one week we are working on Issue 1, and what feels like about three weeks later issue 51 is staring us in the face! And yes, you guessed it, issue 51 is the Christmas Double.
As ever, we will be cramming the good old Christmas Double with a whole heap of features that will hopefully see you through all those hours slumped in the chair in front of a roaring fire while digesting five pounds of prime turkey and several crates of whatever tipples your fancy.
The Christmas Double is a great T+MX tradition and very much a labour of love by the staff and our faithful gang of freelance contributors. We do our very best to include something for everyone and this year will be no exception.
Whether you are a trials, motocross, enduro, sidecar, quad, youth or adult we will have something for you.
So if you do nothing else this week make sure that you get your T+MX Christmas Issue ordered - and give yourself something to dip into over the festive season...
See you next week!