What happened today in Castellolí during the first round of the 2011 Spanish Trial Championship can only have one qualifier: chaotic. All the riders that make up the TR1 category have been disqualified for accumulating a time penalty much higher than that stipulated by the organization. This has allowed the top three finishers in the TR2 category to take the first places in the Scratch classification: Marcos Méndez (Sherco-Alfa), Jorge Casales (Gas Gas) and Laia Sanz (Montesa).
Text: Trialworld
There are many of us who do not really understand what functions or criteria a Federation plays when it comes to stipulating the criteria that should govern a sport as special as Trial. Everyone’s protests about eliminating the Openfree system, which is expensive, difficult to understand and weird for the viewer, has been to no avail. Luckily, at least this year the risk in the area has been rewarded more, so that the less conservative riders can reap the fruit of their bravery with a greater margin in the final times.
In any case, both the Federation and the organisers continue to insist on shortening the time limits of the races, without modifying the system of these in any way so that there is harmony and balance. Thus, the riders shoot for 2 hours over the intersections (some by road), with the consequent risk that entails, and another two off the bike waiting with stretches for the queues to pass. Is this normal?
In Castellolí, the first scoring event for the Spanish Trial Championship, we have experienced the consequences of poor organization, race planning and the frustration of those who make a living from this sport.
The TR1 drivers spent more than 70 minutes in Zone 1 without being able to move. Stuck, cold and to the disbelief of those who had gotten up early to enjoy their idols. Some have gone home, others have stayed to see what happened, but very few have left the Parcmotor satisfied. The best drivers in the world have decided together not to chop the zones and shorten to reach the time control of the sixth zone, where they were all already eliminated by far exceeding the 20 minutes of margin established.
Despite everything, the riders have finished their race naturally. It was at the finish line where they were told that they were all excluded for having accumulated a time penalty higher than the maximum allowed.
We can tell you that Fajardo was leading the race until the first time control, where they had already accumulated their first time penalty. At the end of the race, excluding the penalty, according to unofficial sources, Raga would have tied with Bou at 722 points, Cabestany third with 720 and Fajardo fourth with 694 points.
Here are the full rankings and the most relevant statements.
[No te pierdas esta entrevista a Marcos Méndez]
[Video with statements by Raga, Miquel Cirera and Jordi Prats (RFME)]
According to Marcos Méndez (TR2, Sherco-Motos Alfa rider and overall winner): “At the beginning, in zone 1 there was an impressive queue, where I lost almost 45 minutes. Then I got to zone 5 and 6 very quickly, almost without looking at them, just with what I remembered the day before. I got queues again in zones 7 and 8, but after that everything was more fluid. At first it was quite cold, but then I loosened up a bit more, so I was able to tune well. This year the score of the Openfree has changed somewhat, favoring the pilots to take risks. I feel very happy for this victory, in the end I have been interviewed in different media and well, the feeling is great. In Ibiza I will approach the race with the same mentality, regardless of the circumstances. I must thank the entire Sherco and Motos Alfa team, as well as my backpacker, Carlos Tejera, from Motos Alfa as well.”
According to Alfredo Gómez (TR1 rider and disqualified by time):
“Today’s race was chaotic. When we got to the first section we already saw the panorama that existed, with a huge number of riders who had to make two passes to that same area, so we lost almost 75 minutes there, something that has conditioned us throughout the race. We knew that it was impossible to get to zone 6, where the first time control was, without taking a penalty, so we had to make a decision: continue the race and reward the public for their presence with a show, or we would take several areas to get in time. In the end, we decided to be consistent together and complete the entire journey, knowing that we would not arrive on time. When we arrived, we were informed that we had been excluded from the race for this reason. There is a lot of respect between all the riders, even with the order to pass into the zone, so we have all assumed the consequences together. I trust that it will be rectified
I don’t know this for the next tests.”
According to Josep R. Paxau (Sherco engineer):
“This situation is truly regrettable. What a desire to complicate the essence of Trial with complex regulations, where the spectator understands absolutely nothing, does not applaud because he does not know what it means for a rider to finish a section with 70 or 90 points. Throughout history, absurd devices have been invented, such as measuring the movement of the wheel for nonstop, or formulas that only hinder the progression of this sport. I hope that one day we will enjoy again that simple, simple, exciting and unique sport that is Trial.”
Accordingto Toni Bou (TR1 driver, reigning champion and disqualified by time): “We didn’t arrive in time. In the first area of the trial there was an hour of queuing and in the second the same situation was repeated. So it was impossible to go any faster. With the Openfree rulebook, if you skip a zone you can’t win the race, because you lose so many points that they are irretrievable. In addition, we don’t like these regulations, neither the drivers nor the public, so we have to talk to the Federation and make a change.”
disqualified According to Albert Cabestany (TR1 rider and disqualified for time, extracted in its entirety from his website at this link):
Good morning friends! It’s Monday and the first round of CET 2011 is history. And what a race! All TR1s tied at 0 points! What a race! I’ve never seen so many drivers tied at 0 points! Uix! It’s true, this is Open Free! Wow! With how happy I was to finish the trial with 0 points, and it turns out that no, this score is not good here…
What can we say about Castellolí, how to define it? On the one hand, I’m happy with the trial I did, how I rode in the sections and my performance on the 2011 Sherco in an outdoor trial after such a long time. Although the sensations have been very good in the indoor world championship, there is always the question of whether they will be transferred in the same way to the outdoors, despite the fact that the intuition I had training did hint at it. Congratulations to the organizers of the event for innovating! The truth is that they did a great job with the areas, because after coming here on several occasions and being a “tiring” and repetitive trial, this year we have had 5 new areas and the same with the indoor…
The problem in Castellolí comes when from one year to the next the regulations are changed, and it is done without the love or care that trial needs nowadays. We have to think that with the environmental problems that off-road sport is surrounded by, many fans of this sport look for racing as a way to enjoy their sport with peace of mind. So, the people who are in charge of the trial in Spain, since they do not pay attention to the comments of the fans, nor do they take the easiest and most logical route for a CET such as copying the regulations of the world championship, do not work carefully on a path that they believe to be correct. And no matter what, this doesn’t work!
And I don’t want to talk about the scoring system, which I personally (and not so personally when I listen to the rest of the participants) I don’t like in the least, but the race format doesn’t work. By this I do not mean that I or anyone else is in possession of absolute truth, nor that there cannot be errors. Nowadays trial has gained an image of being a sport that wanders from here to there without a fixed direction. I don’t even know how many different regulations I’ve seen since I’ve been practicing trials, I’m just clear that there are TOO MANY!!! In what other sport does this happen or has it happened? You can make small changes, adjust things that over time you see can be improved, but not make the leaps that this sport has made. Trial is something simple, one rider, one bike, some areas with various difficulties, and a challenge to overcome them! And everyone can do what they know on the bike! This is trial and that’s how I met it as a kid and fell in love with this sport!
I totally agree that there comes a point when you see that people are very entertained in the area and we take time not to rest on our laurels. Ok. And that’s how in trial the time limit is introduced in the zones, at that time 3 minutes. That’s right, trial is a sport of skill, not speed. And some year goes by and the time goes down to 2 minutes, and then to 1 minute 30 seconds, and then 1 minute and it comes and comes and it comes and it goes… I said no! That trial is not speed, let’s be clear about this fuck! What a mania with making us run within the zone and not enjoy doing trials! Then now the non stop to lower the level! Graaaaaan mistake! The sport becomes much more dangerous and you deprive the rider of freedom. You’re changing the sport, in a nutshell. Now open free, now… I think it’s time to stop, think a little, and redirect the situation. What I want, and I imagine that you even more than me, is to enjoy the bike, not get tired of queues, and some nice areas to go home on Sunday with a smile on my face…
There is little more to say. If you have any questions or queries from yesterday, leave a comment at the bottom of the article and I’ll answer it.
Thank you very much, and see you soon!
Fits
Montesa-Honda Team Official Statement
{bonckowall source=”2″ pkey=”album” pvalue=”dqtrialworld” pvalue2=”TheOpenFreeAExamen” }{/bonckowall}
