.
For this month of May I had prepared the topic of Law 9/1995 on motorized access to the natural environment but, as recent and current, I would not like to fail to comment “in the first one”, one of the most emblematic trial events that we have in our country, the 3 DAYS OF SANTIGOSA.
The 3DTS is an international trial that takes place annually on the land located between Ripollès and La Garrotxa.
The race, organised by the Abadesses Moto Club, has been held since 1972 and is the second oldest in the world among the long-duration races, after the “Scottish” or better known as the 6 Days of Scotland.
The Three Days of Santigosa are traditionally celebrated during Holy Week and the nerve centre of the race is in Sant Joan de les Abadesses.
Initially, the trial was open to three levels of participants depending on their riding: blue for mid-level riders, red for high-level riders and black for very high-level riders.
The rules of the test, more or less, have always been the same. During the 70’s the route reached 90 km and up to 100 km reaching the sanctuary of Vidabona near the mountains of Sant Amand and Taga. Until 1985 the areas had a single level of difficulty. In 1986 an easier variant was added for the veteran and youth categories. In 1997 the 3dts opened to the OPEN category with three levels of difficulty.
Usually around 30 areas are marked, among which one of them indoor, which is the one that closes each day, located in the urban center of Sant Joan de les Abadesses, to bring the trial closer to the public. The rest of the areas are scattered around the Collada de Santigosa, with water predominating, taking advantage of the numerous rivers and torrents in the area.
of the 3DTS Groups of mythical areas of the 3DTS: “Home Mort”, “Font Freda”, “Els Pastors”, “Can Jombi”, “La Margera”…
Each group has areas that require a good level of riding on wet terrain with slippery rocks and little grip, since in addition to those marked in rivers and torrents, there are many that run through muddy terrain or full of leaf litter and wet stones.
Typical is the midday stop at the “Plà de la Collada” where, since 1998, a catering service has been offered for the pilots, who are grateful to be able to take a break to be able to face the rest of the day with the necessary strength.
Over the years, the history of the event has varied:
On November 29, 1970 , a group of young trial enthusiasts led by Oriol Guixà, Jordi Permanyer, Miquel Canal, Joan Cañellas and Jordi Magnet organized a one-day trial, which was won by Pere Pi. In 1971 it was also one day long.
Inspired by the 6 Days of Scotland, in 1972 they extended the race to three days, thus giving birth to the Three Days of Trial of Santigosa
In 1972 Pere Pi won the first edition of the Three Days of Santigosa with a Cota 123, a model presented that same year as the “little sister” of the Cota 247.
In 1973 (second edition of the 3DTS) it already had the participation of renowned foreign drivers such as: Martin Lampkin, Charles Coutard and Walter Luft. Since then, the best international riders have taken part in the event, including world champions such as Yrjö Vesterinen, Ulf Karlson and Eddy Lejeune.
The 1974 edition was especially difficult. In 1975 a route of 97 km was established and in 1976 bad weather forced the circuit to be reduced to half of its initial route.
In 1977 the Moto Club Abadesses was founded, an entity that has been the organizer of the competition since then. This year Jaume Subirà wins. International participation has been steady, but as of this year it has slowed down.
In 1979 the route was changed to about 37 km with time control in the village and had to be done twice.
In 1982 the route passed through Ogassa for the first time. World Champion Eddy Lejeune wins the Three Days, challenging Toni Gorgot to win until the last zone.
In 1983 the first and only trial prototype of the Derbi brand participated, piloted by the sadly deceased Marcelino Corchs, qualifying in tenth place.
In 1984 the Catalan riders threatened to boycott the State Championship races scheduled in Valencia and Castellón due to the coincidence of dates with the 3DTS. Finally, the RFEM changes the calendar.
In 1985the controversy “is served” due to the mass disqualification of many drivers for arriving out of time. Toni Gorgot wins for the sixth time.
In 1986 , the veteran and youth categories were incorporated into the 3DTS with easier variations in the zones.
In 1987 Eddy Lejeune won for the second time with the Honda 4-stroke.
Despite the fact that it coincided with a World Championship race, in 1989 120 riders took part.
Another edition famous for the harshness of the climate was that of 1991, with heavy rains. That same year, the first Classics Trial was held, won by Albert Bosch, and years later it would be organized again (2DTSC), but this time with a one-day (2008) and two-day (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013) character and independently of the 3DTS.
In 1992 LLuis Gallach won the 3DTS for the fifth time.
In 1993 , the top junior and veteran finishers were rewarded with entry into the Six Days of Scotland.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary, in the 1996 edition the riders Marc Colomer and Joan Pons , with Cota 247 and Sherpa bikes from the 70s, faced each other in the area of La Margera, both successfully overcoming the difficult area.
In 1997 the first day of the race was scored for the Spanish Trial Championship.
The newly proclaimed European Champion and rider of the Moto Club Abadesses, Marc Catllà won the race in 1998.
In 2000 the number of participants exceeded 200 drivers, among them Mick Andrews, who participated again at the age of 56.
2001 is the year of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the race and they are celebrated in an exceptional way: for 10 days the main elite riders of international trial meet in the region. First with its participation in the 3 Days mixed with more than 220 participants where the world champion Doug Lampking coincides in the same race with young runners of just over 12 years old. After 5 days, the same venue hosts the first scoring event for the world championship held in Sant Joan de les Abadesses.
In 2006 the 35th anniversary of the 3DTS is celebrated with the celebration of the “TROFEO ÉLITE Santigosa”, an innovative race concept with the world’s leading drivers, which is celebrated in a complementary way to the 3DTS. More than 2000 people in the audience and a great media coverage (press, TV, radio) guarantee the success of the show.
More news for 2007: sporting innovations continue, this time celebrating for the first time in Spain the “I TROFEO OPEN FREE TRIAL” a new way of understanding and scoring trials. At the same time, a day of debate on “MOTOR and ENVIRONMENT” is held, reflection and solution on the preservation of the natural environment, the practice of trial and the uses of the territory.
2008 was a very special year due to the heavy snowfall on Saturday night , which left for Sunday a spectacular landscape of sun, snow, motorcycles and trials.
The Moto Club Abadesses consolidates itself with the very successful organization of a one-day Classic Trial. On the same dates, the study promoted by MCA and the City Council of Sant Joan de les Abadesses “Environmental impact study and evaluation protocol of Trial Areas” carried out by the Catalan Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technologies of the University of Barcelona and directed by the Doctor in Environmental Sciences, Martí Boada, was completed.
2009 edition was so “rainy” that in the end the closing event/show that had been planned had to be suspended due to the excess of accumulated water and mud. It was the second edition of the classics trial and the first of 2 days.
2010 was the last participation of Ricard Pinet (who died on August 30, 2010) as director of the event. Pinet was the only person who had been in all the editions (39) of the Three Days of Trial in Santigosa. Jordi Pascuet wins for the sixth time, equalling the number of victories with Toni Gorgot.
In the 2011 the Moto Club Abadesses, on a 40th anniversary marked by important changes such as the non-stop regulations, single level, return to Ogasa, etc. It never ceases to amaze most pilots, Ending this edition with a new success. A heartfelt tribute is paid to Ricardo Pinet (epd) being the winner of the trial for the seventh time Jordi Pascuet, but highlighting the second position of Takahisa Fujinami “Fujigas”.
The 3 Days of Santigosa have their own entity and format. It is a trial different from the rest, because of its organization, its orography, the charm of its towns and its people, but with the change of regulations in the previous edition, it differs even more from the other long-duration trials. It has always been a tough trial, and not recommended for beginners or riders of a very low level. Even so, a 2012 edition without rain and with some heat, made it one of the quietest in memory. Jordi Pascuet would win again for the eighth time.
In 2013 and for the third consecutive year, the non-stop regulation and single level zones were applied. This is to the liking of the pilots as the registrations exceed 200 participants. For the first time, the winner is Francesc Moret.
2014 has been the year of controversy. Arbitrary decisions have tipped the victory towards Marc Freixa instead of Francesc Moret. But that doesn’t mean that an inscription with the sign “complete” with 213 participating pilots, 90 zones, all of them different in dreamlike places and with people at the head of an exemplary organization, says a lot about a motorcycle club, the Abadesses, who without a moment’s hesitation, have managed to create the trial of trials, at least as far as our country is concerned.
David has provided the means to channel any comments, but if you want to make it more personalized, you will always find me at bonaigua@bonaigua-trial.com
Lots of zeros!
Victor Martin
“Bonaiguá”
