Although it seemed that the accumulation of nonsense of the FIM had reached its peak, we see that there is still room to finish destroying the high-competition trial and turn it into something that has little to do with the essence of this sport.
The latest comments are that there is a firm proposal on the table for the figure of the backpacker to disappear from the world championship areas in 2020, which highlights the safety of the riders. Currently, with backpacking, the risk is high, as was already demonstrated in this
heavy fall of Miquel Gelabert in Belgium.
For my part, who has followed the World Championship at the foot of the zone for many years, including occasional trips in recent seasons, I am going to summarize the points that make the Trial World Championship a real disaster for the riders, brands, organizers and fans.
NON-STOP REGULATION
We have already seen that there are different yardsticks to measure whether or not there is a stop of the rider in the zone. In fact, there may be different criteria between two judges who are in consecutive zones, directly affecting the classification. It’s clear that all drivers stop in the zone at some point. How much is fair?
It should be enough for the rider to complete the zone in the stipulated minute and a half. If you stop, you won’t reach the end of the zone in time. If it doesn’t stop, it’s up to the pilot. The fact that it is “non-stop” only favors the possibility that a driver does not arrive well placed at an obstacle and has an accident.
THE REGULATIONS DO NOT FAVOUR THE PROMOTION OF YOUNG DRIVERS
The top five finishers in TrialGP are over 33 years old and Toni Bou maintains his hegemony. In fact, there is something wrong when in the last Belgian TrialGP the third classified finishes with 72 points and the last three with more than 117 points. So, if a fan decides to compete in this category and “bite” all the areas, he would not be so far from the last rider of the current world championship.
In addition, we have a Trial2 category overflowing with riders, but they do not end up climbing to the top category, not even being World Champion. See the case of Matteo Grattarola.
MOTORCYCLES MUST HAVE A MINIMUM WEIGHT OF 70 KILOS
Where has it been seen that a production bike with a kickstand and light kit is lighter than the motorcycle of the world championship? And that a rider to make the leap to the world championship has to “ballast” his bike to reach the minimum? A sensible minimum weight would, for example, be based on the lightest mass-produced motorcycle (approximately 64 kilograms).
IN TRIAL2 THE BIKES ARE LIMITED TO 250CC (SOME…)
In Trial2, where Montesa has practically the monopoly of victories, it coincides that being 4-stroke motorcycles they are allowed to have displacement up to 300cc, while the 2-stroke bikes can only be 250cc.
This reduces the chances of a rider with 2T, when it is proven that the competition Montesa is not inferior because it is 4T, in addition to increasing the budget of the riders, who race with 300cc in their respective nationals and must have another 250cc for the world championship.
One of the most striking cases is that of Marc Riba, who two seasons ago won in Sokolov and now only competes in the French national championship.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE IS DISASTROUS
In the midst of the digital age, the most evolved is the APP to follow the World Cup. Beyond that, there are no interviews with the winners, no decent video footage to bring the sport closer to fans, no televising, and no press release with engaging content to understand how the race has gone beyond a reading of results.
SEASON CALENDAR CONCENTRATED IN JUST 2 MONTHS
The 2019 World Championship starts on May 26 and, although the last race ends on September 22, the penultimate race is on July 21. In other words, 85% of the World Cup is held in less than two months. Is this a World Cup?
If a driver gets injured, no matter how slight, he has lost the season. In addition, an elite rider who does not run the X-Trial will be 10 months without international competitions, and only 2 with races. Where has this been seen?
WATCHING THE WORLD CUP LIVE IS TORTURE
If you go to a World Cup, you won’t see a single motorcycle rolling. Everything is limited and concretized to a very specific time and space. So much so that fans can’t follow the races on motorcycles, but there are also no logical solutions to move around the zones. I remember in Sokolov (Czech Republic) that there were buses to a group of zones (more than 5 kilometers) that left you almost 30 minutes from the first group of zones on foot. And you could barely see 15 minutes of running.
Such is the restriction that even in the teams only the driver and three other members of the team, including the Team Manager, can circulate. Any additional members have to pay a fee.
ORGANISING A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE IS NOT PROFITABLE
Seen from the other side, the organization, the outlook doesn’t improve. It is now mandatory to install WIFI coverage in all areas, in addition to the deployment that a race of this size intrinsically entails. If we add to this the unattractiveness for fans, who, as we said, find it difficult to follow the race (let’s not forget that they pay an entrance fee), the result is that it is becoming less and less attractive to organize a Trial sporting event.
Unfortunately, what Thierry Michaud and his entourage are achieving is burying top-level Trial. Most brands are against the current regulations and if the World Cup is maintained, it is due to inertia.
