After a lifetime linked to the world of trial with
GasGas
, Albert Casanovas is an authoritative voice to review the current situation of this specialty. Currently, Casanovas is the manufacturers’ representative in the
TrialGP World Championship
and has actively participated in the meeting held in Barcelona, with the FIM and Sport7 (the promoter of the championship). The work carried out by the three parties at that meeting resulted in a satisfactory agreement, which will allow the TrialGP World Championship to start normally on May 19 in Camprodón, Girona.
You are the representative of the trial bike manufacturers before the FIM. Can you tell us what this figure consists of?
“My main role is to mediate between the group of trial bike manufacturers and constructors and the FIM. Sometimes, the constructors have interests and they have to be transferred to the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). My job is to collect all these requests and proposals from the builders and pass them on to the FIM.”
After the agreement with the FIM, how do you see the 2018 TrialGP season?
“After the last meeting we had in Barcelona with the top management of the FIM and also with the promoter of the championship, Sport7, I see that now the three of us are very aligned and I sincerely believe that we have a great project that will allow us to complete a good season. For the sake of Trial, either we all go together and don’t fight separately, or the one who is harmed is the Trial itself and the World Championship.”
What is the main change that fans will notice?
“The highlight is that we agree that Trial fans can ride a motorcycle on the day of the race. This is important because every fan wants to see their idol riding a motorcycle, so this is already a big step for our sport. Progressively, the interests of the three parties are aligning and I think we have embarked on a good path.”
What other changes stand out in that agreement?
“The FIM asked that this year there should be two passes through the zones on Saturday and that it would be the second one that would be used to determine the starting order in the race, and whoever won this pass would be rewarded with some points in the championship. The brands, all in general, did not see it as coherent and, following that criterion, it has been agreed to eliminate those bonus points in Saturday’s qualifying, because we considered that it was a great injustice for the rest of the participants. There will be two qualifying rounds, in the first the order will be determined by draw and the second will start depending on the result of the first. It will be this Q2 that will set the starting order for Sunday’s trial.”
How does this new season look like for GasGas riders, and with Jeroni Fajardo returning to the brand?
“I think we currently have two big swords in the TrialGP World Championship. There is no doubt that Jeroni Fajardo is a rider who can give us a lot of joy. I see that he rides easy, that he is happy with the answers he gets from his bike. In general terms, I think that from last year to this year he has taken a very important step forward, both in driving and in results”.
And the young Jaime Busto?
“We have the great promise, the youth and the spontaneity of Jaime Busto, who last year already achieved third place in the World Championship and I think he will continue to evolve and surprise us. Jaime until recently was a promise, and now it’s a reality. It’s true that he’s very young and there are many nuances that have to be perfected, but I think that at the end of the season Jaime will give us a lot of joy”.
