Problems and goals in Trials today, Non Stop and additional changes coming

FIM decided additional measures will be taken in the coming months

   The notice that FIM will implement the Non Stop Regulation in the comming World Trials Championship is generating lots of different opinions worldwide. But this is only a first radical change, many others will be cooming soon. Trials sport is in a huge crisis and falling down. FIM and manufacturers have realized and want to reactivate it as required. This report provides an overview of the actual Trials problems, their causes and the required objectives to solve them. How, will now depend on the FIM.

It seems that some has failed to understand the real meaning of the statement from the FIM announcing the rule change to no-stop for 2013 in the WTC.

Reading the statement carefully, it is clear that this is all about changing the whole concept of the trial from its deepest roots, as the sport does not work properly and is dying slowly but surely.

The levels in sections system, was a good idea years ago

The non-stop is just the first change, which will open the door to more changes, big and radical as the FIM says.

Did some say the federations do nothing to help the sport? Well hold on tight, curves coming!!!!

Remark at this point that in this case it is necessary to start up building the house by the roof, the WTC. Here it is the only way to do it, the most logical and the one that will start the revolution to its foundations.

What many have not realized yet, is that the FIM is raising a total revolution in the sport. That the debate will not be stop or no-stop, but of a much broader reach.

Will it work or not? It is for sure unknown, but I sincerely believe and hope that the FIM does not care about individuals at this point and targets a new twist to the progress of the trial from its deepest roots.

The sections design should change completely	Only a few riders can compete in WTC an Nationals

   Litanies...

Made from Trials a job is getting more difficult, even for professional riders

Are not familiar to you the next litanies? Litany = Collective public prayer made to God, the Virgin or the saints (in this case to the FIM, federations and motorcycle manufacturers), consisting of a series of ordered invocations.

1.- "New trials bikes are too expensive."
2.- "Nowhere to practice with a trials bike."
3.- "The licenses are too expensive."
4.- "The motorcycle manufacturers do not help to get spaces for trial and promote the sport."
5.- "The federations do not move to help and promote trials."
6.- "WTC is a failure in the number of pilots, public, sponsors and media."

And so on...

Are not they all trials riders with rare exceptions who have strongly claimed the highest by repeating it all over and over again?

Expanding Trials market, sales and manufacturing is critical

Well, litanies have been heard and analyzed by the Supreme Being (FIM) and his entourage of "saints" (representatives of national federations, motorcycle manufacturers and some moto clubs) and has decided to act and that the modern trial will soon be different.

   Problems and objectives

I guess the reasoning was more or less as follows:

- Problem 1: "New trials bikes are too expensive."

- Cause: As the number of new motorcycles sold annually is ridiculous, it's impossible to get adjusted prices of components or the manufacture of a number of bikes that get significantly lower costs.

They are expensive because they sell short, sell short because the sport has little interest. The snake biting its tail.

The type of sections should be adapted to NonStop and the other objectives	We need to attract people and new club riders, young and olds

Having places to ride is one of the main problems

Besides the classic trials bikes market and the number of classic trials organized, in some places by far exceeds the number of new bikes sold and the number of modern trials organized... why?

- Goal 1: Break the negative loop; we must take steps to sell more new trials bikes.

- Problem 2: "Nowhere to practice with a trials bike."

- Cause: Being a minority sport in some countries and areas (eg. Madrid with almost 6 million barely has 100 trials licenses) the strength of the local Federations is very limited and therefore increasingly less attention is paid to a sport that vanishes by himself.

- Goal 2: You have to get a progressive increase in the number of practitioners.

- Problem 3: "The licenses are too expensive (almost in Spain)."

Few federated riders and WTC provide a very limited access

- Cause: This problem is endemic to Spain, in other places it is not.

A National RFME (Spanish Federation) licence cost about 350 Euro per year. Spain is not even 5% of the pilots associated to a federation in Europe.

Having so few trials licenses in Spain, this sport has very little strength inside the RFME, and RFME pays little or no attention to this sport although it gives RFME several titles a year, but also Moto GP or Moto cross does.

- Goal 3: In the spanish case or similars, the RFME or national Federation should know what to do in its own country, but their logical goal should be to cheapen a sport licenses with low accidents and that is slowly vanishing.

- Problem 4: "The motorcycle manufacturers do not help to get spaces for trial and do not help promote the sport."

Manufacturers are barely surviving with such a small market

- Cause: With the few new bikes that are sold every year, they barely are able to survive, to pay the interest, salaries and expenses and also to keep the salaries and expenses of the top riders and the structure to participate in a WTC.

Some of them are about to close or stop the production of trials bikes. How can be able then to invest time and money over into trials promotion? Something inconceivable now.

- Goal 4: Again, try to sell more bikes based on increasing the number of practitioners of the sport and to involve manufacturers actively promoting the sport.

- Problem 5: "The federations do not move to help and promote trials enough."

- Cause: The fact is that federations do move, and in some countries they achieve their targets.

For a correct Non Stop application, should standardize the observers permissiveness	Lots of young riders triying to improve, are not getting any support

Everyday less public and sponsors in World Trials Championship

In the case of Spain the clubs themselves refuse to organize trials for several reasons: poor attendance, complicated format, they lose money... and with the slow loss of the number of trials licenses, the sport itself loses interest even to those who should be promoting it.

- Goal 5: To ensure that a trial is an event that attracts more riders, public, sponsors and media.

- Problem 6: "WTC is a failure in the number of pilots, public, sponsors and media."

- Cause: The standards of the sport have come to a standstill. The sections are so complicated that they are impossible to deal with for the drivers with the exception of a very small number of top riders. A bike going through the sections is something slow and boring to watch, attracting very little audience, sponsors and reaching very few media.

- Goal 6: Make the sport more affordable for drivers, giving a more attractive format for the public and attract more sponsors and media.

Medias are not interested in Trials

And so on...

Tuck these ingredients into a cocktail shaker, shake well and... the solution of the FIM is that modern trials soon will be a different sport. Hope at last.

No one can now say that the FIM is not moving. Moving they are moving for sure, providing solutions, there is no doubt. All those whom do not like the trial sports turnaround, could have moved and taken prior solutions, as they have done clubs like the Edinburgh & District, Moto Club Abadesses, Federations like SACU and others who are doing quite well and being very successful in their targets.

Others who are doing quite well outside modern trials; preparing three big classic two days trials is Moto Club Sotobike, a clear example. Guess why?

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