FAQ's Frequently Asked Questions
Questions
1) What are the different riding classes?
2) What Class is my bike in?
3) What class should I ride in?
4) How old do I have to be to be able to ride?
5) How does the scoring system work?
6) How do I enter a club trial ?
7) How much does it cost ?
8) Do I need anything else other than a club membership?
9) How do I get into the club Championship?
10) Who runs the club?
11) How do I join?
12) Do I have to help set up the course or clear up afterwards?
13) Will I have to help run any of the events?
14) How long does it take to complete an event ?
15) Do I have to be a member of other clubs to compete in their events?
16) Who is overall in charge at an event ?
17) Where else can I ride if I don't want to ride competitions?
18) Is there somewhere where I can practice before my first competition?
19) Will I need to have my bike road registered?
20) Do I need insurance?
21) What number do I ride with?

Answers
What are the different riding classes?

In the Berkhamsted club traditionally we have the same riding classes as you are likely to find around the country. Basically there is a class for everyone. At most trials there will be three different routes: the blue route, the red route and the white route. For a definition of how it all works see our beginners guide click here >>. The blue route is the easiest route and is best for beginners or the mature rider on a big fat pre 1965 machine. The red route is the clubman route. Ideal for those advancing up from the beginners and those who are not quite able to make the grade any longer on the real hard route. The white route is for the experts! Basically the hard route for the more experienced rider.

Youth A: Rides the white route. max capacity machine 125cc only
Youth B: Rides the red route. max capacity machine 125cc only
Youth C: Rides the Blue route. max capacity machine 80cc only
Youth D: Rides a conducted special route (50cc only)
Note:- Berkhamsted Club does NOT run a conducted youth D route on the grounds that Nash Mills is too dangerous. Some other clubs may run this route for youth D riders.

Beginner/Novice: Rides the Blue route, adult riders who have not won awards in open trials.

Clubman: Rides the Red route, this class is for riders who have at any time gained expert or intermediate status but does not wish to ride the hard route any longer.

50/50: Rides half of the Red route and half of the White route, a relatively new open class for riders wishing to ride 50% hard route and 50% easier route sections.

Intermediate: Ride white route. An intermediate is an adult rider who has never won an event outright or has not been given expert status by the south midland centre committee or who has won 4 best novice awards in one year.

Expert: Ride white route.. A rider who has either won an event outright or has won the south midland centre Intermediate Championship or been graded that status by the South Midland Trials committee.

For more information about centre trials click here >>
NOTE:- For all the information tips and recomendation's on what class to ride for Adults and youths
click here

What Class is my Bike in?

Modern bikes can be ridden in most classes, pre 65 bikes can be ridden on either the beginners or the clubman route. Don't even think about the white route on one of these things! Rigid pre 65's tend to stick to the Blue easier route. Youth riders can only ride up to a 125cc machine.

What class should I ride in?

You can choose to ride in whatever class you wish. If you have never ridden trials before then stick to the blue route and the beginners class. When you think you have mastered that route move onto the red route.

Most trials traditionally incorporate three routes.
1. Hard route - ridden by Expert, Intermediate and normally Youth A.
2. Easier route - ridden by Novice, Clubman and normally Youth B.
3. Youth C/Beginners - ridden by Beginners (non award) and normally Youth C & D

Any rider can with permission of the Clerk of the Course upgrade to ride a harder route and can down grade to an easier route on a non award basis NB At some of our events it is not possible to include a beginners/youth C route.

How old do I have to be to be able to ride?

A rider must be at least 6 years of age to ride in a trial competition. They can then ride to the end of a calendar year in which they fall 17 years of age. The ACU handbook states that a rider who has reached 16 years of age but who is eligible as stated above to continue to ride as a youth may ride as an adult or as a youth and alternate between them unless they choose to compete in the Adult British Solo trials championship. After the youth ranks you can ride up till whatever age you want. If the committee members have to physically come and pick you and your bike up from an old peoples home then this age may be questionable!

For full up to date information on ages and dates of births for youths to compete see the ACU rules click here >>

How does the scoring system work?

Check out our beginners guide here>> but in a nutshell if you negotiate a section and put your foot down just once you will be scored 1 point by the observer against your riding number. Two foot you will get 2 marks, three feet (or footing as its known) you will get three marks against you. If you put your feet down four or more times the observer will still only mark you as three. Basically if the section determines that you continually dig your feet on and walk it through the section but still with your bum on the bike then you will only get a maximum of three points. If you fall off stall your machine and put your foot down at the same time or physically go backwards then you will get five marks. The person with the least amount of marks of course wins because he/she has been the most skillful through the sections. If two people end up with the same amount of marks against them the winner is decided by whoever made the most amount of cleans over the entire course. A clean being defined as no incurring any penalty points in a section whilst being observed through the beginning and end cards. Some trials particularly national events will doc you as much as 50 points if you completely miss a sub of sections like in the Scottish Six Day trial or if you miss a section in the Scott trial you will be completely excluded.

How do I enter a club trial?

Once you have sorted all your membership details and have your licence for the ACU all you have to do is keep an eye on the events page on this site and when the regs are posted download them and fill them in and post them to the trials secretary who's name will be on the form.
For all the information tips and recommendation's you need about regs permits and entry forms click here

How much does it cost ?

Depending on the club and the particular event an average is about £13 but more likely a Berkhamsted club trial will set you back a pocket breaking £12.

Do I need anything else other than a club membership?

Before you start riding you will need a licence from the governing body of the sport which is the Auto Cycle Union. A trials licence to compete for the year at club level is a mere £10. When you download and send off your membership form send with it your ACU application form which you can download off their site click here >> Fill out the form and cross check everything, you will need a club official to stamp your ACU application. When you send in your membership the membership secretary will stamp it and seal the ACU form and drop it in the post for you. (you provide the stamps)

How do I get into the club Championship?

This is a simple one, all you have to do is turn up and ride in the club championship rounds. The rounds will be listed as championship rounds in the yearly calendar. see here

Who runs the club?

The Berkhamsted motorcycle club is run by a committee of non paid volunteers. The club has been like this since 1908. If you want to see the members of the committee click here>>

How do I join?

Before you start riding you will need a licence from the governing body of the sport which is the Auto Cycle Union. A trials licence to compete for the year at club level is a mere £10. When you download and send off your membership form send with it your ACU application form which you can download off their site click here >> Fill out the form and cross check everything, you will need a club official to stamp your ACU application. When you send in your membership the membership secretary will stamp it and seal the ACU form and drop it in the post for you. (you provide the stamps) See our membership page here

Do I have to help set up the course or clear up afterwards?

Not really no this is normally done by members of the committee but often people do come along and help out. Its normally done on the sat before the trial. The observers will normally pull the markers out of their particular section at the end of the trial when they think that no one else is due through. If you want to help the observers pull out markers please stop and help them. As part of your commitment to the club you will be asked to give up at least one ride a year to help observe. So basically in a nutshell yes you will have to do this but only once a year.

Will I have to help run any of the events?

Yes as said above you will be required to be an official observer at one club event each year. That's the only commitment the club requires from you. If you want to do more or help out more then you can. Some people do lots of work behind the scenes.

How long does it take to complete an event?

Depends how slow you are or how long it takes you to walk each section and contemplate how your going to ride it. Normally a trial begins at either 10am or 10:30am and you can expect to finish up around 2pm (just in time for one down the pub).

Do I have to be a member of other clubs to compete in their events?

Some clubs have different rules please read their website's by following the links from our links page click here. As a general rule if you are a member of any club in the south midland centre region of the ACU then you can ride in any club round. Whether you will qualify for club championship points depends if you are a member or not. But you can still ride. Some riders are members of several clubs as they ride in more than one championship.

Who is overall in charge at an event ?

For every event an appointed 'Clerk of the Course' oversees the running of the event. Special courses come up now and again where you can go and learn how to become someone who can do this.

Where else can I ride if I don't want to ride competitions?

We strongly recommend you to ride in our club events as its great fun with a class for everyone. If you don't want to ride in the events but you are still a member you can ride at our practice ground at Nash Mills. But you will need to follow the rules. click here >> We don't recommend you ride on any land unless you have permission from the owner. You certainly cant ride on land that the club uses for its trials (other than Nash Mills) unless its on competition day.

Is there somewhere where I can practice before my first competition?

Yes we have an excellent practice ground for our members called Nash Mills at Hemel Hempstead. To find out more click here >>

Will I need to have my bike road registered?

The Berkhamsted motorcycle club does not run any events that you have to use public highway to access different parts of the course, so the answer is no. Some clubs however still run these type of trials and particularly if you are going to progress to national events then yes you will need to have your machine registered and insured for the road. Its worth looking on the forms when you fill them in to see if public highway is involved.

Do I need insurance?

The event will be insured as part of its licence to run, likewise your ACU licence will also cover you for trials. Other than that unless you want to go on the road with your bike your insurance to ride in the event is covered.

What number do I ride with?

Unlike motocross or Enduro you will not have a permanent club riding number, when you sign on to say you have arrived and are riding you will be given a number which you will place on the front of your bike.
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