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NEWS
Jan newsletter >>
The Nash padlock is now on the 2012
code.
How to obtain your 2012 ACU Affiliation or Licence
click here>>
Stolen Bikes!
Have you seen these bikes ?
More Info >>
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download observers Guidance |
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download machine examiners checklist |
RESULTS
2011 Club Championship
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2011 download all final standings
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2011
Meteor Group
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2011 download all final standings
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2011 South Midland Centre Final
results after all rounds SMC click here>>
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South Midland experts after all rounds2011 |
2012 Berko Calendar
2012 Fixtures
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club trials rounds 2012 |
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World & National
trials 2012 |
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All local fixtures 2012 |
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South Midland Centre ACU trials
2012 |
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Meteor Group trials 2012 |
Sizzlers
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Trials Sizzlers will be at for 2008
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South Midland Expert Trials Champions 1936 - 2008
click here >>
TROUBLES WITH YOUR TRIAL
MOTORBIKE?
Then call club member Pete Tombling on 07950312189 or
01296330238. Repairs and servicing undertaken on all modern and
twinshock trial bikes. Two-stroke engine service, repair and rebuilds. |
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World Championship Motorcycle
Trials
Click on any image to enlarge
| World Championship Motorcycle Trials
is an off-road discipline on a level where quite literally only
a handful of the sports elite can challenge for the title. During
the 2007 season when the title fell to newly crowned Spaniard
Toni Bou, there were, realistically only three or four riders
that were serious title challengers. The Championship gained
its world status in 1975 where before it was known only as a
European Championship. |
Takahisa Fujinami
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Back in 1975 it was won by Martin Lampkin, a Yorkshire
man of the famous Lampkin family clan of motorcycle sportsman.
Martin’s son, Dougie, later became the greatest trials
rider of all time with 12 world titles to his name after practically
dominating the sport in the late 1990’s and early part
of the new millennium.
To be crowned world champion a rider contests all of the world
rounds and gains points awarded by the FIM (Fédération
Internationale de Motocyclisme -International Motorcycling Federation).
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| The majority of the world rounds are held in and
around Europe where trials is most popular in particular with
the Spanish and English. With Toni Bou crowned in 2007 the Spanish
had taken the outdoor title eleven times, the British eight
titles all within the Lampkin family, Finland had four titles,
the Belgium’s three and the Swedish one. Out side of Europe
the title had been taken once by the Americans and once by the
Japanese. |
Toni Bou crowned world indoor Champion for
Montesa Honda 2007 |
| Although the title had fell only once to Japan with rider
Takahisa Fujinami, ‘Fuji Gas’ as he was nicknamed
can be categorised as one of the greatest riders of all time.
For many years he was clearly the runner to Lampkin’s
titles. Four years after winning the title he was still taking
podiums and Fujinami’s dynamic riding style enthralled
the crowds winning him with many fans as a popular rider. |
Historically world trials saw the
domination of the title by two riders for a number of years.
Aside from an era of domination by Lampkin, Spaniard Jordi Tarrés
equally won as many titles (seven) prior to Lampkins, beginning
in the 1980’s. Tarrés was the master of the modern
era his last title falling in 1995. Tarrés was regarded
as the rider who developed the sport with the means of manoeuvring
his machine in a way which utilised the suspension to bring
the front and rear ends round to line up for a further hazard
within a section. Unlike club & national trials world rounds
also have a time
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limit for the riders to complete the sections
once they enter them. They also have minders, who are
normally top riders within their own right who assist
them through the sections. Normally the rules only permit
one minder within the section at any one time and as well
as psychologically guiding their rider through they also
aid as a confidence factor when a particularly difficult
hazard within the section has to be ridden.
For example this could be a shear vertical rock face and
the minder would position themselves |
Above; Martin
Lampkin in 1995 minding for Dougie
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Dougie Lampkin |
| at the top ready to aid the rider should they fail to overcome
it, preventing them from serious injury.Between the mid 1990’s
and 2007 the top riders in the world had become so skilled that
organisers of rounds were forced to identify hazards within
sections in order to take marks off the very best riders. |
In doing so the severity of the hazards
within the sections slowly became more extreme and hence the
knock on affect being that only the very elite of riders had
the skill to even attempt trials at that level. To put this
in perspective the Belgium Champion Eddy Lejeune who last won
the world title in 1984 returned to trials to watch a 2006 world
round. Lejeune had not been to a round in many years and was
said to be shocked at the severity of the sections in comparison
to when he was champion.
Alongside the outdoor series world trials also has an indoor
championship series which began in 1993. The severity of world
level trials as previously mentioned had become such a spectacle
for trials fans on the outdoor scene that arena trials had now
taken on as a spectator sport. Instead of paying to watch bands
play audiences in their |
1984 Champ Eddy Lejeune on
the Honda in the kickstart paddock |
| thousands in Spain and England paid to watch an evening’s
entertainment of the worlds best riders compete over man made
sections instead of natural terrain. Riders like Spaniards Marc
Colomer & Jordi Tarrés would compete against Britain’s
Steve Colley and Dougie Lampkin whilst adding an air of entertainment
into the equation. |
Bou Indoor Master |
Indoor trials became so popular that the FIM developed
this side of motorcycle trials into a championship in its own
right and the top six riders in the outcome of the outdoor series
automatically went on to contest the indoor series. Additionally
to the top six riders a number of ‘wildcards’ are
thrown into the equation to make the numbers of evenings riders
up to eight.
Like the outdoor series indoor trials was again a discipline
where only a small handful of seriously elite riders could challenge
for the title. Since its birth other than Spain or Britain only
one other country has take its crown, Tommi Ahavla of Finland
took the first ever title in 1993. |
Since then Lampkin had won it for
Britain five times from 1997 to 2001 and the Spanish had practically
dominated the scene with nine titles.
A world championship trials contender really begins at club
level where they are noted at youth level at an early age and
developed through the youth ranks and into the adults on the
national scene. Before they break into the adults they are able
to contend the European championships as well as the world youth
Championships before moving into the ranks of the world juniors.
From there on they progress into the world championship title
challenge which has been regarded as a huge step to make based
on the severity of sections. |
Tommi Ahavla indoor champ
93
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Above left; Amos Bilbao
during the 1999 Belgium world round
Above left of center; Dougie Lampkin brings his Montesa off a step
in 2006
Above right of center; 1975 world champ Martin Lampkin and son Dougie
during the uk 1995 round
Above right; The Master himself Jordi Tarrés at the 1995
Hawkstone Park world round
Travelling the world riding championship
rounds is a relatively expensive pastime and a rider at this
level of the sport is normally funded by means of a ‘Factory’
ride and full team support. For many riders such as world
youth champion Alexz Wigg, they are not aided by factory rides
until they show potential as a serious title challenger. Prior
to this funding and support particularly for British riders
comes very much from a family background with help from local
clubs and dealers. In Spain the Spanish federation of trials
supports its young potential riders and aids their early development
which helps its popularity and development as a whole across
the county, not to mention the domination by many of its riders.
Billy Bishop 2008 |
Tadeusz Blazuiak on an extreme section |
For a full list of
world trials champions click here
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