FIM’s ‘no-stop’ shock for 2013

 

 

The press release was short and did not include any detail and is reproduced in full here as follows:

 

"In view of the current extremely difficult situation regarding participation in Trial events that is also leading to the free fall of the Trial motorcycle market, the FIM together with the Trial Manufacturers (Montesa-Honda, Gas Gas, Beta, Sherco & Ossa) has decided to take measures in order to find ways to revitalise this discipline.  

 

"The first change concerns the sporting  regulations of the FIM Trial World Championships that, from 2013, will be ‘non-stop'.

 

"All categories of the discipline (World Pro, Open International, Junior, 125cc, Women & Trial des Nations) will now apply more dynamic with the aim of making Trial more accessible, reducing the level of the sections, creating more dynamism, reducing the costs and increasing practice and participation, additional measures will be taken in the coming months.”

 

The FIM news follows the recent indecisive step by the ACU trials committee which has tentatively proposed TWO British Trials Championships for 2013, a stop-allowed and a no-stop series.

 

Britain's trials  importers were disticntly unimpressed by this announcement and at the recent Dirt Bike Show all said that they would/ could not support two series.

 

John Lampkin of Beta UK said he would wait to see what the FIM proposed for 2013 and then support whichever series mirrored the world series rules –whatever they turned out to be. 

 

Britain pioneered the return to no-stop last year in a series that was criticised by our own World Championship contenders, James Dabill, Michael Brown and Alexz Wigg although it found favour with many non professional riders.

 

Clearly there is more to come from the FIM regarding the implementation of the rules and possibly regarding Minders/Assistants if they are seeking to reduce costs.