12/02/14 - “No-stop” again under investigation!
Is it good or bad? After one year it is time to know what the feed back says…
One year has been passed and everybody wants to know if there are some advantages or not brought by this new formula. That is because it was confirmed by the FIM for the incoming season, not only but in this work of recovering some new rules were added, as the motorcycle minimum weight, fixed to 70 kilos.
The aim should be to limit such a sort of exasperate developing , using sophisticate materials that affects the final production costs. But this decision is opening new debates. More than a manufacturer is now forced to put more weight on his “jewel” to pass the preliminary operation in the world championship.
We gathered the different opinions from Italian manufacturers and importers of Trial motorcycle brands, plus 3 people strongly involved in our speciality: the Trial responsible inside the Federation, one the pioneers of Italian Trial, Albino Teobaldi, then the man, who supported as main sponsor the World Championship from 2007 to 2011, Luciano Bonaria, SPEA’s boss and the organizer of the Beta Trophy , also manager in the past of the whole Italian championship, Sergio Parodi.
We asked them an evaluation of the last season, their opinion on the application of no-stop and which proposals could be helpful to get out of crisis.
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Processo al no-stop!
Ecco i pareri di autorevoli "attori" sulla scena italiana, dopo un anno di applicazione...tutto su Motosprint numero 5 in edicola dal 4 febbraio scorso...richidetelo al vostro edicolante!
Albino Teobaldi (Italian Federation Trial responsible)
The Trial Committee inside our national Federation decided not to apply the no-stop even in this season, because we are still not ready to face this change. It is not sufficient to change the rule.
Is is mandatory a hard work of training who is in charge for featuring the sections. Only drawing them, thinking to no-stop, we can simplify the observers’ job. It is a change to be introduced inch by inch. Riders must be involved, too.
In the 2013 world championship, the organisers were not trained. We will see if in this second year, the mind of the sections’ charters will be appropriate. As we have enough security that this change has been recognised positively, we will adopt it , too.
Claudio Favro (Gas Gas importer)
We sell less bikes because it is forbidden to go everywhere off road. It should be helpful to make up a special group of people able to take care of the relationships with the authorities, defending our interests.
Our purpose is to practice free of restricted laws. It is wasted time to change to no-stop or to lower the minimum weight.
It is a step backward! If a manufacturer is able to produce a super light bike, that let you climb easily mule tracks almost climbed after a lot of physical efforts in the past, why stopping him?
Why stopping the progress?
Luciano Bonaria - SPEA
“Stop and hop” is my imagine of Trial. The concept to introduce more dynamism thanks to the no-stop rule has miserably failed. It is sufficient to watch any round of the last world championship. Between one obstacle and another, riders moved so slow to appear like “zombies” , careful only of not stopping. Where is the dynamism? What I watched was a static and boring Trial. And not to mention the disparity of judgment. The stop was punished according to subjective discernments, varying from an observer to another. Already in the past a criticism in Trial was the real neutrality of the observers, now more than ever if the observer wants to cheat favouring his rider, he can simply interpret the stop to his benefit.
In the future, the young bloods are going to defect the world championship, because no-stop doesn’t allow them to improve their skill, as a function of the indoor competitions. The only ones where they can get some money, in this framework still poor of professionals.
Michele Berera(RedMoto, Montesa importer)
RedMoto is the new Italian distributor only from the 1st October, 2013, therefore we can not be précised on the last season. Our Montesa correspondents in Spain ratified that the 2013 sales in Italy matched their expectations.
The no-stop rule penalises only in part the show and it is an attempt done in order to increase the number of participants in the high level competitions. It is not probably the only solution to revamp the speciality, but for sure it helps the approaching to the trial world . We also think it would be better to have a uniform rule everywhere. The FIM rule would be applied even by all the national Federation and even in the lowest competitions. Only in this manner, riders get used to the new rules in better way.
Sergio Parodi (Beta Trophy manager)
None benefit changing the rule. We did something similar in the Beta Trophy, giving one point of bonus to the rider who completed the section without stopping.
But we spotted the huge difficulty in how to consider the stop. And the same thing happened in the World Championship. In my opinion no-stop was never applied: everything was granted to the top riders.
I do not understand the dynamism. If we want a sort of dynamic trial, why do not move to Enduro?
We have to simplify the rules in order to make easier to get new entries and let them have fun competing.
Lapo Bianchi - Beta
In terms of sales last season was not particularly positive. In some countries we kept our figures, but in others, as Italy, we registered significant decreases. None of us thinks no-stop will be the “panacea” of nothing. It is just a try, not the only one possible, but one well-advised to reduce the gap between the high level Trial and the normal Trial performed by the most.
In our opinion the lately increased discrepancy between the professional sport and the amateurs’ one is negative in order to enlarge the basis of the apprentices. Moreover this is the only discipline all over the world where the amateur can not do the same track of the professional. What we are doing now is trying to put seriously in operation this no-stop system for at least 3 years. Then we can draw a conclusion on its effectiveness taking count of our targets.
Renato Chiaberto ( Sherco importer)
I admit I was attracted by no-stop, hoping to sell more as all people still endorse it today, but I ‘ve not seen any improvement. Last season was a disaster in terms of sales. I heard customers reporting too much doggedness in being fined by forest police when they are caught riding on mule-tracks or just off road. The main problem is still to get regular practise areas.
I see a growing interest to mountain-trials. (In Italy they are no competitive events open to everybody ,consisting of a long loop up to scenery landscape, normally broken by a typical lunch with local products). There are more and more persons loving these long tours on mule tracks without any need to compete. At least in these events they do not risk to be fined by the forest police!
Roberto Bianchi ( Ossa importer)
We felt the market crisis, too. We think that there isn’t any sector not suffering for the crisis.
Nevertheless, as Ossa importer our 2013 sales rose a little compared to 2012’s and we are satisfied for this, but it did not happen thanks to no-stop. The no-stop is completely useless: all the trial riders are abandoning it. We have two example. In Italy despite of economic crisis, keeping the old rules, the number of riders was more or less the same and what is important, all are pleased. In France, due to political reasons, the environment was split in two and they have different championships.
Enrico Molteni ( Scorpa importer)
I can not affirm that the 30 per cent less in 2013 sales was due to the rules. Furthermore in Italy it was not applied. The fault of the reduction in sales is linked to the areas to train. They are still too few and none does something to increase them. Practically an union between all the manufacturers and importers and Federation, too on this common problem misses. I have seen around only people unmotivated and tired. No enthusiasm any more.
Changing the rules is not important, not only but I noted that our riders (not so good as Spanish ones) had hard time in competing in Italy using different rules and so forced to change their riding. Anyway I can not say they would get benefit in case of no-stop adopted here, too.