11/08/14 - TRIAL 2.0

On Saturday 12th, July, while the first Women World Championship round was holding in Belgium, the “bureau” of Trial - that means the FIM CTR Committee - disputed on the present and future of our specialty. Discussion strictly in camera with delicate topics such as No-stop Rule, more and more aim of disagreements and complications.

In fact, after two years of application in the world championship and in some national's, everybody can note the lack of growth in terms of number of, either licensed riders, or new initiates, nevertheless the “more dynamism of the show”. On the contrary, the negative judgments of riders, observers and public have led to decree a solemn rejection in Italian national championships, even to the point of suffering the consequence of not having a world round in Italy in the coming year.

Therefore, if the crisis of the Trial is not due to a regulation that extolled the extreme evolution and -according to the supporters of non-stop - did not encourage new recruits to approach it, which will never be the reasons for increasingly scarce numbers between professional pilots?

Even not underestimating the problems related to the environment, always topical for all off-road riders and difficult to manage where there are sort of extreme environmentalists , we can not attribute to them the only cause. These were the problems that had undermined the growth in the 80s, but then some countermeasures, in pursuance of our peninsula, thanks to the huge efforts of “untamed” organizers and precious supports by the Italian Federation, the competitions have always been made and continue to be carried out.

Is it therefore only due to the economic crisis? We make two considerations before answering. In our era, that of web 2.0, young people are accustomed to the "all at once". We communicate very fast through phones that will reach us anywhere. Everybody can be a sudden reporter, "posting" photos and commenting news on social networks, immediately available to all the people wanted. You can easily find in the network answers to all sort of questions crossing your mind. So why to become a champion in Trial shall be used so long? In Trial, more than any other motor sport discipline, let us say, it is not possible to replace the lack of experience with a greater aggression in riding style, related to the age. Even the talented who has more courage, must follow a long path before emerging and the young’s belonging to the 2.0 age can not and do not want to wait. That’s not true for everyone, thankfully, exceptions exist, otherwise Trial would have already extinct. But the matter remains: if already 30-40 years ago the choice of doing Trial involved a lot of sacrifice, just image today!

The other consideration is linked to the spread. It had just started the boom of videos on the network, and here to come the blow of 2010: the ban by the FIM to publish for free clips on the world championship, whose rights were solely owned by the Federation. Prohibition for us journalists is still in force today, despite the proliferation of shots of spectators, who immediately load in the network. That was and is a big brake on expansion of a specialty that still remains unknown to most people. And instead it could lead to temptations even those have only heard about motorcycles, because more then knowing how to ride a motorcycle, it is sufficient to have some balance and being in good physical shape, to be able to take the first steps, and having fun, too.

What we can do? What do we expect that the Federations do? The Italian one has already figured out that it is not necessary to act on the Regulation and is moving to pad out the base. The lowering of license fees for 2015 is a great move. But also organizer taxes will have to be reduced. And at the international level first of all, it must reassemble the environment, recognizing that it was wrong to act on the Regulation. Obvious that since the decision was the result of a summit with the Manufactures, these ones must also necessarily do an about-face. No one will be crucified. It is always better to risk and fail than not trying at all! Moreover, to make free any distribution of videos, interviews, etc.. on the network. Treat a specialty too much in professional way, when it is not, or not yet, can cause only damage! It must support the spread. Many people wonder what happens to the videos that the large Spanish and knowledgeable staff compose in the world series. Besides You Tube, are there any TV that broadcasts them? An other thing. Some time ago there were rumors of Trial candidate to become an Olympic sport: the only one of those motorcycle taken to the Olympic Games. What happened to that project?

But above all it is necessary to pay attention to the grassroots of our sport, breaking down the barriers for those who want to race abroad, for example. It is not normal that for several years the German, Swiss and Austrian national licenses are valid as a permanent authorization for those who participate in races in other European countries. Why the Italian, French and Spanish ones aren’t? What about a low-cost European license that allows a greater turnover of riders in international amateur competitions? A policy of lowering organizational costs and licensing can always give a little of oxygen.

The rest is obtained as a result. Broadening the base, means selling more motorcycles, and so means that even the pilots of average skill would return to get some sponsorship and repopulate classes in the various championships, without having to convince them with the impossible and anachronistic lowering of the level of obstacles: THE PROGRESS IS UNSTOPPABLE!


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TRIAL 2.0 ...l'articolo e' stato pubblicato su Motosprint N. 31 in edicola da martedi' 5 agosto ...