Goodness knows when I last wrote a column for Trials Central, but whenever it was, it’s time I wrote another – especially as I have a subject that is currently of concern to me as an enthusiast for the sport as well as an organiser.
I’m talking about the huge number of riders who have entered a trial in advance but then fail to turn up on the day. In case you think this is of minor importance, let me just give you a few facts.
At the Jack Wood S3 Championship Trial on March 29, of the 156 riders entered there were 29 non-starters. At the Powys Trial a week later, also a round of the S3 Championship, of the 73 entries, 17 failed to take part and then on the following day at the Lomax also an S3 round, there was an entry of 120 – the maximum the club were prepared to accept – and a massive 34 preferred to stay at home.
You could argue that the only losers are the riders; they have paid their entry fee and the club have received the money and with no organising costs to pay for those who have failed to take part, the club has the full entry fee added to their coffers.
But I consider the problem to be one greater than simply not turning up and effectively giving the club a private donation, as in some respects these non-starters are depriving others of a ride they may have wanted.
Take for example the Lomax. The organising Llangollen Club put a maximum entry of 120 riders on their trial, as the length of their course means they couldn’t take any more and as a result the entry was filled. However, with 34 non-starters one could argue that they should have accepted 150 in the hope that 120 actually started. But that’s a risky business if more turned up than they could handle.
I’m pretty sure that once upon a time there was an ACU ruling which said that non-starters should always provide the club with a valid reason and if they didn’t then they would be reported to the sport’s governing body. However, as far as I can see that regulation no longer exists – though if it does I’m happy to be corrected – so there is simply no incentive for a rider to take part – except for the loss of his entry fee.
One of the apparent reasons for riders declining to ride is that when they receive their riding numbers, if they are an early number and the trial is known to be slippery early on, then to many it seems not worth the effort to attend, knowing that there’s a good chance his result could well be worse than he expects.
So, is there an answer? I was ACU Steward at both the Powys and Lomax and between the two trials I stayed with my good friend and well-known former enduro rider, Geraint Jones, and he came up with what I think is a good solution.
He told me that when he sends animals to market (he’s a farmer as if you didn’t know), he is allocated a lot number for the sale and no matter his lot number he needs to be at the sale from the start because the auctioneers frequently start the sale at a middle order number, perhaps sell 50 lots then revert to another lot number, so there’s no way the seller can know when his lot comes up. Sale prices vary during the course of the day – early sales may achieve a higher value than later sales and vice versa – so it’s fair for all; no matter what the lot number, you take your chance along with everybody else.
Move that analogy to trials and I suggest all entrants receive a riding number in advance and the starting order is balloted on the morning of the event, then, no matter your riding number you take your chance along with everybody else as to whether you get an early start time or a later one.
Snags? Of course there are, but I reckon they could be easily sorted. Riders who want to ride together get both their riding numbers balloted at the same time so they can be together. The only real problem I see is that everybody needs to be at the start by the time the first man is due to leave.
So there you have it, a new column and with the Scottish soon upon us, no doubt I will again have something to write about in the near future.