Just to inform you Shaun Morris has had an accident and cannot compete in TDN - we wish him speedy recovery and I know he will be gutted as he was really up for the event.
Michael Brown has been drafted in - and we all know he will give it his best shot and the chance to be in the Team with Dougie , Graham and James I am sure will be an experince he can only benefit from
I have and ride( baddly) the original Steve Wilson Bultaco - square section s/arm, chrome frame etc. Petrol in frame and fuel under seat etc.
There is quite a lot of history with the bike - I have ridden it in quite a few trials lately and qyuite a few will have seen it at the SM rounds with me.
It is excellent in some sections - not so clever in others ( could be rider?) I did a lot of work motorwise - but the rest is as Steve built it.
I lent it to him a few years ago and he rode it in a Classic or Miller round - it came back in much better condition than it went so he is always welcome to borrow it ( he gave me a bollocking for not changing s/arm bushes)
It is a credit to the man the way he built it - and I believe JCM may have looked at it for ideas.
If somene asks I will tryu to post a photo - or get someone who knows how to fdo that to do so.
Unfortunately the Neath Motor Fred Rist Trial scheduled for this weekend has just been cancelled.
The route runs through several farms and some of the farmers were understandably concerned.
It is a bitter blow - the sections and 30 mile route all marked after weks of work - and even the weather is glorious.
Our sport relies entirely on the goodwuill of these farmers - and we respect their wishes and keep our fingers crossed that this latest outbreak can be contained
Apologies to anyone who is inconvenienced - we will be in touch
Sounds extremeley simple Nigel - and one would expect it to work. And we did
However - I can 100% assure you that within a very short period of time when no results/championship positions arrived - the phone was picked up . and picked up and picked up. Several people have been phoned, several people have been written to - copies were also sent to Centre etc.
At time of my first email ( yesterday or day before? ) there was still no sucess and no encourasging replies
However - I am assured that after more requests/letter/phone calls in last few days - results have arrived - and all should now be able to be completed.
The problem seems to be that at the ACU we have not received results and Championship points allocated for the round which was held on June 17th!
Several requests have apparently been made - but I am told today there has been no response.
The Torridge round was not posted as although the results wee all sent in OK - the office was trying to keep things in sequence - but I have asked that they be put in place asap.
I will continue to investigate what the hell is happening about an event held on June 17th -
I think we all enjoyed Hawkstone - and those who attended could see that it is a masive undertaking.
Good column this week Rappers - I think you summed it up for us all
While it is easy to propose this or that - as I have said before , it is a complex subject.
Of course the money side is a big problem - but as a few of you have said perhaps not totally impossible if one could be fairly sure of getting the people in through the gate - this obviously takes a huge amount of promotion, ads in paper etc etc. Jake did a fantastic job of this and this is the part that ensurers you will not make a big big loss.
I can also tell you first hand that Dave Willoughby ( ACU) Martin Lamkin and in particular Harry Lampkin do a huge job on the sections - and this expertise is not easy to come by. I - along with the Portugese FIM Jury President and the FIM Spanish member inspected and approved all sections on Friday afternoon - and *I can say honestly I was scratching my head - but Harry and Dave had it all undr control and so it turned out - but a huge amount of work and effort.
The location of the venue is very important here - and L & M had done enough research to be sure that it was a central part of the UK that could best promise the numbers needed.
If you can reduce costs - then possibly you do not need so many people through gate to reach the break even point - and can possibly - I stress possibly - start to look in locations away from centre of UK - but it will take a brave person to do so with today's FIM requirements.
This brings me to probably the most important point. As enthusisats - we can look at a venure and think it is good - or at least credible, but we are looking at what we percieve is wanted. I am afraid it is more complicated than that.
Each venue for a World Trials ( or MX etc) needs to be FIM " homologated" - this basically means that it has to pass a rigerous inspection by the FIM - who then issue an homologation ( certificate) if you like - for usually three years.
As ACU ( FMNR) representative I have been involved this year in the homologation process for both Hawkstone and IOM - as TDN is also a World round. It is far more complex than you could imagine.
It comes down to hard standing, size of paddocks, water, electricity, offices, press rooms, distance of sections from paddock, max length of lap etc
It even comes down to counting the toilet bowls and urininals - and in IOM we did just that ( cracking morning just walking round ladies and gents toilets - when I thought I would be looking at sections!)
Whether or not all this is deemed necessary by us or not - I am afraid is irrelevent - if you want FIM homologation - you have to comply. No homolgation - no event.
You can be 100% sure L & M have been through this until they must have felt like screaming - and it is these sort of things we all seem to take for granted . It is not just the cost - it is the hassle.
So - there may be venues out there - probably are - but they would have to meet a fairly stringenmt criteria.
At the present time - or at least for 2008 on - only the IOM is homologated as a Trials venue in the UK
Quite a lot of speculation about future World rounds - it is quite a complex issue and involves lots of things outside our control ( FIM homologation etc)
Just as a passing comment - the ACU - or at least the Trials & Enduro Committee have run the World Trials twice - and that included bringing the event to Hawkstone for the first time.
Each member of the Committee did a specific job - Frank Carter ( Chairman before me) was Clerk of Course , Tim Fairbrother co-ordinated sections, Malcolm Bates organised the supply and transport of the rocks close to the podium and so on.
My job was to produce and sell the programmes! ( some said I should have been in charge of toilets)
As to finanace - yes the ACU laid out the money - and even those few years ago the costs were horrendous.
We had good weather - and a good crowd at Hawkstone - and at the end of it all cleared about 1k.
Unfortunately a rider - French I think - argued with an Observer and was excluded - but it went to appeal - and Frank and others had to attend the hearing in Geneva - which we lost - so the 1k went down the swanny to pay for costs etc.
The reason we did it was to prove that it could be done in UK - and the next year Tim Fairbrither and the Midland Centre took up the challenge - and with what had been learnt running it as T & E another World round was run - and also a European if my memory is correct.
Things move on however - and without doubt it is now far more complex and certainly far more costly to put the thing on now - I know we as the T & E laid out about 40k - I would hazard a guess it is far more than double that now - and the return would not be that great - so anyone who thinks it is a big money spinner should probably foget it.
Will it come back to the UK - who knows ? There are several places that could provide the infra structure - such as parking/facilities/ toilets etc - but then have no suitable sections.
There are several places that can provide the sections - but no infra structure etc - it is finding somewhere with both that is the problem - and geographically suitable for getteing thousands of people through the gate.
It is actually the same problem now trying to get the World Enduro - scheduled for Hafren 08 off the ground.
Course and S/Tests excellent - but finding large tarmarced area for the huge trucks and vans etc very difficult.
However - never say never - and I would certainly hope that World trials are not lost to the UK for too long
Please remember I am not computer technology expert status.
I have been told some computeer gobblydook went wrong and that is why link did not work. The computer wizards ( or not) have now diverted it - and so messages should at least be in someones inbox.
Next - I am assured that if you click on Classic - you should now get that - and I did.
Next problem - I want to know why it is not up to date - and T&E Sec who deals with it is on holiday! but I will try to investigate as best I can.
Please tell me how to make the click on Trials Central to obtain the Classic results ???? ( which we must have sent in) and I will try to look for mistake - better still tell me what the mistake is.
As we have sent these in to Trials Central - I can then check and find out why some prat has sent a different set to SportMoto etc.
Two fair points Nigel - I think the O/40 class/ champ needs a bit more thought as I think there will be varying views.
As to number of rounds - yes - I think we have probably included too many and this certainly needs looking at. Only defence I can offer really is that if we have orgainasiers willing to give it a shot we try to encourage them to do so - and also as I have previously stated - geographically - with more rounds there is a good chance of there being a classic round to ride in close to many people - and this gets people dragging the bikes out of sheds etc - a point both Woody and myself have made.
However I am not sure if these aims have really worked - and at this moment in time I have to admit I think we probably awarded too many rounds.
Yes - some very good points Woody. I am away from home at present - but will study in more deatil over next few days - and there are certainly some thouights which can be put forward
at forums and when T & T discuss 08.
I think the Rhayder Classic lends a lot of strength to your argument for two routes - certainly the better classic riders enjoy the harder route and it seems to be competative without being silly - and people like myself who do not ride very often -or as in my case past it - can still have an excellent day out on the easier route.
I did say that whenever we start discussing one particular series there is often a tendency to divert off and bring in another. Sometimes this has merit, but other times can just confuse the situation, and often here are quite a lot of things that have to be taken into account. I do think this may well be the case in trying to link in potential changes to say the Novogar, in order to perhaps improve the Classic. One thing is absolutely certain in my mind, and that is whichever way you move on any particular Championship there will be opinion for and opinion against. Also
As previously stated on most Yams there is an internal stop which prevents the shaft turning two far.
However over the years I have found ( especially on mono's and TY175 ) so presume same on 250 TS -that as age takes its toll - no matter how right you think you have lined it all up and re-assembled etc very soon the k/start is back hitting the case.
Many times this has happened and I have usually traced the problem to the actual k/start shaft and stop plate.
The actual metal stop plate/arm - for want of a better word is actually " swaged" onto the k/start gear shaft - and this can come loose and turn slightly. If you hold the shaft carefully in the vice - with stop plate against the vice jaw - obviously with the kickstart fitted onto spline you should not be able to move shaft ? Often however you will find that you can ie the stop and shaft are " slipping" and the swage or splined way of holding the two together is not holding. This means however you set it up - after a few kicks it is all to hell.
New k/start shaft is answer - although I have brazed a few with varying sucess.
As I think I may have already indicated - there are now a group of people designated to work on this in 2007 - so that hopefully we will at least make progress.
I know there was a meeting last week - which was I think combined with environmental matters - as soon as I get some feedback or report I will be better placed to answer.
Geoff Cannell
in UK Trials Talk
Posted
Terrible news - a great guy