Andy Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 It came as no surprise to learn that Spain won the Trial des Nations in Italy at the weekend, but for Britain to be second in the men Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
telecat Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 I'd say that Moto-X can get very good crowds as it shares benefits with Circuit racing. Closed Courses defined viewing points and facilities on site. All designed for the "punters". Trials on the other hand is mainly a participant sport. It's relatively cheap to compete in,(Easily less than 5 thousand a year for most riders instead of tens of thousands), easy to enter and has loads of venues close to riders. Very few have any facilities, spectators are expected to walk to sections and they can be pretty far apart and difficult to get to. Not a recipe for big spectator numbers but the same problem that keeps Trials off TV. Personally I came across this at the weekend. We were on the way back from the A and B round at Scarborough and got caught in the traffic from Olivers Mount. Apart from the Mum's and Dads there were probably less than a Hundred spectators watching the Trial not helped by a lap that had the Minders struggling to keep up yet again!!! (look if we can't have bikes could the organisers PLEASE remember this). Whereas at Olivers Mount they could see bikes every minute without getting off their backside, (and looking at some of them riding home they never walk anywhere). Also Circuits are few and far between so a race meeting may well be the only one for months. Moto-X and Trials happen every weekend so that only the Biggest will attract a crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Racing is easier to understand, the one at the fronts the winner. In trials, the winners often last in ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the addict Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Relating to Road Racing is the main reason so many go and spectate as well as watch on TV, just about everyone at a race meeting has a bike and many can appreciate what it takes to push a bike as hard you can even if its no-where near what the racers do. Road racing is exciting/dangerous and highly competitive, its also highly addictive as a few on here will know, you'd sell your granny for a new set of tyres given half the chance. Theres plenty to see at a road race meeting,paddocks are usually open where specatators can walk around all day between races,look at the bikes/teams and riders and at the big meets theres plenty of trade stands/food/drink to make a enjoyable day out. I,m not sure how many racers there are in the country but I expect its not as many as Trials riders. Road Racing at even club level is bloody expensive with pretty much no prize money, a typical club meeting for a frontish runner will cost 500 quid minimum even if you dont crash. I love my Trials but even I find it boring to watch at any level, not sure why or how that could be cured but I only ever want to compete, much rather watch a road race meeting any day. Although I,ve had a couple of years at Hare and Hounds/MX I,d rather decorate the front room than watch an MX meeting but given half the chance I,d enter an event today if I could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_scorpa3 Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 How aften do you go home knowing where you finished in a trial? If the competitor doesn't know where they've finished, to spectator hasn't got a chance. We are used to this but a wider audience would find it hard to understand unlike at a race meeting where the winner is the rider at the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishy Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Mebe if the three world classes they have now were open to any rider, but machine capacity was the deciding factor, up to 125cc 250cc and an open class for machines over 250cc, might stir things up a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikespace Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 A lot of people who go and watch the road racing are doing it because that's their weekend out. If the British Superbikes wasn't on, they wouldn't be racing in an event nearer to home, they'd be shopping with their better half, or maybe at best going for a bike ride somewhere. They can take the wife/girlfriend along and she probably won't be bored stupid, she'll be able to get lunch, a drink, and probably sit in one place for most iof the day without getting too bored. With trials, I know the feeling, I'm not that sure I want to give up my Sunday ride just to go and watch somebody else do it. I wanna be on that bike! I'll forego my Sunday ride to watch the world championships when it comes to Britain. Hawkestone was a great weekend, three years on the bounce (even though I was stuck on one section observing), but I've got to be honest, the only British or European round I've been to was because I was minding. It holds no great interest for me otherwise. Having said that, I may well turn up on a day that I don't have a trial to ride. The organisers have to take their pick I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Many commercial reasons to want spectators , for me trials is for doing, I got into trials for the pleasure of doing it and enjoying the scenery Like most I pay for privelidge of following spectacular events just becaue I'm nuts about trials. Over a forty year trials areer I've enjoyed it that way and can't see any reason to change it exept for money making purposes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts