Dad of 2, trials is not tennis, though I know you mean well. I have been at a national event that I had to settle what seemed like twenty protests. It takes too much time! The FIM

Well no, trials may not be quite tennis but it is insofar as an observer / line judge is at time required to make a difficult judgement that others sometime disagree with, occasionally very abusively. Have a look at the Penrith observers thread where an observer at this years event is vowing never to observe again.

i believe observing should be strict - if not riders scores are / look too low and the clerk of the course may make future events harder unreasonably putting off poorer riders. Perhaps if WT marking was stricter the top class would have more participants.

Where WTC riders get away with observer abuse to lower their scores this encourages some riders to employ the same tactics at lower level trials resulting in a loss of observers. Then trials are run on a "mark yourself basis" and some riders resort to cheating spoiling the event for all. Another consequence of loss of experienced observers is that the standard of observing drops. I have ridden in 2 trials where the use of very young inexperienced observers made the result a lottery.

Trials can be a sport where good natured sportsmanship is the norm, participants just have to accept that judgements do not always go their way but over time things tend to even up. The alternative is a

rather unpleasant win at all cost mentality.

Having said the above there does need to be a system where a rider can protest a genuine grievance but that should not mean tolerating observer abuse.

Have they changed the rules cant see a section Bou doesn't stop in here http://www.trial-club.com/webzine-trial/actualites/infos-internationales/news/article/toni-bou-a-isola/

Have they changed the rules cant see a section Bou doesn't stop in here http://www.trial-clu...ni-bou-a-isola/

They must have, here's another one:

no stop and backwards, hows that work?