Does anyone else think they should take the WTC back to fort William nevis range as Penrith was good but not a patch on Scotland ?

I read JS write up and he also suggests a change of venue?

This has been discussed before and the venue ain't the only problem, who would want to take the financial liability on, with spectators down this year the organisers would be wondering if the books would balance! According to 2015 dates it will be Penrith again?

Any volunteers?

Edited July 22, 201412 yr by gizza5

Perhaps the numbers were down due to the venue, the 2011 round at fort William was packed with people.

Fort william is too far for most and from its one and only appearence i would guess uneconomical.

As the Belgian round was paddocked in a street and the relaxing of road closure legislation there must be options opening up more centrallly located?

Fort william is too far for most and from its one and only appearence i would guess uneconomical.

As the Belgian round was paddocked in a street and the relaxing of road closure legislation there must be options opening up more centrallly located?

Fort William was twice - 2010 and 2011. Great venue, but its location was its downfall. Has to be somewhere more central to your potential customer base.

As for closing off streets etc, what works in mainland Europe doesn't necessarily work in the UK. Yes, streets can be closed, but at a price. You then have all the associated risk assessments and other red tape bollocks in the UK that they don't seem to face elsewhere.

A bit part of the problem with finding venues are the demands placed by the FIM - accessibility and hard standing for mahoosive trucks, power etc etc.

I have watched at both venues and feel Nevis Range is miles in Front of Penrith.

Man made obstacles can be created virtually anywhere within reason if logistics are the concern but it has almost become an indoor trial outside when it is structured like this, if that makes sense. Natural terrain is intrinsic to trials and the catalyst as to what made the sport desirable for many in the first place and Scotland is unique in this context.

No-one attached to MB downhill fraternity appears to find it grossly off putting as a location I can assure you because I live in the area and it is bulging at the seams during these events and others.

If trials is suffering from a lack of interest maybe we should look at what is causing this and think about getting back to what made it such a compelling and desirable thing to do in the first place.

Personally I derived my enthusiasm from watching Tarres, Michaud and Saunders riding to rules that allowed them to stop etc and all in natural terrain, can't think of anything better to capture the imagination of the next generation. Just my opinion for what it's worth.

Fort William is by far the best venue for the WTC, but as Andy says its the location which is the issue, first year there was a 2 day event so the crowds was pretty decent, but second year it was only a 1 day event so the spectators stayed away, it a long way to go for fans who live in the south of the UK,

Edited July 23, 201412 yr by phb

Having attended both events previously I would happily drive the extra 3 hours to FW. Even better would be Hawkstone.

The world round in bangor northern ireland was great. The parc ferme was on the edge of town, with the sections along the coast. This made it easy for spectators to watch the action, and there was a big financial gain for the town too.

Fort william has got nothing better than any other venue ive been to around europe, trucks and finance are the issue.

I feel its mostly down to economics. The Tour de France can pretty much close Yorkshire for two days and charge nothing to spectators due to massive TV rights & outside sponsorship.

If the WTC had the financial support to choose any location in Yorkshire then many of our issues regarding venue & accessibility would be answered. But this is not the reality of world trials.

I feel that Scotland should be kept for the Six Days, the premier event closely followed by the Pre-65 Scottish.

Nord vue at Penrith is an ideal venue for a man made exterior stadium event which allows for blanket charges for entry to be made @£25 which seems slightly excessive considering in Belgium an entry charge was 5 and this was open to honesty by the 6,000+ spectators ! I don't know how many spectators there were at Penrith last weekend but from photo and video evidence nowhere near Belgium or Italy! Was that down to price? or the fact that you can see a centrally located stadium , man made set out ,indoor with seating ,with World class riders for much the same £25

Certainly I feel that a Yorkshire located, naturally laid out trial that would test the worlds best would get better support , perhaps jointly funded by the FIM the ACU and Advertising. Could this be the ultimate UK WTC ?

Thoughts.......The Scott on Steroids?.........

So are there any other venues that anyone can think of ? I agree going back to hawkstone would be brilliant but can't see it happening, what else have we got in the uk?? , morlais quarry in south wales maybe?

jake and martin spent alot of time looking for somewhere so i guess the answer is No.

Probably plenty of venues and clubs in the uk have the a land capable of holding a WTC round, but as it has been said the the list of implementations that the FIM need nowadays from health and safety, WiFi, Insurance etc. then the trucks and the circus that follow these teams now plus the whole financial outlay it would be a brave man that would take it on and have the facilities to cope?