Australia ready for FIM Trials World Championship in May

In a first for Australia, the country has won the right to host Round 3 and 4 of the 2012 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship on May 26/27 in Maldon, Victoria.

Over 30 international riders including current Open, Junior and Youth World Champions, will make their way down under to compete. Joining the 30 internationals will be 15 Australian Trials riders who’ll battle it out for championship points.

“It doesn’t get much bigger than hosting a world championship event for the first time,” said Assistant Organiser, Gary Grealy. “Australia has had world champions in multiple off-road disciplines including motocross, enduro and speedway but we’ve never had a trials champion. It’s a major step forward to getting an Australian on the top-step of the World Trials Championship podium.”

Grealy goes on to explain it’s the first time an Australian has ever had the chance to compete for World Trials Championship points, “With the introduction of the FIM Open International Trial Cup this year, riders over 23 can compete and ride the event – previously over 23 riders were limited to the Pro class. With Australia never having a trials rider in the top 100, this will allow our best to compete in the event.”

“Australian riders to look out for include young up-and-coming Victorian, Tim Colman, WA’s Neil Price and Queensland’s Kyle Middleton. On the international front, you can’t go past five-time world champion, Toni Bou, two-time world champion Adam Raga, plus Japan’s Takahisa Fujinami,” said Grealy.

It’s terrain like this that international trials stars will battle it out on.

Spectator Details

Where: Mt Tarrengower, Maldon, Victoria
About 100 minutes from Melbourne City

One Day Pass: Adult $20, Under 16 $10, Under 10 free.
Two Day Pass: Adult $30, Under 16 $15, Under 10 free.

Unlike most other forms of motorcycle sport, Trials is not racing. It’s you and your bike pitted against the terrain. It’s a sport of balance, skill and concentration. One at a time, competitors will ride over an obstacle course — called a “section” — of boulders, streams, hill climbs, logs, drop offs, and nearly anything else they can find. The object is to complete the section without putting a foot on the ground and at Australian expert and world championship levels there is a 90-second time limit to complete the section.