30/05/19 – FIM President Jorge Viegas congratulates Twin Ring Motegi on 20 unbroken years of TrialGP!

When the 2019 FIM Trial World Championship arrives at the famous Twin Ring Motegi circuit, it will mark the 20th consecutive time that the series has visited Japan and will represent the second stop of the current series. I would personally like to congratulate both Twin Ring Motegi and the Motorcycle Federation of Japan on this achievement.

This special occasion will also see another moment celebrated as for the second year running – and for only the second time since the female series started – the FIM TrialGP Women class will join their male counterparts at this amazing facility and compete in Asia. TrialGP Japan has added significance this time around with it being the only event outside of Europe during the 2019 campaign.

Over the last two decades not only has the Twin Ring Motegi circuit established itself as one of the best Trial venues in the World, equally it has become recognised as a leading complex in terms of promoting all kinds of motorcycling activities to a huge and diverse audience.

Such is the standing of this event and the facilities on offer, the FIM has rewarded TrialGP Japan with no less than four classes at this year’s event – those being TrialGP, Trial2, Trial125 and TrialGP Women – all of which now have FIM World Championship status.

Since its inception back in 1975, the FIM Trial World Championship has been one of the major motorcycle sports in Europe and this series has seen many changes and developments, although the spirit and ethos of man and machine competing against the natural elements remains the same and will never end. The return to the original concept of the discipline, more commonly known as the non-stop rule, was done with the motivation to have more motorcycle sport enthusiasts to join the sport of Trial in the future, especially the younger generation.

I have personally witnessed the activities organised for young children in order to encourage them to participate in two-wheel sport and there is no doubt in my mind that the Twin Ring circuit is a fantastic academy for teaching and motivating future riders.

I would like to close by saying thank you to Twin Ring Motegi, the Motorcycle Federation of Japan, our FIM / CTR team, the volunteers and organisers, the sponsors, the riders and teams, plus the many fans who come each year to fully appreciate and support the sport of Trial.

Jorge Viegas, FIM President