Entries open this coming Wednesday (7 June) for this year’s FIM Trial Des Nations and FIM Trial Vintage Trophy events that will be staged over the weekend of 8-10 September at Auron in France.

The TDN will feature the main World Championship classes for men and women along with the International Trophy category and for the second consecutive year the Challenge des Nations, a mixed-gender competition for younger riders.

The 2023 Trial Vintage Trophy will be building on a very successful inaugural event at Monza last season. There will be two main pieces of silverware up for grabs – the FIM Trial Vintage Trophy for best overall performance on a vintage motorcycle and the FIM Trial Vintage Motorcycle Trophy for best performance on an authentic vintage motorcycle.

France’s Philippe Berlatier – a former top-flight rider and five-time winner of the TDN – won both trophies last year on his immaculate 1981 Bultaco Sherpa 340 and he will be back to defend his titles four decades after his debut FIM Trial World Championship podium finish.

Once again there will be a less demanding green support class route running outside the official classification of the FIM Trial Vintage Trophy and there will also be an exhibition of vintage trial machines and a cocktail dinner.

This year the Trial Vintage Trophy will run over two days on the Friday and Saturday (8-9 September) with two laps of twelve sections – designed by a trial vintage specialist – each day, so a total of forty-eight sections all laid out in the beautiful Alpes-Maritimes around 100km north of Nice, making it an ideal location for anyone planning a visit to the French Riviera.

With this year’s series only recently wrapped up, the provisional dates for the 2023 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship have been released and with a seventh round added to the schedule – and each round featuring two days of points-scoring competition – fans are in for a feet-up feast!

Included in the calendar are two new venues – at Arteixo in Spain and Vertolaye in France – and Japan’s legendary Motegi facility is set to return to the series after missing out for the last three years due to the pandemic.

The action will get under way on April 14-16 at Arteixo on the north western tip of Spain before shifting south to the tried and tested venue of Gouveia in Portugal the following weekend.

Set on the edge of the beautiful Serra da Estrela Natural Park in the north of the country, Gouveia has been the base for three world rounds and the 2021 Trial Des Nations in the last five years so the best riders on the planet are well-versed with its big, grippy boulders.

Competitors then head 7,000 miles east to the Land of the Rising Sun and the magical Motegi circuit just north of Tokyo on May 19-21 which, before Covid struck, had enjoyed an unbroken 20-year run on the TrialGP calendar.

With sections laid out on a wooded hillside studded with imposing granite rocks, the weather here can play a big part in proceedings but one thing is for sure and that’s the guarantee of a warm welcome for the TrialGP of Japan after an absence of four years.

On June 9-11 the action will resume in the land-locked ‘micro state’ of San Marino. The FIM Trial World Championship last stopped off at Baldasserrona in 2010 when who else but Toni Bou came out on top.

Only four of the current crop of TrialGP riders – that’s Bou and his fellow Spaniards Adam Raga and Jeroni Fajardo plus Italy’s Matteo Grattarola – competed here last time around but after a gap of 13 years any advantage they may have is negligible.

By complete contrast, everyone should be familiar with Sant Julià de Lòria in Andorra which is the venue for round five of the 2023 championship on June 16-18.

The super-sized rocks and precipitous climbs of the Pyrenean principality have become a mainstay of the championship with eight TrialGP of Andorra rounds having been staged here since 2013.

The TrialGP of Italy is another regular date in the TrialGP diary but next year’s venue at Sestriere over the weekend of July 21-23 hasn’t featured on the calendar since 2003.

The world-famous ski resort, situated in the Italian Alps in the west of the country, will present a tough challenge to competitors who will be competing at an altitude that’s much higher than even Andorra has to offer.

Following the traditional summer break, the series will reconvene at Vertolaye for the TrialGP of France – the seventh and final round – on September 1-3.

The season will then sign off at Auron in France over the weekend of September 8-10 with the FIM Trial Vintage Trophy and Trial Des Nations.

TrialGP and Trial2 riders will contest all seven rounds while TrialGP Women competitors will miss just San Marino and Andorra. Trial3 will only sit out the TrialGP of Japan while the Trial2 Women title will be decided in Andorra, Italy and France.

To view the calendar click HERE.

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Sensational Spain doubled up at today’s 2022 FIM Trial Des Nations, claiming victory in both the premier men’s and women’s classes at Monza in northern Italy.

For the male trio of Jaime Busto (Vertigo), Adam Raga (TRRS) and Toni Bou (Montesa) it was a relatively straightforward day in the office but Berta Abellan (Scorpa), Sandra Gomez (TRRS) and Alba Villegas (Beta) had to work hard for the win, eventually taking it on a tie-break.

The sections were plotted over an imposing series of man-made hazards comprising rocks and logs but Mother Nature also played her part with super-steep bankings providing an additional challenge.

Overnight rain made for slippery conditions on the opening lap of 15 sections but Spain, with Busto starting first followed by Raga and then Bou, breezed through the first seven sections without loss.

The rock steps of section eight provided a much more severe challenge and, with a team’s best two scores to count through each hazard, Spain emerged from here on a total of six. Italy, Great Britain and Norway all picked up 10 with only the French trio of Benoit Bincaz (GASGAS), Hugo Dufrese (Vertigo) and Gael Chatagno (Electric Motion) escaping on less than a maximum.

At the halfway mark Spain was firmly in the driving seat on a total of eight with the Italian team of Matteo Grattarola (Beta), Luca Petrella (GASGAS) and Lorenzo Gandola (Beta) 15 behind but still 10 clear of Great Britain.

Great Britain was the last nation to taste TDN victory before Spain began its domination of the event in 2004 and, after missing the podium last year in Portugal, the 2022 team of Jack Peace (Sherco), Billy Green (Scorpa) and Toby Martyn (TRRS) were determined to get back on the box and led France by four at the end of the first lap.

With the sections drying out, clean rides were easier to come by – even on the formidable eighth where a new line along a log that had been too slippery earlier in the day came into play which allowed a more direct approach to the steps on the exit.

Italy and Great Britain went clean here at the second attempt while Spain incurred the trio’s only mark of lap two and France added an additional four but the Norwegian team of Sondre Haga (Beta), Mats Nilsen (TRRS) and Jarand Vold Gunvaldsen (TRRS) picked up another maximum.

Turning the rest of the lap into a trial masterclass, Spain breezed to the win on a total of nine with Italy improving a place on last year to finish second on 31 which was 21 clear of third-placed Great Britain before a big gap to France and Norway.

“We are very happy with this victory,” said Raga. “There was a lot of pressure to win so all the team had to concentrate and work together.”

At the start of the day the fight for glory in the women’s class was, on paper at least, between defending champions Spain and Great Britain and that is exactly how it turned out.

Led by newly crowned TrialGP Women champion Emma Bristow (Sherco) with support from Alicia Robinson (Beta) and Kaytlyn Adshead (TRRS), Team GB led after the opening lap on a total of three that put them two ahead of Spain with Italy third on 12.

Lap two was super-tense but the Spanish, who boasted two of the most experienced riders in the field in Abellan and Gomez, stayed calm and added just a single mark to finish on six to match Great Britain’s total and claim a third consecutive victory following a tie-break.

“Today was so good,” said Abellan. “It was a real team effort, finally we won and we all enjoyed it a lot.”

The Italian trio of Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta), Martina Gallieni (TRRS) and Sara Trentini (Vertigo) put together two laps of 12 to finish third ahead of Norway and Germany.

With the Norwegian men promoted to the main class following their 2021 win, the only guarantee in the International category was that there would be a new winner and the Czech Republic’s Martin Kroustek (TRRS), Martin Matejicek (GASGAS) and David Fabian (Beta) stepped up to the plate.

Just two marks ahead of the German trio of Franz Kadlec (TRRS), Joschka Kraft (TRRS) and Paul Reumschussel (TRRS) at the halfway stage, the Czechs posted a faultless second lap to win on a total of seven, three ahead of Germany.

“It’s perfect,” said Fabian. “The first lap was quite hard because it was slippery but the second lap was much drier and we scored zero so I’m super-happy.”

The podium was completed by Austria’s Marco Mempor (GASGAS), Fabio Schollar (GASGAS) and Philipp Wimmer (TRRS) on a total of 17.

New for 2022 was the TDN Challenge where mixed gender teams of two fought it out and it was Italy’s Mirko Pedretti (Beta) and Alessia Bacchetta (GASGAS) who did the business.

Their total of 16 earned them a clear-cut victory over Norway’s Andreas Jorgensen (Beta) and Seline Meling (Beta) who ended the day on 34 to take second by five marks from the German pairing of Johannes Heidel (TRRS) and Pia Emonts (Beta).

“I’m so happy,” said Bacchetta. “Today was fantastic and to win feels incredible.”

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Full Results HERE

French legend Philippe Berlatier (Bultaco) turned back the clock at Monza today when he came home as the clear winner of the inaugural FIM Trial Vintage Trophy.

Kicking off a weekend-long celebration of the sport that will culminate in tomorrow’s FIM Trial Des Nations at the iconic Italian venue, the first-ever FIM Trial Vintage Trophy showcased the origins of trial.

There were two main pieces of silverware up for grabs – for best performance on a vintage motorcycle and best performance on an authentic vintage motorcycle – and 58-year-old Berlatier won them both!

Over two laps of 12 sections plotted across a variety of period-friendly, man-made sections comprising rocks, logs and challenging bankings, Berlatier parted with just six marks on observation which – when combined with the age handicap – saw him run out a clear winner of the 19-strong class that featured competitors from seven countries.

Light rain added to the difficulty of the sections and the three-time French champion – who helped his nation to five TDN titles including three in a row from 1984 to ’86 – excelled in the surprisingly grippy conditions to finish comfortably ahead of second-placed Piero Sembenini (Honda) from Italy.

The 53-year-old local hero lost nine on observation which put him 11 clear of former world champion Gilles Burgat (SWM).

Competing on the same Italian marque that carried him to the 1981 TrialGP title, 60-year-old Burgat – who rode alongside Berlatier on the all-conquering French TDN hat-trick team of the mid-’80s – completed the podium ahead of Antonio Ramonet Martinez (FN) from Spain and France’s Jean-Philippe Lerda (Yamaha).

“I’m really happy to be here at the FIM Trial Vintage Trophy,” said Berlatier. “It was a really well organised event and even though the sections might not have looked difficult you had to concentrate because it was easy to dab a lot.

“To be the first vintage champion is great for me. I hope this event gets bigger in the following years.”

In the support class there was another French winner with Alexis Perzinsky (Fantic) emerging on top over two laps of 12 sections plotted over an eased route.

“It has been really good here at Monza,” said Perzinsky. “The sections were technical so it was important to stay focussed and not make mistakes and I’m happy to be the winner of the first edition.”

Bringing the action bang up to date tomorrow, the latest generation of male and female trial heroes will get the 2022 FIM Trial Des Nations under way at 8.30am (CET).

For the full timetable and more information click here…

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Full Results HERE

The history of trial will be showcased this coming weekend in northern Italy when the 2022 Trial Des Nations is staged at Monza where the best riders on the planet will display their silky-smooth skills alongside competitors battling it out for the all-new FIM Trial Vintage Trophy.

The TDN is an annual team event that pits country against country with the winners able to lay claim to being the best trial-riding nation in the world. The FIM Trial Vintage Trophy is a celebration of trial’s roots with riders putting historic machines through their paces.

Spain starts as a clear favourite to win the TDN in the men’s category. Unbeaten in the competition since 2004, this year’s team comprises the top-three ranked riders in the world in 2022 with Toni Bou (Montesa) joining forces with Jaime Busto (Vertigo) and Adam Raga (TRRS).

As a trio the current Spanish team has won twice before – in 2017 and again last year – and between them Bou and Raga have stood on the top step of a TDN podium an amazing 33 times!

So, which nations are likely to step up to challenge the mighty Spanish? In all truth it is a very tough call to make…

France finished second last year but the team has undergone a reshuffle for 2022 with Benoit Bincaz (GASGAS) the only rider retaining his place. The 25-year-old, who finished 10th in TrialGP this season, is joined by Hugo Dufrese (Vertigo) and Gael Chatagno (Electric Motion) who finished eighth and 10th in Trial2.

Whatever the result, the French will make history this weekend with Chatagno becoming the first rider to compete in the TDN on an electric motorcycle.

Then there’s the Italian trio of Matteo Grattarola (Beta), Luca Petrella (GASGAS) and Lorenzo Gandola (Beta).

Grattarola has had a great season in TrialGP, claiming a career-first win at the highest level at last weekend’s TrialGP of Italy and four additional podiums on his way to fourth in the world.

Petrella is the only change to the team that finished third last year and he’s ranked 12th in the world while Gandola – the 2017 Trial3 champ – finished his 2022 Trial2 campaign in a fighting fifth with a victory and two further podium finishes.

Great Britain hasn’t won the TDN since 2003 and it would be a huge shock if Jack Peace (Sherco), Bill Green (Scorpa) and Toby Martyn (TRRS) returned to the top this year.

However, a podium finish is definitely a real possibility with Martyn – who finished his debut season in TrialGP in 11th – looking to end the year on a high.

Green and Peace have competed in Trial2 this season with Green scoring three podium finishes including a win in Andorra on his way to fourth and Peace, who was seventh, also claiming a podium.

The line-up is completed by Norway with this year’s Trial2 champion Sondre Haga (Beta) leading Mats Nilsen (TRRS) and Jarand Vold Gunvaldsen (TRRS) into battle.

The women’s competition is likely to be a two-horse race between reigning champions Spain and Great Britain.

Spain fields Berta Abellan (Scorpa), Sandra Gomez (TRRS) and Alba Villegas (Beta). Of the trio, Abellan – the number two ranked female in the world – is the rider on form after taking two victories in this season’s TrialGP Women competition and never dropping lower than second.

We haven’t seen Gomez or Villegas in Hertz FIM Trial World Championship action in 2022 but we know Gomez is a proven performer and in a top-flight career stretching back to 2008 the 29-year-old has finished second in the world twice and third on five occasions.

Great Britain is led by Bristow – the only remaining member of the victorious 2018 team – who wrapped up her eighth world title this season and she can be confident of rock-solid support from Robinson who was 10th in TrialGP Women this season – despite contesting just two rounds – and Adshead who was third in Trial2 with a victory at the final round.

The best of the rest are headed by Norway, Italy, Germany and France and all four nations have a great chance of a podium finish.

The men’s International Trophy class will be contested by 20 teams from four continents and with last year’s winners Norway moving up to the main TDN competition there will be a new nation on top of the podium this time around.

In addition to the main action there will also be a Challenge competition contested by seven two-rider teams, each featuring a male and a female competitor.

Before the big guns are rolled out on Sunday the inaugural FIM Vintage Trophy will get the action under way on Saturday with two main prizes up for grabs – for best performance on a vintage motorcycle and best performance on an authentic vintage motorcycle – and there will also be a support class competing over easier sections.

The day’s events will be compèredby 1979 TrialGP world champion and all-round American legend Bernie Schreiber and, adding to the historic flavour, there will be a weekend-long display of ground-breaking vintage trial machinery.

The competition kicks off at 9am on the Saturday with the FIM Trial Vintage Trophy before official TDN practice gets under way at 10am. Sunday will see the current generation of trial heroes showcasing their talent from 8.30am.

For the full timetable and more information click here.

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It’s a wrap! The 2022 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship signed off today at Ponte di Legno where Emma Bristow (Sherco), Sondre Haga (Beta) and Denisa Pechackova (Beta) joined Toni Bou (Montesa) in being crowned champions at the TrialGP of Italy!

Bou knows all about winning in Italy having, prior to this year, emerged on top 14 times from 16 starts. He was beaten into second yesterday by home hero Matteo Grattarola (Beta) and while this was easily good enough to secure his 16th-straight TrialGP title everyone knows the Spanish superstar hates losing – and he made amends today.

With just a few alterations to yesterday hazards – most notably on sections seven and eight where the super-steep bankings proved all but impossible for the TrialGP riders – combined with slightly warmer temperatures and less overnight rain, scores were lower across the board.

Just a month shy of his 36th birthday, Bou was in imperious form today in the foothills of the Italian Alps. His opening lap total of seven gave him a one-mark lead over Grattarola at the halfway stage and his second-lap score of just a single dab put the seal on another super-successful season that has seen him claim seven victories and three runner-up finishes.

“It’s the perfect way to end the season with a victory,” said Bou. “It’s been another great weekend and another title and I’m super-happy.”

Grattarola upped his score to a total of 15 for a second-placed finish to go with his career-first TrialGP win on Saturday with Spain’s evergreen Adam Raga (TRRS) ending the day in third on 24 including a time penalty.

Raga’s compatriot Jaime Busto (Vertigo) also incurred a time penalty as he signed off in fourth a further three marks behind to secure a career-best second in the series.

Having lost her TrialGP Women crown at a dramatic final round of the series in 2021, Bristow had plenty to prove this season and she has conclusively done this with six wins from eight days of competition giving her an eventual winning margin of 12 points.

Establishing her dominance over title rival Berta Abellan (Scorpa) during today’s opening lap, the 31-year-old British rider led on eight – 10 ahead of the Spaniard – at the halfway stage.

On lap two Bristow added another 11 to her total but with Abellan parting with an additional 15 the win was never in doubt and she claimed her eighth title in style with a 14-mark victory.

“It feels amazing,” said Bristow. “It was a big weekend and it’s great to get my eighth title – we’ve put a lot of hard work in this year and I’ve stayed mentally positive as well knowing that my level’s there and that I can do it.”

At the age of 23, Abellan has time on her side and her incredibly consistent 2022 record of two wins and six runner-up finishes have made her a deserved vice-champion for the fourth time in five years.

A fighting third on the day and in the championship, 16-year-old Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) from Italy – last year’s Trial2 Women champion – finished 14 marks further back, just a single mark ahead of French rider Naomi Monnier (GASGAS).

Haga started the day knowing only a disaster could keep him from the Trial2 title and the Norwegian kept his cool.

It was Spain’s Pablo Suarez (Montesa) who set the pace on the opening lap with his score of six giving him a one-mark advantage over Haga with yesterday’s winner and home hero Gianluca Tournour (GASGAS) fourth behind Arnau Farre (Sherco).

Looking to make it back-to-back victories, Tournour put together an incredible second lap and was on course for a famous victory until he picked up a maximum three sections from the end.

His eventual total of 17 saw him fall short by two marks as Suarez claimed his fourth win of the series but it was Haga, who ended the day in third on a tie-break on 19, who took the crown by 11 points.

“It’s incredible,” said Haga. “I had a lot of nerves yesterday so to be able to ride well today feels amazing. I don’t really know what to say – I’m going to enjoy the podium ceremony and take it from there.”

Spain’s Farre ended the day in fourth, four marks ahead of 2017 Trial3 champion and yesterday’s runner-up Lorenzo Gandola (Beta) from Italy.

Out of all the titles up for grabs in Italy, the biggest question mark hung over the eventual destination of the Trial2 Women crown.

At the start of yesterday’s competition it was shaping up to be a two-way fight between Germany’s Sophia Ter Jung (TRRS) and Pechackova from the Czech Republic who were tied on points at the top of the table following the opening round in Germany.

However, Ter Jung dropped off the pace on Saturday and her compatriot Theresa Bauml (Vertigo) moved up to second in the series with victory ahead of Pechackova.

With a four-point advantage heading into today, Pechackova had a bit of wriggle room but she knew a solid result was needed – and 15-year-old delivered exactly that.

The win went to Kaytlyn Adshead (TRRS) who led from the get-go with her first lap total of seven earning her a six-mark lead over Bauml with Pechackova a further three adrift.

On lap two Adshead added an extra six to her total and with Bauml ending the day in second on 18 the British rider secured a career-first victory at this level.

Pechackova also dropped her score to six on lap two which was good enough to score third on the day and secure the title.

“I’m very happy,” said Pechackova. “To win the title feels great.”

With the 2022 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship now done and dusted, the action remains in northern Italy for next weekend’s Trial Des Nations and the first-ever FIM Trial Vintage Trophy at Monza on September 23-25.

For regular updates check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

Full Results HERE

He didn’t win today’s battle but Toni Bou (Montesa) most definitely won the war with second on the first day of the final round of the 2022 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – the TrialGP of Italy – easily good enough to secure the superstar Spaniard a 16th-straight title.

While Bou was busy setting a new all-time record in the premier TrialGP class, Emma Bristow (Sherco) extended her lead in TrialGP Women, Sondre Haga (Beta) maintained control of Trial2 despite his worst finish of the season and talented teenager Denisa Pechackova (Beta) took charge in Trial2 Women.

With snow shimmering on the Alps’ picturesque peaks, the temperature at Ponte di Legno was the lowest the riders have experienced all season and overnight rain added to the severity of the natural sections set in a riverbed and on super-steep, rock-strewn wooded bankings before the final man-made hazard.

Competing on home turf, Matteo Grattarola (Beta) led at the halfway stage on 19 with Adam Raga (TRRS) another two marks behind on observation plus an additional time penalty in second with Miquel Gelabert (GASGAS) third on 26.

Sections seven and eight – near vertical climbs over massive rocks – provided back-to-back challenges and claimed maximums from the entire TrialGP entry on the opening lap.

Tied for fourth with fellow countryman Jaime Busto (Vertigo) on 28 after an expensive first lap, Bou showed his class on lap two by dropping his score to 13 and demonstrating his brilliance with a one-mark ride on section eight where the rest of the field failed to make it to the end.

Grattarola, however, matched him almost mark for mark and his final total of 33 earned him a career-first TrialGP win by eight marks from Bou with Raga dropping a place to third on 45 – four ahead of Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) – with Jorge Casales (Scorpa) claiming fifth by a mark from Gelabert.

“It’s really, really important for me to get this win,” said Grattarola. “It’s next to my house so it’s perfect – I couldn’t hope for more. Today I had a really good feeling on the bike but I wasn’t expecting to get the win so I’m very happy and tomorrow I hope to do the same.”

Bristow strengthened her claim on an eighth TrialGP Women title in nine years with her fifth win of the season putting her nine points clear of her closest rival Berta Abellan (Scorpa).

The British rider started the day in dominant fashion with her opening lap total of just 12 placing her 14 ahead of Abellan at the halfway mark.

The Spanish rider has tasted victory twice this season and she fought back on lap two with her score of nine comfortably the best of the trial but the damage had already been done and Bristow’s final total of 25 ensured that she ran out 10 marks clear.

“The sections were good and the overnight rain made them slippery so I had to work for it,” said Bristow. “It’s been really good for championship points today although I think I can ride better tomorrow.”

Italy’s Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) was a distant third on 54, seven clear of Britain’s Alice Minta (Scorpa) and eight ahead of Naomi Monnier (GASGAS) from France who had started the day tied on points for third with Rabino.

Starting the day with a comfortable cushion of 21 points in the Trial2 class, Haga missed the podium for the first time this year when he trailed home in sixth but with his sole title rival Pablo Suarez (Montesa) from Spain finishing third the Norwegian will still take a 17-point lead into tomorrow’s final day of competition.

Victory in the 40-strong class went to Gianluca Tournour (GASGAS) for the second time this season. The Italian ended the first lap tied for the lead with Suarez on 16 and then kept his cool throughout a tense second lap, adding another 14 to his total – a score matched only by his compatriot Lorenzo Gandola (Beta) – to secure the win by a single mark.

“I’m really happy to take the home win today,” said Tournour. “It was what I was hoping for and I felt very comfortable and rode really well.”

Gandola’s second-lap performance lifted him to second ahead of Suarez who lost an additional 19 on lap two with Spain’s Arnau Farre (Sherco) and Billy Green (Scorpa) from Britain rounding out the top five.

In the closely-contested Trial2 Women class, Pechackova opened up a four-point advantage at the top of the table with a super-solid second-paced finish behind Theresa Bauml (Vertigo) from Germany.

Tied for the championship lead at the start of the day with German rider Sophia Ter Jung (TRRS), the 15-year-old Czech prospect was joint third with Estonia’s Keity Meier (TRRS) on 18 following the opening lap with Bauml setting the pace on 15, two marks ahead of Kaytlyn Adshead (TRRS) from Britain.

Bauml’s second lap score of 11 was one better than Pechackova’s which gave her a four-mark winning margin as Adshead slipped to fourth behind 2021 runner-up Sara Trentini (Vertigo) from Italy who jumped from fifth after the first lap to third thanks to a sensational final-lap total of just eight that saw her narrowly miss out on second on a tie-break.

“The feeling was good and my riding was really good,” said Bauml. “I made a few mistakes but overall I’m happy with my riding.”

Ter Jung had a tough day in the saddle and never quite got to grips with the sections, ending the day down the field in ninth and as a result losing second in the championship to Bauml.

The 2022 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship concludes tomorrow with the action getting under way at 9am CET.

For regular updates check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

Full Results HERE

It has been a scintillating, super-successful season but all good things must come to an end and the 2022 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship signs off this coming weekend with two points-paying days at the TrialGP of Italy on September 16-18.

Staged at altitude at Ponte di Legno in the foothills of the Alps, the mountainous venue is new for TrialGP but is a regular stop on the Italian national calendar and competitors can expect a selection of mostly natural sections with huge rocks set into the side of a steep, wooded hillside.

The ultimate destination of four titles will be decided in Italy with the premier TrialGP championship on the line along with top honours in the TrialGP Women, Trial2 and Trial2 Women classes.

Leading the way in TrialGP and standing head and shoulders above the rest of the field is defending champion Toni Bou (Montesa). The Spanish legend is attempting to make it 16 titles in a row this season and after six victories and two runner-up finishes from eight scoring days of competition he is 36 points ahead of his nearest challenger.

Bou’s record in Italy is second to none. Since his first victory here in 2007 he has racked up 14 wins from 16 starts with only Adam Raga (TRRS) in 2009 and the now retired Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa) on day two last season managing to finish in front of him.

Bou should wrap up the crown on the opening day of action but that will partly depend on the performance of second-placed Jaime Busto (Vertigo) who is the only rider who can deprive him of another title.

With a 17-point gap back to Raga in third place, Busto is looking good for a career-best finish to the championship while his fellow Spaniard is also more or less assured of bronze – which will be his lowest end-of-year position since 2004.

Following a very close season, four riders are all within 11 points of fourth in the championship with local hero Matteo Grattarola (Beta) hoping that strong home support can elevate him above Jeroni Fajardo (Sherco) and keep him ahead of Gabriel Marcelli (Montesa) and Miquel Gelabert (GASGAS).

After a wait of just over two months, the TrialGP Women competitors will go head-to-head to determine the new champion and sitting in pole position is British rider Emma Bristow (Sherco).

The 31-year-old was dethroned last season after seven years at the top of the class but she is looking good to regain her title with four wins from six events giving her a six-point advantage over Spain’s Berta Abellan (Scorpa) who has tasted victory twice this season.

If Abellan can beat Bristow into second on both days in Italy then it will be all square but the 23-year-old from Barcelona will have to produce the best two performances of her career to tie it up at the top.

It is not just the title that is at stake in TrialGP Women this coming weekend – Italy’s Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta) and French rider Naomi Monnier (GASGAS) have been closely matched all season and head into the final round locked together in third on 84 points each.

Down in Trial2 it is Sondre Haga (Beta) who looks to hold the winning hand. The Norwegian rider has been ultra-consistent all year, has finished on the podium at every round and last time out in France nailed a career-first world championship victory to lead Pablo Suarez (Montesa) by 21 points, despite the Spaniard winning three times this season.

On paper at least, third in the championship is likely to boil down to a battle between Spain’s Arnau Farre (Sherco) and British hopeful Billy Green (Scorpa). Both riders have won a round this year and with just two points separating them it is simply too close to call.

The Trial2 Women competitors also return to action for the first time since the TrialGP of Germany at the start of July with a two-way tie at the top of the table.

Germany’s Sophia Ter Jung (TRRS) and the Czech Republic’s Denisa Pechackova (Beta) traded wins and second-placed finishes at Neunkirchen and the championship is expected to be decided between the pair – although Germany’s Theresa Bauml (Vertigo), who was third on both days at the series opener, will be looking to stage an upset.

The action at Ponte di Legno kicks off at noon on Friday with official practice before the first of two scoring days gets under way on Saturday at 9am.

For regular updates check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

Consistency is key in all sports and when the competition is spaced out over six rounds with 10 points-scoring days then being on the money week-in, week-out is vital for that title!

One rider who knows all about the importance of keeping those bad days at the office to a minimum is Scandinavian Trial2 powerhouse Sondre Haga (Beta).

The 23-year-old, who comes from Stavanger on the south west tip of Norway, had to wait until last time out at the TrialGP of France to record his first victory of the campaign – and his career – but he was already leading the championship before he topped the podium at Cahors at the end of August.

His main title rival Pablo Suarez (Montesa) has won three times this season but the talented Spaniard has blown hot and cold at times while ice-cool Sondre – who ended 2021 in a career-best fifth in Trial2 – has been rock-solid all year.

Sondre’s 100 per cent podium record for 2022 with three third-placed finishes and four runner-up positions prior to his win in France has earned him a 21-point lead with just the two scoring days at next weekend’s TrialGP of Italy left.

TrialGP tracked him down to find out a little bit more about the latest in a long line of icemen to emerge from the frozen north.

TrialGP: What inspired you to start riding trial?

Sondre: “What inspired me was my cousin who was riding trial. So I started riding bike trial from when I was five years old, I kept asking my parents every day to start riding trial and eventually when I was seven I started.”

TrialGP: Do you do any other sports?

Sondre: “Not really. I love sports but I don’t really have time but when I can I love to do all types [such as] football and tennis. I struggle to sit still to be honest!”

TrialGP: How good did it feel to finally win in France?

Sondre: “The win in France was amazing! I have been riding the Trial2 class for about six or seven years and that my hard work over such a long time has finally paid off is so great. There is no better feeling.”

TrialGP: You have been amazingly consistent this season which gave you the championship lead before France. How have you managed this? You must be very good at dealing with pressure and keeping your emotions under control.

Sondre: “Yeah, I have been really confident and consistent this year. I think I have learnt a lot from all the races in the past as well as the X-Trial events. So I think I have learned to manage the pressure from everything – which, of course, I am really happy about.”

TrialGP: You have a 21-point lead with two rounds to go – how confident do you feel?

Sondre: “I have a good lead now which makes me confident but at the same time I will just try to do the same as I have this year and hope it will work out well.”

TrialGP: Where do you see yourself next season? TrialGP maybe?

Sondre: “I like the sound of TrialGP so let’s see what the future brings but, yeah, I definitely see myself there and I’m willing to work as hard as I have always done.”

TrialGP: How healthy is the sport in Norway in particular and Scandinavia as a whole?

Sondre: “Well trial in Scandinavia and Norway is definitely smaller than in Southern Europe but at the same time it’s quite big I think. We are like a small family together and it’s always fun to see Nordic athletes riding trial.”

TrialGP: Is there anyone you’d like to thank or mention?

Sondre: “This season I would never have been able to make it without my team, Beta, Raga School, sponsors and of course family.”

The final round of the 2022 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship – the TrialGP of Italy – takes place on September 16-18 at Ponte Di Legno in the foothills of the Italian Alps.

For regular updates check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.

Time is running out to claim your place at what promises to be the greatest celebration of trial history ever staged!

The first-ever FIM Trial Vintage Trophy will be held on September 24 at the iconic venue of Monza in northern Italy where it will share centre stage with the 2022 FIM Trial Des Nations – and the good news for competitors is that the deadline for entries has been extended until September 12.

Riders from Andorra, Belgium, France, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the USA have already signed up for what will be a truly international event and many more nations are expected to be represented.

The FIM Trial Vintage Trophy will play a big part at this year’s TDN with two main prizes on the line – for best performance on a vintage motorcycle and best performance on an authentic vintage motorcycle – and there will also be a support class competing over easier sections.

If you fancy your chances – or just want to be able to tell your friends you’ve competed against some of the sport’s biggest-ever stars – then click here to book your place.

US trial legend Bernie Schreiber will be Master of Ceremonies on the day with the 1979 Hertz FIM Trial World Champion – who’s still the only American to lift the biggest prize in global trial – interviewing a generation-spanning selection of some of the biggest stars of the sport.

Of course, it’s not all about competition. Whether your weapon of choice is a state-of-the-art GASGAS or a twin-shock Montesa you are all assured of a warm welcome even if you only want to spectate and admission is free.

On the Saturday night there will be a reservation-only Trial Des Nations and vintage cocktail dinner after the TDN presentation where fans will be able to rub shoulders with their heroes. This will be staged at the Autodromo of Monza and everyone is welcome – you can book your tickets here.

This world-famous venue will also be the base for a weekend-long display of historic trial machines and among the ground-breaking bikes will be:

1964 Ariel 500cc (ex-Sammy Miller)

1967 Bultaco T27 (ex-Don Smith)

1972 Yamaha 360cc prototype (ex-Christian Rayer)

1975 Kawasaki KT250cc prototype (ex-Don Smith)

1975 Honda 305cc prototype (ex-Marland Whaley)

1976 Guzzi Colombari (ex-Pipo Bartorilla)

1980 Seeley Honda 250cc (ex-Eddy Lejeune)

1983 Fantic 300cc prototype (ex-Jaime Subira)

1983 Comerfords Bultaco 340cc prototype (ex-John Reynolds)

1984 Honda 360cc prototype (ex-Eddy Lejeune)

The competition gets under way at 9am on the Saturday with the FIM Trial Vintage Trophy before official TDN practice kicks off at 10am. Sunday will see the current generation of trial heroes – both male and female – showcasing their talent from 8.30am.

Monza is situated around 10 miles north of Milan. There are three airports within 40 miles and road links are excellent.

For the full timetable and more information point your PCs here.

For regular updates check out our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – just search for TrialGP.