mich lin

This is for Alan! I know how to solve this whole problem once and for all. You know for sure I'm not an advanced rider Alan, but an intermediate and not worthy of riding with the good guys at the NATC nationals. Here's the perfect solution, if a rider can't beat me, they cannot ride nationals. There that's the perfect solution. Hey, I'll even come around the country and let your riders compete against me before they can enter a national. How's that for a smart@ss solution to your advanced rider definition? I've seen a ton of riders in the NATC nationals, I've spanked big-time. Simply make me the yardstick!

Alan, your really good at being a smart@ss when you have no aguments left. Perhaps I should take your tack for a while, So here goes my attemp at being a smart@ss back at you! Hey, we did prove how to do it already guys! Our team scored the first FIM World Championship points since Ryan Young in the mid-80s. That was in Spain in 2000. That was with a 70s rider, not a modern US rider by the way. We also donated money to the TDN team until the team manager didn't want it for his personal political reasons. At the expense of the team riders I might add. I tried to ride the US series again to lead the way for the youngsters! That would have put me 7th overall in the US championship Pro class. That is until the NATC realized what fools they would look with a 55 year old guy finishing 7th in the nation. So they tossed me out AFTER they had granted me entries. What's the highest finish ever of my critics in the US championship? As for bringing over a European rider to sell more motorcycles for an American importer. Why would someone invest in someone else's company without any finatual interest? Man, you guys are not great businessmen, which is perhaps the biggest advantage to winning the US title today. Stop thinking and acting like losers! It's contagous1

Adam, your right!! Glad you can also see that Geoff is part of our lowering riding standards problem and not part of the solution! Geoff's smart, why push when there's no payday? Geoff CAN take it up a notch when he's forced to. For instance when Freddy and Tommy lived in the USA he improved and pushed everyone. I wish companies like Beta, Scorpa, Sherco and Montesa would bring over 2nd string world round riders. It took GASGAS to import Europeans to push Geoff, why can't the competition? Someone like Manzano on the Beta or the Polish champion on the Scorpa could do really well in the USA. Manzano even beat Geoff at the El Trial at the age of 15! Insted of letting him retire, Ron and the Beta factory could have beaten Geoff with Manzano. Instead they let Manzano retire and now Ron's talking about bringing over someone from Africa, who may not be able to beat anybody! There must be a lot of former top 10 world round riders who could extend their riding careers by cherry picking the US title. They might even be able to earn a few bucks here in the USA. All it would take is for Sherco, Beta, Scorpa or Montesa to go gunning for GASGAS and Aaron! They would be doing the US sport a great service! It would push our riding standards back up near international standards once again. We need an influx of European talent if we ever hope to climb back up the world championship ladder.

Team Sherco, out there for the sport. Way to go Smages and Webbs! Takin it to the streets. Now lets take it to the cobblestones of Europe!

Perce, what you must realize is that one ACU centre probley has more riders than the whole of the United States. One centre might also have more trials organized per year than the whole of the US as well.

Citytrials is a good guy! He's also a fighter, which is needed for team Smage when they begin to mix it up in Europe.

I'd say Sammy Miller also but Dougie is still going strong and has a great deal of fight left in him. So his riding history is still not finished. Dougie for sure is my all time favorite rider even though Sammy stayed on top longer. My favorite American rider of all time is Marland Whaley! I believe he was a much better rider than Bernie but simply didn't like the lifestyle in Europe. So he never rode all that well there. I do know he was a much tougher compeditor than Bernie ever was in USA competition. As for the Smage vs Sanz competition, yes Laia won! I've alway believed that the top women make great competition for the young riders. That's why I feel that the US women's championship should be combined with the youth nationals.

Cool shot Clive! Our family also did a trials demo at a vintage motorcycle meet in Hemet Califorina this past weekend. So Team Sherco had both North and South Califorina covered. Debbie was the celeb autograph signer for the event but She's still grounded and cannot ride her bike yet. To soon since her neck sergery. We had a blast, even though the temperature was way over 100 degrees. We had some great interest in trials as well by some young riders and their parents, when they saw how much fun Daniel was having on a trials bike in a tiny little area.

I'd like to give a great big atta boy to Team Lampkin! What a quality performance in Japan. Spot 2 in the world championship tables, Not bad on a new bike.

Denny, I hope your right and Smage is a future world champ! In my opinion if he dosn't win a 125cc world round in the next 2 years, it's over! I've got my fingers crossed!

Adam, simply playing around with some of the Yanks. Often they think we ride better than we actually do nowadays, while the truth is our riding levels have dropped drasticly over the past 25 years in the USA. Geoff is my pal and deserves a great deal of respect. He's perhaps one of the greatest businessmen in trials today. Is he as good a rider as the European top men? NO, and Geoff knows it. I do think he's better at business than most of your riders. Which is sometimes more important in the long run! I do like to have a little fun with some of the Yanks,though. A lot of them don't realize that he can't hold a candle to the European best. So they tend to inflate his and their skill level to much in their own minds. Which is part of the problem, the solution is being honest with ourselves and start rebuilding a world championship caliber group of youngsters from the USA. That can't be done however until we admit we need to. The way our NATC system is organized in the USA makes everybody a champion, and creates a bunch of works riders who wouldn't be anywhere else in the world. These guys are not that good, yet are US champions and have works ride! Who wouldn't think they where good in that situation? That is until this last world round in the USA, which finally woke everyone up and proved the point once and for all. Simply, we all suck at riding trials nowadays in the USA, including our 9 time national champion! Geoff's smart though and realizes that keeping the US title while he can and his live demo show business work well together here in the USA. Even when his personal riding stops, he will still do well in the trials business in my opinion. I suspect he will hire other youngsters to ride for him. It's simply a matter of marketing and getting the bookings. Whatever it takes to turn a buck. Why Geoff's a winner in my book! He's doing what he likes for a living. He has found a nitch in the trials world. Has has met a great lady trials rider that I believe he plans to marry. Not bad for an old guy who never scored a single World Championship point. He reaps the spoils of this great sport, without ever having to deal with the pressure of world championship competition. Now that's an amazing story.

There is no doubt that GOOD ideas go to the top in the arena of ideas! That's the reason I'm such a fan of the internet. I remember Bell's old minder "his name slips my mind right now" proposing hammering out ideas for the NATC on the internet. Trying to solve these kinds of organizational issues. That was on MC Trials email ring, the idea was never moved on. Today because of discussions here, we now know for the FIRST time that the NATC never did care or plan to move on these kinds of organizational problems. Without the discussions here on these boards we would still be waiting unaware that the NATC never intended to do anything. Now that's progress.

Letting people know you are a fan and DO care about world championship and Pro US trials is a great start. I never bought the cr@p that nobody cared our best men can be spanked by the ladies world champ. The other positive thing that we can do is buy our bikes and gear from the importers who support championship trials. Then boycott those who don't!

Send, you messed up bigtime on your tale, it's Ringo who's working on the deal with Beta not me. Read again about Ringo's outside sponsorship allowing him to ask Ron for less salery in exchange for a Double ride, trials and Endurocross. Yes Geoff stinks and Ringo rocks! Hey Ringo would have been IN THE POINTS at the world round, LINE ONE, Geoff couldn't even ride Line One, he had to ride down with the girls and the youth riders, then he still lost to young Cody Webb, who is to young to ride world rounds with the adults. Wow, that Geoff even gets beat in the ladies and kids class, What a loser!

Peirce, your right, I hope I'm wrong but it is too late for Smage and Webb. I sincerely hope I'm wrong though. Miricles still happen. Denny, your 100% right its about pride in your country! Sadly some in USA trials , including our national orgaizaing bodies have no self esteem anymore. They actually stand in the way of another American team of riders having a world championship impact. They are the problem not part of the solution. We have been working hard for almost a decade to change that losers attitude here in the USA. It appears that we are actually finally starting to make some headway. It would be grand if you would jump into the fight and voice your opinion about how important is is to have a winning US team.

Alan, world championship is called "World wide One". Not that it matters much but calling the top class ONE does bring much more standardization. For example, with your number proposed start with ONE as beginner system. The STRA top class would be SIX but at the ATA it would be 10 since we have 10 classes. Would't that be confusing again? Ask yourself this question Who would be better a better rider, an ATA 6 or an STRA 4? By Making the top class ONE everywhere seems more consistant, our lowest class would be class 10 the beginner class and the top class would still be clas ONE. At the STRA your beginner class would be class SIX and your top class would still be ONE. I may be dense and missing some point here but having the top class ONE then as many other classes donw the list seems much more standardized. Than having your top class SIX and our top class 10. What do you think Alan?

Good one John!

One point I'd love to bring up. If we used the Advanced or better concept to ride nationals. Jerry Young would not qualify. He rodes intermediate at El Trial last year.

Come on Isherwood, you know you made a bundle off your world round, Fess up! Hey, PITS bought a peice of land off their world round profits, what did you buy? That vintage RTL? As for me I went bankrupt riding trials! In 1978 I made $4,0000.00 working construction and spent $6000.00 as a privateer beating Bernie at his prime, fair and square. Something few riders were ever able to do.

Ringo, I'm looking foreward to you riding next year in Vegas! Wasn't I your biggest supporter? Let me know how the new Beta works out, that Knight he's a tough cookie and you will need top equipment to best him. A buddy of mine who works for team Suzuki off road just did a training session with Knight. He said he was REALLY good, so train hard old buddy. I wouldn't worry much about Geoff winning unless he really improves, he rode horrible last year in Vegas. Chavez on the Sherco 4T did a ton better than Geoff did on the 2T GASGAS. I feel that David was at a handicap on the 4T bike, the best performances tended to be on 2T machines on the tight tough indoor course. One last point Ringo, it's a shame we didn't have our trials shootout everyone wanted at the TCC world round. We would have been fighting it out for 11th or 12th place world championship points. Not bad hey? At least you and I would have the courage to enter. You know what they say? If you don't compete, you can't win or lose! That of course does not apply to the US Pro riders who wanted to compete with the world's best but needed to ride the 2 line to place well at the US Championship. Which is what they are paid to do. You guys know who you are! Glad your sponsorship deals are coming through Ringo.

Like I said Ishy, your a shameless trials profiteer! As far as I know you may also be one of the Sportsmen works riders I've been talking about, that is taking the sponsorship money out of the pockets of our young up and coming Pro riders. No wonder Geoff is still national champion and has never scored a single world championship point. Nobody can afford to come up and challenge him. Besides, I've offered already to sponsor you to a beer, the next time I see you. That appears to be what you asked for Ishy.

Well said Brian! There is always strings attached to sporsonship, Read Ron's post again about his strings. I'd say that team manager who turned down my donations, has had at least 10 free trips to Europe from the El Trial donations. He was feeling the pressure from people like myself to step up the results and put the US team into the ONE class at the TDN. We have established thats the only way to improve our riders is to step into the game with the best. It was also mentioned here, that's how Cody Webb won his first national, riding with the Europeans, not the Americans. Because it improved his lines. Remember? Riding with the B group at the TDN puts our team down with the South American riders and others we can learn nothing from. But putting them in class ONE also makes our TDN team a Professional effort, which a sportsmen minded manager cannot handle. By Keeping our team on line 2 the manager could ride along as a minder and enjoy the competition himself and continue get another free trip to Europe That's what was going on in my opinion, however I could be mistaken. Simply an opinion. I do know we MUST step up to line one at the TDN and fight our way to the top if we hope to succeed. That manager refused to make that jump, even after winning the line 2 game in 2000 for whatever reason. I would have continued to donate even when I disagreed with the direction of the team but he refused my sponsorship. Plain and simple. Which pulled money right out of the pockets of the US team riders.

Brian, here's the problem, Geoff and the rest of the Pro class are big boys now. They are in the ONE class at the TDN. Remember they won class TWO by a mile last year. To put our Pro riders down a class is an insult to the public. Not having them in the World Wide ONE at the TCC world round cost the USA 5 positions of world championship points, which is an outrage! Mismanagement of the team and perhaps a lost oppertunity for Geoff Aaron ever to score world championship points during his professional trials career. Which is beyond a shame! The USA Pro class IS our world championship contenders, It's the best we have! I agree with your vintage proposal.

So you agree with me Ishy, we should not support the TDN team because the manager didn't want our cash donations? Or would you sent the money anyway? What would you Do? Hey, that individual has had more free trips off the El Trial donation money than any other single individual in El Trial history. He even had his way paid as manager and as a rider, not on the team but as an up and comer in the 70s. Should we not help riders like Geoff support himself?

Thanks Ron, I support your marketing 100%! Your situation is understandable with the current NATC program, as to why you sponsor sportsmen riders and not top national riders. There is little doubt that Montesa and Scorpa are using the same marketing. Let's examine the impact! What that means is that the better you get, the more you put into the sport, the less you will get in return as a young rider. Which means that as a young rider improves and begins to challenge Geoff, the less chance he has of getting the support he needs because the more the costs. Which helps keep Geoff Champion! Which is why he has been champion so long! I've seen this dynamic working for years, have seen the burnout in the Pro ranks of young riders because of this lack of support. Which is simply caused by the policies of the NATC of adding more and more sportsmen classes into the NATC nationals. Which has created an Army of sportsmen "works riders" in the USA, who's support is drawn away from the best up and coming young US Pros. I'm not being negative, simply pointing out the facts!