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Jean, the answer to the above question is yes, and that's why the Pros are riding a National on a different line than the WTC. Ultimately, I made the decision on how to set these lines, so if you want to fuss you can direct it at me rather than anyone else at NATC. But the response of the majority of the Pros was a major factor in the decision. I think Chris and all of our National riders will have a chance to demonstrate their considerable skills in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd, and I'm hopeful that we will secure good TV coverage of both the WTC and National Championship competitions. Trust me on this one that it will work out for the best, and if it doesn't then we'll do something different in the future! regards, Dan

Ish, I hope you or someone from your club would participate so that everyone could benefit from your experiences. The point is not to make any club follow any set of rules, just to try to establish a set of guidelines and have these posted into the AMA rulebook instead of something that is out of date. There is not active participation in the AMA rule-making process unless we volunteer, step up and do it. Then if someone is starting a new club there are published rules & materials to help. We hope that clubs will participate in USMTA just so that we can all have a forum to act cooperatively whenever it is in our interest to do so. I think most who have joined would like to see the sport grow and are willing to work together to try to make that happen. There is no cost to any individual or club to belong or participate. The small costs that we have incurred have been paid by the founding members. I happen to believe that there is value in belonging to a national organization like the AMA, and that working within AMA can be helpful in achieving our goals. But there is no requirement to belong and you don't have to be an AMA member to access information and rules, etc. from the AMA website. So, we don't force any member to follow any set of rules or anything, the only rule is that you love trials and want to help see the sport grow. We're so liberal that we accept fringe elements from the left coast, or transplanted Englishmen, or even (gasp) lunatic fringe elements from the left coast who are transplanted Englishmen! And speaking of lunatic fringe elements, Ringo stopped by the TTC the other day and had a chat, and he is not the total loon he's made out to be. Well, maybe he's a little different, but aren't we all? Last I saw of him, he was driving off into the sunset with the Yeti in their new mobile home. dan

Happy New Year! Here is one new years resolution for the US Motorcycle Trials Association members (and you should be one): we need to get to work on the committees for competition rules and club resources! The competition rules committee will include rules for scoring and section marking for a competition event for clubs, which will be submitted to the AMA for approval and inclusion in the AMA rulebook. This committee (or perhaps a subcommittee of it) should also develop guidelines for defining names and skill levels for classes (as is done with enduros & other forms of motorcycle competition) that can serve as a suggested standard for individual clubs. We should also include some rules guidelines for alternative competition events, such as peer-scoring, or a non-competitive "fun trial" or vintage event or gate trial (maybe other subcommittees). The written rule guidelines developed by this committee should serve as the basis for clubs around the US, with the idea that clubs will only need to add their own special or region-specific rules (like number of events to count for championships, work requirements, etc.). The club resources committee is to develop guidelines on how to start a club, organize a championship series and individual competitions, and host other fun activities for club members (with some suggestions for these). The product of this activity will be written materials that we can post on the website and via printed materials for distribution, also perhaps using AMA resources to get this out. This is our chance to organize ourselves and set some nationwide guidelines within the AMA umbrella, so if you are willing and able to contribute, please respond via the contact us link on the USMTA website. We

How come I don't feel reassured that Lane & Ringo will save the day?

I made that decision, with the knowledge of the NATC officers. After considering the wishes of the riders in the Pro class, it is clear that the vast majority of the U.S. Pro riders feel, and I agree, that it would be preferable to set our national championship competition to ride the blue gates associated with the Junior World Championship instead of the red gates associated with the Trials World Championship. The section difficulty will be more suited to the level of riding in our top national championship class. It will still be a very challenging event, but one that is still appropriate for the skill level of the riders who will be competing. And, consider that the thousands of spectators in attendance will get the opportunity to watch our top national riders exhibit their skill on some very challenging and spectacular sections. This will be a much better show for the spectators than watching them attempt to drag their bikes through 3 or 4 of the easiest world championship sections and punch out of most of the rest. I am hopeful that we will get good TV coverage of the event as well, and the national championship competition will add another level of interest that we would never get from a national by itself. Barry, consider this: I watched James Dabill win the Junior class at Hawkestone with around 35 points or so. He went on in the next event to compete in the Trial World Championship and finished around 11th or 12th, and ahead of Sam Conner (who finished way ahead of Bruce & Chris at Duluth). Bruce & Chris rode Duluth and only got through 2 or 3 sections. That's not a good event for our Pro class to decide the championship. The lesser riders might not get through a single section. Anyway, the decision has been made and you can be p****d at me about it if you want. But I'm doing what I think will produce the best quality event and we'll see how it works out. I am open to suggestions for future improvement if it doesn't. But I hope you'll just give this a try with an open mind and still be supportive of our efforts to get American trials more prominantly into the public eye. regards, Dan Brown

Guatemala is planning to host a WR in 2007, and the Central American market is smaller than Oz or Canada, I'll bet. If there is the desire and the passion to make it happen, it can be made to happen. I think there are people at FIM that would like to see more worldwide events outside Europe. Just posted a progress report on the 06 US round of the WTC at www.trialstrainingcenter.com if anyone is interested. And if you have the passion to help with an event, just come on down to TN this winter and I will give you a job! dan brown

the last time we did a national in the summer in TN, everyone nearly died from the heat. May will be nice. We just need more clubs (from not so southern places) to step up & offer to do nationals in the summer. I think that MN and Ohio may be in the works for 07, you should all encourage them. Also some west coast clubs in N. Calif and OR/WA. We need our national series to be truly national and every year the NATC strive for that, but it is up to the clubs to agree to host an event. dan

Ok, I'll add one. Bruce LeRiche & I were out goofing around when I noticed he had a bash plate bolt loose. dan

Way to go team, we are proud of you!!! A fantastic result for the men's team. dan

The short 5 minute video on the 2005 Youth Nationals at TTC was a great piece and is available for viewing via the Speed channel website at: http://www.speedtv.com/programs/151/ scroll down and click on the one that says Youth Nationals from Sequatchie and it plays in a new window! Cool! Bill Markham has a "how-to-ride" DVD with lots of kids in it. Check his website at http://www.itstrials.com/ regards, Dan Brown

Ringo, we will have your press pass, I am leaving it with the TTC Yeti, who will escort you around the grounds. Yeti is 350 pounds and ill-tempered, but I showed him a photo of you in that flower shirt and he says he thinks you shore do have a purty mouth.

Never mind beer, you will all be coming to the land of Jack Daniels, as Lynchburg is only a short distance away. A public announcement of the plans for the event are now up on the TTC website for all to see. www.trialstrainingcenter.com We'll be getting started with some work weekends very soon, as we need to clear out the sections in the streambed now while they are dry (they won't be dry in May). dan

Stay tuned, an announcement will be forthcoming soon that you should all find very interesting. I don't wish to say anything officially until official things have been done. But contemplate a May vacation in lovely Tennessee. And it may be a very different event from any previous USGP. Bring riding gear. dan

thanks Craig. Steve, you can send me email via the contact us link on the TTC website & I'll reply directly.

news item is the press release below. I trust Andy or Craig will get this up onto the front page news soon. Comments and discussion are welcome. dan brown USMTA Press Release A new organization has been formed to promote all facets of the sport of motorcycle trials in the United States. The U.S. Motorcycle Trials Association (USMTA) will work cooperatively with the American Motorcycle Association (AMA), the North American Trials Council (NATC), local and regional clubs, event organizers and sponsors to increase the visibility of motorcycle trials and encourage participation at all levels. The founding corporate members include the five US Trials motorcycle importers (Beta, Gas Gas, Montesa, Scorpa, Sherco), Trials Training Center, International Trials Schools, ERE Extreme Riding Entertainment, and Trials Competition Newspaper. The USMTA focus will be to demonstrate to other motorcyclists and also non-motorcyclists that motorcycle trials is fun way to learn motorcycle skills and a great sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. A first initiative is to develop a comprehensive directory of places to ride, clubs to ride with, dealers, and instructional material for organizing riding opportunities. Another will be to organize a

Alan is a great parking lot rider, and the reigning Tennessee champ in the "fat-boy freestyle". I think it was the backwards riding that won it. Ryan Young did a great job as "Squid-Lee" a few years ago, dressed up in a costume and did goon-rides with some great wheelies and such which appeared to be out-of control near-crashes. He had a goofy costume and mis-matched fenders on the bike, toilet paper rolls duct-taped to the helmet, etc. That made a great stunt. When trail riding a few years ago, Tommi Ahvala entered a local gas station at an alarming speed on a DR350 and proceeded to nose wheelie off a curb and into a broad slide up to the sidewalk yelling "how do you stop this thing!" and sent the nervous unsuspecting customers scattering everywhere. It was hilarious.

I think I'm gonna need an interpreter. Or, maybe with enough beer it will all appear to make sense.

Highlights from youth nationals will be on 2-wheel tuesday on speed channel, not sure if it will be tonight or next week. dan

Pat got 1st place in Expert (class just below Pro) with about 15pts, 2nd place guy was around 40. dan

I guess "warm" is a relative thing. I checked the average weather for Scotland for 1st week in August, got my calculater to convert to farenheit so I know what it means, and damn! I better take my woolies! The high there is about equal to the low here in TN. But I bet there won't be any rattlesnakes or mosquitos.

One more note of interest. Since Drill Sargeant made them all report for practice at 7AM on time or suffer punishment duty, here are the 20 most used excuses for being late. No excuses were accepted, but that did not stop them from trying. "I would have been at practice on time, but:" 1. My alarm did not work 2. My hair was not dry 3. I was at the emergency room late 4. I have a sleeping sickness 5. No one woke me up 6. I was doing laundry 7. My cat died 8. My buddies kept me up late 9. The video game I was playing did not have a pause feature 10. My parents said I could sleep in 11. I thought it was sleep-in day 12. I had nightmares and could not sleep 13. A raccoon took over our cabin and would not let me sleep 14. The rain and thunder kept me up 15. The smell in my cabin kept me up because I was too tired to take a shower 16. Trials is DUMB 17. My earring got hun on my pillow and was uncontrolably bleeding 18. I could not find my gear 19. I was tranded in the bathroom with no T. P. 20. My girlfriend called

Well, I was thinking about going, as I've never been to an event in Europe, and then this London bombing thing happened. So that clinched it, I booked my airline today!!! Save a couple English pints for 2 boys from Tennessee! And we "hired" (I think that means rented) a couple of sport bikes from a place in London, so we'll have a bit of a holiday ride around the countryside. I've never been to Scotland, I hear it's nice and warm and sunny the first week in August. see you there, dan

Oh that reminds me, Noel ran out of gas on the way back. We should probably send somebody back to check on him.

I just posted a blog on the TTC website and some photos from a fun ride we had to some caves & overlooks nearby. The kids are doing great and having a fun time. Brad Baumert from Sherco has worked his butt off all week to keep bikes in running order. regards, Dan Brown

Speed Channel covered the proceedings for 2-Wheel Tuesday. Look for a story coming soon on the Youth Nationals, and another story at another date on the American Trials Training Camp for the teenagers. dan