The 2012 UEM Trial European Championship gets underway this week-end with a two-day event in Varallo Sesia in the North West of Italy. Saturday sees the first of three rounds of the Youth Cup and Womens Championship with the four classes of the European Championship proper competing on Sunday in what will be the first of 6 rounds.
Entries for this year’s championship are approaching 150 riders with competitors coming from Austria, Norway, Finland, Czech Republic, Holland, Germany, France, England, Switzerland, Sweden and Spain plus, of course, the host country, Italy.
Among those competing for European glory this year will be two ex-World Champions – Finn, Tommi Ahvala, who was crowned World Champion in 1992 riding the Italian factory Aprilia and Spaniard Marc Colomer who took the World title in 1996 on a Montesa. The former will ride in the Over 40 class, whilst colomer will be minder duties for Pere Borrellas – Gas Gas, one of the most likely challengers to the favourite to lift the 2012 European title, Italian Matteo Grattarola – SPEA Gas Gas.
Gratarolla, the current Italian champion lost out on the European title for the past two years, on both occasions failing at the final round. This year he is more determined to add European Champion to his Italian Champion title. It won’t be
easy with fellow countryman, Daniele Maurino – Ossa or new entry promoted from the 125cc class, young French rider Cedric Tempier - Sherco and Italian Giacomo Saleri – Beta.
In the over 40 class, Ahvala won’t be the only star form the past competing, as ex-world rider from Holland , Marc Reit will compete in this championship too.
Among the women, Laia Sanz, now riding Gas Gas, is still the favourite to claim the top step of the podium, however British rider Emma Bristow has taken well to the OSSA and achieved good results at home so cannot be ruled out from challenging the current women’s world champion.
As happened in recent years, in order not to interrupt the study of the very young riders involved, it was again decided to use the Easter break to kick off the 2012 Championships. To respect the celebration of Easter, Sunday competition will start at 1pm.
The other 5 rounds of the 2012 season are scheduled for Santo Stefano d’Aveto, Italy on the 7th of July, Krzeszowice, Poland on the 12th of August, Tanvald, Czech Republic on the 19th of August, Isola 2000, France, on the 2nd of September and Zelhem , Holand on the 9th of September.
Full entry list for this event available for download in PDF format:
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