I’m late filing this column for Trials Central this week, but it has been a hectic weekend!
As a club secretary I’ve received a letter from the ACU with a extensive explanation of the new and improved insurances that are available through the ACU and whilst most of these are of particular interest to clubs that want to organise speed events, what is of particular interest to the trials rider is a new insurance scheme that provides recognised insurance cover whilst a trials or enduro motorcycle is being used on “the road stages of a recognised trials or enduro event” that is being correctly organised under the auspices of the ACU.
This scheme provides annual cover with a Certificate of Insurance which will enable the rider to obtain a tax disc to satisfy all legal requirements. Whilst this insurance provides no other cover, i.e. insurance for the rider/machine in any other situation, what most trials and enduro riders want is the ability to obtain an insurance certificate so that they can tax their bike, and this will prove invaluable for many riders.
Normal driving licence requirements will apply of course but should you wish to enquire further about this, then contact the ACU on 01788 566403 or by e-mail to either This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
I know to many that insurance matters are boring to read about, but we like to provide the information that is so essential to many riders.
The reason it’s been a hectic weekend is that my own club, Lancs County has run the second round of the ACU Traditional Trials Championship this weekend and as the secretary I did the results until deep into the night, then I traipsed across to Castleton for the Cleveland trial on Sunday.
Now, at approaching 11pm on Sunday, it’s column writing time.
So what has occurred this weekend to write about – apart from insurance matters?
I do the results on a spread sheet with the help of my long-suffering wife. She reads out the section by section scores and I type them in. As a club, we have a nucleus of good quality observers and whilst they can make the odd mistake, there are many blank spaces on the observers cards, particularly from this weekend. The trial was quite physical in places and getting to some sections was a bit of a chew and I reckon that some riders either don’t bother and decide to give a hazard a miss altogether, or do it once, hoping that their missing score is averaged out. I can think of no other reason why a rider can adequately find (say) 38 sections and not the other two subs.
At club level, I’m generous and if there is a missing score, give them the benefit of any doubt, usually a score to match whatever is already there, or an average of other scores. But for the national I was a hard ******* and if there was no score, I put in a five.
I’ve seen it happen. A rider will dislike a section and deliberately miss it, but rather than play the game and say to the observer “give me a five mate”, they’ll just ride on and hope for the best. Usually that works, I’m a softie at heart, but not this weekend.
OK, rant over.
And that folks, at this time of night is all you are getting.