The ACU Trials & Enduro Committee have released dates, venues and some important changes for the series in 2020. The 2020 Championship will be restricted to eight rounds and the provisional dates which will be as follows:
- Saturday March 7th Hookwood, Surrey.
- Sunday April 5th Neath, South Wales.
- Sunday June 14th Harrogate, Yorkshire.
- Saturday June 27th Bovey Tracey, Devon.
- Sunday June 28th Tavistock, Devon.
- Sunday 26th July Scarborough, Yorkshire.
- Saturday August 15th Llanbedr, Wales.
- Sunday August 16th Llandiloes. Wales.
- Sunday 27th September Reserve Date.
The existing marking systems were considered but it was felt that for this series there was an opportunity for 12 months to try something completely new. Several other options have been discussed, but the decision has been taken that a completely new package, solely for this series, will be introduced for 2020. This will include-
- New marking system named ACU Trial GB which will include a one-minute time allowance for each section to be traversed.
- Competitors may stop, go sideways or reverse without penalty. Going backwards whilst footing will incur a five-mark penalty.
- The ACU Trial 125 Class will be open to any rider over the age of 14, but riders between the age of 14 to 16 will require permission from the ACU to compete.
- Assistants will be allowed in the ACU Trial GB Class only.
- Competitors for the ACU Trial GB and ACU Trial 2 Classes will be asked to Register at the start of the year to be allocated a permanent number.
- The top six from the 2019 ACU Trial 2 Class will not be permitted to move down a class for 2020.
- An additional one Championship Point will be awarded to the best performance on observation on each lap of the Trial to all four classes.
- There will be the option for a third route for the ACU Trial 2 Class, with separate coloured markers.
- The Series Manager will visit each Organiser in advance of each round and discuss section layout with each Clerk of the Course and advise that protocol for section layout be much the same as 2019, with emphasis that the Expert route cater for the majority of the entry.
- Riders need to carefully consider which class they will compete in during the season as moving down a class during the season will mean the rider will not score points in the new class. It is recognised that the ACU Trial GB Class is likely to be smaller than in 2019.
Series Manager, Brian Higgins commented, “We actually had more organisers wanting to run a round of the championship this year and some were disappointed. However, the aim is to introduce some new venues into the series, and I am sure the ones left out will be offered a round in future years. My aim will be to continue with the work the whole team have done this year, and this will be to ensure the severity of the sections are fitting for each of the four classes. Although the marking system has changed, the section design should remain very similar to 2019 as the riders, especially in the top two tiers, have stretched the no stop rule to way beyond the limit. We hope that the new system will provide a level playing field for all."