This coming weekend, over thirty of the best Trial riders from across the globe will compete for glory in the first ever Australian round of the FIM Trial World Championship organised by the Trials Club of Victoria.
Befittingly, the action will be staged at Mt Tarrengower in Maldon, which has been designated as Australia’s 'first notable town’, and is located in the heart of Victoria’s historic goldfields, approximately one hundred and thirty-five kilometers northwest of Melbourne.
Australia enjoys a proud and long history of success in motorcycle sport. Reigning FIM MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner, FIM Supercross World Champion Chad Reed, and five-times FIM Grand Prix 500cc World Champion Mick Doohan are amongst the nation’s most famous motorcycle stars. The renowned Philip Island circuit in Victoria is also a regular stop on the MotoGP and FIM Superbike World Championship schedule.
To date, there has never been a FIM Trial World Champion from Oz, and so organisers hope that Australia’s addition to the international Trial map will be a major step forward for their countrymen in the sport. Ten Australians will compete in this weekend’s two-day event at Mt Tarrengower, taking on the same challenging course as European heavyweights including the likes of five-times FIM Trial World Champion, Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa from Spain.
Commenting on the significance of this year’s new Australian round, Bou said: “Although I only know very little about the actual trial venue, I am actually very excited to be travelling to a new place. We have an important opportunity by going to Australia, as we can really help to develop trial in this region. By taking the FIM Trial World Championship to new countries we can lift the profile of sport in general, and hopefully encourage more riders in Australia to ride in and to follow trials. It also makes good sense for the teams’ budget to visit both Australia and Japan in the same trip. I am looking forward very much to the next two weeks.”
Fellow Spaniard, Albert Cabestany - Sherco, who currently sits fourth in this year’s current standings, added: “I want to say how happy I am to be going to Australia, it is important for all sponsors and the sport of trial to be going to new places. We all know that it is a difficult economic moment in the World, but we still need to work together to help the sport grow. I hope we have a good reaction from the Australian public and that they support this event. If you see the MotoGP races from Australia is clear that they have a passion for motorcycle sport, so hopefully trial can have a strong future in this country.”
Two exciting days of action lie ahead as each competitor dreams of making history by winning gold in the FIM Trial World Championship’s first ever Australian Grand Prix.