After a short two-week break the action will resume this coming weekend with a double dose of points up for grabs at the Grand Prix of Great Britain, which will bring the 2012 FIM Trial World Championship to a close. The stunning hill top venue at Nord Vue, close to the northern Cumbrian town of Penrith will provide the perfect stage to bring the current series to a climax in a country where the sport of Trial has a rich history.
Since the FIM Trial World Championship was first conceived way back in 1975, Britain has played its role starting with Martin Lampkin taking the crown in that inaugural season nearly forty years ago. For the next twenty-two years the British Trial Grand Prix became an integral part of the championship, with the island territory hosting consecutive events throughout this almost quarter century period. Home heroes in the form of Dave Thorpe and Malcolm Rathmell dominated during the first three editions, before Finland’s Yrjo Vesterinen broke the native deadlock in 1978 on route to his third FIM Trial World Championship. Rathmell was to restore British pride a year later as the Welsh town of Rhayader hosted the series for a third and final time.
Magical Mick Andrews was the British GP winner in 1980, as Bovey Tracey in Devon welcomed the World’s best Trial riders for the first and last time. Sweden’s Ulf Karlson took the victory as the action moved to Bainbridge, North Yorkshire twelve months later, which marked the start of a four-year run of foreign winners on British soil.
America’s only ever FIM Trial World Champion Bernie Schreiber was responsible for two of these victories, with his pair of successes being split by the legendary Eddy Lejeune in 1983, who himself was in the middle of a three-year title winning run. France’s Thierry Michaud was the last overseas winner at the British round in 1985 for a while, as the tide was about to turn.
Whilst he was never able to claim the FIM Trial Championship itself, Steve Saunders was simply untouchable at his home GP from 1986 to 1989 inclusive, his win in typically British and muddy conditions at Waterlooville on the South coast in 1988 being one of the most memorable moments of his illustrious career. The then reigning FIM Trial World Champion Jordi Tarres brought the Saunders era to an end before the late Diego Bosis recorded back to back wins in 1991 and 1992. Spain’s Marc Colomer was triumphant at Pateley Bridge a year later, before a new British King was to take control of the home mantle for the next decade.
Dougie Lampkin was only topped by Tarres and Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa at his home GP over the next eight editions. Lampkin’s winning ride at Houghton Tower in the Lancashire hills in 1994 was his first ever GP victory and was to signal the beginning of a champion in the making. Double day victories both on the Isle of Man and at the famous Hawkstone Park venue, each on two occasions, from 1998 to 2002 helped define Dougie’s golden years. Lampkin’s last home Grand Prix win was at Hawkstone Park in 2005 in front of a huge gathering of his loyal fans.
In more recent years Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa and Fujinami have been the most prevalent riders, when the FIM Trial World Championship has visited British shores. Although Adam Raga – Gas Gas was the last British GP winner at Fort William in 2011, it was Bou who was dominant with a double victory when Nord Vue last hosted a round of the series back in 2009. The question is, who will be victorious as the World tour comes to Britain for a thirty-third time this coming weekend?