Following claims made earlier in the week by top Sherco rider, Albert Cabestany, the FIM have CONFIRMED that the 2013 FIM Trial World Championship will be run under no-stop rules.
"In view of the current extremely difficult situation regarding participation in Trial events that is also leading to the free fall of the Trial motorcycle market, the FIM together with the Trial Manufacturers (Montesa-Honda, Gas Gas, Beta, Sherco & Ossa) has decided to take measures in order to find ways to revitalise this discipline.
The first change concerns the sporting regulations of the FIM Trial World Championships that, from 2013, will be “non-stop”. All categories of the discipline (World Pro, Open International, Junior, 125cc, Women & Trial des Nations) will now apply more dynamic regulations.
With the aim of making Trial more accessible, reducing the level of the sections, creating more dynamism, reducing the costs and increasing practice and participation, additional measures will be taken in the coming months."
Will this "fix" the decline in entries? We don't think it will make the slightest difference. The decline is not down to the rules. It is down to the cost. The cost of flights, the cost of fuel, the cost of hotels and the current global economic climate. There are many young riders across the world who you can be sure would love to compete in the World Championship and who wouldn't care what the rules were, but the bank of Mum and Dad just simply cannot afford it. Will names such as top Japanese riders Kuroyama, Nozaki and Ogawa, all of whom are very capable of top 10 finishes suddenly start re-appearing because the rules have changed? Not a hope.
The only thing we are sure of is that the debate on this will be hot and the debate will be lengthy. Let the battle commence!