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You’ll see Common Tread coverage for a range of different racing disciplines, but we don’t feature trials competition very often. (We did cover the possibility of future trials events at the Olympics, which could catapult the sport’s viewership in the near future.)
Trials isn’t the biggest motorsport out there, and it doesn’t pretend to be. Instead, trials riders and fans enjoy a close, enthusiastic community dedicated to precise motorcycle control. A downside is that you might not see events like the FIM X-Trial World Championship in Granada, where the legendary Toni Bou recently defeated Jamie Busto in a brutal battle. I get it, jumping motorcycles up and off obstacles might not be your thing. Just give it a chance and watch these two launch their bikes around a course I couldn’t even begin.
If you haven’t watched trials before, riders take penalties for putting a foot down or otherwise touching the course. Stalling or leaving the course entirely are also frowned upon. You can hear the judges’ surprise at marks against Bou, as the 12-time world champion has won the title every year since 2007. Personally, I’m not as interested in the points standings as I am in the sheer spectacle of Bou and Busto. I could watch this stuff all day, but I have articles to write.
If you want more trials action, YouTube is full of videos, including a few good Toni Bou crashes proving that he’s human after all. Or, if you’d like to check it out in person, there’s probably a trials club somewhere near you that would be able to help. Cross Training Enduro Skills, one of the all-time great YouTube accounts for dirt riding, recommends trials for anyone interested in developing better control of their motorcycles. I think they’re onto something. Watch for the next round of the FIM X-Trial World Championship, which takes place in Marseille on March 9.
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