It had to happen…we interviewed someone outside of Victoria! Kurt Pickering is from a Trials family and grew up in the sport. He is secretary of the Tasmanian Moto Trial Club, played a key role in the administration of the Australian Titles that were held in Tassie in 2019 and is a part time trials historian! I met Kurt when he came to the Argyle trial in 2019, about the same time he started his role as a Trials Commissioner at Motorcycle Australia (he is one of 3 people). In this wide ranging discussion we talk about the Tasmanian trials scene which is punching well above its weight, Kurt's role in the TMTC and as MA commissioner.
Show Notes:
Tasmanian Motorcycle Trials Club
History: https://www.tastrials.org.au/?page_id=11
TMTC Club Champions: https://www.tastrials.org.au/?page_id=958
FIM X-Trial
Round four of the FIM X-Trial World Championship gets underway this Sunday, February 2, at Barcelona’s unique Palau Sant Jordi venue. We will aim to have a round up of the results here next episode.
https://www.trialmaguk.com/barcelona-x-trial-arrives-with-repsol-honda-team-on-home-soil/
WDTC have announced that entries are open for their trial on the 1st March in Fordsdale Qld.
https://trials.com.au/news/wdtc-club-series-round-1-5069
TRS 2020 Raga Replica has been landed in Australia and is currently clearing customs
This is the fourth year of the RR model and has a number of improvements. The new TRRS ONE RR 2020, will be available in three displacements - 300, 250 and 125 cc from The Hell Team and all TRS state dealers.
https://trials.com.au/news/2020-trs-raga-race-replica-5070
NSW Twinshock Championship June long weekend 2020
DMCC will once again be hosting the NSW Twinshock Championship in the June long weekend at the Cowan’s property Sandy Hollow just out of Denman. Event runs over the sat/sun/mon. Stay tuned for the sup regs and details.
https://trials.com.au/news/nsw-twinshock-championship-june-long-weekend-2020-5071
AMA Victorian Calendar is out
A joint calendar between OMCC and Southern Trials riders has been released. Details can be found on the OMCC website and links are in the show notes.
https://www.oakleighmcc.com/omcc-calendar/
Fail of the week: Retraction from Interview w Ben Forsyth
In the interview with Ben I mistakenly stated he won the first trial he entered. It was in fact Melinda Van Baalen won the Glenmaggie Clubman trial last year which was her 2nd trial after returning to competition from a 16 year absence...an equally impressive result. My apologies for that error and to clarify Ben came 2nd.
That's it for the news!
We've had a number of emails to the podcast this week with encouragement and ideas on how we can improve. One of the recommendations was from a new rider who was looking for a segment focusing on tips and suggestions for skills to be practicing.
So here is a new segment I'm calling drill of the week. So this week lets start with a tip that a good foundation skill, or a warm up for more experienced riders and that is:
Figure 8's
The objective is to ultimately ride in sequential full lock turns, and I'm sure that sounds simple.
The keys to this drill are:
- Get you legs bent so you are in a squat position, with your knees point out. Pointing out, and not forward is important
- Get your weight off the handlebars and try and stay centered on the bike. You should be able to remove your left hand and not want to fall forward.
- At the begining you may struggle to lean the bike and everything maybe quite upright however as you progress you will be able to lean the bike
- As you improve start using your feet to steer. Practicing placing pressure on the footpegs and trying to steer with your feet. Do this both sides, however you might be naturally better at one side at first. This will actually help you lean the bike as well.
- Offset the bike lean angle by keeping your body upright while the bike leans. This is the complete opposite to road riding where you maybe told to drop your shoulder into a turn. You want the bike to lean into the turn but not your body.
- Measure your progress. After you have done a few turns get off your bike and walk where your turning circles are. Place your feet immediately in front of each other like you were walking a tightrope. Do not leave any space. This gets important as you start to talk sections in competition. If you know that your width of your turning is say 8 steps then when you are walking a section you can do your 8 count to see if you can make a turn or not.
Leveling up:
- Do this exercise on a hill. Progressively increase the steepness of the hill as you improve
- Slow it down. Try to repeat it in a slow speed, putting in longer and longer pauses as you progress
- Put some loose stones that disrupt your flow
Please email us with guest suggestions and feedback: podcast@trials.com.au