Hi Everyone,
I thought with the dust having now settled after the final DL12 Indoor Trial and having received so many messages and questions asking why such a great event has sadly come to an end, it would be a good moment to share the truth with you all.
Getting a date at the arena next year was part of the problem we faced, although there were some options that could have worked, but we simply can’t take the risk of having a World Championship event put on the same date or same weekend again.
We asked the ACU for their help, but they have done completely the opposite and strangled us, as they were aware that our indoor and outdoor plans were financially linked, plus we presented them with a solid three-year plan that is unheard of in the current economic climate, and they strangely rejected it.
The ACU also know that we must book and sign contracts with any arena in the UK at least twelve months, but more like eighteen months in advance, to stand any chance of getting a date that will work, which is what we have done for the last three years. But the problem is that the World Championship dates are never announced until a maximum three months prior to the opening round, and as we are not part of the series we are under attack. This year they initially planned an event on the same date as us, before finally moving it to the day before, but the ACU did nothing to try and protect our event.
On Saturday morning we had to pray that the flight from Lyon, with Bou, Busto, Marcelli and Raga was going to fly. It was delayed for over an hour due to fog, it did take off eventually and our four biggest named riders arrived just in time for our event.
Can you imagine the fall out and refunds we would have had to deal with if those guys hadn’t arrived. We can’t keep risking the quarter of a million pound that we have invested into the event each year now to lose out through something we are not in control of.
My dad and his business partner have ran Sheffield Indoor for twenty-five years and Jake and my dad have ran over ninety percent of the outdoor TrialGP events in the UK over the last twenty years, not to mention my own achievements – sporting and otherwise – so you would hope that the ACU would have some respect for what we are continuing to do for the sport. Not only are we still running events, but we are also now running what are seen as the best events of their kind in the world.
When we first met with Tim Lightfoot [the new ACU Chairman] we really thought he was going to support us, but in reality, he has shown us nothing but disrespect and has actually become one of the main reasons that we have no confidence moving forward under the ACU banner despite having run every event we have ever done for the last twenty five years with the ACU. We have even attended a mediation meeting at Rugby, however still we haven’t found a way forward, and he has even tried to block our future event by being resistant to issuing the permit we have requested.
Nobody from the ACU hierarchy came last Saturday night, though they will be aware of the level of event we delivered once again. It’s going to be interesting to see how things pan out, they have made their choice and over the coming years, UK trials fans can judge for themselves if it was the right one or not.
We have done our bit for Trial and will continue to do so, with or without the support of the ACU, it’s a shame that it’s come to this, but it has unfortunately.
The good news is that we continue to have great support from all our partners, the media, the riders, the industry and the fans who buy tickets and that’s why we are already planning what will replace the DL12 Indoor Trial in the future.
So, watch this space!
Yours in sport
Dougie Lampkin MBE – 12 x World Champion
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