The Emergence of Observed Trials as a Motor Sport

At the same time that the development of the bicycle was, so to speak, ‘complete’, the development of motor vehicles and motor sports began around 1900. Once again, the focus was on increasing human mobility. Motorcycles and cars now offered completely different possibilities than bicycles, but they were also much more prone to breakdowns, and motor vehicle technology was still in its infancy. This was also reflected in motor sports. Shortly after the turn of the century, the first reliability competitions emerged, which were called ‘reliability trials’ on the British Isles.

Initially, the reliability trial did not involve off-road driving. The poor road conditions were challenging enough for the cars and motorcycles of all kinds that were competing at that time. For example, the numerous fords, which had been designed and built for horse-drawn carts, often put the electric ignitions of the new motor vehicles to the test. In the case of motorcycles, there was also the risk that the belt drives to the rear wheel would slip. Steeper climbs were generally a problem, as the motorcycles, with their low engine power, did not yet have gear shifts.

Manual transmissions appeared around 1910. This marked a major turning point in motorcycle racing. Steeper climbs were now possible. The non-stop criterion, which had been an essential element of the reliability trial from the outset, as any unwanted stop represented a failure of the still imperfect technology, could now be specifically tested on steep climbs, which were observed. These observed hills were not yet sections in the modern sense, but often kilometre-long climbs on small roads in mountainous or remote regions. Not only were the engines put to the test here, but also the chassis and the entire technology of the motorcycles and cars due to the poor condition of these side roads. The observed hills therefore provided ideal testing opportunities for these reliability trials and, even before the First World War, had become a core component of reliability trials, in which the focus was on the machine rather than the driver or rider.

With the technical advancement of motorcycles, new possibilities soon arose. Accordingly, the route requirements also increased. The reliability trial now transformed into an off-road sport, and the riding element gradually became more important. The organisers were able to focus on various aspects: distance, speed or degree of difficulty. Depending on preferences or available options, these three aspects appeared in different combinations in reliability trials before a lengthy specialisation process between the two world wars resulted in the three off-road disciplines of enduro ¹, scramble (which the Belgians adopted in the 1930s and called motocross) and the observed trial ². ³. Today, the three disciplines are known internationally as enduro, motocross and trial.

As far as the international development of observed trials is concerned, the British reliability trial – the leading and most influential event of its kind internationally – spread to the Netherlands and Belgium in its original form as early as the 1920s. Between 1940 and 1947, the Coupe van Maldeghem was held five times in Belgium – secretly under the eyes of the German occupation – and included trial sections and motocross stages as special stages. The Van Maldeghem Cup gave rise to the Trial Lamborelle in Ohain near Waterloo in 1948, which was now a ‘real’ trial and became the most important trial event and the starting point for trial sport on the continent. The next step, after national trials championships had been established in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Sweden, Germany and Finland, as well as in Great Britain, was the creation of the International Trials Championship in 1963. 4 the Challenge Henri Groutars, which was organised with Belgium at its centre in preparation for a European Trial Championship. This European championship was officially introduced in 1967 and held seven times until 1974, before being expanded into a world trial championship from the 1975 season onwards.

It is fascinating to see that Great Britain, the motherland of observed trials, also produced what is probably the first bicycle trial in 1947 – the Windlesham Wheelers Trial (see there). This event fell into oblivion, as did several other early bicycle trials that took place in the context of motorcycle trial clubs. It was not until the revival of bicycle trials in the 1970s that bicycle trials were able to establish themselves as a separate discipline of trials sport. This successful revival should be seen against the backdrop of the enthusiasm for motorcycles and motorcycle sports in the 1970s, which led to a tremendous boom in motorised trials sports everywhere. In this environment, bicycle trials activities emerged independently and almost simultaneously in several countries (Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain and Austria). The development did not stop there, but German and Spanish bicycle trials came together and developed into what is now known worldwide as ‘bike trials’.