87xj95disco
05-04-2010, 10:11 PM
Trialing
The course consists of 10 "gates" marked by two pairs of garden canes. The gates are just wide enough to get a standard vehicle through. One vehicle attempts the course at a time, and is deemed to have cleared a gate if at least one of the front wheels passes between the canes. The vehicle's attempt ends when it comes to a stop (depending on the exact level of skill the trial is aimed at, any stopping may end the attempt, or a few seconds may be allowed). Long-wheelbase vehicles are usually allowed to perform a shunt if needed, providing the driver declares where the turn is going to be made before they attempt the course (this puts a strong emphasis on ground-reading ability).
The course between the gates is a "section"- between the start line and the first gate is "Section 1", the part between the first and second gates is "Section 2" and so on. A true trials course is laid out so that each section is progressively more difficult, although this is not always the case. If a driver fails to complete Section 1, they are given 10 points. If the attempt ends in Section 2, 9 points are awarded etc. A clear round results in gaining only 1 point. A day's event will consist of many different courses, and at the end, the driver with the lowest score is the winner.
Since the terrain covered in a trials should be well within the capabilities of any reasonably-capable vehicle (even in standard form), these trials place the emphasis on driver skill and ground-reading abilities. A good driver in a standard-spec vehicle can easily win over a modified, highly-equipped vehicle driven by a less competent driver.
The course consists of 10 "gates" marked by two pairs of garden canes. The gates are just wide enough to get a standard vehicle through. One vehicle attempts the course at a time, and is deemed to have cleared a gate if at least one of the front wheels passes between the canes. The vehicle's attempt ends when it comes to a stop (depending on the exact level of skill the trial is aimed at, any stopping may end the attempt, or a few seconds may be allowed). Long-wheelbase vehicles are usually allowed to perform a shunt if needed, providing the driver declares where the turn is going to be made before they attempt the course (this puts a strong emphasis on ground-reading ability).
The course between the gates is a "section"- between the start line and the first gate is "Section 1", the part between the first and second gates is "Section 2" and so on. A true trials course is laid out so that each section is progressively more difficult, although this is not always the case. If a driver fails to complete Section 1, they are given 10 points. If the attempt ends in Section 2, 9 points are awarded etc. A clear round results in gaining only 1 point. A day's event will consist of many different courses, and at the end, the driver with the lowest score is the winner.
Since the terrain covered in a trials should be well within the capabilities of any reasonably-capable vehicle (even in standard form), these trials place the emphasis on driver skill and ground-reading abilities. A good driver in a standard-spec vehicle can easily win over a modified, highly-equipped vehicle driven by a less competent driver.