2011 Season Review

On new year's day the 2011 European Trials Champion, Jack Challoner, celebrated his 21st Birthday at home in Halifax, West Yorkshire with friends and family. We caught up with Jack at his birthday celebrations to join the party and look back over a successful season and his important plans for 2012.

In 2010, Jack Challoner took the Junior World Championship crown in style, winning six of his eight point scoring rounds, it was with this success and a naturally strong relationship with Miton TopTrial Team that the 20 year old signed a two year contract with the Italian based World Trials Team which would see him ride with the team until the end of 2012.

Sheffield International Arena Trial
2011 started with a bang, the Sheffield Indoor Arena Trial is one of the most coveted events outside of the World Trials calendar, and for good reason. Each year the best riders in the world do battle in front of a passionate Yorkshire crowd at the UKs only Indoor Arena Trial. Jack, with huge home support and the youngest rider of the contest surprised everyone when he was leading the event after the opening two sections. The Relentless Energy endorsed rider showed sheer determination throughout the event and won a place in the final. This result, in Jack's debut International Indoor event kickstarted his 2011 campaign in style.

JC: The support and volume of the crowd was incredible, and in my opinion the best crowd of the year. Having been to watch the event since I was four, it was a honour when organisers Martin Lampkin and Neil Crosswaite invited me to take part, and to make the final was just an incredible feeling.

JC: I had a big crash in the final on the big skip section, and looking back at the video now, I was very lucky not to come off worse. In-fact a few more centimetres in the wrong direction could have put me out of action for some time, I really was lucky, fortunately the adrenaline kept flowing after the crash and I just got on and finished the event on a high - it really was the best start to the season I could have hoped for… even if I was a bit sore the next day.

X-Trial - 6th
2011 also played host to Jack's debut year as a X-Trial contender. The Indoor series visited Marseille, Milan, Geneva, Madrid, Barcelona and Genoa and eventually saw reigning World Champion, Toni Bou (ESP) add another trophy to his cabinet. Flying the flag for Britain were the best British riders in the form of Jack Challoner, James Dabill and Michael Brown, but it was youngster Challoner who came out on top over the series, finishing in a well deserved 6th position ahead of James and Michael who finished 7th and 8th respectively. Jack's best result of the year was in Barcelona where he beat Honda frontman, Takahisha Fujinami (JPN) to 5th position, recording Jack's best career result and the advantage over his fellow British riders.

JC: The relief after the trial was huge, I couldn't believe I had a Top 5 finish in my debut season. It was an incredible event, and one of the toughest of the year. The Spanish fan's were really passionate for the sport, and the sections were big, so i really had to fight for every mark!

In Madrid only a few weeks after recording his career best result in Barcelona, Challoner picked up a nerve injury to the shoulder which meant he lost significant movement in his right wrist. Unable to warm up before the event, Jack struggled even walking the challenging sections during the day - so to finish in 6th at this event was surely the ride of the year.

JC: There is no doubt that Madrid was a key point in my career and probably one of the most emotional rides of my life. Riding Trials means the world to me, and I'd worked so hard at the start of the season to score points, I just had to ride the event. I knew it would be a case of damage limitation as far as the championship points were concerned but I couldn't drop out of the event, that's just not my style. Dougie Lampkin is one of my hero's and a true icon of the sport, he shared a similar experience with me before the start of the event which gave me another boost of inspiration to grit my teeth and battle through the pain. I can't really remember much of the trial, expect from cleaning the last section to find I had finished 6th - I couldn't believe it

Relentless through and through
In May this year, Jack Challoner worked closely with Relentless Energy to create a Trials video with a difference, the difference been exclusive and private use of the secrete Nike 6.0 tunnel. The 2 minute film was shot over two day's my professional film-makers Matt Sills and Ross Casswell who later went onto create the Relentless Isle of Man TT film. The short film had a special appearance on ITV Yorkshire, as well as appearing in the alternative magazine, FRONT and on the front of Action Sports Website, MPORA. On New Year's Eve, the video had it's 100,000th view on YouTube.

JC: Making the film was awesome. There were a few of the BMX riders showing me some of the Nike Tunnel Jam lines and a massive BBQ. There was no pressure to make a film, we just had the right people there, having fun and chilling out with motorbikes. It was a nice break from the World Championships, but hard work at the same time. It's really satisfying now to see the video exceed 100,000 hits, we only wanted 50,000 by new year, so to double that was a really great feeling.

Outdoor Trials Championships
The Outdoor Trials Championships is the most important part of any Trials Riders season and 2011 played host to Jack's debut season in the top flight of International Trials. This year, as well as the World Championships, Jack rode the European Championships and Italian Championships. Notably Jack won the European Championship, came runner-up in the Italian Championships and finished in the top 10 of his debut World Championship season.

The move from the Junior Championships to the top level of World Championships is arguably the most difficult step in the sport. Over the course of the 11 rounds, Jack improved too-fold, with moments of brilliance scattered throughout. During the final leg of the series, in Isola 2000, France, Jack secured his best result of the season, a 6th place beating frenchman Loris Gubian and fellow British riders Michael Brown and James Dabill. Jack constantly scored results around the 7th and 8th mark and concluded the series in 9th place.

During the European Championships, Jack took a early advantage in the series, winning the first three rounds in Italy, Germany and Spain, but struggled to maintain his advantage at the penultimate round of the series with a series of unfortunate accidents meant he could only secure an 8th. This result meant a top three result was required to win the championships, calm under pressure from Spanish rider Alfredo Gomez, Jack won the final round of the championships to take the crown.

JC: This year has proved just how big the step up from the Junior class to the Championship class is, and I have loved every minute of it. I started the season with an 11th position in Germany and managed a 6th by the last round in France so my work throughout the season paid off.

JC:The European Championships was an easier story, I had a tough round in Italy where I suffered from a couple of punctures and tough competition, but managed to keep a lead throughout the series. Winning the championships with a win in Czech Republic was a really special moment and right up there with the Junior World Championship title from last year.

JC:With the support of Miton Top Trial Team I have also been lucky enough to ride in the Italian Championships, I won the opening day and was on the podium for four of the five rounds. The competition was really close though-out the championships and ended up getting pipped to the post Italys favourite Matteo Grattarola. Riding in Italy has been great, the organisation of the events is brilliant and the fans really passionate about the sport. I'm really looking forward to challenge for the win again in 2012.


So what about next year...

JC: This year has been really good, it's been tough in places but I have learnt so much and overall it has been a lot of fun, which I guess is the most important thing.

JC: I'm delighted to be riding for Miton Top Trial Team again next year and have the support of Michele Bosi who has been my minder all year. The bike we have prepared is just brilliant, and really competitive. My main objective for next year is to break into the top six territory which is still largely dominated by the Spanish riders and have a good result in front of my home crowd at the Sheffield Arena Trial.

JC: Between the World Championships and Italian Championships, I'll be competing in the Scottish Six Day Trial, Scott Trial and working with Relentless Energy on some really cool projects. I'd quickly like to thank a few people, notably my family who have been incredible as always, Michele Bosi who has been the best Minder I could have asked for, Ben Lampkin for all his work behind the scenes with media and so on and all my sponsors whose support is allowing me to continue up the ranks of International Trials. Thank you.