After careful consideration of the ACU rules currently required to hold a 'Restricted Trial' under Covid-19 restrictions, Folkestone Trials Club have determined that at this stage, we will NOT run the Folkestone Combine Trial originally scheduled for 12th July.
Furthermore - at the time of writing - the Chunnel Non-Expert Trial (originally scheduled for just a few weeks later) is also in jeopardy, for the same reasons.
The numerous ACU rules are necessary to ensure the safety of participants, observers, landowners, and organisers. But at this early stage of the country's lockdown-easing, they are very restrictive, particularly if trying to run an event within the confined venues which are currently available to the club.
For example, the combination of the 'one rider per vehicle' (unless from the same household)' rule and the 'full vehicle gap between each parked vehicle' rule means that we could only allow an estimated (pre-booked) entry of c.15 riders, due to very limited parking space for competitors, officials, and (potentially) observers. That small entry number simply doesn't justify the risks (reputational, as well as physical), and the additional measures required to hold an enjoyable event yet. Instead, we would rather wait for an easing of the restrictions which would allow more riders to participate, and under less onerous conditions. That might translate to holding a practice event, which then allows youths (currently not allowed to compete) to join, removes the risk of finding sufficient Observers, and could generally be a much more pleasant event. We continue to monitor the situation, and will update accordingly.