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FIM Press Release

GENOA SET TO STAGE FIRST EVER SPEA FIM X-TRIAL

Italy will host round one of the eagerly awaited 2011 SPEA FIM X-Trial World Championship, on Saturday, 27th November 2010, previously known as the SPEA FIM Indoor Trial World Championship. In addition to its new name and logo the rejuvenated series will boast a fresh format when it kicks off alongside the FIM Indoor Enduro World Championship in the historic and lively city of Genoa next weekend.

SPEA FIM X-Trial World Championship has been devised to reflect the youthful nature of the majority of the competitors in the series, the extreme energy of the sport and profile of the thousands of fans around the World that follow this discipline - either live at the actual event or via the live Eurosport coverage.

The bustling northwest Italian metropolis stages the first of six X-Trial rounds, with the remaining five spread out between January and March 2011. Following its inaugural stop in Genoa the championship, which has been dominated by Spain’s Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa in recent years, will pause during the month of December before recommencing in Marseille, France in January for round two.

The series will then travel to Bou’s stomping ground of Barcelona in Spain at the beginning of February. From there it will stop off in Geneva, Switzerland a week later before returning to Spain, this time to the capital Madrid, in early March. The final round will be played out seven days later in Milan, as Italy bookends the prestigious continent-hopping competition.

Eight fixed championship riders will go head-to-head at each round, including four-times SPEA FIM Indoor Trial World Champion Bou. The title favourite will be joined by familiar faces Albert Cabestany - Sherco, Adam Raga - Gas Gas, Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa, Jeroni Fajardo - Beta and James Dabill - Gas Gas. In addition to Michael Brown - Sherco, who makes a welcome return to the series, and young debutant Jack Challoner - Beta. Two wildcard riders, invited by each event’s organiser, will also take part.

The World’s best will face a revised format this season that begins with XQ Qualification. This, the first hurdle, will feature a minimum of four sections and filter the ten starters down to six, as four are eliminated. Those that survive will progress to the XT Semi Final, which will encompass a double lane battle plus an additional four hazards, in which riders are entitled one minute per section.

Two riders will be dispatched following the XT Semi Final, leaving the best four protagonists on each night to fight it out for top honours in the XT Final. Here, the four riders will compete against each other in a double lane format, each passing the race three times before embarking on three challenging sections to decide the outcome.

While giving the riders no time to relax this new three-part schedule is sure to create a thrilling spectacle for SPEA FIM X-Trial World Championship fans, who are guaranteed tense and climatic action at each of the six atmospheric venues. You do not have to be at each round to enjoy the series this year, though, as both the XT Semi Final and XT Final will be broadcast live on Eurosport, giving fans at home an equally nerve-wrecking yet exhilarating experience of first class Trial.

The FIM are delighted to announce a three year extension to the Eurosport agreement, that will continue to see the sport broadcast to millions of homes around the globe over the coming years. Commenting on this extended contract Olivier Godallier, FIM Marketing and Communications Director said. "We believe that the introduction of FIM X-Trial marks an important new era for this discipline and one that will help take the sport forward to the next level. X-Trial is the perfect sport for television, so we are pleased that we have been able to reach a new and increased partnership with Eurosport that will take this sport to new audiences across all continents."

2011 SPEA FIM X-TRIAL
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

> Round 1
Genoa – Italy
27 November - Saturday

Round 2
Marseille – France
22 January - Saturday

Round 3
Barcelona – Spain
06 February - Sunday

Round 4
Geneva - Switzerland
12 February - Saturday

Round 5
Madrid – Spain
12 March - Saturday

Round 6
Milan – Italy
19 March - Saturday

2010 FIM championship final standings:
1: Bou 95
2: Cabestany 77
3: Raga 45
4: Dabill 44
5: Fajardo 42
6: Fujinami 29
7: Gubian 15
8: Wigg 14
9: Lampkin 5
10: Gomez 4
11: Brown 3
12: Ferrer 1

For more infomation please visit
WWW.FIM-LIVE.COM

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