“WHY WOULD YOU ride those funny looking seatless motorcycles…? They must weigh nothing the way they can bunny hop up shipping containers.” These are just some of the typical comments you hear when you ride a trials motorcycle in front of people at a competition or show. Trials riding is not a mainstream motorcycle discipline, despite being around for a long time; in Australia it has a relatively low profile with most events being set in dusty paddocks littered with boulders and lacking in spectators. Nonetheless, when people actually see a top level trials rider compete they are always blown away by the skill.
It’s all about precision with balance, throttle and clutch control, whilst getting your bike up some epic obstacles. Be warned, it’s incredibly addictive!
I’ve been fortunate enough to represent Australia in Europe at the Trials Des Nations six times, three of those times alongside my awesome girlfriend Ina Halls, who was a member of the women’s team. The Trials Des Nations is what all Aussie Trials riders aim
to accomplish. It’s basically the Olympics of our sport, with more than 30 countries competing. We are not at the level of Spain, England or France, but we’ve still produced some good results, like last year in Spain when we took third place in Group B ahead of the USA.
Growing up I never knew what I wanted to do – I just wanted to ride motorbikes. I started out racing junior motocross and then decided to have a go at trials. Luckily for me our property in Glenmaggie is the ideal location for both trials and enduro – so with a lot of practice I managed to transfer my skills across and get good results.
We’ve been running the Easter Trials at our property for over 30 years so I could always gauge where I was at on a competitive level by watching the riders that came through. At 17 years of age, after saving money by working with my father, I sent a few emails over to Europe to see if anyone would be interested in helping me out. I was contacted by Top Trial Team which is an Italian based trials
team, and the next thing I knew I was on my way to Rome. I still believe that the experience of riding and training with European riders is priceless and essential in order to become a better rider.
After I returned to Australia I created Tc Trickz Trials Entertainment, a motorcycle show which takes me across the country performing at everything from agriculture shows to MotoGP events. And I’m now doing shows all around the world, from being part of a circus act to riding on a movie set! I enjoy showcasing my skills to the public and doing unique tricks that not many riders are doing, and people really appreciate your skills at these shows.
I still actively compete in events here. I won the Australian X Trials Championships in Perth last year and have been runner-up four times in the Australian outdoor championship. I like to train for competition as it helps to maintain my level of skill, however, it’s not all just about trials. Most people will probably know me through social media and my enduro videos which show how I transfer my trials skills to the enduro bike to tackle obstacles. Another passion of mine is coaching, which is a large part of my business and has been very successful. I find it very rewarding seeing riders take home new skills, and make it my priority to tailor every session to suit the needs of the students. I have even been so fortunate to have requests for coaching from outside Australia, and just recently returned from West Virginia where I spent a few weeks coaching trials and enduro for Poisk Moto Adventures. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to get back there in September.
I’m doing what I love, and living the dream, but I know I couldn’t do it without the support of the public, my social media following, and all those who have come to my coaching clinics and helped spread the word. Many thanks to my sponsors and AMCN for the opportunity to contribute to this awesome magazine.
My website is www.tctrickz.com with a new one under construction, so stay tuned.