The FIM Europe Commission Meetings continued today with the second session of Sporting Commissions, which followed the first session of Sporting Commissions in October and which will be followed by the Non-Sporting Commissions next January.
The meeting was held, as in the past, at the Tiber Hotel in Fiumicino, near Rome (Italy). In this second session, the meetings of Track Racing, Supermoto, Motoball and Vintage were held, with the participation of the FIM Europe President Dr Wolfgang Srb, of Sporting Council Chairman Martin de Graaff and of FIM Europe Secretary General Alessandro Sambuco. Joining the meeting, also Armando Castagna, Director of the Track Racing Commission of FIM.
Excellent results – “The second group of four Sporting Commissions attended the meetings in Fiumicino. They all evaluated the last season and prepared 2018“, Mr Martin de Graaff stated. “We see many new developments, for example in Supermoto. The Commission concentrates on simplifying the rules of the European Championship with a new name, which is S1. The Motoball Commission is working on the complete European Championship, including the Junior Championship, in the Russian city of Kovrov. The Track Racing Commission prepares the calendar for 2018. Minor changes of the regulations are every year on the agenda of all Commissions. Races for young riders are also important for the future of Track Racing.
“Producing rules for the several Sporting disciplines for Classic bikes is one of the items for the Vintage Commission. Also important is the lobbying for historical bikes for road use, in some cities in the European countries the use of these bikes is limited or forbidden.
“Mr Grzegorz Ostrowski, responsible for the results of all events on the FIM Europe website, visited all Commission meetings in order to work together with all Jury Presidents how to deliver the results of all events in a proper way.
“In a very good atmosphere, the delegates worked together with the staff and board members for an optimal 2018 season“.
Track Racing – Commission chaired by Mr Piotr Szymanski – The Commission met today and 13 members and one observer were present. They discussed all subjects according to the agenda, and the main topics were the clarification of the matters arisen from the previous meeting in Rome, the information of FIM/CCP Director Armando Castagna on decisions and changes in the CCP meetings. Information on track inspections and track licences were also discussed, as well as the confirmation of the 2017 results, decisions on disciplinary matters, the draft for 2018 calendar, proposals on amendments and rule changes for next year.
Among the most important issues the Commission underlined the following ones:
- proposal from the Russian Federation to host a Speedway European Championship Semi-Final in Balakovo. A presentation was done by Mr Savin with special financial conditions for the riders.
- proposal on new competition – U19 Speedway Pair Cup
Supermoto – Commission chaired by Mr Ivo Tsvenatov – The 2018 season will start with a change in the name of the Championship, which will be S1 Supermoto European Championship. In the next season (2018) a new Trophy will be introduced, within the S1 classification, which will be eligible for new or not so experienced Supermoto riders. The name will be “Supermoto European Lites Trophy” and possibly it will attract a good number of new riders for the European scene. A major change in the starting procedure is being discussed at the moment, which will make the rules easier and more understandable for riders and teams. A new implementation in the Supermoto regulations will be the introduction of practice starts which will be beneficial for the riders and much appreciated as a feature by the spectators. The provisional calendar foresees six events for the S1 Championship, four events for the S4 (the all asphalt class) and five events for the SM Junior and S3 Championships.
Motoball – Commission chaired by Ms Pascale Reschko Jacquot – The Motoball Commission reviewed the 2017 European Championship in France and discussed about the upcoming 2018 European Championship in Russia. Therefore a Russian delegation of organisers attended the Commission Meeting in Fiumicino to develop the organization of the event, where also the Junior class will be introduced; in fact there was already an international Junior class in 2016 and 2017 and now the first European series will be launched, with the teams consisting of young players from 14 to 18 years old. In the Junior teams electric bikes will be used, which in the future are expected to be extended to the Senior class. The 2018 European Championship will be held in the renovated stadium of Kovrov, in Russia, organised with the support of the Russian Government. Additionally, a European “Champions League” will start in 2018, which will be a challenge of the national champion clubs.
Vintage – Commission, chaired by Mr José Campos Costa – The Commission will give a proposal for its new Chairman (unanimously agreed) to the Management Council. There was discussion about the races of this year, mainly about the Road Racing Championship and the Endurance Cup. Both series were successful, with three events in Road Racing – Donington, Rijeka and Anderstorp – and four races in Endurance – Donington, Imola, Spa and Aragon. For 2018, the Commission proposed five races in Road Racing, in Donington, Anderstorp, Rijeka, Sachsenring and Croix en Ternois and four races in Endurance: Spa, Aragon, Donington and an open venue, which will probably be Misano. About Enduro Classic, the Commission expects the first European Championship, with one race in Pavia (Italy), Zschopau (Germany), Croatia (tba), Champagnat (France). In Classic Motocross there will be a European event, in Nevers St Eloi (France). Regarding rules, the Commission worked on some changes for Road Racing 50cc and Sidecars. Also in Endurance there were proposals from DG Sports to introduce a new class, for bikes up to 1991. The Commission expects two new members: one has already been proposed to the Management Council by FMB and a second one will be proposed by SVEMO.
A fast, precise service – During the two meetings of the Sporting Commissions Mr Grzegorz Ostrowski was present, who is responsible for the publication of the sports results in the FIM Europe website. His presence was finalized to to illustrate to the Chairmen of the Sporting Commissions what is really needed in order to update quickly the Results website page.
“I’m very satisfied with both meetings, because I could address exactly to each Jury President what our needs are, that is how important it is to receive the sporting results in fast and proper form, which might seem a simple goal to achieve, but it requires the cooperation of many people. I’ve been working on the FIM Europe results webpage for 3 years and in this period we have continuously improved the quality of the service, but we can do better and be faster if we receive results in the correct way, that is in a clear form and with all the necessary data, especially the Federation and nationality of the riders or teams.
“Our goal is that our official Results webpage will become the main referring point for the results of the all the European Championships and Cups: we want to create one central point for European results and bring more and more fans to our website, besides the people who are already involved in our sport. During the meetings of the Sport Commissions we have worked in this direction”.
Excellent Season – “The meeting circle, where the European Commissions come together on the same weekend and at the same venue, has become a very good tradition”, stated Dr Wolfgang Srb, FIM Europe President. “The presence of the FIM Commission Directors adds always additional value and underlines the principle of the closest possible cooperation. I am very happy with the work the European Federations, the organizers and the officials have carried out and I like to thank them for their great efforts. We are in the process of finishing 2017 with some formal meetings and are already very excited about all the events in 2018″.
