07/04/12 - Tommi Ahvala, world champion in 1992

We met him at the Preliminay Operation of the European Championship held in Italy, Varallo Sesia. Thanks to our collegue Francesco Maddiona -www.nonsolomotowebtv.it , we took the chance to make a short interview, then inserted in the video prepared by Francesco. Here are the words of our dialogue with Tommi.

Tommi Ahvala, 1992 world champion on Aprilia, well known and appreciated in Italy, having won the Italian championship in 1995 on Fantic, what did you do in the last years?
I ‘ve been in the USA for 14 years, competing in the US National , but above all I was involved in promoting Trials all over the country. In 2008 I returned in Europe and started to import Gas Gas in Finland. Now I am 40 - my birthday was a couple of months ago - and I like to have fun and meet my European friends, riding again in this class for “over 40”.

What are the main differences between your years in the World Championship and nowadays’?
To tell you the truth I did not follow a lot the W.C., because I was very busy on other things, but it seems the skill level is now very high. The obstacles they face are incredible, very spectacular, but only few riders can do that. When I attended there were nearly 100 riders who entered and 5 or 6 that could win the event. I do not think the actual number of pilots is positive for Trials.

What we can do to return to almost 100 riders attending? To low the level? Or to change the rules?
This is the question, that many people arise. Nobody knows, otherwise we already did it. We have to do something to make Trials more funny and easier. Nowadays, who watches the top riders in an Indoor, for sure,, doesn’t think to propone this sport to his son. I do not think it is better to change to NO STOP rules, in my opinion Trials must be quite free, but we also have to try to make the sections easier. We could try not use tires with so much grip as the ones used right now. Or simply to inflate them at more pressure…in this case we need less difficult sections.

What about the weight? Do we have to put a limit in the reduction?
No, I do not think it is necessary. Normally who use his bike on Sunday likes having a light bike, but he does not check his tires ‘ pressure every moment or he does not use special tires. So for him nothing change, while for good skill riders probably the level of obstacles need to be reduced.

You have also ridden the SSDT in 2007, why this return?
Yes, I rode the Scottish in 2005 and 2007. It was a competition that I never rode before, so I wanted to make this experience, too. I liked it very much, because it is very different. It’s sad I did not ride it at my time, because I always had problems riding on such similar hazards in the world championship. Probably riding the SSDT I would get a big help in understanding the condition of that terrain.


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Tommi Ahvala intervistato alle operazione preliminari del Campionato Europeo di Varallo Sesia, grazie alla gentile collaborazione con Francesco Maddiona , www.nonsolomotowebtv.it