About Us

Sporting Trials in Ireland is a relatively well kept secret! A secret we really do wish to share with you.

At present most trials are taking place in the Wicklow area. There is 16 in the calendar year. The season starts in September and finishes in April, generally with a two-day event.

Four Motor Clubs look after holding the events, Leinster Motor Club and The Motor Enthusiasts Club, Carlow Motor Club and Wexford Motor Club. The Trials are overseen by the Trials committee which in turn reports to Motorsport Ireland.

The object of the sport is to complete 12 sections (6 sections done twice). Each section will have pairs of stakes, numbered 10 down to Zero, which you must negotiate, without hitting them, getting stuck or a number of other incursions. To arrive back to control with a clean card (Zero) is our holy grail.

The sections can be quite varied, sometimes being in quarries and others being through lush slushy ditches, so all round skill is the name of the day. Here is a typical forestry style section.

The cars we use are home built specials, and are quite intricate pieces of kit. A lot of the fun in the sport is having your car well prepared for the event. Cars vary from VW beetle based versions to a number of Motorbike powered using the likes of Yamaha, Honda and even Harley Davidson engines, with a host of other variants in between.

The cars generally have two pedals, Clutch and Throttle, while the brakes are placed on individual “fiddle brakes” in order to lock a particular wheel, to assist you in negotiating a tight turn or hold you high on a bank.

The truly great thing about this sport is the ability to observe and discuss each section before you enter it. This provides a day of light conversation as you progress through the day. While competition is evident between drivers, there is huge friendship and camaraderie between the drivers, young and old.

There is a recent revival in younger competitors, and the sport will provide them with great skills and understanding while driving in normal conditions. The Junior section traditionally commenced at the age of fourteen, though it is envisaged to reduce this further shortly, making the sport truly family orientated.

Take a look at the video clip links and if the sport interests you don't hesitate to contact us where we can guide you to an event, or even in how to become involved with it!!

Below is a demonstration by Alan Kilkenny on how it should be done. Warning..He makes it look alot easier than it is.