page 3 2014 Interview with FIM Trials Director Thierry Michaud about FIM strategy
Some people say that change needs to happen and some people say that they don’t want change. Who do you talk to? You talk to the manufacturers. Do you talk to the riders when deciding change?
We have a very good relationship with the riders, but as many persons and many riders complain, “Why don’t you ask us to decide”. I say “Which rider? Which rider do we have to ask ? The top five riders? The World Championship rider? All the national championships in every country that rides? All the riders who are riding in the world?” When you have a so big change like the no - stop, it’s not a rule it’s a concept. The FIM think about this for many years not for just one day and just suddenly say “Today we decide to change”. People think the FIM decide in five minutes to change. For sure the decision hasn’t been taken in five minutes, you understand what I mean. The decision has been taken. At the moment the board of the FIM decide to change but it is many years thinking about the changing. And, do you want during these many years that we make vote from all of the riders around the world to find out what they want ? Every change creates some trouble and creates more work to do and creates unsatisfied. We knew the rider would be unsatisfied. It was not possible to ask the rider if they want to do it. When you are a top rider when everything is going well for you and everything is ok. We go to the riders and say “Do you want us to make a big change?”. They’ll say “No” for sure. When I was rider I say now again, so do you understand. It is stupid to think that we have to ask the riders everything. But it not losing respect. We do have respect for the riders. This is the difference between the general interest like the FIM have to look and the personal interest. We are working for trial sport not only for the riders, not only for the manufactures, not only for the marshals. It’s a general situation.
We knew that we needed many years to try to improve the situation. We knew that it would bring big trouble. We knew all of this. It’s a difficult situation. Everyone wants to have their own power on trials sport. Everyone wants to have his own rule for trials. There is so many rules for trials in clubs. Everyone says his own rules is the best. It’s complicated. Really we respect the rider. I have a very good relationship and I was a rider yesterday as your interview was about. I still have the feeling of the rider even if I am not riding. I understand the situation but trial sport, you know, before Michaud it was trial. After Michaud there is trial. After Toni Bou I hope it will still be trial. The most important is the sport, not the person. If we have trouble with marshal decisions they are much less today than before. It is part of the sport and some detail of the sport.
What is the best thing about your job now? Is your job now harder than being a trials rider?
Yes, Oooh …..Its so different. To be a rider and to be a World Champion, its exactly what I say to Toni Bou. All of the trial persons would love to be Toni Bou today. You understand what I mean. For all of us it is a dream to be Toni Bou today. The thing is Toni Bou is he World Champion but as I say to him, in the section he is not the boss, the marshal is the boss. It’s difficult to explain. I am very excited about the job I am doing now because I believe in the power and the potential of the trial sport. I think trial is very inlaid and respected to the social potential we have. I think there is the capacity and potential to be really integrated into society. I am convinced trial sport has a big future. I am one of the persons who can be involved and who can push for that. This is very exciting. It is not the question to have the power, because really I don’t need the power. It’s not exciting for me to have this power personally. I really feel that I have the capacity with the FIM and with all the persons who can be involved in the sport. We have a great capacity to improve. It’s a marvellous and loving sport. This is the main thing.
For sure I am doing a lot of administrative jobs and this is not my main favourite days when I do these administrative things but there is many things to do. In fact there is the potential to improve that is the most exciting thing. For sure, me when I am on the World Championship at the trial, it is the best part of the sport, not when I am in my office, to work by phone or on the computer for sure. To meet some people is very important.
Thank you Thierry for this interview.
We have a very good relationship with the riders, but as many persons and many riders complain, “Why don’t you ask us to decide”. I say “Which rider? Which rider do we have to ask ? The top five riders? The World Championship rider? All the national championships in every country that rides? All the riders who are riding in the world?” When you have a so big change like the no - stop, it’s not a rule it’s a concept. The FIM think about this for many years not for just one day and just suddenly say “Today we decide to change”. People think the FIM decide in five minutes to change. For sure the decision hasn’t been taken in five minutes, you understand what I mean. The decision has been taken. At the moment the board of the FIM decide to change but it is many years thinking about the changing. And, do you want during these many years that we make vote from all of the riders around the world to find out what they want ? Every change creates some trouble and creates more work to do and creates unsatisfied. We knew the rider would be unsatisfied. It was not possible to ask the rider if they want to do it. When you are a top rider when everything is going well for you and everything is ok. We go to the riders and say “Do you want us to make a big change?”. They’ll say “No” for sure. When I was rider I say now again, so do you understand. It is stupid to think that we have to ask the riders everything. But it not losing respect. We do have respect for the riders. This is the difference between the general interest like the FIM have to look and the personal interest. We are working for trial sport not only for the riders, not only for the manufactures, not only for the marshals. It’s a general situation.
We knew that we needed many years to try to improve the situation. We knew that it would bring big trouble. We knew all of this. It’s a difficult situation. Everyone wants to have their own power on trials sport. Everyone wants to have his own rule for trials. There is so many rules for trials in clubs. Everyone says his own rules is the best. It’s complicated. Really we respect the rider. I have a very good relationship and I was a rider yesterday as your interview was about. I still have the feeling of the rider even if I am not riding. I understand the situation but trial sport, you know, before Michaud it was trial. After Michaud there is trial. After Toni Bou I hope it will still be trial. The most important is the sport, not the person. If we have trouble with marshal decisions they are much less today than before. It is part of the sport and some detail of the sport.
What is the best thing about your job now? Is your job now harder than being a trials rider?
Yes, Oooh …..Its so different. To be a rider and to be a World Champion, its exactly what I say to Toni Bou. All of the trial persons would love to be Toni Bou today. You understand what I mean. For all of us it is a dream to be Toni Bou today. The thing is Toni Bou is he World Champion but as I say to him, in the section he is not the boss, the marshal is the boss. It’s difficult to explain. I am very excited about the job I am doing now because I believe in the power and the potential of the trial sport. I think trial is very inlaid and respected to the social potential we have. I think there is the capacity and potential to be really integrated into society. I am convinced trial sport has a big future. I am one of the persons who can be involved and who can push for that. This is very exciting. It is not the question to have the power, because really I don’t need the power. It’s not exciting for me to have this power personally. I really feel that I have the capacity with the FIM and with all the persons who can be involved in the sport. We have a great capacity to improve. It’s a marvellous and loving sport. This is the main thing.
For sure I am doing a lot of administrative jobs and this is not my main favourite days when I do these administrative things but there is many things to do. In fact there is the potential to improve that is the most exciting thing. For sure, me when I am on the World Championship at the trial, it is the best part of the sport, not when I am in my office, to work by phone or on the computer for sure. To meet some people is very important.
Thank you Thierry for this interview.