“More than a cap – it is a badge of honour!”

Trials Guru website was founded in the March of 2014, then after ten years of promoting the sport of Trial, we put our thinking caps on and came up with the great idea of how to celebrate the anniversary in 2024! In fact our ‘idea’ has since been copied!

We then implemented the idea and had produced exclusively for the website, red caps with the Trials Guru logo on the front and the slogan embroidered across the back: ‘DEDICATED TO TRIAL‘.

The Trials Guru VIP cap honours outstanding riders, volunteers, organisers, and supporters who make exceptional contributions to motorcycle trials. It helps preserve the spirit and history of the sport while celebrating those who display dedication, passion, and service. As it states on the rear of every cap – ‘DEDICATED TO TRIAL’

The Trials Guru ‘VIP cap’ has brought together many enthusiasts of the sport from across the globe, from 27 countries, so we decided to create this VIP Club in September 2024, to enable us to showcase these enthusiastic people, some are professional riders, some are journalists, some are officials, many of whom spend hundreds of hours of their spare time organising, riding, promoting or helping at events, but they are ALL true enthusiasts of the sport of trial. Trials Guru salutes you all – DEDICATED TO TRIAL.

John Moffat, founder of Trials Guru website:

“The Trials Guru VIP cap promotion has been very well received throughout the world, but it wasn’t a normal promotion, as the caps are strictly not for retail or sale. It has brought people from the sport much joy. In most cases the cap is a small token of recognition to those who have put something into the sport of trial, not just famous riders. It is more than a cap – it’s a badge of honour.”

Testimonials:

Here are some of the testimonials we have received since we distributed the Trials Guru caps, recognising people in the sport of Trial:

“Thank you so much for the Trials Guru VIP cap. It’s an honor for me to be in the VIP Club“ – Giovanni Tosco, four times Italian National Trials Champion.

“Thank you for sending me the Trials Guru VIP Winners cap, much appreciated. I feel honoured to be included in your top ten.” – Sammy Miller MBE, New Milton.

“Thank you Trials Guru for the limited edition VIP Winners cap. I’m honored to be one of ten recipients to receive it for achievements and greatness in the sport of Trial.” – Bernie Schreiber, World Trials Champion & SSDT Winner.

“Thank you for the Trials Guru ‘VIP’ cap, this made my heart go a little faster!“ – René Opstals, Midwoud, Netherlands.

“I am greatly honoured to have a Trials Guru cap bestowed upon me, I shall wear it with pride. Best wishes” – Nick Jefferies

“I was a Police Officer for thirty years, in Northumbria Police, and I have the Queen’s Police Medal. Being recognised in the Trials World has made me as proud as the day I went to Buckingham Palace with my parents and sister to receive my medal from HM The Queen herself!” – Helen Graham Fox QPM

“I want to thank you for the cap. It’s absolutely beautiful, and I’m really happy to join the Trial Guru family with these limited-edition caps. I truly appreciate your work — what you do is priceless. I’m a big fan of the concept and of my cap. With all my best regards.” – Philippe BERLATIER 

“I’m very honoured to receive this cap from Trials Guru, which I humbly accept on behalf of the Comerford family and all those who worked at or rode with the support of Comerford’s of Thames Ditton.” – Patrick Comerford

Special Edition – The very exclusive white Trials Guru ‘VIP Winners‘ Cap:

At the same time, we created the exclusive, special edition ‘VIP Winners‘ cap in white. Only ten have ever been produced and were presented to very special recipients, to acknowledge their individual achievements in the sport of trial over the years. Each cap is descretely, individually numbered and a record has been kept of the recipients.

The special ‘VIP Winner‘ white caps were inspired by the colour scheme of the Bell Helmets’ ‘Stroker’ cap, a white cap with graphics in red and black from the 1970s.

Here are the ten ‘VIP Winners‘ cap recipients – the ‘Special Edition Ten’ : Sammy Miller, MBE; Bernie Schreiber; Charles Coutard; Gilles Burgat; Gary Macdonald; Yrjö Vesterinen; Malcolm Rathmell; Steve Saunders; Mick Andrews & Alan Lampkin.

Trials Guru ‘VIP Legends’ caps! Who has received the special, limited to 25 caps edition, light grey caps? All the Trial Legends caps are discreetly numbered 1-25.

Here are our TRIALS GURU – TRIAL LEGENDS:

Jeff V. Smith MBE: – Winner of the 1955 SSDT, holder of eight Gold ISDT medals and two times 1964-65 World Motocross Champion, Member of the Order of the British Empire. Now living in the USA.

Arthur J. Lampkin: – Born in Kent in 1938, but raised and resided in Silsden, Yorkshire since 1941, the eldest of the three Lampkin brothers who were at the top level of the Off-Road motorcycle sport from the 1950s to the 1980s. Arthur was a factory BSA and Cotton rider, Scottish Six Days Trial and Scott Trial winner and TV scrambles star. A.J. Lampkin was also a podium finisher in the European Motocross and World Motocross championships.

Dave Thorpe: – Former Triumph, Ossa, Bultaco and Yamaha trials rider. Winner of the first round of the inaugural World Trials Championship in 1975.

Jon Stoodley: – From Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA, a life-long motorcycling enthusiast and trials rider. A clever engineer and engine builder and tuner.

Toshiki ‘Toshi’ Nishiyama: – From Tokyo, Japan. The first Japanese rider to compete in the SSDT (1971) former ISDT rider.

Oriol Puig Bultó: – Development rider, team manager, trials, motocross and enduro rider for Bultaco Motorcycles. Oriol was the nephew of the founder of Bultaco, FX Bultó. He was a three time Spanish national motocross champion and competed in several International Six Days Trials winning five gold medals out of the nine he amassed in his ISDT riding career. He also rode in the SSDT on a number of occasions as well as being the Bultaco team manager. Oriol served 45 years on the FIM Technical committee. There is no doubt that Oriol Puig Bultó is ‘Dedicated To Trial’.

Pere Pi Parera: – Spanish offroad motorcycle pioneer, motocross rider 1960-66 and development rider for Permanyer SA, on the Montesa Cota project from 1966-71. Father of top cycle trial rider Ot Pi. Pere was the only rider to win Spanish championships in racing, motocross and trials. His career was very successful, with a Spanish Championship of racing in 100 cc with Derbi in 1959. Six Spanish Motocross Championships with Montesa, two in 125 cc and four in 250 cc classes (from 1961 to 1966) and a Spanish Trials Championship with Montesa in 1968.

Walther Luft & Joe Wallman:

Walther Luft – Multiple Austrian Trials Champion, Puch and KTM factory rider, many times Best Overseas Rider in the Scottish Six Days Trial.

Joe Wallmann – Multiple Austrian Trials Champion who rode Bultaco for importer, Horst Leitner.

James Dabill: – Junior World Trials Champion in 2005 and the European Champion in 2006. His other achievements include winning the Scottish Six Days Trial three times and the Scott Trial four times. He has been the British Trials Champion eight times.

Nigel Birkett: – Well known in the trials world, from Cumbria in North West England, he was a former Suzuki, Montesa, Kawasaki, Fantic and Yamaha development rider, who also rode an Ossa in 1974. He is the current importer of Scorpa motorcycles at his Broughton-In-Furness base.

Nick Jefferies: – Of the world famous Jefferies dynasty of Allan, Tony and David, Nick was a great all rounder, one minute racing a full factory Honda GP machine or on their factory trials RTLs. Nick Jefferies was capable of winning a trial or the TT or the Manx GP. He is of course a TRIALS GURU – Trial Legend!

“Well thank you Trials Guru, I feel honoured. I am sure there are more deserving individuals. Trials was and always will be my first love, though I barely recognise the sport today. Give me Arthur, Sid, or Mart blasting up Laggan Locks any day!! Many thanks for all the extremely kind comments. Seems a long time since my first trial on Gordon Farley’s ex works Cub, Spen Valley Club Trial at Southowram Quarries near Brighouse, April 1968.” – Nick Jefferies

Philippe Berlatier: – former Bultaco, Italjet, Aprilia and Beta rider from France is a ‘Trials Guru – Trial Legend‘.

Adrian Clarke: – From Sheffield, an ace sidecar driver and an accomplished solo rider is a ‘Trials Guru – Trial Legend‘

Mick Wilkinson: – Former James, Greeves and Ossa rider, sidecar driver and ISDT Trophy Team member from Kettlewell, Upper Wharfedale, Yorkshire is a Trials Guru – Trial Legend.

Bill Wilkinson: – The last man to win the Scottish Six Days Trial on a British built machine, Greeves, 1969. He also won the British Experts and the Scott Trials and rode for his country at the ISDT, he was a Greeves and Ossa works rider, Bill is a Trials Guru – Trial Legend. Sadly, Bill passed away in 2025.

Rob Shepherd: – Former Montesa and Honda factory rider, who was British Champion, four top ten positions in the World Trials Championships and a Scott Trial winner, this Yorkshire farmer is indeed a Trials Guru – Trial Legend.

Christian Rayer: – French National Trials Champion, Montesa and Yamaha development rider is a Trials Guru – Trial Legend.

Richard Sunter: – former Kawasaki and Montesa rider from Healaugh, North Yorkshire is a Trials Guru – Trial Legend. Sunter was one of those riders who competed with the very best of that era, which included the Lampkins, Rathmell, Hemingway, Edwards, Andrews, Shepherd and just about anyone else who made up the who’s who of trials in the days when British riders were the force to be reckoned with in European and then World class events.

More Trial Legends to be announced shortly!

Interesting VIP fact:

Only one person has all three VIP caps, the original ‘VIP Red’ cap; the white ‘VIP Winners’ cap and the light grey ‘Trial Legend’ cap, that person is Bernie Schreiber, the first American born FIM World Trials Champion!

Here is a selection of our ‘Trials Guru VIPs’ – across the world of trials…

From England to Spain, Switzerland to Oklahoma, from Queensland to New Zealand and beyond, with even a Trials Guru VIP in Tokyo!

Worldwide, our Trials Guru VIPs….

Special Edition NEVIS RADIO VIPs:

To celebrate the 10 years of Trials Guru association with Nevis Radio, we had ‘Nevis Radio Blue’ VIP caps produced for the presenters at Fort William’s community radio station. Only 12 of these caps were made, two of which were put up for ‘on air’ competitions during SSDT week.

Trials Guru VIP Club

Where are the Trials Guru VIPs?:

Andorra; Australia; Austria; Belgium; Canada; Catalunia; Denmark; England; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Guatemala; Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; Isle of Man; Isle of Wight; Italy; Japan; Jersey; Netherlands; New Zealand; Orkney; Scotland; South Africa; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; USA.

(All images on this page are displayed with the copyholder’s knowledge and permission, including photographs that have been self-taken by the subject)

The ‘Trials Guru’ logo is a registered UK Trade Mark with the Intellectual Property Office of GOV UK.