South East Police Motorcycle Safety Trials
Official Rules

PLEASE READ ALL RULES CAREFULLY.

RULES IN RED INDICATE A CHANGE FOR 2011. 

 

I. Trials Rules Committee

A. A Trials Rules Committee will be established to settle all disputes that cannot be settled at the stewards' level. All decisions of the Trials Rules Committee are final.

B. The Trials Rules Committee will be selected in the following manner:

1. At least four members from the Board of Directors present at the trials. If four members of the Board of Directors are not present, then the President will select members from the General Committee. However, no one on the Trials Rules Committee will be from a department that is involved in the dispute.

2. The President of the Trials Committee will be the Chairman of the Trials Rules Committee, unless his or her agency is involved in the dispute. In that case, the Vice President will be the Chairman.

C. All questions submitted to the Trials Rules Committee shall be discussed, and put to a vote at the discretion of the Chairman.

1. Majority vote rules.

2. The Committee members from the agency or agencies involved in the dispute may participate in any discussion, but shall not have a vote.

3. In the event of a tie vote, The Committee Chairman shall not cast a second vote to break the tie, and the dispute or proposal upon which the tie occurs shall be referred back to the Chief Steward. The Chief Steward's decision is final.

II. General Rules

A. Competition shall be open to all full time law enforcement officers who are assigned to a police motorcycle unit, or were previously assigned to a motorcycle unit.

B. Riders must compete on a police motorcycle of at least 1000 cc's that is equipped in the normal deployment configuration as delivered from the factory. This would include lights, saddlebag rails, and engine guards (AKA "crash bars") No modification of the steering geometry will be permitted. Fork stops must be in place at the bottom of the triple tree to make contact with the frame while turning. All motors will be inspected prior to each run.

C. Riders must compete wearing the appropriate uniform normally worn on duty.

D. All riders must wear a helmet, properly fastened while on the courses.

E. Prior to entering an event, a rider or team will be allowed five minutes to repair or replace a motorcycle that is malfunctioning. Once a rider or team starts an event, excuses for breakdowns will not be allowed.

III. "Fun Run"

A. The "Fun Run" will consist of a course not to be disclosed until the day of competition. The course will be designed to test a variety of skills required of a motorcycle officer.

B. In order to qualify for the "Fun Run" a rider must have completed the untimed run the Skills Course. (A clean run is NOT required)

C. Each rider will complete one run for time. The five riders with the best times will receive trophies.

D. In the event of a tie, the riders' involved will make a second timed run.

E. Scoring will be the same as section IV.

IV. Skills Course Individual Competition

A. Trophies will be awarded to the top five finishers.

B. The object of the competition is to complete a course consisting of at least five different exercises, without receiving penalty points.

C. Penalty points will be added as 1 second per point to the time, and are assessed as follows:

1 point - If a wheel crosses an established boundary line (Cone Weave)
2 points - Touch a cone or knock ball off cone
3 points - Put a foot down
5 points - Knock down a cone
5 points - Fail to complete an exercise (includes not following the required path of travel)
10 points - Drop the motorcycle
10 points - Running out of an exercise (When the front and rear wheels cross the imaginary line between the center points of the two adjacent cones where the motorcycle would not normally enter or exit an exercise.)

D. A maximum of twenty (20) penalty points is allowed per run. Riders exceeding the maximum points will not qualify for a trophy.

E. Bonus points will be awarded for each penalty free run, by deducting five (5) seconds from the time. An additional five (5)-point bonus will be awarded for two penalty free runs. However, motorcycles with a turning radius of less than eighteen (18) feet, will receive a five (5)-point bonus for two clean runs only.

F. One run will be timed, and one run non timed with penalty and bonus factored in for a final score.

G. Ties: A tie is considered two or more riders with the exact score. All ties for first through fifth place will be broken by a second timed run.

V. Division Competition

A. Trophies will be awarded to the top five finishers.

B. Ties: Any division ties will be resolved by a second timed run.

C. Divisions are as follows:

Division 1 - HD FLH with fairing

Division 2 - HD FLH with windshield

Division 3 - All other Police Motorcycles

VI. 50 + Competition

A. Top five riders receive trophies, based on placement within the category.

B. Riders must be 50 years of age or older.

C. Riders in the category are also eligible for Individual and Divisional trophies.

VII. Novice Competition

A. Top five riders receive trophies, based on placement within the category.

B. A Novice is defined as a rider who has never competed in any police motorcycle competition such as, rodeo, trials, or Olympics.

C. All Novice entrants are still eligible for Individual and Divisional trophies.

VIII. Team Competition

A. Top five teams receive trophies, based on placement in the Skills competition.

B. A team consists of four riders from the same agency. An agency may field more than one team, but a rider may be on one team only.

C. Team members must be announced prior to the start of competition.

D. Team scoring will be based on the average of the team members' placement in the Skill competition. All members of the team must finish both runs with 20 penalty points or less per run.

E. In the event of a tie, one member from each team involved will participate in a run off.

IX. Individual Slow Ride

A. The top five Riders who participate in this event with the slowest times will receive trophies.

B. This is an open event, and Team Slow Ride members may participate.

C. The course will be determined by the Committee, and may include turns, a reduction in size, or cones.

D. The time starts as the motorcycle enters the course, and ends when one of the following occurs:

1. The rider's rear axle crosses the finish line
2. The motorcycle crosses any boundary line, or touches an obstacle.
3. The rider puts a foot down
4. The rider drops the motorcycle.

E. Ties: Ties will be resolved with a run off between the tied riders, slowest rider wins.

X. Team Slow Ride Competition

A. The five slowest teams receive trophies.

B. The object of the competition is for each rider to travel a course as slowly as possible without leaving the course, hitting an obstacle, putting a foot down, or dropping the motorcycle. The slowest combined times of all four riders from any one team will determine the winner.

C. The course will be determined by the Committee, and may include turns, a reduction in size, or cones.

D. This is a relay competition, and is conducted as follows:

1. Riders # 1 and # 3 begin at one end of the course, with riders # 2 and # 4 beginning at the opposite end of the same course.
2. At the judge's command, rider # 1 raises his/her foot and travels the course as slowly as possible.
3. At each end of the course, there will be a two-foot transfer box. All rider exchanges will take place within the transfer box.
4. When rider # 1's front wheel enters the transfer box, rider # 2 must raise his/her foot and enter the transfer box with his/her front wheel inside the transfer box before rider # 1's front axle crosses the exit line. Rider # 2 then proceeds to the opposite end of the course, and completes a transfer with rider # 3.
5. During the transfer process, when the entering rider's wheel enters the box, and he/she becomes the active rider.
6. Riders # 3 and # 4 proceed as listed in 4 and 5 above.

E. The judge will STOP and RECORD the time for the TEAM when:

1. Rider # 4's rear axle crosses the exit line
2. The active rider puts a foot down
3. The active rider crosses a boundary, or touches an obstacle
4. The transferring rider fails to enter the transfer box on time
5. The active rider drops the motorcycle

F. Agencies may field as many teams as they wish. However, and individual may only ride on one team.

G. A team may consist of any four riders regardless of agency, and a rider may compete in this event without having competed in the other events. All other rules will apply.

XI. Bronfman Slow Ride Challenge

A.    The five individual slow ride winners will compete head to head in the Bronfman Slow Ride Challenge.
B. The course will be determined by the Committee, and may include turns, a reduction in size, or cones.
C. Scoring will be as IX, D.
D. The individual with the slowest time will win the Bronfman Trophy.

 

XII. Overall Individual

        The scoring for Overall Individual will be based on a percentage of the scores for Skills, Fun Run, and Individual Slow Ride, as follows;

1.      Skills Course Individual                50%

2.      Fun Run                                       30%    

3.      Individual Slow Ride                     20%

XIII. Judging

A. The Committee will appoint a Chief Steward whose duties will consist of the following:

1. Official Score Keeper
2. Supervise Judges
3. Mediate scoring disputes

B. If any rider disagrees with his/her score, then he/she must notify the Chief Steward immediately. If the Chief Steward is unable to settle the dispute, then the matter will be referred to the Rules Committee as outlined in I A.