PASSIONATE ABOUT TRIALS FOR OVER 60 YEARS!
After the second world war in 1945 a group of people decided to form a sporting motorcycle and car club. The motorcycle side of the club included Trials, Scrambles, and Hill climbs.
During January of 1960 Mr. Bill Bell and a number of other Trials enthusiasts decided to break away from the main club and form an independent Trials club. And so the Transvaal Trials Club was born, and was affiliated to the AA motor sport division. The TTC was one of the first clubs to be affiliated with the AA and to this day one trial every year is dedicated to the late Bill Bell.
Later a committee was formed and a constitution and rule book was drawn up. The basic rules consisted of a section laid out through rocks, water, over logs, up and down steep gradients etc. all marked to restrict the riders between strategically placed flags.
Over the years the system was fine tuned to cater for improved Trials motorcycles and higher levels of expertise.
The early motorcycles weighed in at over 90kg, to days modern Trials bikes weigh down to 65kg. International events do not allow motorcycles less than 65kg to compete.
The club continued to concentrate on off road Observed Trials, and on road regularity Trials, which tested skill in navigation and time schedules. Road Trials ceased in the mid 1980s when it became difficult to obtain permits.
By this time the MSA (Motor Sport South Africa) had taken control of all motor sport in South Africa.
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At the Annual General Meeting of 1996 a decision was taken to change the name of the club to the Northern Region Trials Club (NRTC) in line with the transformation that was taking place in the country.
The club continued to grow at a steady pace and the import of specialist Trials Bikes kept pace with the demand. The main Trials bikes imported during the 80s and 90s were Beta from Italy and Montessa from Spain, both 2 stroke machines. In the 90s the engines all changed from air cooled to liquid cooled, mono shock suspension and disk brakes were introduced.
During October 2008 a South African team went over to Spain to compete in the Trials Des Nations.
This was the first time an official Trials Team had represented South Africa in a World wide event.
The team came 13th overall and led all the non European and American countries.
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Although still small, Observed Trials is the fastest growing motorcycle sport in South Africa, growing at an average rate of 20% per year. In 2009 the NRTC was voted the most efficient organized club in the country.
As the club continued to grow it was possible to introduce more than one line through a section to cater for different skill levels. In 2008 an intermediate class was introduced.
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Present day the different classes now consist of:
Social, for those sitting on the fence and wanting to try the sport. Prefect for new beginners.
Clubman, an entry level class. Intermediate, Expert and Masters.
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During 2011 a number of milestones were reached,
National Championships were held in Cape Town after a break of more than 20 years. The importation of trials bikes broke all previous records, It was agreed that sections suitable for electric trials bikes could be introduced during 2012 and further catering for children from the age of 5 years.