Billy Green

THE GREEN MACHINE!

The title fight for the 2023 Hertz FIM Trial2 World Championship crown has been a season-long lesson in the importance of consistency and while this has no doubt resulted in plenty of sleepless nights for the main contenders, it has ensured a dramatic season for fans with plenty of twists and turns to keep them entertained.

It was rising British star Billy Green – Scorpa who eventually emerged on top, but the twenty-one-year-old will admit that at times he made life very hard for himself and following fourteen days of competition it was only in the closing stages of the second lap of the final round at Vertolaye in France that the balance of power permanently swung his way.

After finishing fifth when the series got under way at Arteixo in Spain in April, Green improved to second the following day before he showed his class one week later at Gouveia in Portugal with a double win. Over the next three rounds in Japan, San Marino and Andorra he alternated between missing the podium on Saturday before fighting back into contention with top-three finishes on Sunday, though he had to wait until day two of the penultimate round at Sestriere in Italy to take his third win of the season.

Fortunately for Green, the two other riders in title contention – his compatriot Jack Peace – Sherco and Spain’s Pablo Suarez – Montesa – were also inconsistent and he held a six-point lead over Peace heading into the TrialGP of France at the start of September.

A disastrous opening day saw Green finish out of the points as he gifted the joint series lead to Suarez and Peace, however FIM World Champions are fighters to the core and the young British lion roared back to the top with an ice-cool second-placed performance on day two to clinch the Trial2 crown to add to the Trial3 title he secured back in 2018.

PALMARES

World title – 2023, 2018 (Trial 125cc)

GREEN LIGHT FOR TRIAL125!

The Trial125 class was upgraded from FIM World Cup to FIM World Championship status in 2018, giving British teenager Billy Green (Beta) the opportunity to make history as he claimed the title in fine style. The sixteen-year-old, who ranked second overall in this category in 2017, rose to the occasion from the opening round in Spain, taking the win ahead of home hopeful Martin Riobo (Gas Gas).

Fifteen-year-old Riobo was also impressive, taking the win on the first day at Motegi in round two to briefly move to the top of the standings. However, Green returned to the top step on the second day as Riobo struggled and the Brit backed it up with further wins in Andorra and Portugal to make it four victories from five days of competition heading into a single-day final round in Italy.

Green completed the opening lap with no marks lost, but three maximum scores along with a dab on lap two dropped him behind Riobo and Italy’s Carloalberto Rabino (Beta) who tied on thirteen with Riobo winning on a most-cleans tie-break. However, third place on the day was still easily good enough for him to be crowned the first-ever FIM World Champion in the division. 

Riobo’s second victory of the campaign consolidated the runner-up spot in the championship ahead of compatriot Pablo Suarez (Gas Gas), who ended the season with four podiums despite taking fifth on the day.

PALMARES

World title – 2018