Final Championship Valais Niedergesteln, great final, nice weather and smiling faces..
Expert class, Pascal Schnyder wins, Noah Lauber 2nd and Louis Gys still achieves 3rd place…. With the wrong bike. wins the trial, takes 1st place in the championship, his experience and feet on pegs always mentality brings him this deserving win and win of the championship. Kudos to Noah for riding extremely well, a tight battle with Pascal until the final sections in the 3rd lap with 2 penalties of 5 put him in a place where he could not get the first spot, luckily, he kept is feet on the pegs once more than Louis to secure his second place. Noah is showing amazing riding progress trial after trial truly proof of his talent!!The club of TC Illgraben organised the final for 2026 Valais Trial season, 6 very nice technical sections set out on their training ground, take a look at the class per class results:
What was to be expected as an easy race for Louis turned out in a day long battle not with the nice technical but quite easy sections, but with his GasGas Trialsbike… euh well not really his bike… I charged by mistaken my bike on Saturday night in the rusk to get all packed and ready (they look a bit similar)… result Louis had to ride a bike setup for a person of 90KG, an engine and throttle setup that he is not used to riding at all… looking at his first 2 rounds score, compensating for this bike, tells the entire story and gives the true picture of his result, adapting to this bike and riding the way he did in lap 3 and 4 deserves nothing but encouragement… his 3rd place was due to MY MISTAKE, no words for doing this… you are not used that I put this much focus on my kid, but before any opinions start circulating I wanted to set the record straight immediately!
Open Class, Levi Walther WIN!! Charlotte Suard securing 2nd after switching back a level, Heinz Schnyder takes another podium place!!
With only 6 penalties throughout the entire day of riding Levi takes top spot of the podium, his continuous improvement and riding in Swiss Championship at Junior level is clearly paying off in scoring win after win while gaining experience!! For sure riding a full championship is paying off and always better riding as many trials as possible!! Charlotte after riding Expert class in Fully switched back to open class in Niedergestln and scores a great second place, after her great race for Swiss Championship in Grandval she continuous her podium run!! Only 2 penalties more to be marked for Mister Trial Switzerland Heinz Schnyder… I have no other words but massive respect for Heinz, feet on the pegs, always smiling, friendly words for all riders and showing amazing skills!!! Thank you, Heinz, for making our trials great!!
Vintage Class, 4 riders in this class WIN for Oskar Waither!!
Wins runs in the Walther family for sure!!! Oskar steers his Fantic to another great victory… Hans for another stong 2nd spot and Pascal putting his Triumph on the 3rd spot of the podium…
Remarkable fact about this class riders is that they are truly riding original bikes, no rebuilt vintage bikes with modern setup suspension and engine behaviour, no no the “good” old stuff… the sections set for the Vintage riders were technical, tight cornering, off-camber floater turns and experience was needed…
FUN Class win for Fabien Dubois, before Jean-Luc Fonjallaz and Fabien Pfamatter!!!
Scoring gives a clear picture of FUN technical sections, winner with 30 penalties, this was a great trial that was not easy for FUN category, but I state great sections as nothing dangerous at all, riders had to dig deep to ride clean but this I noticed nothing but smiles, happy tired FUN riders at the end of the day!!!
My personal take on this event, only positive words for the event, the club of TC Illgraben!! They know trials, have a great momentum, the club that breath passion for trials, going by the rumours they are in big doubt to organize next year’s round for Swiss championships. let us all hope and give them courage to continue organizing the Valais race of the Swiss championship!! Valais has always been a top spot in all trials championships and it should stay this way!!
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Grandval– Race Report, last race of Swiss Championship… some close battles to determine the champions of 2026!!
Last race of the season, conditions were good and dry (for Jura this is dry)... 10 sections build in typical Jura style trial, the riders had to complete 3 laps. Overal happy faces with the riders throughout the day, a total of 62 riders started this last race of the season for both SAM and Swiss Championship. 21 riders from SAM, 41 riders from SwissMoto.
Elite Class:
No surprise at all, Noé takes another win making it a full all race winning season, still scored 35 penalties across the many slippery sections, close follower by Johan Buchwalder scoring 57 penalties, only 10 penalties more for Pascal Schnyder completing the Elite class podium for the day. Both Louis Gys and Roman Inderwildi (the youngsters in Elite class) had a day to quickly forget, end of the season and no more points to win and change positions made that both riders handed in their cards before the finish.
Expert Class:
Overal win for Dominic Guillaume with 45 penalties, second place for David Guenin with 51 penalties and 3rd spot for Noah Lauber with 2 penalties too many to secure his second place on the podium. First SAM rider Johannes Fischauf coming all the way from Austria to join the full SAM championship.
Challenge Class:
Another convincing win for former Elite rider Christian Schnyder with only 18 penalties, second place secured by Nolan Christen with 31 penalties and followed by SAM rider Alexander Stampgli with 6 penalties more.
Side note for the great result of Charlotte Suard who had a great day of riding with only 43 penalties securing her a 6th place and a 3rd spot for Charlotte among the Swiss championship riders, going ahead of riders like Nevio and Kevin that are still riding 125cc TRRS bikes wich was not an advantage seeing the steep hills and slippery conditions.
Open Class
Very close battles once again with the Open class, SAM rider Wener Weber ensured himself of the highest spot on the podiem with 20 penalties , seond spot went to one of the most experienced riders in the entire field Urs Pluss with 2 penalties more. Followed by Pascal Kolb on the 3rd spot of the podium.
Junior Class
Thanks to the SAM riders, we had 4 riders starting in Junior Class for this race. Levi Walther continues his winning streak with another strong ride scoring 29 penalties, followed by two SAM riders to complete the podium with Mirco Kolb in second spot with 37 and Jason Kurz on 39, 4th place went to Neo geiser with a total of 59 points.
The Vintage class was once more held strong by solo rider Hans Zenklusen, Hans deserves the special mention as he rode hiw JAWA in every single race, playing the game to try and launch the Vintage Trial in a Swiss Championship.. we will see what the future brings for this class…
Couple of side notes, and this is my view on things:
The Junior class, knowing this is a starting point for a championship to grow, there is a real problem with the number of riders that we see since a couple of years.. questions to be asked on why, what can be done to bring more junior riders to the Swiss Championship? They are out riding as we can see in various local championships!
A lot of work has started fo prepare the 2027 season, rumours are rising of certain clubs will not be organising a race next year, but other clubs seem to provide the intention to get back on the calendar...we will see what 2027 brings!! One thing is for sure we need youngsters to come and ride Trials in our clubs, our races...
THANK YOU to the clubs that organise the races for the Swiss Championship, hoping other Clubs will re-engage in setting up a race in years to come to bring variety to Trials in Switzerland and their national championship.
Thank you to every volunteer that is providing lots of effort in their spare time to ensure Trial competitions are being organised across Switzerland, regardless of it being in SwissMoto, SAM, FMVS or JURA, all of the people to do their bit for Trials in Switzerland deserve respect, for what they are doing, ideas they have and time and effort they bring to the sport...
if you ever point your finger at one of them always remember 3 fingers are pointing back at you and nobody is getting paid for being a volunteer, it is driven by pure passion for Trial sport....
Speak soon, keep your feet on the pegs,
Greetings
Tim
Fully – Race Report, Championnat Valaisan… First win for Louis Gys, first podium for Noah !!
Another great event organized by MC Fully: great sections set in a fully natural environment, great weather, and plenty of riders and spectators.
Six sections had to be ridden four times, with difficulty levels varying by category, ranging from very easy to complicated. Plenty of zeros in the Vintage category made for lots of smiles, but results were tight when the final counting was done at the end of the day.
Expert:
Louis Gys takes top spot after several changes of leadership.
Other positive news came from the level of riding shown by Noah Lauber, who scored a clean zero-mistake lap 2. His total of 15 marks puts him on his first-ever 3rd place podium in the Expert class. Second place went to Pascal Schnyder after a day-long battle with Louis Gys — Pascal's 14 marks were 3 too many to take first place. Louis signs his first Expert win of this championship, dropping only 11 marks.
A quick shout-out to one of Switzerland's best female trials ambassadors: Charlotte Suard signed back in to the Expert level after two rounds riding in the Open class, and posted a promising result with 4 nice zero marks. It's great to see Charlotte keeping up her focus and raising the bar for female trials in Switzerland — hopefully she inspires more women to join this great sport!
Open – Junior
Walter Levy takes first spot ahead of seasoned rider Heinz Schnyder.
Swiss Junior rider Walter Levy keeps improving his riding week after week, and after a close battle with one of Switzerland's trials greats, Heinz Schnyder, he claimed his first-ever podium win in the Wallis Championship. Just 1 penalty separated first and second place, with third going to Bryan Etter. Looking forward to this battle continuing at the last race in Niedergesteln.
FUN
Jean-Luc Fongallaz dominates the FUN class with just 3 penalties.
He dominated the entire race, finishing ahead of second-place rider Fabian Pfammatter, who closed the day with 13 penalties more than Jean-Luc but still secured second place, 14 marks ahead of third-place rider Aaron Steiffer. The FUN class is truly the entry point into trials competition, as it lets all beginner riders enjoy the sport safely.
VINTAGE
The battle was won by Hans Zenklusen, tied on zero marks with Walther Oskar after 24 sections.
In conclusion, the Vintage class is driven by highly experienced, long-time riders, and sections need to be built specifically for them — the top 3 dropped only 2 marks in total, so higher complexity will definitely need to be built into the sections.
Overall, another great race for the Wallis Championship — now on to the final round and the crowning of this year's champions.
Championnat suisse de trial 2025 : résumé de la saison
The 2025 Swiss Trial Championship concluded after seven thrilling rounds, showcasing the incredible talent and determination of riders from across the country. From the opening round organized by MC Jurassien in April to the finale at MC Trial 96 Grandval in October, this season was marked by intense competition. Here's a recap of each category.
Elite Category
Noé Pretalli had a masterful season, winning the Elite title with 120 points. Representing Moto Club Jurassien, Pretalli dominated from the start, winning the first four rounds. He continued his momentum in the final two events in Schwenden and Grandval, demonstrating remarkable consistency. With six victories in seven races, his near-perfect season confirmed his invincibility at the top of the standings.
Johan Buchwalder also had an outstanding season, emerging as Pretalli's main rival. He finished second overall with 116 points. Buchwalder's perseverance was rewarded with a significant victory in the fifth round hosted by MC Roches, along with four second places and two third places.
Tim Affolter finished third with 62 points, showing clear progress in the second half of the season, particularly with several key podium finishes in the mid and late-season rounds.
Pascal Geiser secured fourth place with 49 points, thanks to strong results in the early rounds – including two third places – although his absence in the final events affected his overall ranking.
Louis Gys completed the top 5 with 28 points, achieving his best results in the final rounds, including a strong performance in Grandval that secured him fifth place overall. These five riders delivered many highlights in the Elite category across all seven events.
Expert Category
In the Expert category, Noah Lauber (TC Illgraben) was crowned champion with 109 points. With exemplary consistency, Lauber never left the podium throughout the season. His decisive victories in Illgraben and Schwenden allowed him to hold off his competitors.
Lorenz Maurer (MC Ruedertal) claimed second place with 103 points. Always at the forefront, he maintained constant pressure and capped his season with a victory in the final event at MC Trial 96 Grandval.
David Guenin finished third with 88 points, after a blazing start where he won three of the first four events. His absence in the last two rounds prevented him from contending for the title, but his initial dominance left a lasting impression.
Valentin Leiser finished fourth with 74 points. His season was marked by standout performances, including victories at MC Montchoisi and MC Roches. Despite missing some events, his performances revealed immense talent and exceptional determination.
Dominique Guillaume rounded out the top five with 40 points, making the most of his appearances with victories at Amicale du Trial des Hauts-Geneveys and Grandval, proving his ability to challenge the leaders when in form.
Challenge Category
The Challenge category offered the tightest title race of the season. Duncan Macdonald (Trial Moto Club Genève) won the championship with 129 points, thanks to four victories and consistently excellent results throughout the year.
Jan Schnyder (TC Illgraben) finished just one point behind the winner with 128 points, claiming three major tournament wins, including two consecutive victories in the final two rounds. The duel between Macdonald and Schnyder was intense until the end and will be remembered as one of the highlights of 2025.
Robert Christe secured third place with 86 points, thanks to his consistency and ability to score points in every event.
Nolan Christen ranked fourth with 77 points, with several podium finishes, including a particularly strong performance in Grandval that boosted his final ranking.
Charlotte Suard completed the top 5 with 65 points. She impressed with her consistency during the summer rounds, cementing her place among the best in her category.
Junior Category
Kevin Frutiger dominated the Junior category from start to finish, achieving a perfect season with seven victories and a maximum score of 140 points. His supremacy hints at a promising future in the sport.
Nevio André finished the year in second place with 119 points, consistently finishing second in every event and establishing himself as Frutiger's main rival.
Christy Schnyder took third place with 105 points, matching André's consistency with seven third-place finishes.
Levi Walther finished fourth with 91 points, always ranking among the top five and earning crucial points in every event.
Nolan Christen (77 points) secured fifth place, steadily improving throughout the season and making his mark in events like MC Roches and Grandval.
Open Category
The Open category featured a competitive and closely contested field. Urs Plüss (Trial Club Schwenden) won the championship with 112 points, thanks to exemplary consistency and a decisive victory at MC Roches.
Jacques Aebi finished second with 108 points, buoyed by a victory at MC Montchoisi and an impressive series of podium finishes that kept him in the title race until the end.
Thomas André finished third with 106 points, ending the season on a high note with victories in Schwenden and Grandval, narrowly missing out on the championship standings.
Hans Zenklusen finished fourth with 78 points, notably with a victory at MC Illgraben and consistent performances that kept him firmly in the top five.
Joseph Hürlimann completed this elite group with 73 points, including a victory at Amicale du Trial des Hauts-Geneveys and solid performances throughout the summer.