FIM Europe Congress 2024
Day 2
A full day of work in Fiumicino. The FIM Europe Management Council met for the first time in the morning, the Sporting and Beyond Sporting Commissions held the mid-season summit, while in the afternoon took place the FIM Europe Policy Conference on motorcycle activities.
The FIM Europe Congress keeps on with the second day of meetings.
After yesterday’s Sporting and Beyond Sporting Councils’ meetings, this morning the Management Council met in the presence of FIM President Mr Jorge Viegas.
Michal Sikora, FIM Europe President
“The second day of the FIM Europe congress has just finished. Today we conducted a very interesting Policy Conference with examples from FMI, FFM and KNMV accompanied by honorable guests. In addition, all our Sport and Beyond Sporting Commissions met and summed up the actual season and talked about the future. Also, Management Council members met and approved all the reports for the General Assembly which will be held tomorrow”.
In the meanwhile, the ten Sporting Commissions, the three Beyond Sporting Commissions and the two Panels gathered concerning the current and next season.
Martin Hejduk – Chairman Road Racing Commission
“The Commission discussed important points for the future. Championships and Cups are running well and the number of participants is growing up. The rules for the 2025 season should be discussed during our monthly meetings and finalized in the autumn meeting”.
Job Heezen – Chairman Drag Racing Commission
“Good and productive day. It was a valuable meeting thanks to the attendance of the representative of our Dragrace Promotor Mr Micke Gulqvist from Sweden. This way we have been able to set out lines for the near future. This shows well the improved relationship between FIM Europe and our Promotor”.
Andrea Barbieri – Chairman Motocross & Snowcross Commission
“The Commission took stock of the season with the jury presidents. The first half of the 2024 season has been eventful. We already have a champion: Mille Andersson from Sweden claiming victory in the European SNX Championship. The EMX 65/85 European Championship began with races across four zones, leading to semi-finals in Romania and Lithuania. A few weeks ago FIM Europe introduced a digital entry system for championships to streamline registration. Upcoming events include the EMX 2T in the Czech Republic and EMX Open in Belgium. The EMX Quads Championship, starting in April, will culminate in Italy, while the Sidecarcross and Quadcross European Nations will be held in the Czech Republic. The Women’s Championship will end in Lithuania. The Yamaha Blu-Cru Cup is scheduled for October in Great Britain, while Watercross will take place in Norway in mid-July. The Motocross of European Nations will close the season in Romania. Unfortunately, the Beachcross season faced setbacks, and plans were deferred to the next year. I would like to thank all members for their commitment to the discipline, mourn the loss of members Peter Hansen from Denmark and Uwe Petzold from Germany, both significant figures in the sport”.
Ivo Tsvetanov – Chairman Supermoto Commission
“This mid-summer meeting is of great importance due to the possibility of having an overview of the season up to now and starting to prepare for the next 2025. The major topic was the development of the SM Junior class, with all the possibilities to attract more riders and make the discipline more affordable for new juniors from across Europe. Keeping the spirit of an entry-level Championship, increasing the visibility and popularity of the series is very important for the further development of the discipline and building a core of riders for the future”.
John Collins – Vice-Chairman Enduro & Rally Commission
“The first two rounds of the Enduro European Championship in Italy and San Morino had been a success with over 150 riders in each event. Next season the Super Enduro European Cup will be held over 4 rounds: Poland, Germany, Romania and Hungary. A new class for younger riders aged from 8 to 11 years old will be introduced in the 2025 Mini Enduro Cup. Entries in the Tout Terrain Rally Cup had been increasing”.
Piotr Szymanski – Chairman Track Racing Commission
“The Commission had a full day. A new working group “TRC Women Working Group“ was created within the Track Racing Commission and the first action will be a “pre-season workshop” that will be held in Abensberg. The 2025 calendar was drafted (nearly all dates are covered) and will be finalised in November. The Grass Track Working Group will present a new format to support the visibility of this sport. Flat Track will be also included in the calendar and rules and dates will be released soon. I want to thank my member for their availability in monthly Zoom meetings: we will continue with the close work”.
Magnus Liljeblad – Chairman Trial Commission
“Full agenda for the Commission. The point that made most discussions was about the international classes, because of the need to change in the middle of the season. One solution is to include them in the European Championship. Another alternative is to have the classes divided from the FIM Europe Championship. Discussion about will be postponed to the autumn’s meeting. We also discussed the harmonization of the rules between FIM, FIM Europe and Federations. We are also working on the 2025 calendar”.
Pascale Reschko Jacquot – Chairwoman Motoball Commission
“The 2024 European Championship in Houlgate, France, from 20th to 24th August. Germany, France, the Netherlands and Lithuania confirmed their participation, while Ukraine is still uncertain as to whether they will attend. A referees’ seminar will also be organised before to enable our referees to improve their skills. Future plans include the Netherlands applying for the 2025 Seniors and Juniors in Budel, and the Kuppenheim Club (Germany) for the EMCC”.
John Davidson – Vice-Chairman Vintage Commission
“Today the Commission discussed the current season and 2025 events. Changes to the rules have been discussed in order to improve some disciplines”.
Gianluca Avenoso – Chairman E-Bike Commission
“The E-Bike Commission, in its third year of activity, analysed the various activities present in Europe at national level and noted the increase in participants and interest among companies. With these premises, it began to plan a European E-Bike Enduro championship for the 2025 season to be held over three races”.
Dimitris Margaritis – Chairman of Public Affairs Commission
“This year’s meeting was shorter than previous ones due to the Mobility Conference held after the initial commission meeting. Discussions focused on activities from the last semester, an overview from FIPRA on the EU Parliament’s recent election status, and FIM’s contributions to public affairs actions at both the European and global levels. We set a goal to increase the participation of FMNs in public affairs topics by providing flexible options, such as remote meetings, to share their views with us”.
Panagiotis Kalaitzis – Chairman Touring Commission
“The members of the Touring Commission went through the year’s projects. The first ATV Tour Assistants course took place in June and July in cooperation with the Snowmobile Guide Association of Finland. The T/As training is to be held in Istanbul, from 15th to 18th August, for the first time to expand to three days. So far, we seem to have an overwhelming reception, so much so that the Commission is initializing contact with the third Honda Safety Institute in Budapest, for the possibility of a wider geographic spread to accommodate even more participants. The members were also informed of the possibility of a new event that aims to combine the T/As skills with the promotion of regionally focused motorcycle touring, we hope we will have more news on this project shortly. I would like to thank all the Commission’s member for their time, effort and input, and the whole Commission thanks the FIM Europe Administration and Secretariat for their support”.
Grazyna Makowska – Chairwoman Environment Commission
“We celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the project “Green Education Strategy”. The Commission prepared the Manual for Environmental Stewards and the Manual for Organisers about the actions to be taken by organiser before motorcycling events. We decided that we intend to organise the webinar for environmental stewards in November this year. We see the necessity of a deeper and more detailed education addressed to all environmental stewards with national and international licenses”.
Piotr Piekutowski – Chairman Judicial Panel
“We discussed the directions of the possible amendment of the regulations, as well as cases and questions brought before the Judicial Panel. The competition in motorcycling sports should be safe and fair play. The codes and regulations should make a fair play of all motorcycle sports with transparent competition for all competitors”.
Tomas Broz – Vice-Chairman Medical Panel
“During the meeting members discussed current problems regarding antidoping, as it is rapidly changing a still more and more relevant topic, which requires our attention. The limelight was on the changes in the prohibited list. Issues about mild head injury were also spoken about. The health of riders is our main priority. We are happy that discussion and prevention are making a difference out in the field”.
The 2024 FIM Europe Policy Conference took place in the afternoon, introduced by FIM Europe President Mr Michal Sikora and FIM President Mr Jorge Viegas. As a key feature of this year’s Congress, the conference focused on the critical role that politics, laws, and regulations play in shaping motorcycle activities on our roads and within the sport. It addressed the motorcycle community’s ability to navigate political challenges through a series of discussions centered on motorcycle policy and lobbying.
The first panel, moderated by Mr Roy N. Wetterstad, discussed the role of lobbying in both sports and non-sports motorcycle affairs. The panelists included Jesper Christensen (FIM CPM Director), Damiano Zamana (FIM Deputy CEO), Chris Hodder (FIM Public Affairs Manager) and Odd Terje Dovik (FEMA President).
Roy N. Wetterstad
“The Policy Conference was a very positive experience. The panelists gave us important information, shared experiences and explained how we can strengthen our policy work. I hope the conference will inspire the FMNs to develop their advocacy and political role”.
The second panel, moderated by Mr Dimitris Margaritis, highlighted the importance of motorcycle policy work in Europe. Contributions came from Mr. Sébastian Poirer (FFM President), Mr Wim Mulder (KNMV Director), Mr Giovanni Copioli (FMI President), Mrs Elena Murelli (Member of the Italian Parliament), and Mr Federico Vitale (Confindustria ANCMA). Additionally, Mr Florian Martin from Mandelli presented a new airbag technology with a live demonstration.
Dimitris Margaritis
“The conference was established to bring together motorcycling representatives, decision-makers, and FMN members to discuss FIM and selected countries’ best practices on lobbying and policy making. Our goal was to provide an opportunity not only to hear about successful achievements but also to share national challenges and propose future lobbying actions. I would like to thank all panelists, Roy, Francesca, Silvia and the FIM Europe Management Council for this successful event. Most importantly, I extend my gratitude to the over 110 FMN representatives who participated in the event”.
Tomorrow the third and last day of the 2024 FIM Europe Congress: the schedule foresees the Management Council in the morning, the General Assembly in the afternoon and the yearly gala dinner organised by the FMI at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome.
Links
FMI – Italian Motorcycle Federation
FIM Europe Congress
