British Lion Toby Martyn – TM21 Honda is the latest big-name rider to sign up to contest the DL12 Indoor Trial V3.0 at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena on Saturday 18th January 2025.
Having contested the first two editions of the spectacular event, the twenty-four-year-old Cornishman – a two-time Trial GB Champion and FIM Trial2 World Champion in 2021 – is both excited and delighted to be returning to the spiritual home of UK Indoor Trial to complete his hat-trick.
“For me Sheffield has always been one of the biggest and most prestigious indoor events in the world,” he said. “It’s one of the only indoor Trials I ever went to watch as a kid and I never thought I would ever even just be in the mix to ride it, let alone compete for a podium there. That’s what now makes riding at the DL12 Indoor Trial really special for me.
“It is such an honour to be asked to ride it again and the dream for me is to get on the podium. I’ve always been happier indoors – it’s what I focus all of my winter on – and I just feel more comfortable.”
Martyn’s appearance in the Final in 2022 threatened to blow the roof off the Utilita Arena as he was roared on by the capacity crowd, but he missed the cut by one position in January this year when he finished fifth in the Heat. If he can achieve his podium goal in the New Year he will be the first home rider to set foot on the box since James Dabill in 2017.
It would obviously be a huge achievement when competing against the best riders on the planet, including Spanish legend Toni Bou – Repsol Honda whose attendance was announced earlier this month for what is currently his only confirmed and contracted appearance in the UK next year, but Martyn’s form in the opening rounds of this season’s FIM X-Trial World Championship suggests a podium is a very real possibility following his third-placed finish at the most recent round, held in Geneva in Switzerland in early May.
“I do think a podium is definitely possible at the DL12 Indoor Trial. Don’t get me wrong, everything is going to have to go right on the night, but I do think it is very doable.
“Sheffield has always been a hard event, the sections are different to what we ride in the FIM X-Trial World Championship. I really like the different variations that Dougie and his team bring and riding over such cool, really technical sections is great for me as a rider and it is a fantastic way to start the year.”
With more major names scheduled to be announced over the coming weeks, the DL12 Indoor Trial V3.0 really is an event fans cannot afford to miss.
Tickets for DL12 Indoor Trial V3.0 on Saturday 18th January 2025 at the Utilita Arena, Sheffield, are on sale now. To make sure of the best seats in house and to book one of the limited upgrades – which include the Dougie Lampkin course tour – click here.