VP Trials ST First Look: Fuel Formulated For Trials Motorcycles

Given its long-time status as a niche motorsport in the United States, it’s no surprise that observed motorcycle trials riders have had to make do with fuels designed for other types of vehicles. FactoryOne Motorsports, sponsor of 11-time US AMA/NATC MotoTrials National Champion Pat Smage, lobbied VP Racing Fuels to develop a fuel specifically designed to accommodate the needs of modern two-stroke trials bike powerplants. The result is VP Trials ST.

VP Trials 2ST: Race Gas for Trials Bikes

“VP is always up for a challenge,” said Bruce Hendel, Vice President of North American Sales – Race Fuel and Consumer Products for VP. “So, when FactoryOne Motorsports came to us and asked if we could develop a fuel for the unique riding style of trials bikes, we were all in. Over the past year, we worked with Sherco and their top riders to develop a fuel that would accelerate clean and crisp, from low RPMs to full throttle, to help improve the performance for the demands of trials riding.”

“FactoryOne Motorsports discovered a need for a better fuel for trials motorcycles,” said Ron Sallman, President of FactoryOne Motorsports. “The variations in pump gas from state to state, as well as by elevation, played a major part in why we saw such vast performance differences from national event to national event. That is why we went to the leader in race fuels, the gold standard, so to say, to develop the best fuel possible for trials bikes. VP Racing Fuels jumped in headfirst and worked on formulation after formulation to develop the perfect burning fuel. We can’t thank them enough for the time and investment they took to help the global trials community.”

Two-stroke trials motors run at a wide variety of engine speeds, and with a very lean oil-to-fuel premix ratio. When working through technical sections, the motors are operating at near-idle. However, when a rider attacks a large obstacle, rev counts can quickly move to five-figures, and then drop precipitously back down upon completion. Stalling the motor in a section can result in the maximum penalty for the rider.

VP Trials ST: Observed Motorcycle Trials Fuel
11-time US National Trails Champion Pat Smage

“It’s really cool to see a company as big as VP put so much effort into designing a trials-specific product,” Smage noted, “and I appreciate the effort they put into it. The Trials 2ST fuel runs a lot cleaner than any very-high octane race gas that I have tried in the past, and provides great power for my Sherco. Hopefully, that leads to more cleans in the sections!”

VP Trials 2ST is 95 octane and runs $74 for five gallons. It is delivered in a steel container, and VP claims an “extremely long shelf life.”