Team Australia announced ahead of 2019 FIM Trial des Nations

Team Manager Phil Whittle is thrilled with the 2019 team, recognising that ‰ÛÏ2018 was a bit of a step down for us, finishing in sixth place. This was mainly due to a completely different terrain to what our team were used to. The course 2018 was wet, tricky, technical and slippery which really pushed our riders. This year in Ibiza, the landscape is predominantly Spanish and is therefore familiar to our team.

‰ÛÏBeing in Ibiza this year, the financial costs of this trip are a lot to bear for our riders. This is reflected in our Women‰Ûªs team, where simply due to distance and costs plus the external factors such as work and personal commitments, the 2019 Australian Women‰Ûªs Team is made up of two rather than three women.

‰ÛÏThe Women‰Ûªs team will feature Lillie Yiatrou and Jenna Lupo. Lillie is new to the TdN team but she‰Ûªs been riding very well, finishing third in the 2018 Australian Trial Championship in the Women‰Ûªs class. Jenna‰Ûªs first TdN was last year and she came up against some very tricky conditions. She returns again this year with all the experience she collected in 2018, so I‰Ûªm sure she‰Ûªll do well!

‰ÛÏI‰Ûªve been the Australian Team Manager every year since 2011, so I have my own structure and plan coming into the event that I like to see executed. The beauty of our team this year is that we have such a tight knit unit that understand how the event works, the processes we need to follow and how to support one another. All our riders operate at a really high level of competition, so they are all up to the task of representing Australia overseas!‰Û