PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association congratulates the U.S. riders who competed at the annual FIM Trial des Nations world championship. On Sept. 7-8 in La Chatre, France, the U.S. men’s team finished an impressive third in the International Trophy division at the event, while the U.S. women’s team also represented America well, finishing seventh.

The U.S. men’s team, which competed in the International Trophy division and finished behind Germany and the Czech Republic, included Pat Smage from Wisconsin, Bryan Roper from Arizona, Ray Peters from New Mexico and Eric Storz from California. For the U.S. women’s team, the competitors were Caroline Allen from Massachusetts, Caroline Altman from Maine and Rachel Hassler from New Mexico.

“This was a great showing by the U.S. team in France,” said AMA Off-Road Manager Chuck Weir. “We haven’t done this well since we won the International Trophy division in 2005. It’s an honor to compete against the world’s best teams. By doing so and showcasing our riders among the sport’s superstars, we help elevate and grow the sport in this country.”

The U.S. Trials des Nations team was managed by Todd Roper.

“Our teams did awesome!” Roper said. “The riders were very excited about their performance, and all of them definitely represented the USA well. This was a great experience for the entire team, and we’re already looking forward to next year.”

In addition to the International Trophy division, the select teams compete in the World Championship division at the FIM Trial des Nations. Spain, for the 10th time in a row, won the FIM World Championship by a dominating 89 points over runner-up Great Britain.

The sport of trials involves riders navigating their motorcycles over seemingly impossible terrain. The FIM Trial des Nations began in Europe in 1983 as a way to bring the best trials riders from each country together to compete as teams, and it has evolved into one of the most anticipated motorcycle events of the year. Each competing country fields two teams: a men’s team consisting of four riders and a women’s team consisting of three riders.