With a pair of FIM Trial3 World Championship titles and a round victory in his debut season of Trial2 competition already to his name, at the tender age of just seventeen George Hemingway – Beta is set to make his World indoor debut at X-Trial Leeds – round six of the 2026 FIM X-Trial World Championship – on Saturday 24 January.
With no previous experience of FIM X-Trial World Championship competition, he will be jumping in at the deep end when he locks horns with – among other top-flight competitors – Toni Bou, Jaime Busto and Gabriel Marcelli along with fellow British wild cards Jack Peace and his elder brother Harry Hemingway at the first-ever motorcycle event to be held inside the city centre First Direct Bank Arena.
X-Trial Leeds represents the start of ML Events’ three-year deal that will see the FIM X-Trial World Championship return to Britain for the first time in a decade and Hemingway – who is born and bred in Leeds – knows he has been presented with a golden opportunity to make his debut in front of his home fans.
“I’m feeling really good about X-Trial Leeds and while I’m obviously a bit nervous I know it’s such a great opportunity for me,” he said. “It will be my first-ever appearance in the FIM X-Trial World Championship so it’s incredible to be making my debut in my home city in front of my home fans. I do put pressure on myself to do well and riding in front of a home crowd also brings extra pressure, but with it being my first X-Trial event I’m planning on just seeing what I can do.”
Hemingway’s debut season in the hugely-competitive Trial2 class has been impressive with a victory on just the second day of championship competition backed up with a further three podium finishes and a string of solid results carrying him to sixth in a class won by his elder brother.
The bond between the Hemingway brothers is incredibly close and the pair – who both made their debuts this year in the FIM Trial des Nations when they helped steer Great Britain to second – have their winter training schedule mapped out as they prepare for X-Trial Leeds.
“Me and Harry go to Spain during the winter where there are plenty of great places to practice indoor-style sections. It’s a case of riding stuff that’s above my level and trying to replicate what I’ll face indoors, although it’s a little bit different when you have to deliver when there are five-thousand fans watching. We like to go to a spot set up by Jaime Busto where there are sections from X-Trial Andorra that he actually bought from the organisers when they were finished with them.”
While it is tough to set goals when you are about to take a step into the unknown, sibling rivalry naturally plays a part in Hemingway’s mission statement for X-Trial Leeds.
“It’s always nice to beat my brother,” he adds with a grin, “although it is not going to be easy. He hasn’t got a lot more experience of Indoor Trial than I have, but he has got just enough to make a difference and the standard of rider is so high that it will be good just to beat someone – I’m not bothered who it is! You’ve got to aim high and see where you get. It’s always good to be able to perform well under pressure, but it’s not easy.”
Tickets for X-Trial Leeds on Saturday 24 January 2026 are already selling fast. Click here to secure your seats as the FIM X-Trial World Championship returns to the UK after a ten-year absence.
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