The Scandal That Led to the Draft

Part Two: The Introduction of Promotion and Relegation

The change came in 2016 with the introduction of the promotion and relegation system—an innovation that brought fresh energy and a new level of competition to the Tricyclette World Championship. For the first time, drivers in T2 and T3 had a formalized route to climb the ranks, while drivers in T1 had to fight to keep their place among the elite.

The system worked as follows:

• At the end of each season, the three lowest-ranked drivers in T1 were relegated to T2.

• In turn, the three highest-ranked drivers in T2 were promoted to T1, giving them the chance to compete at the highest level.

• A similar process occurred between T2 and T3, with the bottom three drivers in T2 dropping to T3 and the top three drivers from T3 moving up to T2.

This new structure was designed to inject excitement into all levels of the sport. In the elite T1 division, the threat of relegation meant that no driver could rest on their laurels—each race now carried greater significance, and underperformers faced the real risk of being dropped to the lower division. Meanwhile, in T2 and T3, the prospect of promotion to the elite ranks drove drivers to push harder than ever before, knowing that a strong season could catapult them into the spotlight.

The promotion and relegation system also made the sport more meritocratic. No longer would promising young drivers be held back by the lack of team opportunities in T1. If they performed well in T2, they would earn their spot on the elite circuit by right, regardless of their connections or sponsorship deals.

However, there was one crucial addition to the system that made it even more complex—and strategic—the draft system. Introduced alongside promotion and relegation, the draft was designed to ensure that T1 teams that had been relegated would have the chance to rebuild by selecting new talent from T2.

At the end of each season, teams whose drivers were relegated from T1 received priority in the draft order. The team with the highest-ranked relegated driver got the first pick, followed by the team with the second-highest, and so on. This gave struggling teams the opportunity to sign top-performing drivers from T2 and rebuild their rosters for the following season.

However, the draft system also brought new challenges. Teams had the option to sign T2 or T3 drivers at the end of each season, provided these deals were completed before July 1st. If a T1 team signed a top-ranked driver from T2, that driver would be promoted to T1 ahead of the draft, and their promotion would push the next highest-ranked T2 driver into the promotion slot. This meant that if several top T2 drivers were signed by T1 teams before the July 1 deadline, the promotion pool could shift dramatically, with the fourth, fifth, or even sixth-ranked drivers moving up.

This system created a delicate balance between team strategy and driver performance. Teams with poor-performing drivers had to carefully navigate their draft picks, while top-performing T2 drivers had to not only prove themselves on the track but also position themselves as attractive options for T1 teams.

While the promotion and relegation system and draft were seen as improvements that kept the sport fresh and competitive, they also introduced new layers of complexity—and, as would soon be revealed, controversy. Behind the scenes, whispers of deals, backdoor negotiations, and manipulation of the promotion system began to circulate. The combination of draft picks and signings would ultimately lead to one of the biggest scandals in the history of Tricyclette racing, shaking the sport to its core and prompting further changes to how the draft was managed.

The final part of The Scandal That Led to the Draft would dive into the events that led to this controversy and the changes that followed for the 2025 season.