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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126267
Ne w Yorker Don Sweet fin ished fifth, earning him a "top American" ta g. That title is no longer needed in tri als as has been proven this season . Topping his fellow Americans pleased Monresa sponsored Sweet, though . "I had a flat during the second loop and I changed it only to have it go flat again. 1 came in and changed it again and still finished within my alloted t im e (six hours plus a n hour of grace) . I'm just now ge ll ing into form ." sa id Sw eet , IA bov e) Charles Coutard (Bull scored his second consecutive observed trials. Charles o nly picked up five markers in the heavy rain that fell on race day. World Championship Trials Series, Round Eight Coutard wins in Canada, Sweet first American at fifth By Jack Mangus CHICOUTIMI - NORD , QUEBEC, CANADA. JUNE 5 IAbove) Lane Leavitt takes a double dab on a stream section. Walking the course in Canada proved to be a little wet. (Belo w) M ick Andrews puts down a dab in the slick stream section. 32 Yrjo Vesterinen, the defending World Champion from Finland, gave Bu ltaco teammate Charles Coutard a swift kick in the rear immediately after both finis hed the Can ad ia n round of the World Championship Trials Series. "Charlie, damn you!" yelled the usually quiet Vesterinen . What the mock anger was about was the fact that Frenchman Coutard had nipped Vesrerinen , 15 to 21 , scoring his second co nsecutive win of the '77 observed trials series. The two riders had finished the first loop with just one point separating th em ; Coutard 10. Vesterincn nine. But the seco nd loop saw Co utard pick up r only five markers, a remarkable performance considering that heavy rain . all day long had made most of the sections more difficult the second rime around . Vesterinen picked up 12 points and that made it a "very happy day" for Cou ta rd . " I didn't really expect to win last Sunday in Michigan and if you had told me that I'd win both North American rounds - well , 1 would have laughed at you ," said Coutard, Third with a 14/12 - 26 was Monresa mounted Malcolm Rathmell . Behind Ra thmell, who was resplendent in the brightest Belstaff suit ever seen on these shores - a brilliant yellow and reddish orange rain suit - was Yorkshireman Martin Lampkin.The 26-year old Briiisher had p ulled in after the first loop wi th what he diagnosed as "a bloody broken toe ." The Bultaco rider filed a protest of a five he had been given at Section 27 on the last loop. Tha t section which was just two away from the finish, saw Lampkin "hit th e rock holdi ng a section marker and the marker fell. Well, 1 nudged the rock , not the marker. " T he protest was allowed and Lampkin's sco re was changed from 44 to 39 . No effect on the outcome overall, bu t a move t hat shows L am p kin doesn' t like " fives." Only Bulraco 's Bernie Schreiber regi stered a no t he r top I() pe rform ance for th e U.S .A . Sch rei be r finished 'sevent h with a score of 34/27 . 61, far off the winning tally. " I did a huge en do in a hillclimb type section. It was a real spectator one. When 1 came around to that section on the second loop 1 saw they had taken it out of the trial. I wish they had taken it out on the first loop ." said the ever-sm ilinR Californian . The loca l daily newspa pe r featured a large picture of him lying down with his Bu l on top of him a nd · yes - he was smiling. An indica tion of the degree of difficu lty of the Canadian trial was given by the scores tallied by Ca nad ian riders. The highest Canadian finis her was Trevor Howard who rode a Su zuki to 20 th finishing position with a score of III . Ca nadia n National Champion Michel Larouche turned in a 113 aboard a Yamaha . Most riders praised the trial and the amount of work put into the event by the Club de Moros du Saguenay, Inc. The only criticism voiced by the majority of the riders was directed toward the course markers. Most felt that more course markers should have been used . A few riders criticized the section checkers. many of whom were inexperienced and doled out either too many or too few marks too many times. The 29 -section/two-loop trial started and finished in a city park ; featured a raised starting platform complete with flags. and publ ic address system (which gave its share of problems) ; provided a club house bu ild ing where a free breakfast and supper was served to the riders and their guests ; saw sponsorship provided by Molson. a Canadian beer; an d awa rded u nique trophies in the form of a local scu lptor's efforts. The la tt er point was lessened when the m ajority of top riders including winner Co u ta rd fa il ed to show up fo r the trophy presentation ceremony. All in all , a fine trial and a fitting d epa rtu re for another yea r to the finest trials riders in the world. The visiting group of the likes of Coutard, Vesterinen , Rathmell , Lampkin , Karlsson , Birkett, Soler. Lejune , An drews . etc. once again displayed their mastery of the sport of trials . Bu t the likes · of Sweet . Schreiber, Whaley , Egg a r . Leavitt , Griffitts , etc. gave warning that American trials riders are a force to be reckoned with. The World Championship series re sumes on August 28 with the Swedish round . Several American riders have sta ted that they will contest that event as well as the final three rounds in Finland, Czechoslovakia and Switzerla nd . Perha ps the red, white and blue flag will be raised high over one of those trials' finish areas . • Results . 1. Charles Coutard (But) 10/5 • 15: 2. Yrjo Vesterinen IBul) 9/12·21; 3. Malcolm Ralh mell lM onl 14/12·26; 4 . Martin Lampkin IBul1 25114-39; 5. Don Sweet IManl 29/26-55; 6. UII Karlsaon IManl 38/19-57; 7. Bernie Schreiber IBul) 34/24-61; 8. Nigel Birkett ISuzl 31/31· 62; 9. Ju an Manuel Soler IBuIl28/35-63: 10. J ean Marie Lejune (Man) 36131-67; 11. M ick Andrews IVam144l2569; 12. Marland Whaley IHanl 31/44-75; 13. Mark ·n; 14. Lane Lea. ;n IBuli 45132-n ; Eggar IHanl 4OI37 15. Mike Grittins IMonI 45137-82. W orld Championship Point Standings: 1. Malcotm Rathmall 69; 2. Martin Lampkin 66; 3. Vrjo Vesterinen nie 64; 4. un Karlsson 57; 5. Charles Coutard 51; 6. Ber Schreiber 39; 7. Rob Shepherd 26; 8. Juan Manuel Soler 25]. 9. Nigel Birken 22; 10. John Reynolds 20.