Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

(left) Bernie Schreiber rode brilliantly to win in Italy, but his two pointless efforts previously have probably cost Bernie any chance of regaining his World Championship./Right) Kees Van der Ven rode toa , ., tally in Holland, while Georges Jobe's 4-3 helped him clinch the 250cc t itle. World Championship Observed Trials Series: Round nine Schreiber superb in Italy By Mike Rapley VALM AL ENCO . ITALY . j U LY 13 Bernie Schreiber and Italjet are no w a world force to be reckoned with. After two pointless cha m pionsh ip battles, 24 World Champion Bern ie Schreiber made it third tr ial lucky when he b rilliantly won the ninth round of the W orld Championship . Bernie matched the weather and his red ho t form proved that on this day, the you ng Californian is quite literally the best tri als rid er in the world . British star and favo rit e with th e thousa nds of spectators at th e event. Martin Lampkin harried the Am eri can sta r righ t from th e start of th e two lap. 50 section tri al. Mart , now really on th e boil with the Italian SWM . was righ t ba ck to the peak of his form. He showed his unique style early d u ring th e tr ial. A mass ive co llect ion of granite boulders defied all attempts to fin d a path . Lampkin , of th e top men, decided that if he d idn't make his attempt th en a hold up would occ u r. He aimed his yellow SMW , snicked third gea r and -blasted full bore over t he rocks, feet up for a brilliant clea n . Qu ickly th e oth ers rus hed for t heir bikes. bu t none could match the Lampkin style. Karlson went over the bars. Veste rinen fell heavily. and Sch reiber just managed a big three. Lampkin was u nl ucky not to win . He rod e well en ou gh .but tha t m an Schreiber was just that bit better. Bernie. who by now m ust have given up a ll real istic ho pes of retaini ng his world titl e, is some 26 po ints behind series lead er Ulf Ka rlson who finis hed a co nsiste nt third . Yrjo Vesreri ne n, the th ree-times cha mp can't be ruled ou t as he is 19 po ints behind Ka rlson . A deficit he is unlikely to make u p, but never the less still possible. Italy has taken over from Spain as the most prestigious of the world tri als, and the Italians wer e ecsta tic over th e Italjet win with th e cha m pagn e flowing freel y, Schreiber led rig h t from the word go of the seven hour marathon , and at the halfway po int led Lampkin by five marks. Lampkin d id his best through the second lap to peg ba ck those marks. but as the section results were radioed back to th e com pu te r. everyone relaized that with his Italjet sorted . and the su n on his ba ck. Schreiber wasn 't go ing to be beaten . All credit must go to the Italians for organizing one of th e best world rounds ever. They had two helicopters in attendance. full radio control from the sections to the central results computer. sections that were brilliantly planned, and a huge crowd that had grabbed every single vantage point on the sections up to four hours before the first man was due. Only on e thing th ey d id no t have·· police control of the traffic. The cops were wat ch ing the act ion! • Results 1. Bernie SChreiber IItll 97.8 marks lost ; 2. Martin Lampkin ISWM ) 104.8; 3. U~ Karlson (Monl 106; 4. Y~o Vestennen IMonl 122; 5. Rob Shepherd IHon ! 130.4; 6. Jaime Subira IFan) 135.4; 7. Eddy Lejeune IHon l 137.4; 8. Fulvia Adomoli IMon! 137.4; 9. Danilo Geleazzi ISWMI 140.4; 10. Cheri.. Coutard ISWMI 142.6. World Championship Point Standings: 1. Ulf Karlson (921 2. Yrjo Vasterinen 1731; 3. ITIEl Eddy ; Lejeune/ Bernie SCh!eiber 1 ; 5. Menin Lampkin (57); 661 6. Melcolm Rothme" (41); 7. (TIEl Manual SoIerlRob Shepherd (35); 9. Ton i Go

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