Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

.... c:l. « 1000 Beck on • Buh8c:o. Yrjo VH18rInen was third In Belgium. Eddy Legeune won the BelgiBn end Irish round8 of the series. World Championship Observed Trials series: Round 2 Lejeune ekes out Belgian win By Mike Rapley AYWAILLE. BELGIUM. MAR. 1 Belgium earned itself the unenviable reputation of organising the worst-ever World Championship trial when they put on an event that was just a masqu~rad~ of an observ~ trial. Not un~xp«t~y. Bdgian Honda star Eddy ~jeun~ won his hom~ 16 round. but did it unda circumstanco that I~t an unpl~asant tast~ in th~ mouth. Imm~iatdyaft~r th~ trial was ov~r. Yrjo Vot~rin~n. Charlo Coutard and Manud Sola protot~ that L~~un~ rod~ two machino durinK th~ ~vent. A jury meeting Sunday night ~ out th~ir protot because of lack of positiv~ proof. but th~ fact ~ain~d that L~j~un~'s m~chanic rod~ an almost id~ntical bik~ in support of Eddy. Y~t th~ protot was minor in comparison to th~ sections. Th~ hazards w~re quite impossibl~ . literally. 86 rid~rs start~d th~ first lap 'of 15 sections. and not on~ c1~an rid~ of a section was record~d by any of those 86 h~ron. Th~ organising club got th~ m~g~ and e~ th~ sections for th~ second and third laps, but ev~n t~n th~y _re v~ry. v~ry difficult. L~jeun~ c1~an~d four sections during th~ day as did the second plac~d finish~r. Italian Danilo Galleazzi. Both lost th~ sam~ number of marks. 149. with Lejeune g~tting th~ verdict b~cause h~ had lost singl~ dabs in seven sections where Galleazzi had only manag~d six. During the three lap. 15 section course it was possible to lose a maximum of 75 on each lap to total 225. Yet for some of the I~er lights they couldn't even attempt the hazards. and failure to make an attempt cost an extra 50 marks. so many of the later placings were record~ with scores that were in exc.~ of the maximum possible loss in th~ sections. Bernie Schreiber, America's hope for th~ titl~. had another disastrous day. finishing in a lowly ninth place. L~j~une I~ right from the start, compl~ting the first lap for one mark I~ than Gall~azzi whose forceful riding styl~ was one of the bright spots on a dull day. In third place was Votmn~n, on~ of only three rid~rs to keep th~ir 5Co~ und~r sixty. The r~mainder were closely bunch~, managing to sav~ just under ten marks on av~ra~ for th~ first lap. Wh~n th~ sections were ~ased for the 5Ubsequ~nt tours, cl~ans w~r~ still few and far ~~, but rid~rs w~r~ at I~aat managing to ~ach the end cards. And so it continu~d. The many thousands of sp«tators who had trav~l~ from all o~r the contin~nt to watch th~ world's bet rid~rs in action w~r~ sadly disappoint~. Wh~n th~ are r~uced· to th~ level th~y w~re th~r~ is no ~njoym~nt'for anyon~. and without ~xc~ption riders wer~ just sick of th~ trial's!stupid sections, • R.sults GoI_. 1. Eddy Lojeune,IIelgIum t360 _ I 149; 2. o.nilo ItoIy 1280 $WMI 149; 3. Yrjo V_i_. FinoInd C340 BuhKoI 158; 4. _ Soler, Spoin 1350 ~ 1110; 5. GlIeo IIurgol. "'..... 1280 SWM! UI1; 6. _ _, _ n 1360 ~. s-> t360 _ ~ 162; 7. Ull 163; 8. IIemord Cordonnior, llelgium l340 BuhKoI 185; 9. _ Schr_, USA 1320 IWlje1) 167; 10. Alberto Juvontwnv, Spoin 1350 Ooul 168. World ChampionshIp Observed Trials series: Round 3 Lejeune continues • • w,nn,ng • pace,n Ireland By Mike Rapley CLANDEBOYE, IRELAND, MAR, 7 Honda mounted Eddy Lejeune leapt to the top of the World Championship point standings, taking a 19 point lead after winning the third round of the title battle in Ireland, Two wins and a second plac~ is the impressive record of B~lgium's Lej~une in three trials, and al~ady the pattern for the year is being set, with the youthful continental riders succ~55fully challenging the more experienced men who hav~ dominated in East y~ars. However, on a day when Eddy was at his brilliant bot, Bernie Schrei~r was at his most dismal. Th~ young American star·- champion in 1979, slumped to' a disastrous 25th, after reading the three lap, 15 section course all wrong by rushing round when ~n~rally conditions improved. Lejeune was simply brilliant, and he completed the 45 sections with a l!l mark.advamage ov~r th~ second man, last year's champion Vlf Karlson. How~v~r, Karlson had the distinction of I~adin/t at th~ ~nd of the . .. first lap. and only a dismal second circuit wh~n he n~arly doubl~ his first lap loss stop~ him from ~peating his 1980 win in this ~v~nt. After the first two serio rounds wh~n the contin~ntal styl~ of trick riding was much need~ for th~ ultra tight sections. Ireland h~ralded a return to th~ "British" t~ of section with wid~. straight mud and rock hazards wher~ it was impossibl~ to perform pivot turns, bunny hops and balancing. Th~ British riders' results were reflected in the change of sections with Suzuki rid~r John Reynolds taking third place with three more cleans to Malcolm Rathmell infourth and SWM MAN Martin Lampkin finishing fifth. Being a much more sensible trial than Spain or Belgium gave the star riders the chan()~ to display their talents. and many impr~ive cleans of very difficult sections wer~ witnnsed by th~ small crowds. Howev~r. B~rnie Schrei~r would probably pr~~r a return to th~ trick riding and dry grippy sections, for Mo~ th~ n~xt round in Britain he must sort out th~ Ital~t with which he ~s to be having so much trouble aft~r so much succns at th~ ~nd of last ~ar. Yrjo Vot~rin~n took sixth ch~ by Gillo Burgat who pro~d that his top ~n placings in th~ first two rounds were by no means fluko. It prov~ to b~ a very /tood and popular ~v~nt, and only h~avy rain spoil~ th~ second part of the trial. Lejeun~ was h~ad and should~rs ~tter than anybody ~lse, and his consist~ncy must mak~ him a sur~ ~t, if not for the titl~. th~n at least in with a fighting chanc~. • Results 1. Eddy Lejeune. Bolgium 1360 Hondo! 61; 2. UK ~. S-en tl60 M_174; 3. John Reynolds, _ n 1325 Suzuki! n; 4. MIIcoIm Rolhmell, Britllin 1350 ~ n; 5. Mertin Lompkin. Britllin 1280 SWMI 68; e. Yrjo V_ _, FInIond (340 Buh8co191; 7. Toni Gorgot, Spoin 1360 Ooul 99; 8. Gilleo Burgo<. "'..... 1280 SWMI 104; 9. Chrio Sutton, IIrilan (360 M _ 104; 10. TIme> Rwrf, Finlend l340 Bultaeo! 1OS. WorkS Chompioo III.. PoInt S*'

• Cover