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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126608
It's been 18 months since American Bernie Schreiber won a World Championship Trials round, but his outing in Engand proved successful. Scott Head put a bead on the correct line coming out of a stream crossing. World Cbam~ionsbi~ Observed Trials Series: Round 3 - - . Schreiber on top in England By Mike Rapley BAINBRIDGE, ENGLAND, MAR. 14 Eddy Lejeune, Bernie Schreiber and Gilles Burgat, first, second and third in the opening two rounds of the World Championship Trials Series, had an interloper split them, and also suffered' a reshuffle, when the third round of th e series took place at Bainbridge in North Yorkshire. 16 Back at th e top a fter being ou t of th e World Championship winning ( slo t for the past eigh teen months was Californian Bernie Schreiber, wh o won hi s first title round since the Czechoslovakian event in 1980. The fifte en points SWM mounted Bernie gained took him closer to series lead er Eddy Lejeune, who finish ed second in ' the trial after having won th e first two rounds. with .the two riders going into the recess with a th ree point difference. The interloper into the top three was Spaniard Toni Gorgot who had his best day for some wh ile and just o uste d defending World Cham pion ~iIles Burgat from th e top three pl acm g. An easier tri al th an ex pec ted after last year's su per event, Britain 's round was nonetheless a tr u ly mar velous event. The home o f trial ing ca n still put on a first cla ss tr ial , a nd the 29 sectio ns over a two lap, 15 kilometer course fo und a convincing win ner in the form of Schreiber who looked every in ch a prospective World Champion. The traditional straig h t an d oft en muddy rock streams weren 't expected to su it the American, but he ha s tri ed so hard to master, the often unpleasa nt conditions, an d when he did, he readily confessed that the win was one of hi s most sa tisfyin g. British riders took a co n tinen tal hammering, a nd it was left to the old firm of Martin Lampkin and Mal co lm Rathmell to salvage some recog n ition. Lampkin was the best pl aced Brit, in eigh th pl ace with Rathmell just behind in h im ninth , fin all y th e tenth and last point scori ng place being tak en by th e yo u n g John ' Lampkin . Bet ween Burgat in fourth and Lampkin in eighth came Charles Coutard who had a wry sm ile on hi s face a t th e fini sh as he posted the best Bultaco rider scor e with fift h , next in six th was th e old cam paigner Yrjo Vesterinen and in seven th Italian SWM Champion Danilo Gale azzi. For some riders it turned out to be a di sastrous da y, particularly Ulf Karl son, wh o fail ed to ge t into th e points fo r the first time for more th an a year. U lf had a birthday party th e night before, but whether that was the true reason for hi s poor ride we sha ll never know. He did im p rove o n hi s second ci rcu it to post a score some 20 marks better, but the late charge fail ed to lift him from a first lap placing o f 24th to any higher than 12th . The longed for appearance of youthful su perstar Steve Saunders, who many reckon to be Britain's next World Trials Champion, has had to be put off until the French round in June. Saunders , entered for the trial, brok e a coll arbone the day before wh en he came off a road bike and remained a t hom e. The big battle between th e yo u ngster and the stars was off for a no ther day, and the 3,000 plus Brit ish cro wd had to go home disappointed. It proved to be a tr ial lacking in the a tmosp here experienced in the Yorkshi re dal e the year before, but still p rovided for a n excellent trial in superb surroundings that found a truly worthy winner in Schreiber. Only th e poor showing of fellow Am erican Scott Head being the shado w on the U.S. horizon. Scott fin ished in 36th place and was just' never in the hunt after his marvelous poin ts earning ride in Spain two weeks previously. • Results ' 1, Bernie Schreiber (SWM • USA) 47 ; 2. Eddy l..I'ieune (Honda · Belgium ) 51; 3. Toni Gorgot (Monteee - Spain) 52; 4. Gilles Burglt (Fantic • France) 66 ; 6, Chorlel Coutard (Bultaco - France) 63 ; 6, Yrjo Vesta rinen (Bult.co· Finland) 64 ; 7 . DanUo Gal.lui (SWM -Italy) 67; B, Manin Lampkin (SWM - Britain): 74 ; 9, Malcolm Rathmell(Monteu - Britain) 76; 10. John Lamplt in (CCM - Britain) 79 , World Champion,hip Point Standings: 1. Lejeune (42); 2. Schreiber (39) ; 4, Burgat (28); 4. Coutard (14) ; 6. Gorgot (13); 6, Karlson (11); 7. M. Lampltin (9); B, (TIE)Velterinen/Galeazzi /Subira (8).