Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

World CbammoDship Observed Trials Series: Round 3 Lejeune ~ins in England, Lampkin retire,s a By Mike Rapley BAIN BR IDGE. YO R KSH IRE . ENGLAND. ~lA R . 6 After struggling to a disappointing fourth in the opening round of the series in Spain, but then bouncing back with a win a week later in his native Belgiu m , defending champion Eddy Lej eune was faced wi th o ver co m ing the worst . . Br.Ham co u ld offer when t.he thud round took place at Bambridge in n orth Yor kshi re. Lejeu ne h ad ne ver won a tri al on the Briti sh main la n d. but he mad e the breakth rough o n th e fir st S u n day of March whe n h e wo n th e toughest ever British ro u nd. Staged over a super-d ifficu lt . twolap. 28-secti on. 15-ki lometer co urse. the tria l almost de feated the ri ders. It was very sli p p ery and very rocky. wh ich together with a lot o f mud cli m bs and banks cost H onda 's Lej eune a ma ssi ve 98 marks los t. Prior to th e event i t was thought last year's winner Ber n ie Schreiber would be one of his closes t challengers. but Bern ie n ever reall y seemed hap py with th e terrain arid finish ed th ird. leav ing Gill es Burga t th e job o f with a top ten p lacing. But it wa s not to be, fo r his great riv al Yrjo Vesterinen - still th e most success ful rider ever in th e World Championshipbeat him in the first cham pionship event o f th e year. And the di ffere nce could n' t have been nar ro wer. Bot h La mpki n an d Vester inen lost 142 marks. bo th had ele ven secti on clea ns. bu t Vesty had eleve n dabs. wh ile Lampkin had eigh t. Those th ree prods were enoug h 10 cos t Mart in championship point. In sevent h pl ace wa s Ch arles Coutard wh o seemed 10 have got hi s new J CM's rear suspension sorted o u t. whi le eig h th was the new sensa tio n Ph ill ip e Ber la tier, Ninth was Pedro aile on th e diminutive Beta . Just as he always does, Lejeun e started slow ly wh ile m ost o f hi s rival s had so me good rides early on . Th e first la p o f suc h trials a lwa ys tak es a long tim e. The rid ers try to psych eac h o ther ou t a nd i t roo k mo st o f the m more th a n five hours 10 comp lete th e o pe ni ng lap o n th e Yor ksh ire moors. Su ch tactics do n 't a gree wi th Lej eune. H e likes 10 keep on the move a nd to keep wa rm . a nd when h e do es h e a lw avs rides bett er. At th e end o f th e first lap Gill es Bu rga t had th e lead with [h e o n ly score bel ow fi ftv. H e had lost 46 wh il e Lejeun e was nex t w ith 53. whil e j us t tw o ma r ks beh ind was J o h n Lampkin. It loo ked as if th e Brit ish fa ns might yet ha ve somethi ng to cheer abo ut. Never the mo st exci ta ble na tio n in the world, th e enthus ias ts ga ve Martin La mpk in a chee r to remem ber . wh ile he ga ve th em a ride to rem em ber. T he hazard was a stee p d rop in to a slippery rock strea m before a n ultra sleep earth clim b 10 a field an d the section ends. T here had bee n a few cha llenging Lejeune. I!1 fou rt ~ place ca me .Fre~ch ma n Thier ry MIch aud. Sch reiber steamma te on anOlherJumboSWM , wh ile fifth p lac ed ri de r was T o ni G orgot from Spain . the leader o f th e World Cha m pi ons hi p at th e start . Not si nce Mick Andrews wo n in Devon in 1980 has a British ri der won a World Cham pi o nship tri al. a nd a ll Brita i n 's ho p es for a win were with eit her Joh n Lam pk in or h is experien ced uncle. Mart in La m p ki n. J o h n alr ea dy this year has proved he is one of th e ten best tr ials riders in th e world with so me su p er rid es. H e fin ishe d six th i n hi s h ome ro u nd but after a lap held third a nd gave th e huge crowds so me thi n g 10 cheer a n d think a bo u t. Martin was pl a in unlucky. H e had sai d beforehand th at th is trial was to be hi s last World Championshi p event a nd he would have loved 10 go ou t Thierry Michaud dabbed t o fourth . cleans. but th ey were few a nd far bel ween . To utter silen ce Martin droppe d down th e ba nk o n h is Man tesa, made a superb pivo t turn a t th e bouom, and in typi cal Lampki n style, wi th knees gripping the ta n k, Mart urged th e Mon resa 10 the cli m b whi ch he clea red with ease . T he roar of a p p la use co u ld be h ear d m iles a way. Both rider a nd fan s had given eac h o th er a day 10 rem em ber. Leje u ne rus hed aro u n d on hi s seco n d lap a nd d id wh at h e so often do es. that is set up th e best lap of th e tri al. It wa s enoug h [ 0 g ive him a five mark win over Burgat , a nd to ta ke th e lead i n the World Ch ampionship afte r th ree ro u nds by 38 points to • Bernie Schreiber's 33. Results 1. Eddy Lejeune (Han) 98; 2. Gilles Burgat (Fan) 103; 3 . Bernie SChreiber (SW M) 126; 4 . Thi erry M ichaud (SW MI 128; 5. Ton i Gorgol l Mon) 130; 6 . John lampkin (Fa n) 131 ; 7 . Cha r les Coutard (J CM) 133; 8. Phi lli pe Serlatier (It a) 13 5: 9 . Pedro oue (Bet) 140; 10 . Yrjo V esteri nen (Bul) 142. WO RLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STA NDING S: 1. Lejeu ne (3 8); 2. SChre iber (33); 3 . 8urgat 1 21 4 . 3 ; ; Gorgot (30); 5 . M, cheud (141 6. Lampkin (13); 7. Ber tat ier (1 2). HONDA. OPEN HOUSE March 26 a 27. Our annual Open House is the place to find out what twowheel performance for 1983 is all about. When you corne in this week- Redline Super Sale Exam pl es on ly $1549,00 19 8 2 CB450T 19 8 2 CB650 only $1798.00 19 8 2 XL500R on ly $1598.00 1 9 8 2 CR480R 1 9 8 2 CR 125R 1 9 8 0 CR250R ***************** ***************** tJ Kzeft AND SON M O T O RCYC L ES, IN C . on ly $1668.00 only $1158.00 on ly $1058.00 end, you can also take advantage of our Redline Super Sale. And we'll make sure you don't leave empty handed. Get your free L.A. Express Football Game nckets for April 3rd Game available here at Ed Kretz Motors courtesy of American Honda & Ed Kretz and Son. Free Safety Inspection by a Honda Service Rep. on Saturday, March 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 417 E. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park, CA 91754 (2 1 3) 280-8244. (2 1 3) 283-4277 25

• Cover