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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126762
In winning his fourth-straight in Ireland. Eddy Lejeune dominated the field. winning by 30 points in the sloppy conditions. Bernie Schreiber had his problems on the Emerald Isle. finishing fourth after he came up short on cleans in a tiebreaker. World Championship Observed Trials Series: Round 4 Lejeune wins again in Ireland By Mike Rapley NEWTONARDS,IRELA D, MAR. 24 World Champion Eddy Lejeune, at his brilliant and dominating best, crushed the opposition in the Irish round by a massive 30point winning margin for his second victory of the year. By FIM standards a winning rider's score should . equal one mark per sectIon, but after three laps of 15 sec- 14 tions each Honda's Lejeune handed in his punch card with a tally of 110 marks. Torrential rain the night before the event had drastically altered the character ofthe sections. Set much as they had been in 198~ w!ten the terrain was dry, the sections looked fairly easy, but the rains came and the tight turns followed by steep steps soon became polished and the marks soared. In second, at 140 marks, was Frenchman Thierry Michaud, who has finished in the first three every time this year. Michaud, the winner of the o~nin$ round in Spain. was no match for the Honda man in Ireland. LeJ.eune set the three best laps of the tnal, was never headed and barely even challenged from the opening section onward. The first hazard was terrible, deep mud clung to machines like a clam, and nobody reached the ends card all day. PhiJ'ippe Berlatier charged the bog on his Italjet and promptly sank. It also sank the Frenchman's hopes and he eventually called it a day with a sprained wrist. Third was Britain's Steve Saunders for his best world round result. Saunders had' the next best lap to Lejeune and seemed to find grip where none existed, a situation that has made him the lOp dog in Britain. Saunder, by virtue of having cleaned three sections more than Bernie Schreiber, beat the American - and then apologized 10 the British round winner at the end of the trial! Curt Comer, the only other American contesting the eries. did not ride the round. Another British highlight was Tony Scarlett who. in only his fourth world' round finished seventh, beating john Lampkin by a single mark. Lampkin's Famic teammate, Bernard Cordonnier. was fifth, just ahead of former World Champion Gilles Burgat while into the top 10 in ninth came joel Descuns riding the French-built jCM with an Italian Tau motor - a bike that has improved considerably in 12 month. As Lejeune moved relentlessly onward to his fourth victory in Ireland, the rest were left to fight it out between themselves. Lampkin had a nasty problem when he hit a little girl as she ran across his path on a woodland track while Toni Gorgot had troubles with a cracked engine cover which allowed water into the Bultaco motor and drowned the electrics. The little girl was taken to a hospital and later discharged, but the incident upset Lampkin. Gorgot retire~ and admitted there was still a lot or thinking to do about the trick 11 Kobas he and fellow Spaniard Gabino Renales are riding. The Irish trial is very much a different event from those normally associated with the World Championship. Organized in sparkling fashion and sponsored by a local car group, it retains a clever lTIix of old style sections with new style tight turns. The terrain features a totally gripless mixture of mud and leaf mold which confuses riders who are used to ultra grippy rock sections. But Lejuene, brought up on muddy and slippery hazards in Belgium in a climate similar 10 Britain's, revels in the terrain. That is why Eddy won by ~O marks, and for the fourth time. Back at the top of the championship points table, Lejeune is still only one point ahead of Michaud, with Schreiber I~ points behind. It is beginning to look like a two-horse race, with the Honda man the hot favorite. a Results 1. Eddy Lejeune (Han) 110; 2. Thierry Micllloud (Fan) 140,; 3. S'eve SaunderslArm) 146; 4.llernie Schreiber (SWM) 146; 5. Bernerd Cordonnier (Fanl 150; 6. Gilles Burga' IFan) 151; 7. Tony 5cetlen (Yam) 172; 6, John Lampkin IFan) 173; 9. Joel OncunslJCM) 176; 10. Renata Chiabeno (Fan) 178); 11. Fred Michaud IFan) 177; 12. Andreu Cadina (Man) 177; 13. Danilo Geleau; (5WM) 177; 14. P8sca' Couturier (Bet) 179; 15. Lui. Gallach (Merl 179. WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS: ,. Lejeune (70); 2. Michaud (89); 3. Schraiber (581; 4. Bertatier (461; 5, (TIE) Saunders/Burget (37); 7. Lampkin (32t 8. Cordonnier 131 t 9. Cadina (21 t 10. e-no(20).