Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

sections were Bruno Camozzi, Graham Jarvi and Colley, with Colley, as the wild card, having to tackle the sections first. Colley took two on the opener, a series of steps and drops based on a large truck, settled for three on the logs which followed, urged the 270cc Gas Gas to clean on the "rocket-stages" (large concrete pipes), had a nervous three on the next - which featured some nasty leaps across gaps between what looked like upturned satellite TV dishes - before making it up the waterfall for two big dabs for a score of 11. While not Colley's strongest showing ever, it certainly looked good compared to Jarvis and Camozzi. Jarvis, not really and indoor specialist, took 19, while Camozzi, usually much stronger in front of his home crowd, scored 24. Ahvala, Bilbao, Lampkin and Colomer were out next and Ahvala would also be heading for a shower after his opening-lap score of 18. It was different up ahead. Bilbao, Colomer and Lampkin all looked sharp. Lampkin, however, got a big shock as he fived the first section he tackled in the round-robin opening lap. He failed the very first big step on the "rocket" section and was given a maximum (per the rules) for reversing out of the section, past the "start line" - still feet up. Amazingly, Lampkin got his act together to take the sole clean on two of the remaining four sections, the technically difficult trees and the satellite dishes where an iron nerve was needed above all else. In contrast, Colomer cleaned that ~ tion while Bilbao eventually took a single dab. Colomer alone cleaned the truck hazard, but then failed the satellite dishes. What really cost him the lead though was a shock maximum for failing the final waterfall section. What hurt most was qualifying. third behind Colley, although this did him a favor as it turned out. In order to guarantee maximum action, the French organizers craftily ran the race first in the final. This meant that as third and fourth qualifiers, Spaniards Colomer and Bilbao would race each other and a cynic could be forgiven for thinking that Bilbao, who is incredibly quick when he wants to be, sympathetically went more slowly and carefully than Colomer. It was more a funeral march than a race. In direct contrast, Lampkin was forced to ride for his life against a demon Colley, who rates a Bercy win as the highlight of the year. They both went full tilt over the very difficult cable-reel stacks and it wasn't until Colley was forced to dab a couple of times that Lampkin could relax a little. Lampkin was a bit peeved when he was docked a mark under the new rule of "sumping" on a step. "~I know it touched, but! was going so fast it never stopped," Lampkin said. With the truck not a part of the final, it was straight to the logs again (in the final, the sections must be ridden backwards). This one proved impossible and. all fived at exactly the same step. The tree-trunk run-up was just too awkward and slippery. The tension really flowed at the satellite dish section as both Bilbao and Colomer initially refused to ride in the reverse direction, claiming that the metal scaffolding was just too dangerou.s. When told that they had to do this, Bilbao made a great show of nose-diving at the start of the section and then giving vent to his feelings with a rude gesture. Spanish Montesa rider Marc Colomer lost the championship on e tiebreaker at the last round in Monaco after fighting all season long with Lampkin. a To Colomer's credit, he knuckled down and produced a truly brilliant clean, although his leaping'exit was very dodgy. Colley was next and his dismount saw him pivoting wildly around the Gas Gas triple clamps as he nosedived to earth. This had the effect of totally unnerving Lampkin. It all came down to the last section the waterfall. Not overly interested by this point, Bilbao took a quick five but it was a totally disbelieving and disgusted Colomer who failed the hazard for the second time. And he was further deflated when seconds later Colley blasted up for a one before Lampkin put together a true champion's ride, with a determined ascent, full of aggression and technique, for a clean that took him back to the top of the title points chase - three clear of Colomer with one round to go. fN Palals Omnlsport Paris, France Results: Merch 16, 1997 (Round 9 of 10) QUALIFYING, Doug Lampk;n (Bet); 2. Steve Colley (C.-G); 3. Marc Colomer (Mon); 4. Amos Bilbao (G-G); S. Tommi AhvaJa (Fan); 6. Graham Jarvis (500); 7. Bruno Camozzi (G-G). FINAL, 1. Doug Lampkin (Bet); 2. Steve Colley (GG); 3. Marc Colomer (Man). WORLD CUP INDOOR TRIALS SERIES POINT STANDINGS (After 9 of 10 rounds): 1. Doug Lampkin (145); 2. Marc Colomer (142); 3. Amos Bilbao (G-G); 4. Tommi Ahvala (83); 5. Graham Jarvis (81); 6. Bruno Camoui (78t. 7. Steve Colley (58); 8. )ordi Tanes (25); 9. Gabriel Reyes (20); 10.)oa Hinclnm (II). World CUp Indoor Trials Series Round 8: Madrid, Spain By John Dickenson MADRID, SPAIN, MAR. 15 nly one point separated Doug Lampkin from his rival Marc Colomer as the World Cup Indoor Trials Olampionship reached its eighth round in Madrid, and crowds turned out in force to lend their support for Spaniard Colomer - putting Lampkin in a bad position from the get-go. The British rider knew that any errors he made in Madrid would be ~ punished heavily by the partisan observers, but by the end of the night he was very gracious in his opinion of the event - despite being beaten by his Spanish arch-rival. "! have to say that this was one of the best indoors I have ridden," he said. "Certainly the best this year." With a large crowd on hand, the seven-rider lineup was made up of Lampkin, Colomer, Jordi Tarres, Amos Bilbao, Graham Jarvis, Bruno Camozzi and Tomrni Ahvala. Crammed into the stadium were no fewer than 10 observed sections plus a high-jump and a total of three races. And, unlike many Spanish events this which have featured virtually impossible sections, Madrid proved very rideable. AIl the sections were sponsored by major advertisers, even the high-jump and races, and many hazards mirrored the sponsors products - like the Cepsa oil bottles, Fortuna cigarette boxes, etc. On the opening lap it was obvious that proceedings were again going to be dominated by Colomer and Lampkin, although Tarres joined them as the only riders not to have suffered a single five mark after the opening 11 hazards. It . was Lampkin, as he often has in the past, who qualified on pole position for the final on just five marks lost with Colomer right behind on seven. Only Tarres and Camozzi cleaned the opening Cepsa bottles while Ahvala and his Fantic joined Colomer with cleans on the followin~ giant wooden triangles. Colomer and Bilbao cleaned the impressive large number 1 as Lampkin started steadily with. three deliberate dabs in the openers. Then, in the company of Bilbao, Lampkin cleaned the next three before pulling off the sole clean on the spectacular waterfall where Tarres and Colomer were the next best on two. It was this clean that won Lampkin the heat without a doubt. Lampkin, Colomer, Bilbao and Tarres all soared over the high jump, but the off-form Ahvala, Jarvis and a strangely subdued Camozzi all clocked up a maximum. So it was former seven-time World Champion Tarres who joined Colomer ",nd Lampkin in the final. Tarres, who has elected to concentrate on the outdoors this season, is obligated to ride the Spanish rounds for his sponsors. The Spaniard was first through all the 10 observed sections and never really went of it, cleaning just a single section as he played it safe and settled for third place. Colomer got ahead with an excellent clean in the very first section when Lampkin dabbed and then all three settled for a single dab in the second. The third section, introduced just for the final, was a series qf impressive giant cigarette packets with one step so severe that all three riders failed to make it to the top. As Lampkin's father Martin said in his own unique, colorful and ever-amusing prose... "you wouldn't have got up that in a bloody rocket." At the end of the 10 sections, Colomer had stretched his advantage over Lampkin to five points, 13-18, after both lost marks on the high jump which Tarres cleaned. Tarres, though, on 29 marks, was resigned to settling for third as the two rivals headed for the final three races. There were to be no upsets there, though, and the honors were shared, with Colomer claiming the important 20 championship points to ease back into the series lead. Lampkin was quite happy to escape from Spain just two points adrift of his rival. His nightmare had been the possibility of two Spaniards in the top two or three places which would have seen him lose touch with Colomer. co; Madrid, Spain Results: March 15, 1997 (Round 8 of 10) QUALIFYING: 1. Doug Lampkin (Bet); 2. Marc Colomer (Man): 3. )ordi Tarres (G-G); 4. Amos Bilb.o (G-G); S. Bruno Camou; (G-G); 6. Graham Jar,,;s (500); 7. Tommi Alvala (Fan). FINAL: 1. Marc Colomer (Man); 2. Doug Lampkin (Bet); 3. Jordi Tarres (G-G) WORLD CUP INDOOR TRIALS SERIES POINT STANDlNGS (After 8 of 10 rounds): 1. Marc Colomer (127); 2. Doug Lampkin (125); 3. Amos Bilbao (94); 4, Tommi Ahvala (72); 5. Graham Jarvis (71); 6. Bruno Camozzi (68); 7. Steve Colley (41); 8. jordi Tanes (25); 9. G.briel Reyes (10); 10. Jo. HindIen (II). Bri e·f.1 y---,---'.'~."'-----'---: T.here ;"a" p!eQty fqr DoUg' Lampkin io celebrate when he returned to his British home. aiter a 20-hour drive from Monaco. In addiiion. to having 'won' the·first-eve·r Worid l.ndoor"Tr;als Championship. he'd' aiso turned·21. But a full-blown party wa.s postPoned' until !3u'nday evening as Lamp. .ki"n inte"l}ded. to parta.ke in an. Eng!ish Nationa( trial. on Sund~y: He enqed up tide ing. and winning'- making it three victories in four days as he 'Non' a IndQor tr.ial in Bolzano, Italy on "ThurSday. Moriaco on Fri· day and in England on Sunday. . . . T ommi Ahvala. ha.d· a diabolicai indoor seaSon, having, apparently no. more confidence .in his ·twin"shock than a nOVice. His mount is basically the new aluminumframed Fantic, but with Ahvala's own fuel tank which ';s mounted under the seat While the' air filter is located where the fuel tank useci to.be.· ." The strain of.the 1O'race series \Vas showin'g on boih D6ug Lampkin and Marc Colomer by ihe 1ime they got to Serci In a way. several World Champ;onshlp 'Indqor T(ials have suffered .s;mply b~cau'se they' . ~re npw title rounds. indoor trials '~re generally I;ghl-hearted affairs where the riders ' .show: off their :sk;lls·. sdmetimes In outra.'geous ,ways. But the championship has ·temPerecHhis.- espe.cially as the se'ries reached ;ts 'conclus;on and "the riders' have been' ridi"9 for' points and not ,mereiY· to entertain. Lampkin is aware of this and t.ries . to .please the 'crowd .wlth wheelies and stoppieS before 'and after the event. '(\Ihile. other also' try to keep ihe crowd enter. tained.·· ' . '

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