Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

PREVIEW (Left) Doug lampkin (left) and Marc Colo.,., fought to the end for the 1996 World Championship wtth Colomer getting the nod. The fight looks eet to continua through 1997. (Above) Jepe_ tMnag8l' Kenlchl Kuroylllllllis a bit of an unknown quantity this M8son since he didn't compete In the Indoor World Cup but should do _II with his blcycle-triallHlerlved styls. By John Dickinson ..... I-< 0.. -< 32 he 1997 World Trials Championship is set to be one of the best ever - thanks to the contin.uation of the ~azing head-tohead contest between reigning champion Marc Colomer and recently crowned world indoor king Doug Lampkin. The battles between these two have the entire trials world buzzing. To be absolutely honest, I don't expect anyone else to come even close to this pair in the championship. Both are amazingly focused, both are riding right at the peak of their form and both have the absolute backing of their respective factories. Lampkin's Italian Beta factory has set the pace in trials development ever since launching the revolutionary Zero back in 1989, but" this year, their Spanish rivals Montesa are launching an unprecedented sales attack with the Honda-designed Cota 315, the prototype of which won last year's championship with Colomer at the controls. And to effectively c;Iouble the interest for spectators - not to mention double the pressure for the riders, a brand-new format has been introduced to the 10round series by the FlM. Like last year, each trial will be a two-day event. Unlike last year, champioI).ship points will be awarded for the position gained on each day. Effectively, this is a 20round championship. Previously, the two-day format of a single loop of 14 sections on Saturday, followed by two loops on Sunday has been bitterly criticized by the riders. They said it was very difficult to concentrate on Saturday's single loop and say it has been virtually a waste of everyone's time. But now, their pleas for change have been answered and they have everything to go for with two full loops and full championship points up for grabs on both days. The same course and sections will be used each day, although the FlM jury may allow one or two sections to be changed if they have proved to be too difficult or dangerous. A further m.iljor change is that the time allowance for the completion of each section has been red uced by a third, down from three minutes to just two. The reasoning is obvious, to encourage riders to flow through the sections rather than waste time static balancing. The section plotters will also have to adjust the length and degree of difficulty of their hazards to suit the new time limit. Organizers must also be careful to make sure that each rider can complete the course in a total time of five hours, 30 minutes each day. One rule change which has caught everyone by surprise is that which now allows a rider to stop and realign his stationary machine in any direction with his foot down. This is thought by many to be a backward step (pun intended!). Many riders, officials, factory representatives and so forth have lobbied for the opposite in an effort to ban the stationary dab. But the majority vote of the FIM trials committee went the other way on the grounds that it is easier for spectators and observers to understand, although how they came to this conclusion is more difficult to glean. The above rule changes have at least all been introduced in the right spirit, namely to keep trials on an upward swing. Trials, a traditional sport, has been given a snappy new bite by the new breed of younger riders headed by Lampkin and Colomer, and behind them come riders like the Japanese duo of Kenichi Kuroyama and Takahisa Fujinami and Spaniard David Cobos - all tremendously exciting to watch. The indoor season has kept trials fans on a high right through the winter and the Colomer vs. Lampkin battles have attracted many new enthusiasts to the sport. And while the indoor series was good, you ain't seen nothin' yet! AND THE WINNER IS... 1. Doug Lampkin, 21 (Britain - Beta): Yes, being British I would say tha t, wouldn't I. But there is more to this choice than blind prejudice - like the Lampkin clan might kneecap me for not picking Doug to win! To be honest, I don't think there is any difference between Lampkin and Colomer when it comes to ability. Last season Lampkin was certainly more crash-prone than Colomer, but the winter indoor season, with its extreme sections, will have helped Lampkin in this respect. And his confidence is at an all-time high. Lamp'kin's main asset, though, is his virtually unflappable temperament. He thrives on pressure and can pull out a brilliant (Left) Seven-time World Champion Jordl Tarres is certainly the best there's ever been In the sport, but does he still have what it takes to nail down the championship?

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