Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127836
OBSERVED TRIALS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OBSERVED TRIALS SERIES expected, the sections featured mainly big, intimidating rock steps, but in this region a key feature was the loose sand that the rocks were set in. And there were variations on the big rocks with several sections set in loose gullies, with the moving sand proving as tricky to ride as the big stuff. Saturday's opening loop was to prove just how far ahead of' the rest Lampkin and Colomer currently are. From the total of 28 sections, Lampkin logged no fewer than 16 cleans and Colomer 13. The next best score of cleans came from HRC rider Takahisa Fujinami on eight, while Jordi Tarres could only muster six. With only two minutes allowed per rider per section in this year's series, the trial flowed much faster than previously and fear of riders running out of time in the hazards never materialized. But Lampkin was one of the first riders to be penalized under the equally new rule wlUch allows riders to place one or both feet on the ground with the machine stationary while moving it backward, forward, sideways or whatever - as long as their hands remain on thehandlebars. As early as the second section, Lampkin failed on the first big step, dug his foot in to fight the Beta, but had to take his hand off the bars to maintain balance, the result of which was an instant five. T1Us was not a disaster in itself as the majori ty of riders fai led this section. By John Dickinson os D. BAGES, SPAIN, APR. 5-6 aug Lampkin drew first blood in the 1997 World Trials ChamL-=-,..I pionship with a tremendously satisfying overall victory in the opening Spani h round, ending the weekend just a solitary point in front of - guess who! Marc Colomer. In surprisingly hot, dry conditions for the time of year, Lampkin took the ball straight into Colomer's home court and scored what could eventually prove to be a vital early psychological victory. With championship poiuts being awarded for both days of this year's 10round competition, Lampkin took 20 points for winning on Saturday and 15 for third place on Sunday, giving IUm a total of 35, just one ahead of local hero Colomer who claimed 17 points for each of his two second places to tatal 34. Upsetting our two title favorites on Sunday was diminutive Japanese star Kenichi Kuroyama. Kuroyama had struggled on the opening day to finish a lackluster ninth with lap scores of 40 each time. But on Sunday, something (Above) Doug Lampkin did It In Spain, narrowly defeating his main rival Marc Colomer (right) to take the early, albeit narrow, championship lead. clicked and Kuroyama just lit up. He halved his lap score on the opening circuit with a threatening 20 and then amazingly halved it again on the final go-around to leapfrog ahead of both Colomer and Lampkin to snatch a surprise first place on the day. The Spanish trial was staged in St. Fruitos d. Bages, a town some 35 miles north of Barcelona, and run over a 14section course that was lapped twice both days with each day scored as a separate trial. TIUs will be the format for all 10 stops on the circuit this season, effectively making it a 2D-round series. As is otable rides came from Tarres, who caled the big steps for just one dab, and fellow Spaniard Amos Bilbao who only needed two dabs to run through. Lampkin, obviously stung by this episode, suddenly looked unstoppable and knocked off the following five sections without loss to clean six of the opening seven sections. Colomer fived both the second and third sections, but both were right on the limit of possibility as, to roars from the large crowd, Tarres and Yottng Montesa teamster Gabriel Reyes joined Lampkin as the only cleans on the third. The next five sections, set in the sandy gullies, proved very tough, although it was not impossible to reach the exit cards and there were plenty of two- and three-mark rides. Even so, on the eighth section only eventual 10thplace finisher Reyes managed to claim what was an amazing sale clean wlUch came on the second circuit. The big wall of rock at the 11th section proved to be just too difficult and stopped absolutely everyone - well, not quite everyone. Perhaps as a foretaste of what was to come on Sunday, Kuroyarna alone managed to scream his Beta up the precipice to escape for a dab. It was a lone stroke of genius in what was otherwise a disastrous day for the Japanese. And his performance here tended to give credit to a claim that his bike wasn't in top form for the opening day's action. To finish, the final section was a true arena section set indoors, in the sports hall that was the trial headquarters. Lampkin led the fir t-lap leaderboard easily on 18, well clear of Colomer's 27 and Tarres' 30. On the second circuit, Lampkin's score was a virtual replica of the first as he again fived the second section while Colomer, Tarres, Fujinami and Joan Pons made it through for one apiece. So at the end of the opening day's playa fairly predictable pattern was laid down with Lampkin holding a healthy lead over Colomer and the rest a long way back. Tarres, riding only several miles from his Relinars home, had the edge over Fujinami with Spanish teenager David Cobos in a fine fifth and Brit Graham Jarvis, chaperoned as ever by former European Champion Malcolm RathmeU, giving the French Scarpa factory something to cheer about in sixth. Further down field it was a familiar story with Kuroyama worse off than he wished to be and Tomnti Ahvala so far down as to be out of sight. Spanish youngster Albert Cabe tany was the big surprise as he nailed two championship points for finishing 14th - and he is not even a member of the elite Fortunabacked Spanish Federation squad which is the envy of the rest of the trials world. The second day was run over exactly the same course - two laps of 14 sections - and the only section that had been altered by the organizer was the 11 th, which had proved just too ambitious. A .slightly less formidable part of the rock wall was brought into play and suddenly it was easy. In theory, scores should have come tumbling as competitors had had two "practice" attempts and by now should have been on top of the course. But the status quo was maintained perfectly by the sand between the rocks digging out and so the degree of difficul ty remained virtually constant throughout the weekend. Lampkin, on the factory Beta with father Martin urging him on as usual, started the day just as he had left off on Saturday e"ening. Totally focused and on top form right from the start, he dropped just 11 marks on the opening