Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

OBSERVED TRIALS WORLD CHAIIPIONSHIP OBSERVED TRIALS SERIES split between natural, loose climbs and drops. They were very good sections which required plenty of throttle control and grip-seeking techniques, interspersed with semi-man-made rock sections with huge boulders set into the earth bankings. These provided the obligatory World Round big steps. These rocky sections, though long, were not overly difficult and with very dry condi tlOns all of the sections were possible to clean, so low scores were forecast for the event. Concentration was going to be all-important as the contenders knew that any slack marks were going· to prove almost impossible to claw back. . The opening section was typical of the man-made variety and the new time allowance of two minutes per section proved to be the right amount of time keeping riders on the move aU the time: Only Colomer, looking cool and well in control at this stage, and Frenchman Bruno Camozzi cleaned this opening circuit. Lampkin eased through for a barely needed one, as did Amos Bilbao. The rest, including eventual third-place fJmsher Jordl Tarres, mainly settled for a three-mark !oss, 'including many very scrappy, untidy efforts as riders worked the new, anyth.ing-goes-feet-down rule, for all It was worth. The second section proved easy but the thud, a very steep twisting climb over loose earth on a slippery base-rock, By John Dickinson ...... ..... l-< ~ 40 WARKEN, LUXEMBOURG, APR 12-13 rit Dougie Lampkin struck a major psychological blow to hi§ archrival, reigning World Cham-~ pion Marc Colomer, with a devastating double-leg victory in the second round of the 1997 series, staged m the pnnClpahty of Luxembourg which is surrounded by Belgium, Germany and France. Lampkin's back-to-back wins compare fa,:,orably to second- and fifth-place finishes for Colomer, who cracked on the second day while trying to apply pressure on Lampkin as he had done in Spain during the opening round. But C<,>lomer's Montesa team's ploy not only faded this week, It blew up in their faces and a second-leg fifth place showing for Colomer saw Lampkin pull out a handy 13-point series lead. . "1 fell into their trap in Spain," Lampkm saId while celebrating his "double victory. "But 1 can tell you'this - it is the last time I will fall for any tricks they might try to bring into play. 1 learned a lot last week and 1 think they know that now!" The 14 sections in Luxembourg were much the same as they were the last time the trial was held there, two years ago. The nature of the land is wooded, steep, hillsides and the sections were (Above) Beta's Dougle lampkin scored a major double vlctlory In Luxembourg to take a 13-polnt lead In the points race over rival Marc Colomer. (Right) Defending World Champion • Marc Colomer took a second and a fifth In Luxembourg. He now sits In second In the point standings with 62. was a beauty. It demanded perfect throttle control and m~ny riders were found totally lacking this skl1l. Young guns like Takahisha Fujinami and David Cobos, who can level formidable rock-steps, had no answer to this one. Neither did Colomer as he spun out on the first lap. Lampkin was sunply superb as he eased the Beta to the end for a two, the only sub-three score here on the opening loop. The action then transferred several kilometers down the valley for six natural sections, aU on rocky hillsides. Lampkin succumbed to his only five of the day on the fifth section, which Colomer cleaned, so the two were virtually even again. But on the run-in to the finish, Colomer lost a three and a couple of smgle-pomt losses while Lampkin took only two single dabs in the remaining nine sections. The £U:al section, set in a creek right by the ~sh, featured a yery tricky exit over shppery rocks. Lampkin's clean run, the only one on the loop, sealed his score at 10 to Colomer's 13 and Camozzi's 16. Lampkin then set out to blitz the second circuit. From his position as last man around, Lampkin simply waited for everyone to clear the section, took one last look with his father, and calmly took the hazards apart. Lampkin's loop score of sIX mcluded a brilliant singledab on the tricky third section. This section cost the Brit a'mere three marks compared to eight for Colomer and a full-house 10 for Camozzi. By the finish Lampkin was an assured winner by six marks over Colomer, followed by a surprising Camozzi, Tarres and Steve Colley, who fmally rode somewhere near his true ability level. Graham Jarvis took the Scorpa to its ~t World Championship resul t yet In sIxth ahead of Kenichi Kuroyama, who was struggling to find any consistent form on the day. Saturday's trial had taken place in very chilly conditions as a biting wind was blowing from the north. In complete contrast, Sunday was very sunny and warm. And there was soon some pretty hot action to view as Colomer's Montesa team took up a stance at the difficult third section, trying to coerce the laststarting Lampkin to ride it before them. But Lampkin and father Martin were having nothing to do with it and staged what Martm called a "sit-down strike" in the section. "The way 1 see it," Martin Lampkin said, " we can either sit here playing bloody silly games, or we can get on with the trial- it is up to them!" Colomer eventually had to make the effort and made a mess with a two-dab ride. He then proceeded to lose the plot, gomg. to his van for a sulk and getting hIS ~~sh to nde behind Lampkin. But thIS hme though, Lampkin brilliantly cleaned section three and there was going to be no stopping him from h~te on in to the finish. . The danger on day two, just as'in

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