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OBSERVED TRIALS
AMAJW.TC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
OBSERVED TRIALS SERIESI28TH EL
TRIAL DE ESPANA
,..'" 5: Reed Valley
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"I think part of it was I wish I'd had a
solid minder (for every event). The guy
who helped me was quite helpful, but
still it's not the same a having the guy
you're used to always doing it. But he
couldn't afford to come, and I can't pay
him to come, so here we are."
Aaron continued to improve over the
last loop with a seven, finished within
the time limit and ended up with 27
points and 23 cleans for the day.
"The sections were good," he said.
"They were technical and difficult but
not so difficult that you couldn't clean
them. It was definitely chaUenging,
which is sometin1es hard to do when it's
really dry out here. Overall, I think the
layout of the course was really good. I
had a good day."
As expected, Ahvala had the best
day. Last year's eighth-ranked rider in
the world is participating in this year's
Nationals as a guest exhibition rider.
Though he rides the same Championship sections, he scores no series
points. A testament to the superior skills
of world-round competitors, he opened
up with a single point on the first loop.
It would be the last tin1e he dabbed in a
section all weekend.
EL TRIAL DE ESPANA
Sunday's EI Trial offers no ational
points, but it's generally the most publicized American trial of the year unless
there's a world round in the summer.
Originally conceived by Fred Belair to
raise money to be used to send American riders to Europe to compete against
the world's best, it's now used to gather
fund to support the U.S. Trial des
ations team.
•
This year's event featured a morning
loop with 10 sections (different than Saturday's) ridden once by championshipcia s entrants and twice by everyone
else. Champ riders would U1en face five
afternoon exhibition sections, generally
more difficult than those seen in Nationals and approaching world-round challenges.
Most of the Championship riders
found the morning sections easy. Gas
(Above) Though not extremely
comfortable in the dry, grippy rocks,
Raymond Peters rode consistently and
well enough to earn second place both
.
days.
(Above right) Olivier Clamagirand took
third at EI Trial, matching his placing of
the year before.
(Right) Ryon Bell finished on the podium
again with third in the National. His
consistent seconds and thirds so far this
season portend a win sooner or later.
Gas-mounted Olivier Clamagirand
joined Ahvala and former EI Trial winners Aaron and Kempkes with zeroes.
Bell, Peters, Aaron's teammate Michael
Bryant and Montesa-mounted Dennis
Sweeten all scored one for the morning
loop.
The exhibition sections belonged to
the exhibition rider, no question about
it. Sometimes, instead of riding the easiest line, Ahvala purposely sought the
most difficult line. When cheered by the
appreciative crowd, he acknowledged it
with a smile and a wave - often while
still in the section, which only led to
more meers. With his showman's flair
and superior skill, Ahvala cleaned all
five exhibition sections and easily won.
BeJUnd him, though, the competition
was tight. Aaron had a good handle on
the runner-up Spot until the last section,
Aaron is supplementing /tis income by performing extreme trials-riding demonstrations using a trailer he
has built, complete
with stadium trialsTommi Ahvala is no stranger to the United States, having com- . type sections (see
peted in world rounds here' many times, but he' . never spent as photo). For informamuch. time as is planned this year. The reason isn't to cherry- lion on the shows,
pick, but to elevate trials here. "It was' Gas Gas factory's idea to con tact
him
at
send someone over here to promote the sport and, of course, 619/659-3565 or ethe Gas Gas line as well," he said. "The ambiance has.been very mail eretrial@aol.com.
good. I was kind of surprised. It's probably because I'm not
competing against them. I'm here to help theII) and raise the The trials bike as artZ According to Larry Wise at U.S. Beta dislevel here, so they are treating me very well and they are very tributor Cosmopolitan Motors, the Guggenheim Museum in
ew York will have a pedal exhibition of the IODmost signifiwilling to learn everything I teach them. I had a very good time
here. They were a little shy at the beginning, but now they have cant motorcycles in June. Ambng the bikes will be the Beta
the posSibility to ask me anything." Ahvala shipped a touring Techno bougie Lampkin used to win the World Championship
bus from Finland and is using that to tour the counfry as he fol- last year.
lows the ationals. In addition to his riding victory, he won a
"luau starter kit" (cheesy Hawaiian dress, lei and straw hat) in An all-woman version of the Trial des Nations will take place
in Italy on September 13, and the United States will have a foutthe post-event raffle.
rider squad in it. The members include Kerrie Brokaw, Laura
Geoff Aaron mov.ed from Redding, Connecticut, to Alpine, Bussing, Andrea Davis and Erika Lund. For more information
California (in the mountains east of San Diego), over the winter or to make a donation to help defray expenses, contact t~am
.
and pelieves.it has· helped.: "I've been able to ride a, lot more manager Bussing at 423/942c8688.
throughout the winter, whereas in Connecticut we get snowed
in, or just the cold .weather would deter you from riding. To be Pre-teen Gregory Jones won the Press class on a'Gas Gas
honest with you, even in Florida I was riding really well. For JTX200 magazine test bike. Jones is the son of three-time AMA
some reaSon, I've never done well in Florida. I've ridden there 250cc ational MX Champion Gary Jones, who raced in
at least a haJf-dozen ·tin1es and only won once. Other than that, I Tonopal1, Nevada, On Saturday morning, drove the rest of the
feel my riding is better than it ever has been, so I'm pleased day to get home and literally ran the hilly loop to watch his son
.
with the way things are going." In addition to the ationals, in ills very first trials competition.
Briefl
when he lost it on top of a huge boulder.
His Beta crashed into the crowd below,
but no one suffered severe injuries. The
five points gave Aaron 14 for the day
and dropped him to sixth, however.
'1 rode a little tight, especially at the
beginning of the exhibition stuff,"
Aaron said. "I wasn't real pleased with
the way I rode the exhibition sections. I
was just kind of riding a little nervous,
not as good as I could. One of the (reasons was) when we got to ection three,
I believe, in the exhibition, (officials)
altered it. They were manging the ribbons while we were walking the sections. I wasn't too happy with the way
they were dealing with that whole situation, and 1 maybe let it get to my head a
little bit. Because of the way they
changed the ribbons, the lines all
manged."
Bryant, the National High Schoolclass mampion from '96, put in some of
the best rides by Americans and carded
11 points in the afternoon, giving him 12
for U1e day. That tied C1amagirand's 12,
but the Belgian's clean morning gave
him third place for the second EI Trial in
• a row.
Despite starting with a point after the
morning sections, Peters came through
with just 10 in the exhibition for 11
points total as runner-up for the second
day in a TOw.
"I really didn't feel that great about
either day I rode," Peters aid. "Today I
felt shaky. I haven't been riding much
rocks. It's been cold and muddy at home
(in New York). I did well last year (at
the National), but this is always my
weak terrain - this big, dry stuff. I don't
ve anything like tha t to practice and I
don't particularly care for it, given the
choice. It could rain here and make me
happy.
"At first, I wa n't even going to ride
in the afternoon. [ didn't particularl .
care for what 1 saw in the sections, and
got talked into it. They made a couple
moclifications, made some of the other
ones more ridable. I decided that r
couldn't really justify all the sponsorship and everythin~ if I ju t stood there
and didn't at least give it a shot. It
turned out really well, though it was
some of the weakest riding I've ever
done. Overall, it went okay."
('N
Reed Valley
Aguanga, California
Results: April 18-19, 1998 (Round 1 of 11)
N