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World Championship Indoor Trials Series Round S: Pavilhao Atlan ICO Tourism, the Japanese rider failed spectacularly, throwing the bike down from 15 feet up. As he left the arena to affect repairs, many wondered whether four would be the "hard" section, or if perhaps Fujinami had simply gotten it wrong. Next in was Adam Raga, whose performance may have provided the answer. The Spaniard had a respectable round, except that he also fell heavily in four. His countryman, Marc Colomer, showed that the hazard was possible by taking it in stride, but he had disappointing failures in several other sections. At the high-jump, a 30-foothigh horizontal bar that had to be cleared from a standing start, he was lucky to survive unhurt. After passing over the bar, he parted company with the bike and landed from 20 feet up on the downward-sloping ramp. The crowd was silent, with the only sound being a screaming Honda engine that was stuck on full-throttle. His minder ran to the machine, and as Colomer was helped to his feet, the crowd roared when they realized he was unhurt. Next to attempt the hazards was Lampkin, who failed on four hazards and was trying hard to disguise the fact that he was in pain (see Briefly... ). Freixa tried his best but failed on the Tourism section, and at the water hazard. It was Cabestany who was on form-, and the crowd roared as he cleaned the difficult Tourism hazard. He didn't put a foot wrong and cleaned every hazard with ease, STORY AND PHOTOS BY JIM JONES USBON, PORTUGAL, FEB. 16 'fI he indoor trials traveling circus U has now hit its halfway point, and it appears that there's actually a good chance that international-trials king Doug Lampkin will not retain the title he has held for five years. Following the Portuguese tour-stop, the Brit sits second in the title chase, and he hasn't won many rounds. True, he's only four points in arrears of seriesleader Albert Cabestany, but even if Lampkin puts on a late charge to take the title, a certain amount of damage has already been done: After all, his competition now realizes that he can be beat. Coming into Lisbon, Lampkin actually held a slim lead over Cabestany, thanks to a strong performance at the Spanish round, with Marc Freixa sitting third. With the top three within two points, however, the Spaniards sensed that their opportunity had arrived. They had both beaten the master this year, as had Adam Raga and Takahisa Fujinami. OUALIFYING The eliminator round got under way to reduce the entry of six riders to three for the final. Each rider had nine minutes to complete the eight main hazards before they incurred time penalties. First into the arena was Fujinami, who started confidently on the Coca-Cola hazard, but then began to steadily lose points. At hazard four, sponsored by Lisbon This Turismo de Lisbon section, tackled here by Marc Colomer, proved to be the most challenging of the weekend. CAbove) Albert Cabestany is making a move for the title. The Spaniard won again In Portugal, building a small cushion on trials king Doug lampkin. (Below) Lampkin, long a champ both Indoors and out, appears to be beatable this year. Half of the series stili remains, however, and if he can shake off an ankle injury, the Brit could make a comeback to retain the tiUe. BRIEFLY••• The Pavilhao Atlantico is a pavilion next to the Atlantic Ocean. and it's just the right size for an indoor trials. It was packed to capacity by eager Portuguese spectators. The proceedings started at 9:00 p.m. and finished after midnight. with a continuous party atmosphere. The course consisted of eight formidable hazards. a highjump. and two side-by-side race-offs (rightJ. Part of Doug Lampkin' s slip in performance of late can be attributed to the fact that the Brit is riding in pain. Lampkin injured his ankle at one of the previous rounds. If there was good news in this round for Doug Lampkin. it was that Adam Raga took second place. and when Lampkin is fit again. the second half of the championship will be exciting. His problem lies with the tight schedule; there are rounds in Austria. Germany. Italy and Spain. all within a three-week period. 38 MARCH 6. 2002' c u e I Ill! n Ill! _ S