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FIM World Championship Trials Series Round 1 : Cop des Gas Despite having limited preparation time due to an ankle Injury during the indoor series lin which he lost the tItIel. defending champ Doug Lampkin kicked off his outdoor season with a dominant performance. STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARIO CANDELLONE CALVlA MAGALUF, SPAIN, APR. 12-13 fj\ fter his defeat in the off-season IjJ World Championship Indoor Tri- als Series, more than a few people predicted that the Brit had lost his dominance, and that his reign as the outdoor trials champ was also vulnerable. The Brit showed at the season-opener, however, that the BRIEFLY••• Magaluf is a little tourist village on the island's western coast. just a few miles from Palma de Mallonca. The Calvia region hosted a European Championship round in 1996. Northern European tourists dominate the island. with areas for English and Germans. and pubs and restaurants in a decidedly non-Spanish style. rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated, and that he is still undoubtedly the man to beat. His Spanish performance was near-flawless, and the champ left with wins on both days and an early lead in the points chase. The opener actually came a bit tardy, as the original first round, scheduled for Luxembourg, was canceled due to Swine Fever (last year's first round in Britain had been called off due to Foot and Mouth Disease). This left the honor to Spain, which is appropriate since it's the nation with the largest field of strong riders and is home to many trials-bike manufacturers. Nonetheless, the home riders including new indoor champ Albert Cabestany - couldn't topple Lampkin, who was the best in the difficult sections and kept his cool in the easier zones. Actually, there really wasn't much of a home-court advantage, as the round was held on a remote island in the Baleari chain, and the long boat ride kept many of the spectators at home - a pity, considering the passion of the Spanish fans. In fact, the part of the island where the event was held is primarily inhabited by retired Brits, so perhaps the Montesa rider's win was appropriate. And round two will be held on his home turf... The setting was strange and at the same time wonderful, with sections along the rocks in a little bay watched by spectators on their yachts. Unfortunately, the weather complicated things on Saturday, so many sections were modified for Sunday, making them too easy. DAY 1 The Balearis are known for their good weather, but they disappointed on Saturday, although the cloudy skies and light drizzle were preferable to the outright rain that dominated in After descending too quickly in one section. Graham Jarvis lost his bike in the sea. and his team had to work quite hard to prepare it to finish the first day. The pit area was very well organized around a stadium that provided all the services necessary. including a pressroom with six phone lines. Montesa also brought over some scooters for the journalists to use. though there weren't enough to go around. The sections were split into two big groups. with only the final hazard - an indoor-style zone near the start - being situated on its own. Both of the groups were in little bays. whose banks provided the terrain for the sections. Unfortunately. the spectacular view was somewhat negated by some flawed section design. including narrow corners that forced the riders to hop and move backward before attacking the following obstacle. This. in turn. made things difficult for the observers. who frequently found themselves arguing with the riders. Some pundits feel that organizers should revert to the old rules. retaining only the new switch to a gO-second time limit per section. Two of the top 15 riders started the season on new bike brands. and both were Spanish. Last year's Junior champ. Josep Manzano. switched to Beta. and Jose-Manuel Alcaraz moved over to Scarpa. Manzano was in great shape and rode even better than last year. while Alcaraz was more or less the same. The Scorpa factory has decided to be present at all the World Championship rounds. with a van on-hand for mechanical assistance. The team consists of Spaniard Jose-Manuel Alcaraz. young Japanese rider Fumitaka Nozaky and Frenchman Christopher Braund. The Junior class skipped sections two. 10. 12 and 14. and Japanese riders dominated. Taichi Tanaka (haVing moved from Beta to Gas Gas) won on Saturday. and Fumitaka Nozaky topped Sunday's competition. A couple of former stars from the World Championship have rejoined the circuit to work as minders. Brit Steve Saunders is watching after young Mika Vesterinen (son of the three-time World Champion Yrio Vesterinen). and Joan Pons assisted Albert Cabestany. No Italian or French riders made the top 15. so none earned any points. Veterans such as Frenchman Bruno Camozzi and Italian Daria Re Delle Gandine are getting over the hill. while youngsters like Thienry Michaud and Michele Orizio are still yetta peak. 28 MAY 1, 2002' G U G I e n e _ s (Above) Adam Raga just missed out on the podium on Saturday. then returned on Sunday with a strong runner-up finish. (Left) Some expected new indoor champ Albert Cabestany to start the outdoor series with a bang, but the best he could manage was a pair of thirds.