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FIM World Championship Trials Series Round 3: Northland Riders' MC It had to happen sooner or later, and Takahisa Fujinami (pIctured) became the first rider to defeat Doug Lampkin this year, posting the win on day two. The Japanese rider is second in points. very suitable for the World Championship Series. DAY 1 STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARIO CANDELLONE DULUTH, MN, JUNE 1-2 hile not known for its international trials talent, the U.S. is famous for its skilled motocross riders, so it was fitting that Takahisa Fujinami (the Japanese Honda rider nicknamed "Fujigas" for his MX-style habit of pinning the throttle) chose the Minnesota round of the World Championship Series to become the first rider of the year to defeat defending champ Doug Lampkin. Fujinami was better than the Brit on the second part of both days, when the allotted time remaining was minimal, forcing the riders to roll up to the sections and ride through them with only minimal inspection. He was unfortunate on Saturday, when despite tieing Lampkin on points, he was beat based on number of dabs (both riders also shared the same number of cleans, the normal tiebreaker). But on Sunday, he got his revenge, posting an elusive nonLampkin victory. The event was well-organized, offering spectacular sections, even including indoor-style dangerous jumps. Such obstacles used to only be used with relatively small entry lists, but they seem to be the way of W 48 JUNE 19, 2002ยท cue I e the future. The younger generation certainly isn't frightened, and Fujinami (who, at 22, is somewhat of an intermediate age) has long been a fan of difficult zones. With Fujinami and Lampkin each scoring a win and a runner-up finish, the points situation at the top didn't change much, though the Spaniards in third and fourth (Albert Cabestany and Adam Raga, respectively) lost some ground. Beta-rider Cabestany was superlative on Saturday's first loop (perhaps not surprising, considering he is the reigning Indoor World champ), and yet another Spaniard, Sherco's Adam Freixa, was also impressive on Sunday's first loop. Unfortunately, both had catastrophic second loops. As for Raga, the Gas Gas rider's style was popular with the American spectators, but he only rode to his ability on Saturday, scoring just one point less than the top two and making the podium. Taking third on Sunday was Montesa-mounted Spaniard David Cobos. The upshot of this American trip was that the one rider closest to the incredible level of Lampkin is still Fujinami, who has finished second in the series for the past three years. It also reinforced that the Americans, though progressing, still are far from n e _ lIS challenging the World regulars. On the other hand, the Yanks seem more than capable of putting on an elitelevel event, as everything about the competition - right down to the numerous, enthusiastic fans was The sunny, summery weather seemed to agree with the Spanish riders, a fact made clear in the first loop. Sections one, two and three were on dusty rocks in a wooded area close to the start, and the second one in particular was challenging, including, as it did, a huge boulder that many were convinced was impossible until Fimitaka Nozaki proved otherwise. Lampkin cleared the difficult step on his Montesa, only to five the section when he made a mistake on an easy rock afterward. Raga and Fujinami established a small lead, but both failed in section four, which was held in a rock-filled creek with slippery roots on its banks. The most spectacular section, easily negotiated by the top riders, was number 12 - a 15-foot-high wall that was climbed by jumping from a kind of springboard of small stones accurately positioned six feet from the base. Some riders skipped this section, which could be quite dangerous if for some reason a rider jumped and failed to reach the top. Among the U.S. riders, the bravest was Chris Florin, who attempted the section on both days (but only succeeded once!). At end of the first loop, the best score was for Cabestany - nine points. Behind him, Raga had 10, and Lampkin had 12. Fujinami and Freixa were tied at 15 for fourth. Though he was finally bested on Sunday, Lampkin won Saturday and retains a comfortable points lead.