Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

FIM World Championship Trials Saries Round 5: MC Ancelle (Left) Indoor Trials Champion Albert CabestahY is making his mark In the World Trials Series, winning the overall for the first time this year in France. (Above) Series leader Doug lampkin went 4-1 over the weekend. (Below) Takahlsa Fujinaml was consistent, going 2·3. STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARIO CANDELLONE ANCELLE, FRANCE, JUNE 22-23 Pparently no longer satisfied to merely be the king of indoor trials, Albert Cabestany is making a run at the prestigious outdoor crown of late, and the French round witnessed the Spaniard's greatest surge yet. He had already shown his seriousness at the previous round in Andorra, where he traded wins with defending champ Doug Lampkin. He did the same in the dry, sunny conditions of France, but also took the overall victory and closed the points gap on the Brit from 41 to 37; he is now just seven points behind Takahisa Fujinami, currently second in the series. Lampkin's Saturday nonpodium finish was his first of the season (it happened only twice last year), but as he usually does following a mistake, he came back to top the leaderboard on Sunday. Fujinami was his usual steady self, posting a pair of podium finishes, but some late mistakes on day two cost him what appeared to be a sure win. A 64 JULY 10. 2002' eye I III The competition's organization was absolutely flawless. On one of the hottest days of the year (about 95 degrees), competitors did battle between 4450 and 5950 feet of elevation, with approximately 4000 spectators watching on Saturday alone. (Sunday's turnout was a bit lower.) DAY 1 The French organizers did a good job of locating spectacular sections that were less dangerous than what was seen at the previous two rounds. There were once again steep rocks on dry terrain, but the difference this time was in the observers' strict application of the rules, as riders were penalized for even the slightest stop. This behavior somewhat disoriented the riders, who had become accustomed to lax treatment in the challenging zones. Cabestany was determined immediately, and he took a big advantage in the first loop, where he fived only the high wall in section six, considered by many to be the most difficult hazard. Lampkin proceeded very badly: He fived sections four, six and n e _ s BRIEFLY••• This was the Rrst time that Moto Club Ancelle had run a World round. but the organization was great. The sections. mostly grouped together. were easily reachable by the spectators thanks to a chair-lift and several buses (for joumalists. there were chauffeured four-wheel-drive trucks). Event head Jeannot Ehrhart did a good job of choosing obstacles of the proper difficulty for the top riders. Only a few adjustments were necessary for the Junior-level riders. Spectator tickets sold for 10 euros (about $10), and the small village of Ancelle - seven miles from Gap in southeast France - was invaded by the trials enthusiasts. A big ten was set up for refreshments. the press office was situated in a bUilding and was equipped with sufficient phone lines, and - surprisingly. for a rather small town - there were many hotels Rumors of rule changes are becoming qUite consistent (see our headline from last week's round), A questionnaire arranged by some riders (mainly Bruno Camozzi) was circulated around the pits, and it seems that most of the riders agree that the rules against stopping and backing up should be eliminated. If this is done, it is likely that the time limit will be reduced from 90 seconds per section to 60, in order to keep the show interesting. There were some protests in the Junior class, as riders felt that the rule requiring at least five easy sections had not been followed, Organizers face a difficult challenge in trying to design sections appropriate for both the elite level of the top-three pros and the lower level of the Juniors. Fumitaka Nozaki and Jerome Bethune each won a day in the Junior class. Among those on hand over the weekend was Patrick Feraud, organizer of the Five Days of Verdon, which is a popular French event. Feraud announced that Gas Gas' official support team will be on hand offering the same service that it does at the Scottish Six Days. Ma"y brands of bikes are available to rent for the event. which takes place August 27-31, For more information, log on to www.phototrial.it.

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