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FIM World Championship Trials Series Round 7: Auvergne Moto Sports impossible depending upon when a rider would negotiate them. The rain began to fall heavily when the top riders arrived at section one, and after waiting for a respite, Fujinami was the first to go. The Japanese rider lived it, making a mistake on a big, slippery rock. Conditions then improved to the extent that Adam Raga, the last rider to go, cleaned the rock (though he scored a three in the section). Lampkin and countryman Graham Jarvis had also cleared the rock. Sections two and three were indoor· style, and their wet rocks made things hazardous for everyone. Despite his poor start, Fujinami recovered well and led the competi- (Far left) Doug Lampkin could've clinched the title one round earty In France, if It weren't for the excellent riding of his Japanese teammate. Lampkin won the first day, but finished second on day two. (Left) Spaniard Marc Freill8 finished the weekend with fourth- and third-place finishes. STORY AND PHOTOS BY MARIO CANDELLONE CLERMONT·FERRAND, FRANCE, JULY 13·14 hat sigh you heard last weekend came from two sources: the organizers of the final round in Japan were relieved that the title didn't get decided early, and Doug Lampkin was disappointed not to wrap up his sixth-straight World crown prior to a long break in the nearly completed series. The person responsible was Honda rider Takahisa FUjinami, who - after Lampkin impressively won Saturday's contest - recovered to nab a victory of his own on Sunday. The Japanese rider will now get to try wresting the title away from his British rival (and teammate) in September - although that is a possibility that would seem to exist only on paper (Lampkin is more than safe, with 32 points on Fujinami). Interestingly, the rain that fell on Saturday served to make the artificial sections seem more natural, though it also made them more difficult . for riders, observers, spectators and journalists. Sunday's clouds prevented the slippery rocks from drying, so things remained difficult. Though the idea of bringing trials T 64 JULv31. 2002' cue I e to road circuits has merit, there were some teething problems at this one. At least a few natural sections would have been nice, but as the local terrain was not conducive, organizers did a good job of adding rocks around the course. Despite the difficulty of day one, there was no surprise in the podiumplacers, and organizers eased things somewhat on day two. In addition to the wins by Lampkin and Fujinami, a strong performance was posted by Adam Raga, perhaps because of his talent for indoor trials. The Spaniard was runner-up on Saturday and led the first part of Sunday's competition (he eventually slipped a bit, but that was due as much to inconsistent scoring by the observers as anything). CAY 1 One week and a country away from the Italian round there were some similarities - namely, the wet weather and the sections' level of difficulty. This time, however, the observers were not at all strict, and riders were going backward and moving laterally without picking up fives. The rain definitely affected the outcome considerably, because it fell alternately, making the same sections change from merely difficult to n e .... s (Right) Takahlsa Fujlnami, Lampkin's teammate, won day two, which means that Lampkin will have to wait until the final round in Japan in September to secure the number-one vest... again. BRIEFLY••• After the success of last year's Japanese round, France marked the attempt to copy the idea in Europe, Event-organizer Bemard Estripaeu, well known in the sport as a great organizer of indoor events and a good speaker, tried the Japanese method (holding the event in a road-race circuit> in Clennont-Ferrand in the center of France. The experiment worked, and although some decried the mostly indoor-style sections, the possibility this technique presents for attracting higher spectator turnouts cannot be ignored. Octagon Essedos, the group in charge of shaping World Trials' future, is obviously making progress on that front, though not everyone approves of the sport's direction, German journalist and fonner World rider Felix Krahnstover says that trials is at its end, and he strongly criticizes the observers' methods and the man-made sections. Organizers had the pits set up in the "circuit de charade," where in such past motorcycling champions as Mike Hailwood and Giacomo Agostini used to do battle on their roadracers, and it was an ideal location. Some of the old facilities - such as the press office and phone lines - were somewhat outdated in the modem context, but it was easy for spectators to follow the competition on foot. Due to an injured right wrist after falling in section 11 on Saturday, Spaniard Jose-Manuel Alcaraz did not start on Sunday. Italian Dario Ae Delle Gandine was also forced to retire on Saturday due to increased pain in the ankle he injured in the Italian round the week before. Like the elite title, the Junior crown will be assigned at the final round in Japan. This weekend, the fight between the two Japanese riders - Taichi Tanaka and Fumitaka Nozaki ' finished as a tie: one win and one fifth place each. Does the nearly two-month break before the last round mean a vacation for the World rid. ers? Absolutely notl Some will be busy campaigning the European Championship Series, and those who are over-qualified to do so will also be busy assisting their teammates.