Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128322
TRIALS - Round 2 Apr. 17·18,2004 FIM Individua l W orld Trials Champio ns hip Adam Ra g a !i'0t back in the game a t rou nd two o f the World Trials Championships in Portugal. Raga won both days to ta ke over th e series points lea d . The Spaniard wins and takes over the series lead rld Indoor Champ ion Ad am Raga c a me to Goveia , Portugal, afte r an uncertain st a rt at the outdoo r Wo rld opener in Ireland, and he showed great confidence and a strong mind in w inning both days of the Grand Prix of Portugal. Raga's win also gave Gas Gas its first outdoor World victory since the days of for mer champion jordi Tarres. Raga's win was cons istent because the condition of the terrain changed, passing fro m dry and dusty ground with goo d grip during Saturday's competition to wet and slippery rocks with mud on Sunday. The re we re those who said that Raga feels better on Spanish terrain and could be vulnerable in wet conditions, but he proved them w rong . As seven -time and defending World Champio n Doug Lampkin has always predicted , Raga is now mature e nough to fight for the outdoor crown . But the 2004 title won' t be a private affair between the two rivals. There are oth ers who cloud any serious season predictions at th is point. Takahisa Fujinami missed the w in on the second day by just o ne point but was do wn in fifth place the day before. Albert Cab estany led the Saturday competition for almost the first lap, then failed two consecutive sections. W 52 MAY 5,2004 • CYCLE NEWS Mar c Fre ixa yielded to Raga on the second lap on Saturday, but on Sunday he was down in the order. Still Freixa first and then Fujinami inse rted themselves between Raga and Lampkin, the champion finishing twice on the th ird step of the pod ium, increasing to 10 the am ount of points he lost to Raga. In the overall standings, Raga now leads Lampkin by one point. Fujinami is in third , but very close , and the next ro und will be at Motegi in his home country of japa n. I Briefly... After four years of organization at Pacosde Ferreira, the world rou nd descended to Go uveia, with its beaut iful mountain scenery, inside a National Park. Thoughthe organizersdid their best. spectators did not come in large number. About 1000attended each day. DAY O NE In the first group of hazards, all fea tured with mo untain rocks on inclined terrain, Spaniards Raga, Freixa and Cabestany were highly effect ive. Lampkin started well , but unluckily touched a flag, which rolled down in section six, costing him a five. Worse off than Lam pkin was Fujinami, w hose bike suffered carb uretion trouble due to the elevation . The japanese fived sections four and six. Cabestany was the leader unt il the last two sections, where he fived both and Japanese Fumita ka Noza ki broke a bone in his hand at the beginningof the second lap on dayone. He was in 12th place when he fell down on an asphalt road after puncturing a rear tire. The doctor says he should be healed in three weeks, so he shouldable to the ride next round at Motegi. dropped into fourt h place, car ding 17 points . Freixa gained the leadersh ip at half competition, scoring 13 points . Raga, the indoo r Worl d Champion, fived section IS - the indoor one - allow ing Lampkin to tie him te mporar ily in second place , with one po int more than Freixa. Kenichi Kuroyama and Fujinami both had 21 points after the first lap. 40th Anniversary England's Stuart Robinson , the minder of MikaVesterinen (son of the three-time World Champion)cut his finger (the shortest) whiletryingto catch Vesterinen's bike in one of the sections. Robinson slid and put his hand in the chain sprocket! For the firsttime the Junior class was split into two divisions: up to I25cc and over 125cc. Inthe I25cc class the victorywent to Spanish rider DanielOliveras on both days. Another Spanish rider, IsaacPons, won the biggerclass on both days. !