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/128329
Lampkin for the title chase in a year that the Honda rider hopes will finally see his championship dreams become a reality. On Saturday morning Lampkin must have been pleased to awaken to a light but steady rain that had moved in over the area. Lampkin is automatically considered t he favorite when the going gets slippery; howeve r, both Fujinami and Raga have w o rked hard during the past year to impro ve th eir wet -rid ing skills, an d each would de mo nstrate th e fru its o f that work during the coming day. Wi th a heavier rain now falling, Lampkin jumped into the early lead on his HRC -Montesa, dropping only one point over the final seven sections of the course to close out a very d ifficult first lap with 24 points. She rco pilot and fellow Brit Graham jarvis held the second-place position, two points behind Lampkin, with Fujinami another po int back. Raga was fourth after lap one with 3 I points. Because of the rain, which was starting to run down Spirit Mountain's ski runs and fill the creeks below, two sections had become completely impassible while another was reduced to a pushing contest. After the first lap, section nine was canceled completely as the water levels in the river rose rapidly, making it im po ssible to cross safely. Lampkin maintained his lead on lap two until section three, where a horrendous c r ash wo u I d great- Lampkin's approach on lap two was not strong enough, and he hurled head-on into the wall, breaking his bike's steering stem and putting himself in the dirt . After lying in a heap on the ground for several minutes, Lampkin eventually was pronounced fit to continue; however, his mechanics had their w o rk cut out for the m, transferring forks fro m a minder's bike so he could comple te t he course in th e allo tt ed time. Even t ually, Lam pkin ma de a shaky attempt at sectio n four, w hich resulted in a five, and lost his chain in a late r sec tion to end the day with a total of 53 po ints and a disappointing fourth -plac e finish. " I certainly ra n out of luck today," Lampk in said . "First the big crash in section th re e , the n I five d the very next section, and finally, I had a chain off in section 10. Fourth place is pretty much a disaster after having been out front at the end of t he first lap." Fujinami, on the other hand, had been taking care of business, which in this case meant not making any drastic mistakes, and moved past jarvis to claim the win . A five for jarvis at section three, compared to Fujinami's one, and several three-point rides ended his chance for the win . Spaniard Beta rider Albert Cabestany turned in a strong final lap to secure the fifth-place posi tion . The sun came out on Sunday, which meant the sections would initially be tough , since they were still muddy from the day before and there was no longer any rain to wash the rocks clean. The organizers modified six sections Sunday's event, easing some and routing others around the Briefly... Factory Beta rider Ken ichi Kuroyama was absent from the U.S. round after suffering broken ribs in a fall at the GP of japan last month . Kuroyama dropped to ninth overall in the series points after the U.S. round , but he hopes to be in top shape for the next round in France later this month . Also not iceably absent was Sherco export manager and former World-class competitor, And re u Codina . Codina, reportedly, was at home caring for his wife, who had just undergone an operation for breast cancer. Codina is a well-liked fixture at all of the World events and was missed at the U.S. GP. At 31 years of age, Geoff Aa ro n is the oldest of the U.S. National competitors and has a full 10 years on Adam Raga.With this in mind, Aaron chose to shoot a video for his upcoming extreme-riding DVD instead of riding at the U.S. Gp, reasoning that an injury at this point in time could be career ending. Most of the riders agreed that the Spi rit Mou ntain Resort venue was one of the best on the World circuit. The riders and support people had full use of the resort's amenities , which included showers, a lounge, a grill that served breakfast and lunch, and plenty of asphalt parking. Adam Raga is considered the "next big thing" out of Spain and is dest ined to follow in the footsteps of such Spanish greats as Marc Colomer and jordi Tarres . In fact, Tarres is Raga's personal coach and trainer, and under his supervision Raga has developed a unique style all his own : just as Tarres did when he revolutionized the sport in the late '80s . Top female rider Laia Sanz, from Spain, competed in the junior Division, which is open to riders 20 years old and younger. Laia made some impressive rides to place 4-S over the weekend. Though they are bot h older than the 20year-old age limit, Raymond Pet e rs and Trav is Fox (pictured) were each Iy alte r his day. Section three co nsisted of seve ral climbs ov er large , slippery rocks and was punctuated by an exit over a 14foot vertical wall. A small, ramplike rock situated about 15 feet before the wall served as a launching point from which the riders would propel themselves toward the exit in an effort to the nasty obstacle. scale www.cyclenews.com allowed to compete (as exh ibition only) in the junior division, which competes on easier lines than the top divis ion. Peters' score on Saturday would have placed him in second behind Isaac Pons and ahead of MikaVester inen, son of former World Champion Yro Vesterinen. CYCLE NEWS • JUNE 2 3, 2004 39