Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Raga Wins World Trials dam Raga won the Spanish round of the in World Trials Championship Tarragona on April 24, the Gas Gas rider defeating Sherco's Albert Cabestany in the very last section to rob Cabestany of a A cleaned by his teammate Graham Jarvis. Cabestany's total of six marks for his opening lap put him as the clear leader. While it was predicted that Raga would be hometown victory. venated Freixa who was doing the early pushing. His score of 10 marks put him in second place at the halfway point, three marks ahead of Raga. Behind the Spanish trio it was left to Fujinami and Lampkin to fight it out for the remaining places in the initial top five. Fujinami looked far from at home on the dry and technical hazards and found the effects of the sea a total distraction. Lampkin, on the other hand, was having his own problems as he lost 40 minutes after having only ridden two sections, as his mechanics fought to bring his factory machine back to life after it had developed a mystery electrical fault. This led Lampkin to ride the rest of the lap at speed and without properly inspecting the sections. He also didn't have the opportunity Repsol Montesa HRC's Marc Freixa finished third in the trial, a return to the podium for the Barcelona-based team. Reigning World Champion Takahisa Fujinami had his second off day in a row as he only managed to gain a fourth-place finish to go with his fifth place in the opening round in Portugal. Meanwhile, Portuguese Grand Prix winner Dougie Lampkin also had a tough day on his Repsol Montesa HRC mount with a freak electrical problem costing him valuable time and ultimately leaving him in fifth place. This year, the Spanish round had a different format, with the more usual type of sections giving way to a series of hazards set on the manmade sea wall, with two arti- ficial sections rounding out the lap. Waves from a swelling sea crashed onto many of the sections, causing both delays and the riders to be swamped by water that at times resulted in engines being filled with Cabestany's main threat, it was in fact a reju- to watch his rivals in action, as they were was his intention to win in front of his fans. long gone. With Cabestany continuing his run of form through the early sections on the second lap, it looked like there could only ever be one winner. However, his luck was about to turn as he again failed at section 10, allowing Raga to close in, despite himself having suffered a five when both he and his bike He parted with only a single dab in section were drowned in section five. Running four three before putting together a series of marks clear with just the final hazard to ride, Cabestany looked set to win but he underestimated the middle step that had become water, Due to this problem, extra time was added to the time allowances for both laps. Cabestany, riding in his hometown, started strongly and made it clear that it clean rides that was only blotted by his failure at section 10, which ironically was Speedway: Team USA Rejoins the Fray After a year's absence, Team USA is planning its return to Federation Imernationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) Speedway World Cup competition this summer, according to AMA Sports, the amateur and pro-am competition division of the American Motorcyclist Association. Cup victory will fulfill the mission." The road to the 2005 World Cup will be a difficult one for the United States, which is relegated to a preliminary quaiifying round because it did not compete in the 2004 tour- Injuries and a variety of logistical problems kept Team USA on the sidelines in 2004, but nament. America's five-rider team will be selected from among seven U.S. riders who are based in Europe and a number of promising domestic-based racers. efforts are under way to field an American Team USA will then face off Speedway World Cup team in 2005. On April 19, the AMA retained Heartland Media & Events LLC of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, to manage Team USA Speedway in 200S and to develop sponsorship and licensing programs on behalf of the American team. Bill Amick, president of Heartland Media & Events, was named by the AMA as the 2005 U.S. Team Manager. Amick was involved with AMA Speedway for against teams from Russia, France and host Latvia in a June more than a decade during a 3D-year career on the AMA:s professional staff, and he oversaw the launch of the AMA:s successful National Championship Speedway Series. He has also been a member of the FIM Motocross Commission since 1986. "Dating back to 1937, when Jack Milne became America's first motorcycling world champion, the AMA has had a great speedway tradition," Amick said. "Heartland Media & Events is honored to be a part of the American effort, and nothing short of a World 10 MAY 4,2005 • CYCLE NEWS 5 qualifier in Daugavpils, Latvia, from which only the winning team will advance. If successful in Latvia, Team USA will advance to World Cup Event I on July 3 I in England versus seeded teams from Great Britain, Denmark and the Czech Republic. Other seeded greasy due to a few spots of rain. When Cabestany fell back from the boulder, Raga realized that his chance had finally come. pushing to at least keep close to Albert [Cabestany]. Obviously, it was a big present what he did in the last section, but still I had Seizing the moment, Raga punched the air to ride with the pressure to win, so it was a with delight as he exited the same section un penalized to take the victory by a cruel single mark. "During the first lap I did my best to give the trial to my competitors. My riding was great feeling when I passed the final ends cards," For Cabestany, it was close, but no cigar. '~ you said, I was so close to getting my dream," he said. "But what happened shows that every section in the trial is pretty poor at times, so I was surprised to find even after this that I still was in with a hope of winning," Raga said. ''Although I started the second lap much better, I really thought my chance of victory had slipped away when the water came in at section five. The bike was dead and I took five marks. Anyway, with the bike running again, I kept important. I never went to the step with enough power or attention, and I paid the price. To win in front of my home people would have been a fantastic moment, but still I can be happy with my performance, my result and my position in the championship at this stage of the season." World Cup Race-Off on August 4, also in ers are healthy and focused they can compete Wroclaw. with anyone in the world. Among the American riders expected to "The Speedway World Cup is one of the toughest competitions in motorcycle racing," Amick said, "and there is no room for mis- takes. America's depth of Speedway talent is limited, but we historically make up in quality what we lack in quantity. Team USA Speedway will no doubt be considered underdogs by the experts, but when our rid.~. It compete for Team USA are three former FIM World Champions: Sam Ermolenko (1993), Billy Hamill (1996 and Greg Hancock (1997). Hancock is currently the world's third-ranked rider and the only U.S. star contesting the FIM's Speedway Grand Prix Series. The AHA will release a preliminary list of team riders later this month and will name its five-rider first team and alternates in May. Enthusiasts and companies with an interest in supporting Team USA Speedway's quest for the 2005 FIM Speedway World Cup are encouraged to contact Heartland Media & Events LLC by calling Bill Amick at (740) 397-1647 or via e-mail to billamick@earthlink.net or teamusaspeedway@yahoo.com. teams in the tournament will include Speedway powers Australia, Sweden and Poland. The winners of Event I and Event 2 (August 2 in Sweden) will advance directly to the August 6 World Cup Finals in Wrociaw, Poland, while the runners-up and third-placed teams move into the last-chance Former World Champions Greg Hancock (left) and Billy Hamill (third from right) are expected to playa big role in Team USA's return to FIM World Team Cup competition this summer.

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