Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Fujinami, Lampkin Split U.S. Wins R epsol Montesa HRC teammates Takahisa Fujinami and Dougie Lampkin shared victories at the U.S. round of the World Trials Championship in Duluth, Minnesota, june 4-5. It was Lampkin who won Saturday's trial, with Fujinami taking the top honors 24 hours later. Both rounds took place in appalling weather conditions that nearly forced the cancellation of Sunday's event. Repsol Montesa HRC riders packed the podium on both days, with Fujinami finishing runner-up on the first day and Lampkin taking third place on Sunday despite an injury scare. Beta's Antonio Bou recorded his first-ever podium finish by taking third position on Saturday. On Sunday, it was Sherco's Albert Cabestany finishing second. After an unusually dry trial in japan, the bad weather finally caught up with the 2005 series as heavy rain and thick mist covered the ski resort at Spirit Mountain. By the time the riders got under way for Saturday's competition, the rain had stopped and much brighter skies had replaced the previously dull background, although this respite would only last a few hours, with appalling weather returning before the close of the first lap. Bou started things off with a bang as he posted the only clean of the day in the first hazard. While the technical nature of this section perhaps suited the young Spanish rider, the slippery ground could hardly be described as familiar to the Beta rider who is usually more suited to dry and dusty going. Lampkin, Fujinami and Adam Raga all parted with a single dab apiece at different points while then-championship leader Cabestany appeared to be very nervous and needed two steadying feet to reach the ends cards. Lampkin, Raga and Bou were the pacesetters at section fOUf, with all three remaining feet up as they conquered the short and muddy climbs that rose up away from the riverbed. Fujinami found himself slipping down the leaderboard as he lost three marks here, compared to the single dab lost by Marc Freixa. Lampkin was the only rider to stay unpenalized through sections six, seven and eight as he began to create his advantage over his main rivals. Hazards nine, 10, I I and 12 were extremely tough, maybe too tough, as no one managed less than a three-mark loss in any of these sections. Already clear of the field, Lampkin further increased his lead as he recorded the only clean at section 13. Cabestany was the only rider to come close to matching this awesome ride as he parted with just one dab. Fujinami escaped with a three, while Raga, Bou and Freixa all took maximum marks here. Lampkin's final-lap approach was very calculated as he tried to protect rather than extend his lead. However, even rid- ing in this manner could not prevent a near disaster as both he and his bike disappeared under the water in section 10. Amazingly, the bike kept running and allowed Lampkin to ride home four marks clear of FUjinami, who had matched his opening-lap score through some gritty riding. The fight for the final rostrum position was fierce, with Bou eventually taking it after defeating Raga on a most-cleans tiebreaker. The day-one result was enough to hoist Lampkin for the first time in over a year back to the top of the championship, ahead of Cabestany and Fujinami - and thus demoting Raga to fourth in the overall standings. "It certainly hasn't been an easy day, and in the end it came down to the last few sections after what can only be described as a marathon," Lampkin said. "I am obviously delighted to have won, especially after having been so close to doing so on the second day in Japan. I felt that I rode really well on the first lap today, with only one real mistake, so I was surprised not to have been further ahead at this point." Sunday morning broke with more heavy rain and mist and with the notification that the start had been delayed by one hour to allow for alterations to the sections due to the appalling weather. In total, 12 out of the IS sections were modified or simplified to avoid the deeper water levels. Lampkin basically ruled himself out of repeating his day-one win within the first three sections of the day's trial by collecting two maximums before his day had even properly begun. Fujinami, meanwhile, looked set for victory immediately as he recorded the only clean on the first hazard on the opening lap. There was little to separate Cabestany, Raga and Graham Jarvis from the japanese rider through the first part of the lap, but it was Lampkin who was bringing the biggest cheers as he fought his way back to be joint leader with his teammate by section 12. Lampkin's return of form was short- Takahisa Fujinami leads the Warld Championship after a solid performance in Minnesota. lived, as a massive crash in section 13 left him and his bike broken. Although Lampkin's team worked rapidly to repair his machine, his injuries were far worse and at one point looked to be serious enough to prevent him riding any further. In his true styie, however, the Englishman was not going to be beaten, and he continued in immense pain and with his right wrist heavily strapped. Fujinami was three marks clear of Cabestany at the midpoint, with Raga and Lampkin following. The much-shortened second lap, conducted during the worst of the storm, did little to change the running order but did give sufficient opportunity for Lampkin to grab the final podium place from Raga on the tiebreaker, as he followed Fujinami and Cabestany home. Fujinami's win now puts him for the first time this season at the top of the championship, just two points clear of Lampkin and Cabestany, 96-94; the pair is tied for second place. "I am very happy to win today and also to return to the top of the championship. but I also understand that this lead is only in this moment, as each race is so important because there are five riders who can take the victory," Fujinami said. "It has been another tough day, but my team has worked well, and I want to thank them for their efforts, as much of the victory is due to them. It was a shame that we had to miss some sections on the second lap, but this was the correct decision both by the jUry and the organizers, as the river was rising so fast it was dangerous." Caselli Flawless KTM-mounted Kurt Caselli took the overall win at the Idaho City 100 Two-Day Reliability Enduro in Idaho City, Idaho, june 4-5. Caselli, who was the "Top American" at the 2004 ISDE and plans on riding a few of the World Enduro rounds later this year, won both days and swept through the special tests, clicking off the quickest times in every single one. Though he has ridden this event numerous times, this was his first win here. Young Kawasaki rider Richard Dietrich put together two second-place finishes to secure the runner-up spot. After finishing fifth on Saturday, Ryan Powell stepped up the pace for a third on day two, taking third in the overall KTM's Kurt Caselli was unbeatoble at the Idaho City 100 Two-Day Qualifier. results as well. Briefly... , Under continuously rainy skies and in muddy track conditions, Dusty Klatt and Jean-Sebastien Roy crushed the competition at round one of the CMRC Canadian Motocross Championships in Mission, British Columbia, on june 5. The Team Honda Canada Blackfoot Fox Racing duo finished off the day with "clean" sweeps in their respective classes. In the first MX I moto, coming from an eighth-place start, Roy took the lead from Yamaha Motor Canada-mounted Doug DeHaan on lap four. From there, Roy basically waved the rest of the field goodbye. He pulled away lap after lap to greet the checkered flag 45 seconds ahead of DeHaan. Morgan Racing Yamaha's Craig Decker took third. In moto two, Roy had to make good on a 12th-place start. In short order, he passed Team Suzuki OTSFF Motorsport's Gavin Gracyk for the lead and never looked back. When all was said and done, Roy crossed the finish line 32 seconds ahead of Gracyk's teammate, Keith johnson, who carded second overall on the strength of 6-2 motos. Decker, meanwhile, completed the podium with third overall on 3-7 motos. DeHaan went 2-10 for fourth overall. AMA Pro Racing announced today that round fIVe of the AMA Hillclimb Championship presented by Pace American, which was canceled on May I I, has been placed back on the schedule. The june 26 event at Nashville, Indiana, will now be held as originally scheduled. AMA Pro Racing technical director Rob King said that an agreement was reached by a new promoter and the landowner where the hill is located. "This is great news for all the competitors campaigning the 200S AMA Hillclimb Championship," King said. "We're glad that TRS Productions and the landowner were able to reach an agreement that enabled us to put this event back on the schedule." AMA Pro Racing has appointed Rod J. Lopusnak as director of sales. Lopusnak will be based in AMA Pro Racing's newly relocated West Coast office and will be responsible for managing existing sponsor relationships and the continued development of new commercial opportunities, according to AMA Pro Racing. Lopusnak leaves American Suzuki Motor Corporation, where he was ATV and motorcycle marketing manager. Lopusnak will report directly to AMA Pro Racing vice president of commercial development john Farris and assumes his new responsibilities immediately. Ducati will continue to run Ducati Island as the home base for Ducati owners during the United States MotoGP at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in july. The Island is located just inside turn three and has been a staple of the Ducati experience since 1998 with special hospitality, gear check, vendors, autograph sessions and Ducati-only parking available to all Ducati owners. Due to the overwhelming success of Ducati Island, parking for the GP will be limited this year. In order to accommodate as many Ducati parking spots as possible on Ducati Island, Ducati has created a preregistration Continued on page r I CYCLE NEWS • JUNE 15,2005 9

• Cover