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/128384
Raga Wins, Lampkin Leads as Gas' Adam Raga won the seventh round of the World Trials Championship in Andorra on Sunday, June 19, the Spaniard edging Repsol Montesa HRC's Dougie Lampkin by the narrowest of margins. The Brit, however, had the consolation of leaving round seven with the lead in the World Championship. Raga got the win based on the fact that he had recorded one more clean than Lampkin after both riders tied with the same marks. Sherco's Albert Cabestany completed the podium, with defending World Champion Takahisa Fujinami slipping to fourth after his Repsol Montesa HRC bike suffered two flat tires on the day. Lampkin heads the series by just two points, with Cabestany, Raga and Fujinami all tied for second place. As per last season, Andorra opted for a one-day world event with a round of the Spanish domestic championship taking place the day prior to the main trial. Fujinami was next best at this stage with the loss of three marks, two better than Raga, who was already riding his way back into by the same margin. "I know people were talk- contention after his opening five in the first both Japan and the USA, but the truth is that there were However, this year saw none of the top riders taking part in Saturday's event, making another maximum score. Raga increased the it a far more even playing field when Sunday arrived. score of 10 coming despite him having to take a compulsory five in section five. He The first section proved a very difficult opening test with only Mark Freixa, Lampkin and Fujinami escaping for less than a five. Lampkin looked steady as he made his way through the three remaining sec- also added three more marks to his tally in the virtually impossible ninth hazard. While Lampkin stayed close, his closing performance was not quite enough as Raga was declared the winner. A dab in the penul- tions in this initial group, only losing one more mark in the last of these hazards. timate hazard would G section of the day. Lampkin was to lose his early lead in sections six and seven as he went 5-3, com- pared to Raga and Cabestany, who only added two to their totals. Lampkin rode his way back into the lead at the end of the first lap as he closed with three ones in the last four sections, including a clean in the final indoor-type hazard. Fujinami, meanwhile, saw his lap fall part ing about my poor results in reasons for these that were nothing to do with my riding," Raga said. "I feel that I have been riding well all season, but with the way everyone is riding, you do not have to make many mistakes and you can end up in fifth position. It when he took a three in section 13, before is a great result for me today, as Winning is always good for fiving the next hazard due to a flat rear tire. Despite this, the Japanese rider still held a your confidence, but I know that this is only one trial in close second place at the midpoint. just two what is going to be a very tough season. The sections marks behind Lampkin and one mark ahead of both Cabestany and Raga. Another flat in the first section on lap two was enough to convince Fujinami that it was not going to be his day as he recorded yet level of riding during the second lap, his total prove costly for Fujinami, as he lost third place to Cabestany Daytona 200 Xtreme Again Despite the public outcry of dissatisfaction with the race last year, AMA Pro Racing has announced that the 2006 Daytona 200 will again feature the Formula Xtreme class instead of Superbikes at Daytona International Speedway. In addition to that comes word from AHA Pro Racing that the class structure for its AMA Superbike Championship will remain unchanged. That translates to the series again featuring (except at Daytona) the AMA Superbike Championship, Supersport, Superstock and Formula Xtreme. The class breakdown is as follows: Superbike: 90 I1000cc four-stroke, two or more cylinders; Supersport: 0-600cc four-stroke, multicylinder; Formula Xtreme: 450cc-600cc four-stroke, multicylinder; S9Scc-7S0cc four-stroke, liquid-cooled, twin-cylinder; 850cc-13S0cc four-stroke, air-cooled, twin-cylinder; Superstock: 745cc-1 OOOcc four-stroke, multicylinder. AMA Pro Racing had already announced that 1000cc motorcycles will remain in AMA Superbike through the 2008 racing season. "The feedback over our announcement regarding 1000cc machines remaining through 2008 has been very positive," AMA Pro Racing CEO Scott Hollingsworth said in a press release. "This stability as well as that in the support classes is designed to were okay but lacked variety and perhaps some severity." Although not happy with second, Lampkin was pleased with his championship lead. "It is always a shame to lose in this way, but in terms of the championship, I suppose I have got to be happy with today's result, as it can never be a bad day when you error. What is very positive is how good the are leading the overall standing once again," the Brit said. "I have made some mistakes extreme heat. After finishing seventh here last year, I can't say that I was looking forward to this round, but at least I am leaving remains the premier class within the cham- pionship, with AMA Supersport, AMA Formula Xtreme and AMA Superstock serving as support classes, according to the AMA. Technical rules for each class will be announced at a later date, the AMA says. Yamaha has decided which classes it will race in 2006 but wasn't quite ready to make the announcement, as of Monday, June 20. "We're in motion now, and a lot of things that are fluid are getting done," Yamaha race manager Keith McCarty said. "We'll talk to communications and find out the best time to announce our plans for the future." Yamaha currently campaigns four riders - Damon Buckmaster, Jason DiSalvo, Aaron Gobert and Jamie Hacking - in both Superstock and Supers port. In the recent past, McCarty said that Yamaha was considering entering the Formula Xtreme Daytona 200, but few believe it would be more than a one-off appearance, since Yamaha will likely continue in Supersport. The bigger question is whether they'll return to the Superbike class after what will be a three-year absence. Anthony Gobert was the last Yamaha Superbike rider, finishing 15th in the series with a win at Fontana. equipment specifically at the Daytona International where they're going to go for the next several years. Speedway course, the AMA says. AMA Superbike That's a big positive. That's a big help for us." Formula Xtreme machines are used for the 6 JUNE 29, 2005 • CYCLE NEWS bike has been at the high altitude and in the them at the moment, as the competition between the top few riders is very close and Daytona 200 because of the unique demands placed on the board." ultimately you suffer when you make an today, and unfortunately you can not afford "I think there's a couple of key things that need to happen before we can say anything," McCarty said. McCarty was encouraged that AMA Pro Racing had already decided the classes. . "As far as the AMA, it's really good," he said. "Here we are in the middle of June, and we now kind of know encourage greater rider and team participation across Dougie Lam:rkin didn't win the Andorra round of the War! Trials Championsh:r', but he came away with the lead in the Worl Championship. a relatively happy man." Jarrett Hot in Ohio Jimmy Jarrett's nearly perfect test scores netted the Andrew Cycles/Suzuki-mounted rider the overall win at the ISDE qualifier in Athens, Ohio, June 18-19. The 28-year-old rider topped six of the two-day qualifier's eight special tests. Jarrett's consistent test scores gave him the win with a score of IB22 seconds, 26 seconds better than Gas Gas-mounted John Barber's two-day tally, followed by KTM riders Mark Hyde (1858), Aaron Kopp (1860) and Russell Bobbitt (1860). "I really had a good weekend here with no big problems," Jarrett said. "The tests here were real short, and any mistakes you made would cost you." Jarrett rode on last year's USA ISDE Trophy Team in Poland, where he finished with a gold medal. "Short tests like the ones we had here used to bother me," Jarrett said. "But after riding on last year's trophy team, I've learned to relax: and just let things happen." The AMA:s ISDE Qualifier Series is used to help deter- mine the 40 riders that will represent the United States at this year's ISDE in Slovakia, September 13-18. Steve Berkner Jimmy Jarrett topped the two-day ISDE qualifier in Ohio.