Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

T.iol! Troining Cenrer Sequor.hie. TN Round 3 Itio),20-21'2006 eigning World Trials Champi- on Adam Raga claimed his first wins of the year at the two-day GP of America held at the 900-acre Trials Training Center facility near Sequatchie, Ten- nessee. After finishing runner-uP at the opening two rounds of the FIM World Trialr Championshrp Series. held ln Spain and in Portugal. the 24-year-old Gas Gas pilot got untracked on the slipPery and difficult seclions set in the mountainous Sequatchie Valley region, toppinS Monte- sa's Dougie Lampkin on both days. Lampkin, who kept his hopes for an eighth World title alive with the runner- up finishes. fouSht back from a five in the opening se.tion on Saturday to edge out Beta pilot Toni Bou for second, and then rode drligen(ly on Sunday while suffering from flu-like symptoms to beat out another Spanish youngster, Gas Gas- mounted Jeroni Fajardo, for the position. With over two-thirds of the series still to be contested, Lampkin trails Raga by only six points, 74-68, in the standings, with his home GP in Great Britain yet to be ridden. However. the Brit can illafford to let Raga gain too much ground this early in the season if he hopes to reclaim the title. Bou sits in third, a full l0 points behind Lampkin at 58 points. An overnight rain turned the already demanding sections into extremely difficult ones for all but the top five of the world- class contingent set to do battle during the contest. The flrst eight sections of the I 5- section couEe were set along a slow run- ning rocky creek, and these sections pro- vided a perfect venue for the estimated 3000 spectators who attended the event. Lampkin was one of the first ofthe top l0 riders to tackle the sections and start- ed poorly when he failed to make one of the steep and slippery climbs out of the creek bed in section number one. Lampkin's teammate, 2004 World Champion Takahisa Fujinami, also fived FIM WoPld Trials Championship rhe section, meanwhile Raga and Bou made short work of the climb and posted clean rides for the section. Raga maintained his strinS of good rides throuSh the remainder of the creek sections. However, stafting the second half of the lap, at section nine, where the sections were set in an area of large rocks and steep ridges, Raga's streak came to an end when he failed to make one of the nasry rock walls. "ln section nine, there was a tree in the line. and I moved a liftle to avoid the tree and I slipped off the line," Raga said. "My wheel spun and I took a llve on the wall.'' Luckily for Raga. most of his rivals also fived the wall, with the exception of Bou, who posted a miraculous ride over the wall for a clean. Raga also failed to make it out of the final section of lap one. "ln the final section, I arrived with no time left, and I didn't see the good line," Raga said. ''l started on the left at the final step, and my bike went to the right and I didn't make the step." After one lap, Raga led the competirton wirh l2 points, with Bou trailing by a sin- gle point. Lampkin recovered somewhat from his dreadful start and sat in third after posting l7 marks for the lap. On lap two, Raga again fived the wall in section nine, but so did Lampkin, while Bou managed to escape with three dabs. However, Raga dropped only one more point for the rest of the day, includinS a clean on the final section. while Bou struggled in some of the later sections. lt was enouSh to Sive Raga his first win of the year with a total of l8 Points. A superb second lap helped Lampkin's cause, moving him ahead of Bou in the linal standings with a total of 24 points. com- pared to 3l for Bou. Fajardo came next in fourth with 4l points. while Sherco- mounted Spaniard Alben Cabestany rounded out the top flve with 47. "Obviously taking a frve on section one is the worst possible way to get the day start- ed,'' Lampkin said. "But section two was really diflicult, and I got a clean there ard that got me setded again. Without the mistake in section one, I could have been closer to Raga and rnaybe put him under a bit more pres- sure, as we have made it comfortable for him today. On those types of sections you are EoirE to make mistakes, unfortunately for me. Adam didn't- Howtrrren second is still a good rezuk and keeps rne in the hunt for the champaonship." More rain on Saturda/ night forced orSanizers to alter several sections in order to make them rideable. The muddy banks and climbs were now greasy and nearly impassable, which would normally play into the hands of Lampkin, who favo6 the slippery goin8. However Lampkin was feeling somewhat under the weather after taking sick after Saturday's event and would be hard pressed to go the distance. After Sunday's opening lap, Raga held a four-point advantage over Lampkin (15 34 JUNE 7,2006 . CYCLE NEWS Adom lqgo come lo the U.5 round of rhe World friols Chompionship ond lefi *ith victorier on borh doys - hir fitst of the seoson. q_x it \ --t a i t 1 I A a "9r b.- N :l a , B i I i \; E t I I V ::,i* ffi -\ r- BLES I.JP L N TENNESSEE DEFENDTNG WORLD CHAMPTON AORITZT RAGA FTNDS HIS FORM AT GP OF AMERICA 9tolY rv Snax Moon: Pxolos iY Mltto CrNoruorur TRIALS +'

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