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BOU BACK ON TOP ON DAY 2 OF USA GP
Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa HRC returned to the top of the podium today in the second day of competition at the USA grand prix, the fourth scoring day of competition in the FIM 2008 SPEA Trial World Championship. Winner of day one in the USA grand prix, Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa HRC finished in second position with Adam Raga – Gas Gas taking third.
 Despite the course being virtually unaltered from day one, heavy rain overnight and into this morning made the sections considerably more difficult. Sections which were previously relatively straightforward became very slippery and treacherous. This was reflected as early as the second section of the day where all the championship class riders with the exception of Fujinami and Bou elected to take five marks instead of attempting the section.
Clearly confident after yesterday, Fujinami was the rider to beat on the opening lap with his riding style delighting the assembled spectators. After the first ten sections he had a lead of six marks over Bou and ten over Raga, however two fives in sections thirteen and fourteen, both of which he cleaned in the second lap, narrowed his lead at the end of the first half of the competition to just a single mark over Bou. It was to be Bou who was to prevail though dropping just ten marks on the second lap to Fujinami’s sixteen.
Bou still heads the championship standings with a seven point margin over Fujinami who has climbed above Raga after this weekend. Raga is just two points adrift of Fujinami with much still to play for.
In the Junior championship, it was to be back-to-back wins for Loris Gubian – Sherco. The young Frenchman repeated his victory of yesterday and has now closed the gap on championship leader, Alexz Wigg – Montesa to just four points. Wigg had to settle for second position today with Sam Halsam – Gas Gas finishing third.
The Youth championship continues to be very interesting with Jack Challoner – Beta returning to the top of the podium to repeat his win in Bangor three weeks ago. Young Spaniard, Adrian Pastoriza – Gas Gas turned in his best performance of the season and his first podium place by taking second place. Yesterday’s winner and home rider, Patrick Smage – Sherco failed to find his winning form and had to settle for third place. Challoner now leads the series by seven points over Smage with Francesc Moret – Gas Gas still in third place despite finishing off the podium today.
The 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship now takes a break until late May, when it will return with the first of two days of competition at the Motegi in Japan.
HONDA RACING INFORMATION
Bou and Fujinami take a win and second place apiece in the USA
Toni Bou and Takahisa Fujinami – both Repsol Montesa HRC took a win and a second place each this weekend at the two-day Grand Prix in the United States, Round 3 of the 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World championship. The double-header saw the championship return to the USA after a two year absence and the landscape of the Trial Training Centre at Sequatchie, Tennessee set the scene for some excellent action.
The first of the two days saw a demonstrative ride by Fujinami. The Japanese rider lost just a single mark on his first lap of the course, which wound its way up two riverbeds at the TTC. His second was just as impressive, with eight marks bringing his total to nine for the first of the two days of competition. His only realistic challenger was team-mate Bou, the two four-stroke Cota 4RTs making short work of the combination of soft, earthy banks and rocky climbs in and out of the streams. Bou dropped four marks on the first lap and added another twelve on the second, recording a final score of sixteen to claim second place.
Third place on Saturday went to Spaniard Albert Cabestany – Sherco, who managed to keep Adam Raga – Gas Gas off the final podium step by just two marks.
The second day of competition dawned wet, with persistent rain falling all morning, until part-way into the first lap. While not particularly heavy, it was enough to make the rocks, which were dry on Saturday and offered good grip, particularly treacherous. So much so that many riders opted to miss-out of several sections to avoid potential errors or falls. However, Bou and Fujinami once again demonstrated their determination and were the only two riders to attempt section two on the first lap. Bou cleaned the section and Fujinami took a dab, to the rapturous applause of the gathered crowds.
In a reversal of the first day, by the end of the first lap, Fujinami held the advantage by a single mark over Bou. However, the Japanese rider admitted to two mistakes on the second lap that cost him ten marks and ultimately, his second win of the weekend. By the time the riders completed the second lap, Bou had stretched a five-mark advantage over his team-mate to claim his second win of the season, with Fujinami taking second.
Third place on Sunday went to Adam Raga, another rider to find the going extremely tricky in the slippery and damp conditions. He trailed Fujinami by sixteen marks by the end of the event.
There was also an extra honour for Fujinami; as he recorded the lowest score over the two days of competition, he was awarded the Wagner Cup, presented to the lowest-scoring rider of the weekend. This was the fourth time Fujinami had been presented with the cup and previous winners include former HRC rider Dougie Lampkin, who won the award three times.
Bou - 2nd /1st : “This was a very good weekend. Fuji was very strong on Saturday and although I felt I had a good round, I couldn’t get near him. Sunday was very different – the rain made the conditions very slippery, particularly on the rocks. I made some small mistakes to begin with, but it felt very good to clean section two on the first lap. However, then I picked up two fives and that was very bad for me. But then Fuji did the same later and that put me ahead. This has been an excellent weekend; for me and of course, for the team and HRC. We have been working very hard and the four-stroke Cota 4RT performed very well – it was perfect for the conditions.”
Fujinami – 1st /2nd : “I am very pleased with a first and second this weekend. The conditions on Saturday were very good and it was a nice trial. Sunday was very different though and the scores show how much harder it was after the rain. I picked up two fives on the first lap and after that, felt it was difficult to maintain my concentration. By that point, Toni was working very well and it was going to be very difficult to catch him again. I had a good feeling all weekend and I think the competition between Toni and I shows what a good level of trial this was. Two podium finishes is a very good result and I look forward to the next round in Japan; my home and that of Honda.”
Laia Sanz – Repsol Montesa HRC had a difficult weekend. She began Saturday’s event well but soon began to make mistakes that cost her marks. She also developed what the team doctor felt was a trapped nerve in her neck on Sunday, which prevented her moving her head almost completely. “I had a big problem with my neck on Sunday. I couldn’t turn it at all and after the rain, I had to miss-out of several sections, as I would not have been able to ride them and did not want to risk falling and damaging my neck further. It’s a shame, as I was much happier with my riding on Sunday.”
REPSOL – MONTESA HRC - DAY 2
Toni Bou wins, increasing his lead in the championship. Takahisa Fujinami comes in second, completing the success of the Repsol-Montesa HRC team.
Second day of the US rounds in the Trial World Championship, and second double victory for the Repsol-Montesa HRC team, this time the winner was Toni Bou (Montesa-HRC Cota 4RT). Takahisa Fujinami, yesterday’s winner, finished second today just five points away from his colleague.
With this result, Bou has increased his lead in the general classification, with seven points more than Fujinami, who is second. Regarding manufacturers, Montesa it still in the lead.
The rain that fell the night before made this second day of the US world championship rounds more difficult and the scores were much higher. Fujinami began very well and seemed to be in conditions to repeat his victory of the day before, but some mistakes towards the end of the first lap cost him the advantage he had over Bou, with which he maintained an interesting duel in the second lap, in which the current world champion obtained the lowest score of the day. Laia Sanz (Montesa-HRC Cota 4RT) was eleventh in the Junior World Cup event, one place up from Saturday’s session.
Toni Bou: “It’s been a very positive week for the team, in an event where both Fujinami and I have done very well, insuperable. Personally, I would have preferred to have won on Saturday as well, so I’d have a bit more advantage in the general classification. But I can’t complain, I said I’d try to take advantage of this second chance and that’s what I did.”
Takahisa Fujinami: “I started off very well, but after zone 12, I made a few mistakes and lost my advantage. The struggle with Toni throughout the weekend has been very interesting. We both felt comfortable on this difficult terrain and our advantage in points over our rivals has confirmed this. The two-day event has enabled me to move up one position in the general classification and given me the maximum motivation for the next event in my country and before my fans.”
The Japanese round will also be held over two days; on May 31st and June 1st in Motegi.
James Dabill - Day 2
James Dabill enjoyed a better second day of competition at this weekend’s Grand Prix United States at the Trials Training Centre in Sequatchie, Tennessee. Despite rain falling for most of the morning and making the already challenging conditions particularly tricky, Dabill finished Sunday’s competition in sixth place.
However, the result does not tell the full story. For the second time in as many days, James picked up time penalties for exceeding the allowance for the first of the two laps. Without these extra marks, he would have finished the event fourth, demonstrating his ability to compete with the top riders in the sport.
The early rain appeared to make the soft earth give better traction than on yesterday’s dry trial. However, in contrast, many of the rocky sections became extremely slippery and treacherous in places. James, like many other riders, elected to miss-out of several sections to avoid any potentially damaging falls or mistakes.
Despite this, he started well and it wasn’t until the final section of the first lap that he made what he felt was his first avoidable mistake. He tried to complete the long climb in one attempt, as opposed to breaking it into several different parts as he did on Saturday and on his second lap today. This didn’t work and he picked up a five that he felt was unnecessary.
His first lap score placed him fourth with thirty-six marks, but with the additional penalties for the time, he was joint-fourth with Jeroni Fajardo, on thirty-nine. His second lap also began well and he was pleased to leave the second section on lap two with three marks, this being one of the sections he skipped on the first loop. However, he went on to make several mistakes that earned him a series of fives that, again, he felt he should not have picked up.
Despite these, he completed the day with a total score of seventy-six, just two marks behind both Fajardo and Mark Freixa and tantalisingly close to the fourth place he could have taken without the time penalties.
“I’m pleased with today’s riding,” said James. “It was a definite improvement on yesterday, but it could still have been better. Although the result was good and could have been fantastic without the time penalties, I still don’t feel I’m riding at 100%. But this does show that I am capable of competing with the top six riders – particularly reassuring after yesterday’s result.”
Dougie Lampkin - Day 2
Dougie Lampkin endured a difficult second day of competition at the Grand Prix United States, round three of the 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship. He finished in eighth place, one position lower than yesterday amid tricky conditions.
The rain that had been threatening all week finally arrived in Sequatchie, Tennessee on Sunday morning. Light, but persistent rain fell until the mid-point of the first lap and made today’s trial completely different from yesterday’s competition.
While much of the soft earth looked to give more grip when damp, the numerous rocks making up the course became treacherously slippery in the wet and muddy conditions.
Several riders, including Lampkin, elected to miss-out of several sections rather than risk making errors or potentially falling. Despite this, the multi-World champion again did not look comfortable in the conditions, as he struggled to demonstrate the form he is famous for.
His first lap saw a score of forty-eight marks and his second was only marginally better, to produce a total of eighty-four for the day and eighth place, a result which did little to belie the effort put in.
Commenting on the day, Dougie said; “We had everything today; bad riding and a few problems along the way. I was having trouble setting off, which meant that I couldn’t build the momentum I needed for many of the obstacles. It felt like I was fiving everything.
“The organisers moved some of the flags after the rain, but this actually made things more difficult. It just didn’t click again today and I’m very disappointed with my performance; there just aren’t enough excuses for a ride like this weekend’s.”
DAY 1 - FUJINAMI WINS – TO MAKE IT THREE DIFFERENT WINNERS
 Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa HRC today threw the FIM 2008 SPEA Trial world championship wide open by taking victory in the first of two days of competition held in Sequatchie, USA. Reigning World outdoor and indoor champion and Fujinami’s team-mate, Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa HRC finished second with Albert Cabestany - Sherco taking the remaining podium position.
The Trials Training Centre in Tennessee, which last played host to the championship in 2006 is once more the host for the two days of competition here in the USA with the majority of sections split between two riverbeds, which provided a challenging combination of large rock steps and steep twisting hill climbs with no man-made sections.
This was to prove an event which Fujinami dominated from the start, dropping just one single dab for the entire first lap and that was on the seemingly-impossible fourth section, which no rider was to clean all day. The Japanese former World champion finished with a three mark margin ahead of Bou at the end of the first half of competition with Cabestany some way back on fourteen marks.
Boosted by his first lap performance, Fujinami went on to drop just eight marks on the second lap to assure himself of victory by a clear margin over Bou. Adam Raga – Gas Gas launched one of his trademark recoveries on the second lap to equal Fujinami’s score of eight for the lap, but a poor first lap left him an impossible mountain to climb and he had to settle for fourth place. Bou still leads the championship by four points over both Fujinami and Raga, but with tomorrow’s competition being over the same course anything could happen.
In the Junior class, French rider Loris Gubian – Sherco took his first win of the season with a ten mark victory over Ross Danby – Gas Gas. Matteo Grattarola – Sherco completed the Junior podium. Alexz Wigg – Montesa still leads the Junior championship, but saw his lead cut to seven points over Gubian after finishing in a poor fifth position today.
Patrick Smage – Sherco delighted his home crowd in the Youth category with the narrowest of wins over Jack Challoner – Beta. The pair ended the day of competition tied on just six marks apiece forcing a most cleans tie-break in which Smage prevailed with twenty five cleans to Challoner’s twenty four. Alexandre Ferrer – Sherco recorded his best score of the championship to date by finishing third. Challoner maintains his lead in the championship standings over Smage, but today’s result saw this cut to just two points.
The FIM 2008 SPEA Trial world championship continues tomorrow with the second of the two days of competition in the USA.
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REPSOL – MONTESA HRC - DAY 1
Repsol-Montesa HRC team one-two.
Takahisa Fujinami wins and Toni Bou once again leads the world championship.
Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa-HRC Cota 4RT) was the winner of the first day in the United States Trial, third scoring event in the World Championship. Toni Bou (Montesa-HRC Cota 4RT) sealed the double victory of the Repsol-Montesa HRC team with a second position that again places the current world champion in the lead of the general classification, in which Fujinami shares ex aequo the second position. With these results, Montesa has increased its advantage as leader in the classification by manufacturer.
The overall command of both Repsol-Montesa HRC riders was apparent from the first lap of a varied route, with some water zones and difficulties. Fujinami achieved the best score in both laps, with Bou close behind: three points in the first lap and four in the next. Laia Sanz (Montesa-HRC Cota 4RT) finished twelfth in the Junior World Cup event.
Takahisa Fujinami: “I’m very satisfied. I think I did a great first lap and that was the key to my victory. I feel full of enthusiasm at this moment and the only thing in my head is to repeat this result tomorrow, on the second day of the event”.
Toni Bou: “I’m pleased with the victory of Fujinami and the team, but to tell the truth, I would have preferred to be the winner. We can see that this is going to be a very tough championship and we’re going to have to take the partial results very seriously and try to keep up a regular performance. I’ve got another chance tomorrow and I’ll try to make the best of it”.
The second session of the United States Grand Prix, to be held this Sunday, will be the fourth event in the World Championship.
 Dougie Lampkin - Day 1
Dougie Lampkin finished the first of this weekend’s two days of the 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship at the US Grand Prix in what he described as a ‘highly disappointing’ seventh place. The veteran multiple champion found the sections at the Trial Training Centre in Sequatchie, Tennessee extremely testing and despite a valiant effort, was unable to break into the top six positions.
The weather for Saturday was hot and humid, with the promise of thunderstorms that had been forecast all week. However, the weather stayed dry, to the relief of the riders and the fans.
The sections, run mainly in two riverbeds, were very tricky and slippery. Even where dry, the soft sandy soil made traction hard to find and like many riders, Lampkin suffered.
His first six sections went badly, as he didn’t seem to find a rhythm on the rocky sections. He gained an early five on the second section, followed by two more before heading towards the highest point of the event, the aptly-named Lampkin Falls waterfall.
On the way, Dougie almost cleaned a very tricky inclined rock slab, but made a very heavy landing, winding himself in the process. However, he went on to end the first lap with a series of cleans to boost his confidence for the second lap.
The second loop saw a better performance, to eventually record a total score of 45, which placed him seventh in the overall standings for the day.
Summing up the day, Dougie said; “The first lap started badly, but then seemed to get better after the first six sections. I had a big crash on the second lap, on section eleven and then took a quick five two sections later, when I missed a landing. It was frustrating as everything was possible today but I needed a little luck, which wasn’t there for me.”
J ames Dabill - Day 1
James Dabill failed to improve on his placing on the first two rounds of the 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship campaign this weekend, on the first of two days of competition in the US Grand Prix. Taking place at the Trial Training Centre at Sequatchie, Tennessee, Dabill once again finished in eight place on the first of the two days, a result he described as ‘very disappointing’.
The sections for the returning American event, last included in the championship in 2006, took place under tree cover around a pair of riverbeds, both flowing lightly. The weather was hot and humid but thankfully, the thunderstorms that had been forecast stayed away for the first day, much to the relief of the riders and the passionate American trials fans.
Dabill’s first lap started well, cleaning the first three sections. He was the first rider to clean section two, to the obvious delight of the crowds. He also took a dab on section four, again one of few riders to take low marks on that hazard. However, it was on the following section where things began to go wrong for the Yorkshireman.
He slipped back on a rock climb to gain a quick five and picked up another before heading to the trial’s highest sections, climbing towards a waterfall at the top of the second riverbed. He went on to pick up five more maximums before the end of the first lap, recording a score of thirty-nine at the mid-point of the day.
His second lap also began well, but he soon began to repeat a trait from the first lap; with very few exceptions, he would either clean a section or gain a five. There were only two sections in each lap where he scored anything other than a clean or a five. He took six maximum scores on his second lap, to record a notch up thirty-two, producing a total of seventy-three marks for the event and netting him eighth place overall.
Commenting on the day, James said; “Both laps seemed to start well, but as soon as we moved out of the sections which actually ran through the water, it all seemed to start to go wrong. I picked up some fives in early sections that I simply shouldn’t have and that threw me.”
“I just didn’t feel comfortable on the bike today. It wasn’t the fact that the weather was hot and humid – physically I felt good. I just didn’t seem to be able to get two consistent laps together. That’s what I feel I need to get my season back on track and that’s what I’ll be looking for on the second day. I think tomorrow will see lower scores and hopefully, a better result.”
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