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DAY 2 - DOUBLE TOP FOR BOU WITH SECOND WIN IN JAPAN

Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa HRC took his second win of the weekend today on day two of the 2008 Weider Japanese Grand Prix, round four of the 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship. The overall result was identical to yesterday, with Adam Raga – Gas Gas in second and Bou’s team-mate Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa HRC in third.

The second of this weekend’s two days of competition was an entirely different prospect from yesterday. Bright sunshine greeted the riders and the thousands of Japanese fans and the organisers at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit had made changes to the layout of several of the sections to avoid the worst of the mud and ruts developed in yesterday’s rain.

However, despite this it would still prove a challenging day for the riders. Once again, the competition was close, with the top three evenly matched on the first lap, Bou and Fujinami tied on the same number of marks. Raga was under pressure from former champion Dougie Lampkin – Beta with the Englishman just three marks back and Jeroni Fajardo – Beta a further three behind Lampkin.

Today’s first lap scores were significantly lower than Saturday and the second was even lower. Raga took the best score with thirteen marks, but it was not enough to pass Bou and he finished second to his countryman by just two marks. Fujinami made two mistakes on his second lap, picking up five marks each in sections six and seven and denying him a better finish, coming home in third, nine marks behind Raga.

Today’s result means that Bou stretches his championship lead even further, now with a margin of fifteen points. However, Raga climbs to second, two points ahead of Fujinami while three riders; Cabestany, Lampkin and Fajardo are tied for fourth.

The Junior class saw an all-British podium. Alex Wigg  - Montesa went one better than yesterday by taking the win, but it was Ross Danby – Gas Gas who made the running, finishing second compared to yesterday’s off-form sixth. Sam Haslam – Gas Gas also improved on yesterday’s performance to claim third. Wigg consolidates his lead in the title with Haslam edging closer to Gubian.

The Youth category also saw a British winner. Jack Challoner – Beta took the win from USA’s Patrick Smage – Sherco, with Smage appearing to struggle in the conditions. Third place went to Alexandre Ferrer – Sherco, just two marks behind Smage.

The 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship now takes a three-week break before returning to Europe for round five, in France.



REPSOL – MONTESA HRC - DAY 2
Toni Bou ends the first half of the championship with a new victory.
Takahisa Fujinami celebrates his Grand Prix number 200, on the podium.

Toni Bou (Montesa-HRC Cota 4RT) increased his advantage as leader of the World Trial Championship after winning the second day of the Japanese Grand Prix this Sunday, which concludes the first half of the championship. The Montesa rider, current world champion, has obtained four victories and two second positions so far. Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa HRC Cota 4RT) repeated his third position of yesterday after having finished the first lap as leader, with the same number of points as the future winner. The Japanese rider, who today reached the figure of 200 participations in world championship events, and Toni Bou, are the only two riders who have achieved podium positions in all six of the championship events held up to now. Toni Bou and Takahisa Fujinami’s results have further increased the advantage of Montesa in the manufacturers’ classification.

Laia Sanz (Montesa-HRC Cota 4RT) was seventh in the Junior World Cup, won by Alexz Wigg (Montesa). Having been tenth in the first session yesterday, Laia Sanz achieved her best result of the season in this category and has risen two positions, to eighth place in the general classification, in which the current leader is Wigg.

Toni Bou: “To have won both days in this difficult event is fantastic, both for me and the team. Yesterday’s victory was easier, because today Takahisa was a very tough rival in the first lap and Adam was challenging me to the last moment in the second. The balance of this first half of the championship is almost insuperable and I feel more relaxed as the events go by. Our situation is the best sign that we’re moving in the right direction and should continue working in this way.”

Takahisa Fujinami: “It’s been an excellent weekend for the team and for Toni, a little less for me. I really wanted to win in my country and before my fans, but it was not to be. I started off well today, and at the end of the first lap everything was possible, but in the second, I made a couple of mistakes that cost me dear. The double podium position this weekend’s OK, but I expected more.”

Laia Sanz: “It’s been a satisfactory weekend, although I couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed when I lost four positions in the second lap. With the difficult conditions we had, to maintain the sixth place would have been sensational. But today, the opposite happened and I did better in the second lap. I feel very happy.”

The seventh event in the World Trial Championship will be the French Grand Prix, to be held on
June 22nd in Maisse



Dougie Lampkin - Day 2
Dougie Lampkin matched his day one result on the second of the two days of competition in round four of the 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship. He took fourth on Sunday’s competition at the Weider Japanese Grand Prix at the Twin Ring Motegi circuit, again narrowly missing out on a podium finish by a handful of marks.

The second day dawned bright and sunny and this brought out the passionate Japanese trials fans in droves. The organisers had made changes to several sections to avoid the worst of the mud and ruts developed in yesterday’s rain and combined with the weather, this improved the action.

Lampkin enjoyed what he described as a much better day of competition. He found the conditions to be drier than he had initially expected but even so, it was still a challenging day of competition. He felt at home in conditions that many still found difficult, despite the revised section layouts.

The earlier sections still proved tricky, as the ground for the long earth climbs remained soft. Again, he was one of only two riders not to five section twelve, which featured a long muddy hill climb, cleaning it on the first lap, to the delight of the crowds. He continued without any major mistakes, although a five on section eight, where he only claimed a dab on the first lap, wiped out the early advantage.

He was also happy to take just two marks in section thirteen, another rocky outcrop cut into the side of a hill, which he fived on the first lap. The result now puts him on equal points for fourth position in the championship, demonstrating his improving form.

Dougie said; “I’m pleased with this weekend. It is excellent to have two days of good riding and reclaim some of the points I’d lost to the other riders in America. Sunday went better than Saturday but not quite good enough to get on the podium – yet.”

DAY 1 - BOU WINS TO STRETCH CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD

Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa HRC extended his lead in the 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship today, as he took the win on the first of two days of competition at the Weider Japanese Grand Prix. Second place went to Adam Raga – Gas Gas who snatched the position from Bou’s team-mate Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa HRC, who was third in front of delighted Japanese trials fans.

It was no easy task for the riders though, as the final scores showed, with heavy overnight rain and persistent drizzle throughout the day making conditions in the sections around the stunning Twin Ring Motegi circuit particularly tricky. Many riders felt the sections were challenging enough in the dry, but once the rain set in, the ground turned to extremely slippery mud and this was soon carried onto the numerous rocks forming the sections, causing numerous falls and slides.

Bou set the running from the word go, but his typically calm and clinical approach was very much absent, such were the conditions. Whereas the previous round in the USA saw marks in the single figures, in Japan, Bou was streets ahead, with a hefty first-lap score of thirty-one marks. There was then a twenty-plus mark gap to Raga and Fujinami, while there were a further five riders within ten marks of the second and third-place riders.

Fujinami suffered a cruel blow late in the first lap however, when a crash damaged his bike and the team was forced to carry out clutch repairs, costing a one minute time penalty. He was also forced to watch as the team returned the bike to the Montesa garage for twenty minutes at the beginning of the second lap to ensure it was in perfect order. Following that, he was unable to claw back second place from Raga.

The result means that Bou extends his lead in the championship to  twelve points, with Raga and Fujinami now tied on eighty-two.

French rider Loris Gubian – Sherco claimed victory in the Junior class, with a twelve mark gap to closest rival, Alex Wigg – Montesa. Third place went to Spaniard Alfredo Gomez – Montesa while Wigg retains his championship lead, despite Gubian closing the gap to a single point.

In the Youth class, Spain’s Francesc Moret – Gas Gas took his second win of the season, from Briton Jack Challoner – Beta. The pair were evenly matched throughout the day and by the end, just a single mark separated them. Filling the third podium position was Patrick Smage – Sherco, despite taking the most number of cleans in the class. Challoner extends his lead over Smage, who remains ahead of Moret.

The FIM 2008 SPEA Trial World Championship continues tomorrow with the second of the two days of competition in Japan.

REPSOL – MONTESA HRC - DAY 1
Toni Bou stamps his champion’s mark on a very difficult event.
Takahisa Fujinami also remains on the podium.

The World Trial Championship resumes this weekend with the Japanese Grand Prix, and in the first session (held on Saturday) Toni Bou (Montesa-HRC Cota 4RT) achieved an epic victory. The Montesa rider dominated both laps with authority, on track that was initially very difficult and made even more so by the heavy rain. With this victory, the third in five events held up to now, the world champion has increased his advantage as leader in the general classification even further.

Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa-HRC Cota 4RT) lost all possibility of contesting his team-mate's triumph when his bike hit a stone in the seventh zone of the first lap, damaging the clutch cover and losing about 20 minutes to repair it. Despite this mishap, the Japanese rider excelled before his fans and again obtained a podium position, Toni Bou and him being the only participants that up to now have always been on the podium. Montesa won again, also increasing its advantage in the general manufacturers’ classification.

Laia Sanz (Montesa-HRC Cota 4RT) was tenth in the Junior World Cup event, her best result of the season in this category, rising to tenth position in the general classification.

Toni Bou: “The 71 points I got clearly show the level of difficulty of this event. In these conditions, victory feels even better, so of course, I feel very, very satisfied. My advantage in the first lap was fundamental to face the second with some peace of mind. Tomorrow I’ll try and do it again; I’m sure that we’ll also have many difficulties and that my rivals won’t make things easy for me, but I’m going to fight.”

Takahisa Fujinami: “I’ve always said that to win here, in my country and before my own fans is especially valuable, and I wanted this third position more than anything today. I had bad luck; I lost a lot of time repairing the bike and had to race through the rest of the event so as not to get penalty points for time. In these conditions, I think the result was good, but tomorrow I want to challenge Toni and be the one at the top of the podium”.

The second day of this Japanese Trial Grand Prix will be held tomorrow, Sunday, also in the rain according to weather forecasts.



Dougie Lampkin - Day 1
Multiple World champion Dougie Lampkin narrowly missed out on a podium position in the first of two days of competition at the Weider Japanese Grand Prix. Lampkin rode a solid trial in extremely tricky conditions to finish fourth, just six marks away from the podium, on a day where only two riders recorded scores less than one hundred.

The sections forming the event at the impressive Twin Ring Motegi circuit north of Tokyo looked difficult enough to the riders when they inspected them in the dry. However, constant overnight rain and drizzle throughout Saturday made the sections, combining long earth-bank climbs and tricky rock formations, treacherous.

Despite the challenging nature of the event, competition was exceptionally tight though. By the end of the first lap, there were seven riders covered by just ten marks. Lampkin was fully aware of the challenge from accomplished Japanese riders, but revelled in the conditions. In fact, he was the only rider to manage a long and slippery earth climb on section twelve and take only a dab in the process – with one exception, every rider fived the section.

His second lap saw he and Jeroni Fajardo swap positions with almost every section, but by the end of the event, Lampkin held the advantage and took fourth place, just six marks behind former team-mate Takahisa Fujinami.

Summing up, Dougie said; “Today was a strange day. We knew it would be difficult from the inspection, so I had to concentrate on a good performance on the sections where I knew I could do well. I was really pleased to get up section twelve with only a soft dab and that spurred me on. I picked up a few unlucky marks around the day but overall, I’m happy with the result. After a very disappointing weekend in the USA, I needed a good result and this is it.”



HONDA RACING INFORMATION
Weather: Raining, warm and bright sunshine (Saturday/Sunday)
Temperature: 13/20 degrees C (Saturday/Sunday)
Attendance: 15,000 (weekend total)

Double win for Bou and double third for Fujinami in Japan

Repsol Montesa HRC team-mates Toni Bou and Takahisa Fujinami gave the team a near perfect result this weekend, at what is the team’s home event, the Japanese Grand Prix, round four of the 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship. Spaniard Bou won each of the two days of competition with Fujinami third on both days while Adam Raga – Gas Gas separated the team-mates on Saturday and Sunday.

This year, the event was again based at Honda’s motorsport centre, the outstanding Twin Ring Motegi circuit. While some of the sections will have been familiar to many of the riders, the organisers worked hard to create new challenges within the complex, featuring a combination of climbs and dips among earth banks and a series of tricky and technical sections over numerous rocks. Each day began and ended with the traditional purpose-built sections in front of the crowd on the circuit’s start/finish straight.

The weather conditions for the two days could not have been more different. Heavy rain during Friday night and into Saturday morning meant that the soft earth quickly became extremely muddy and the rocks and tree stumps which offered good grip in the dry, were now treacherously slippery.

So bad were the conditions that even Bou’s customary calm was absent at times during the first day. The scores at the end of Saturday demonstrated just how tough the weather made the event; only Bou and Raga took less than one hundred marks throughout day one. However, the scores do not belie the quality of the competition, with no less than seven riders covered by ten points at the end of the first lap. Bou went on to maintain his poise in difficult conditions and Raga was unable to mount a realistic challenge for the win.

Fujinami suffered a brief spell of frustration however, as a crash in the first lap damaged the clutch on his Cota 4RT. The Montesa mechanics carried out running repairs part-way round and then completed the job between the two laps. However, despite bettering his first-lap score, he was unable to close the gap enough to raga to clinch second and came home in third, just six marks adrift.

While the result on Sunday was a repeat of Saturday, the weather definitely was not. Bright sunshine greeted the riders and thousands of fans and the organisers had made changes to several sections overnight, to cope with the now very muddy and rutted sections. As a result, the competition was even closer than Saturday, with Bou and Fujinami tied on marks at the end of the first lap with Raga in third. However, while Bou resisted the pressure from Raga, who took less marks on the second lap but remained in second, Fujinami admitted to two mistakes that cost him ten marks and ultimately, a better result.

However, the local hero was pleased with the team’s performance and there was more for him to celebrate. The organisers of the event made a presentation to celebrate his 200th Grand Prix trial event, a remarkable achievement and particularly poignant, coming at the home event for both himself and the Repsol Montesa HRC team.

Bou -  1st /1st : “I must admit I was a little nervous coming here this weekend, as it is very important for the team to do well at its home event. There was perhaps a little more pressure than some of the other events because of that but I am extremely happy to get two wins for the team in its home country. Today [Sunday] was easier than yesterday, for sure. The changes to the sections and the better weather made the riding much nicer and you can see from the scores that this was so. It was very close today with me and Fuji and with Adam as well. Adam put a lot of pressure on, as did Fuji but I tried to concentrate on riding the best race I could, rather than look over my shoulder at what they were doing and it worked.”

Fujinami – 3rd /3rd : “I am pleased with the results this weekend, although I am also a little disappointed that I did not get a win at my home event. The first day was very difficult – the weather was bad and there was no grip in the sections and the scores were very high. The damage to the bike after the crash on the first lap did not help but the team did a very good job repairing it. Today [Sunday], I had a very good first lap and was tied with Toni. The first half of the second lap was also very good but then I made two big mistakes, in sections six and seven and got five marks in each, which meant I could not get close enough for the win. It is unfortunate but it demonstrates how close the battle is between Toni, Adam and I, where only a small mistake can change things so much. ”

Laia Sanz – Repsol Montesa HRC had a mixed weekend, both in terms of the weather and her riding. She admitted that Saturday’s performance was not her best but was much happier with Sunday’s, as he felt she was in contention with the Junior category regulars. “This weekend was very hard work. My riding in the rain was not good and the conditions made it very difficult. I think perhaps the jet-lag was affecting me, as I did not sleep well the night before. But Sunday was much better – I was happier with my riding and finishing seventh was good I think. I was happy, as I was close to Alfredo Gomez and Matteo Grattarola who are both winners.”