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  May 18, 2003 |
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World Outdoor Trials Championship Round 3 Kiefersfelden, Germany
Fujinami Takes Overall Victory with First and Third Place |
Montesa HRC rider Takahisa Fujinami earned himself the overall Grand Prix victory at
the third round of the World Trials Championship in Germany by virtue of a win on
Saturday and third place in Sunday's competition. Reigning champion Dougie Lampkin
did not enjoy the best of weekends as he went 4 and 2 over the two days, and can count
himself fortunate to have extended his championship lead by a single point, with
Fujinami now occupying second position in the overall standings.
Freixa moved to within two points of Lampkin after finishing runner-up on the first day
of the competition, but a distant fifth place on day two saw him drop to third in the
series, a single point separating him and Fujinami. Whilst the Montesa HRC team
enjoyed the best of the results, it was Sherco rider Graham Jarvis who won on Sunday,
his score putting him just one mark ahead of a three-way tie that would decide places
second through to fourth.
After two dry rounds, the small town of Kiefersfelden situated approximately one hour
south of Munich hosted the first wet trial of the series. Heavy rain in the days leading
up to the event had left the steep wooded hillsides extremely slippery with the peat soil
dragged onto the limestone rocks. Testing in an area close to the competition venue, the
riders had to quickly adapt to the new conditions and make the necessary changes to
their bikes. The majority of the course was located in the dense woodland just to the
north of the town, with the remaining sections being more artificial. The first hazard
was found in the wide river in the centre of the town, a large double step providing
spectacular action for the large local crowd. Sections two and three featured massive
boulders which had been imported and carefully placed close to the road, again offering
easy access to the audience that moved around the course on a series of coaches.
Lampkin looked nervous in the first section and paid the price, recording an early five
where Fujinami, Freixa and many others had remained clean. Few of the leading riders
parted with marks prior to the sixth hazard, but Lampkin needed two more single dabs
in sections four and five to settle into any kind of rhythm. Two more marks in section six
took Dougie's tally to nine, as Freixa was still unpenalised and Fujinami plus Raga had
lost just two marks apiece. Lampkin went part way to making a recovery as he finished
the lap strongly, putting himself in third place at the halfway point behind Fujinami
and Raga. Freixa in contrast had suffered a nightmare after his brilliant start,
relegating himself to fourth place thanks to two fives in the last third of the lap.
Fujinami almost matched his earlier performance, losing just nine on his second visit to
the fifteen sections, and his strength and consistency were enough to give him a clear
and well-deserved victory. With the win beyond their reach Freixa, Raga and Lampkin
then fought it out for the lower places. Freixa showed that his strong start had been no
fluke, as he posted the best lap score of the trial to take second position. Neither Raga
nor Lampkin closed well, as they notched up two and three failures respectively,
allowing the Spanish rider to fill the last tier of the podium and leaving the dejected
Lampkin in fourth place.
Besieged by local children as he made his way to the prize giving, Fujinami explained
the background behind his win. "I have spent a lot of time practicing in wet and slippery
conditions during the winter, as I believe this was one of my weaknesses. I was very
strong today and did not lose any five-point penalties, which always makes a big
difference. Normally in these conditions, Lampkin would be the strongest rider, but I
have shown today that I can now compete with him even during wet competitions."
Freixa was left to reflect on a day that could have been better. "Second position is good,
but I know that I could have won. I made a very good start to the trial, not losing a mark
until section eight, but after that it began to go wrong. Not so many big mistakes, just
small errors that in these conditions make it impossible to recover. I am pleased that
during the second lap I was able to show the same level as I started with, that way I feel
confident for tomorrow."
Returning from his suspension Raga was glad to be on the podium again. "It was not a
good feeling to miss the trial in Luxembourg, so to return to the podium immediately is
a great boost to my morale and confidence. There were times when I thought I could
have challenged for the lead, but the truth is that Fujinami was simply too strong
today."
Further rain during the hours of darkness re-saturated the already sodden soil and
increased the severity naturally without the need for any other course alterations ahead
of Sunday's trial. Whilst conditions were more difficult, typically the leading riders
sensed the ensuing battle and improved their respective performances during the
opening sections. Lampkin was happy to include himself amongst these, and was
perhaps the most improved rider for this period over the two days. Sections ten to
fourteen proved to be the most testing, having suffered most due to the overnight rain.
Fujinami held the advantage over Raga returning to the final section on the first lap,
but incredibly the Japanese rider slipped back off the concrete tubes to record a five and
take his score to eighteen.
With little separating the first four riders at this stage, the final tour of fifteen sections
always promised to produce a close and exciting finish. The spectators moved quickly to
follow the battle and were treated to a great finale as the lead shifted several times
between Jarvis, Lampkin, Fujinami and Raga. Lampkin effectively lost his chance with
a soft five at section thirteen, although it was not over yet as Jarvis felt the pressure
and failed at the very next hazard. However the Sherco rider held his nerve back at the
last artificial section to take the narrow win. Lampkin had to wait several minutes
before he was placed second as the three-way was tie was decided in his favour, with
Fujinami and Raga being demoted respectively.
The grin on Jarvis' face showed how much he had enjoyed his first victory of the season.
"The conditions suited me perfectly, so I was annoyed that I didn't ride better yesterday.
I felt more confident today and tended to attack the sections more than I did on
Saturday. It was pretty tense out there, and I thought I had blown it when I messed up
section fourteen. Anyway, in the end I did it, and that's the important thing, especially
as all the riders are now getting much better in the wet trials."
Lampkin was still far from happy, his slight smile a result of relief more than joy. "It's
better than yesterday, yes a lot better, but still not quite the result I was hoping for. One
place higher and I would have been happy, but when three of us have finished on the
same marks, I suppose I should at least be thankful that the tiebreak has gone my way.
With Jarvis winning, at least it is good for me in terms of the championship standings.
To get points back on Fujinami and Freixa is important, as it looks like it is going to be a
very competitive series, as there are several riders riding very well at the moment. I am
happy with the way I am riding, but I am just making too many mistakes."
The overall Grand Prix victory was of little consolation to Fujinami, who had hoped to
repeat his Saturday performance. "It is not a disaster, but I could have ridden better.
Yesterday everything went perfectly, but today when I made mistakes my luck was not
there. Today has shown that the level with the top riders is very high, there is no room
for mistakes if you want to win, and that is the basic difference between today and
yesterday. I have a good standing in the championship going to my home round.
Hopefully I can be strong in front of my home fans."
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World Outdoor Trials Championship Round 3 Kiefersfelden, Germany
Day 1
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| 1 |
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Takahisa Fujinami (J-Honda) |
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| 2 |
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Marc Freixa (E-Montesa) |
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| 3 |
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Adam Raga (E-Gas Gas) |
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| 4 |
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Doug Lampkin (GB-Montesa) |
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| 5 |
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Graham Jarvis (GB-Sherco) |
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| 6 |
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Albert Cabestany (E-Beta) |
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Takahisa Fujinami
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Day
2
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| 1 |
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Graham Jarvis (GB-Sherco) |
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| 2 |
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Doug Lampkin (GB-Montesa) |
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| 3 |
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Takahisa Fujinami (J-Honda) |
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| 4 |
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Adam Raga (E-GasGas) |
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| 5 |
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Marc Freixa (E-Montesa) |
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| 6 |
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Marc Colomer (E-Gas Gas) |
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