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  June 22, 2003 |
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World Outdoor Trials Championship Round 5
ST Julia De Loria, Andorra
Montesa HRC Dominates in Andorra |
Montesa HRC riders Dougie Lampkin and Marc Freixa took a day victory apiece at the
fifth round of the championship held in Andorra, leaving the third member of the team
Takahisa Fujinami to collect second and third places respectively over the two trials.
Lampkin's 1-2 result was enough for the reigning champion to regain the lead in the
championship. The British rider gained a five-point advantage over Fujinami, who had
led the series prior to this round by virtue of having recorded more wins than Lampkin,
the two having been tied on points. Fifth on Saturday, Freixa bounced back to take
victory on Sunday by the narrowest margin, winning on his overall event time after he
and Lampkin could not be separated by marks or the usual tie break system of the most
cleans etc.. Fujinami made it a Montesa HRC clean sweep taking third off Raga.
Freixa's win puts him back in third in the overall standings, having temporarily lost
this position to Jarvis.
In contrast to the bad weather in the previous round in Japan, the small town of St.
Julia de Loria basked in glorious sunshine for the two days of the trial. With the
exception of the last manmade hazard located in the centre of the town, the sections
were set high on the mountains engulfing the narrow valley commercial area below. The
course was a balanced mix of dry and dusty sections to begin with, followed by hazards
based in the fast flowing river that follows the steep contours of the surrounding
mountains. At the highest point the riders found themselves approximately 1,350
metres above sea level, the high altitude causing many problems for the single cylinder
two stroke machines.
Lampkin arrived in Andorra with immense pressure on his broad Yorkshire shoulders,
without a win since the opening round back in Ireland, his inconsistent patch having
allowed Fujinami to draw level at the top of the championship. Although this fact
wasn1t worrying Dougie too much, it certainly wasn't pleasing him either, as this was
the first time in seven years that his crown had been seriously challenged. Wins at the
Spanish championship during the previous two weekends had gone a long way to
restoring the usual Lampkin confidence, so despite being under considerable pressure
the Briton felt he had regained sufficient form to deliver.
Whilst many may have predicted a Spanish winner, with this being seen as almost a
home round, once again it was Lampkin and Fujinami who locked handlebars and
begun a two-way battle for victory during Saturday's trial. Predicting a low scoring
event Dougie opted for a cautious approach, recording a series of single dab rides before
taking his heaviest loss of two marks in section twelve. Fujinami on the other hand
adopted an all or nothing style as he looked to recover from a five in section five.
Incredibly the Japanese rider cleaned all the remaining hazards to lead the trial at the
end of the first lap. Lampkin had matched his score on observation, but had incurred an
additional penalty point having gone a minute over the allotted interim time limit of
three hours thirty minutes.
With temperatures continuing to rise out on the course and with no cloud cover in sight,
Lampkin saw his own opportunity to turn up the heat. His unpenalised ride through the
first nine sections on his second visit was simply unmatched and gave him the first clear
advantage over his teammate. Having not enjoyed the best of opening laps, Raga had
also found some better form, his second lap total of four being the second best of the
competition and earning him third place ahead of Jarvis, who had not looked
comfortable all day on the technical hazards. With Freixa just holding off Colomer for
fifth place, it left just Lampkin and Fujinami to conclude their duel to put three
Montesa HRC machines in the top five. Dougie's closing lap with just two marks was
simply too strong for anyone to equal, allowing him to secure what in the end was a
comfortable five mark winning margin over Fujinami. Whilst Lampkin could be happy
with his victory, celebrations were somewhat subdued by the news of his father having
sustained a broken collar bone in a road crash whilst assisting Dougie during the trial.
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World Outdoor Trials Championship Round 5
ST Julia De Loria, Andorra
Day 1
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| 1 |
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Dougie Lampkin (montesa HRC) |
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| 2 |
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Takahisa Fujinami (montesa HRC) |
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| 3 |
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Adam Raga (Gas Gas) |
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| 4 |
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Graham Jarvis (Sherco) |
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| 5 |
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Marc Freixa (montesa HRC) |
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| 6 |
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Marc Colomer (Gas Gas) |
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Marc Freixa
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Day
2
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| 1 |
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Marc Freixa (montesa HRC) |
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| 2 |
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Dougie Lampkin (montesa HRC) |
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| 3 |
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Takahisa Fujinami (montesa HRC) |
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| 4 |
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Adam Raga (Gas Gas) |
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| 5 |
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Graham Jarvis (Sherco) |
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| 6 |
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Josep Manzano (Beta) |
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