Brits going for glory
By TMX Archives on 22nd Apr 09
FOLLOWING the opening two rounds in Ireland the 2009 SPEA FIM World Trials Championship heads to Portugal this weekend for round three of the series which will visit eight different countries in total this year. Sunday will see a single World Championship round but on Saturday Portugal will host the opening round of the 2009 European Trials Championship. Venue for the weekend's action is Chaves, in the north west of the Iberian peninsula, some 150km from the city of Porto, close to the Spanish border. A total of 50 riders are pre-entered for the World Champs with 13 Championship, 19 Juniors and 18 Youths. And Great Britain has a good percentage of this number, with quality as well as quantity as Alexz Wigg and Jonathan Richardson head the Junior and Youth classes following the first two rounds both being unbeaten so far!
In the World Championship the Brits haven't made the podium yet with seven times champ Dougie Lampkin, on the factory Beta EVO, still heading off the young guns in sixth on 20-points. But James Dabill, who has won all three British Championship rounds staged to date, is looking very confident on the Gas Gas and surely a podium will come this season. Doug and Dibs' finished sixth and seventh respectively both days in Ireland and Michael Brown ended his wekend with a pair of tenth places. Browny will certainly be looking to get amongst some serious points on his factory Sherco.
Up at the sharp end of the title chase reigning champ Toni Bou was kept in check by former champ Adam Raga with the Repsol Montesa and Gas Gas factory stars claiming a win apiece in Ireland. Raga put it across Bou again in the Spanish Championship round just last weekend so another cracking battle is forecast between these two star riders with Albert Cabestany and Takahisa Fujinami sure to be pushing for podiums.
In the Juniors a revitalised Alexz Wigg will fire-up his two-stroke Gasser and attempt to pull further ahead of arch-rival Alfredo Gomez in the Juniors. Wiggy was supreme in Ireland and he'll be looking to maintain that winning form. He'll be joined by fellow Brits Jack Challoner, James Fry and Ben Wibberley.
The Youth series has a really strong three-man British challenge with Jonathan Richardson currently out front on his Sherco but Jonathan Walker and Ben Morphett are well capable of giving the Yorkshire ace a good run in the class.
Check out next week's paper for a full report plus all the news from Portugal.