Pressure on Bou
By TMX Archives on 11th Sep 08
WITH only a brief pause, the World Trials Championship enters into its final chapter for 2008, with the next two weekends marking the closing two rounds of this year's series. Castelloli in Spain, just 60 kilometres north-west of Barcelona, will host the final round on September 21, but prior to that, this coming Sunday, the championship will make its penultimate stop in Portugal.
The Portuguese town of Paredes will welcome the series back, with the southern European country having been absent from the calendar last year. Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Montesa HRC) was the winner back in 2006, with Adam Raga (Gas Gas) a close runner up on that occasion.
Raga last won in Portugal in 2004, and will desperately be looking to repeat his success if he is to maintain the pressure on current championship leader Toni Bou (Repsol Montesa HRC).
Victories in the Czech Republic and Sweden have seen Raga reduce Bou's margin down to just nine points with two GPs still remaining. While Bou will have to suffer a major slip not to retain his crown, he will not relish his trips to Portugal and Spain with so much pressure sitting on his young shoulders.
The final fight between Raga and Bou is sure to be a tense affair, and will create a dramatic finale to this season's long campaign.
Fujinami continues to sit in a comfortable third spot in the general standings, but behind him little separates the threesome of Albert Cabestany (Sherco) and the Beta pairing of Dougie Lampkin and Jeroni Fajardo.
Lampkin recorded his fourth, fourth place in Sweden to equal his best performance of his season to date. As a result of this, the former multi World champion now sits level on points with Fajardo, and just one point behind Cabestany whose inconsistent form continues.
French rider Loris Gubian (Sherco) has now established himself as the favourite in the Junior class, his sixth win of the series in Uddevalla edging him further clear of Alexz Wigg (Montesa). Wigg made some kind of return to form, by finishing as runner-up in Sweden, but will need two victories at the remaining events if he is to overtake Gubian for the title. Alfredo Gomez (Montesa) currently holds third in the series, but only has a four-point advantage over Matteo Grattarola (Sherco).
Britain's Jack Challoner (Beta) may have already wrapped up the Youth championship, but behind him there is still plenty to fight for. Winner of the last round, Alexandre Ferrer (Sherco) is in second spot at present, but will have to resist the threat of Francesc Moret (Gas Gas) if he is to maintain that position come the final day in Spain.