Will Toni Bou to Raga?
By TMX Archives on 28th Aug 08
THE battle for the 2008 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship reignites this coming weekend, August 30/31 after its traditional summer break. It forms the second day of a double header, with a European round on Saturday and the World round on Sunday. Fittingly it is Sweden that reopens the campaign at its most important stage, with the beautiful Scandinavian country making a most welcome return to the World calendar after an absence of 15 long years.
The well-known motocross circuit at Uddevalla will host this historic event, a venue that has been visited by the World MXGP series in more recent years. The rocky outcrops on the hillside that surround the permanent track have become a famous backdrop to the racing, and look the ideal terrain to create a truly World class trial.
Whilst Toni Bou on the potent Repsol Montesa HRC currently tops the overall standings, it is Adam Raga on the factory Gas Gas who has the momentum running in his favour after having won the last round in the Czech Republic. Raga's latest victory saw him close within 12 points of Bou with just three counting days remaining. The title race is between these two riders only with Bou's Repsol Montesa team-mate Takahisa Fujinami holding a distant, but safe third place in the championship.
Behind the leading trio, the battle for fourth place continues to be a tight affair being fought out by three highly competitive riders. Albert Cabestany (Sherco) currently holds the advantage, but with only five points separating him from the Beta duo of Jeroni Fajardo and Dougie Lampkin, this position in the final rankings is still very much up for grabs. Doug has had several morale-boosting wins recently and must go into the final three rounds with renewed confidence.
The struggle for supremacy in the Junior class also remains in the balance with French rider Loris Gubian (Sherco) having enjoyed a strong recent run to overtake Alexz Wigg (Future Montesa) in the points table. Wigg looked the clear favourite in this division, but a mid-season knee injury, which has now been operated on, really proved to be a hindrance for the young British rider. Alfedo Gomez (Montesa) continues to sit in third spot with rounds in Sweden, Portugal and Spain still to come.
Britain's Jack Challoner (Beta) has been rewarded for his consistency throughout the campaign to date, and now has a commanding 30 point lead over his nearest challenger Francesc Moret (Gas Gas). Moret's position is far from secure, with the young Spanish rider only having a mere three point lead over his French rival, Sherco's Alex Ferrer.
The battle in the lower two categories is a slightly more complex affair than for the World Championship, in which all rounds count, as both the Junior and Youth champions will be determined from the best 10 results from the 12 possible counting days of competition.
The European Championship rouind will take place on Saturday over eased sections.