All Down to Bou and Raga
By TMX Archives on 9th Apr 09
REIGNING World champion, Toni Bou, shared top honours with Adam Raga, the Catalan riders both recording a win and runner-up spot at the opening round of the 2009 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship. Albert Cabestany completed the overall podium after the Sherco teamster went four three over the two days of the Grand Prix of Ireland, held at the beautiful coastal town of Newcastle.
Whilst there was little to shout about for the British riders in the top division, as Dougie Lampkin and James Dabill scraped together a pair of sixth places and a brace of seventh spots respectively, in the Youth and Junior categories it was red, white and blue all the way. Alexz Wigg made a much welcomed return to form by dominating both days of the Junior class to give him a healthy start over his main rival Alfredo Gomez.
Although Wigg is no stranger to the top step of the rostrum at World level, the sensation of the weekend was young Jonathan Richardson, son of former rider Gerald, who guided his way to back-to-back wins in the Youth class. The unassuming teenager showed great maturity as he delivered two superb rides, especially on Sunday when he carried the added pressure of expectation.
The shift down the coast from its more familiar home of Bangor gave the Irish GP a fresh new look as the Lightweight club took on the task of delivering a World class event at a virgin venue set on the mountain over looking the town of Newcastle. The course offered some of the best trials terrain on the planet with a mixture of slippery riverbeds and awesome rocky climbs in amongst tall trees. Three spectacular quarry based hazards were the crowning glory and offered panoramic views across the bay, these more than made up for the slightly lacking man-made sections in the paddock area.
The action on Saturday kicked-off with rain overhead, with the trial starting with a series of three sections in a narrow and extremely slippery river. Still looking for that elusive 100th GP win, Lampkin was the man making the early headlines with the first clean in section two and an equally stunning single dab in the next hazard just upstream. Dougie's pursuit for victory however, in what were typically British conditions, was short lived.
The real story was the fierce fight developing between Bou and Raga who traded blows throughout their initial tour of what proved to be 15 ultra-difficult hazards. It was Toni who had managed to edge in front towards the end of the lap, but two successive fives in stream sections immediately prior to the final man-made closer, gifted Adam a lead that he would then not relinquish. In contrast, the Gas Gas rider lost just a dab in the same two watery zones.
There was nothing to separate the Spanish compatriots as they undertook their respective second laps, as bright sunshine now framed this intriguing battle. Again, it was a late mistake in section 13 that would keep Bou on the second step of the podium, as the pair matched each other mark for mark, giving Raga the all-important win thanks to his earlier advantage.
Fujinami made a late rally to offset his poor opening lap and, in doing so, robbed Cabestany of what looked like a certain third place by virtue of a most cleans tie-break. Jeroni Fajardo came home in fifth, ten marks clear of his Beta team-mate Lampkin, who in turn held a similar gap over Dabill.
Albert Cabestany filled the remaining podium place, taking his Sherco to fourth and third places on the respective days.