Bou fires opening shot
By TMX Archives on 3rd May 13
THE opening round of the 2013 World Trials Championship and with it the controversial newly-implemented no-stopobserving rules got underway in Japan last weekend, with a double-header.
And the result, on the opening day at least, was business as usual.
The same five riders effectively finished in the same order as they finished last year – with Toni Bou way out front in a class of his own.
The World Champ posted laps of 10-7-8 for a total of 25, which no-one else could even approach with runner-up
Adam Raga a full 20 marks adrift.
Perhaps surprisingly, Raga in turn was almost 20 marks ahead of final podium placer Albert Cabestany.
Relatively close down the order Japanese ‘guest' riders Tomoyuki Ogawa, on the factory Honda, and Kenichi Kuroyama on his well-used four-stroke Yamaha (old-school Scorpa) nosing into the top 10.
British Champ James Dabill was rather disappointingly down in sixth, just behind his Beta team-mate Jeroni Fajardo, the latter suffering from severe sickness. After his good showing in British Championship no-stop trials over the last 12 months, Dibs was expected to really be in the mix with the leading bunch.
The Japanese trial was once again staged at the Honda-owned Twin-Ring Motegi race circuit, which features mainly climbs with rockery and set boulders on the perimeter of the venue.
The format this year was just 12 sections lapped three times and conditions were harder than the organisers would have liked following continuous heavy rain the previous day.
This meant that wet mud was continually being dragged onto the boulders and the subsequent lack of grip caught out everyone.
FOR FULL REPORT AND PICTURES SEE TMX NEWS MAY 3
WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 1 – Twin Ring Motegi, JAPAN
DAY ONE
1 Toni Bou (E - Montesa) 10 + 7 + 8 = 25
2 Albert Cabestany (E - Sherco) 15 + 16 + 14 = 45
3 Jeroni Fajardo (E - Beta) 19 + 22 + 22 = 63
4 Adam Raga (E - Gas Gas) 28 + 18 + 23 = 69
5 Takahisa Fujinami (J - Montesa) 38 + 17 + 19 = 74
6 James DABILL (GB - Beta) 30 + 24 + 23 = 77
7 Kenichi Kuroyama (J - Yamaha) 40 + 29 + 21 = 90
8 Tomoyuki Ogawa (J - Honda) 39 + 34 + 22 = 95
9 Michael BROWN (GB - Gas Gas) 40 + 36 + 30 = 106
10 Fumitaka Nozaki (J - Yamaha) 42 + 34 + 39 = 115
11 Jack CHALLONER (GB - Beta) 58 + 38 + 35 = 131
12 Axexandre Ferrer (F - Sherco) 60 + 41 + 34 = 135
13 Matteo Grattarola (I - Gas Gas) 58 + 41 + 45 = 144
14 Tsuyoshi Ogawa (J - Ossa) 54 + 48 + 50 = 152
15 Danny Oliveras (E - Ossa) 60 + 48 + 46 = 154
DAY TWO
1 Takahisa Fujinami (J - Montesa) 4 + 6 + 6 = 16
2 Jeroni Fajardo (E - Beta) 1 + 3 + 15 = 19
3 Toni Bou (E - Montesa) 18 + 1 + 1 = 20
4 Adam Raga (E - Gas Gas) 8 + 12 + 2 = 22
5 James DABILL (GB - Beta) 12 + 11 + 3 = 26
6 Albert Cabestany (E - Sherco) 16 + 10 + 13 = 39
7 Michael BROWN (GB - Gas Gas) 13 + 15 + 12 = 40
8 Fumitaka Nozaki (J - Yamaha) 18 + 15 + 22 = 55
9 Kenichi Kuroyama (J - Yamaha) 25 + 19 + 19 = 63
10 Jack CHALLONER (GB - Beta) 29 + 20 + 21 = 70
11 Tomoyuki Ogawa (J - Honda) 24 + 20 + 28 = 72
12 Axexandre Ferrer (F - Sherco) 28 + 25 + 26 = 79
13 Matteo Grattarola (I - Gas Gas) 33 + 30 + 22 = 85
14 Tsuyoshi Ogawa (J - Ossa) 33 + 35 + 26 = 94
15 Danny Oliveras (E - Ossa) 33 + 35 + 30 = 98
SERIES STANDINGS after 1 (of 8) rounds: 1 Bou 35 points, 2 Fujinami 33, 3 Raga 30, 4 Fajardo 28, 5 Cabestany 25, 6 DABILL 21, 7 BROWN 17, 8 Kuroyama 14, 9 Ogawa 14, 10 Nozaki 13, 11 CHALLONER 12, 12 Ferrer 8, 13 Grattarola 6, 14 Ogawa 2, 15 Oliveras 2, 16 Nomoto 2.
NEXT ROUND: May 25/26 – Sequatchie, USA.
