First bow to Bou!
By TMX Archives on 23rd Jan 08
TONI Bou, on the Repsol-Montesa, took the first step towards retaining his World Indoor Trials crown by winning the opening round of the 2008 series which was staged last Saturday night in Marseilles, in the south of France, in front of a full house of 6,000 spectators. TONI Bou, on the Repsol-Montesa, took the first step towards retaining his World Indoor Trials crown by winning the opening round of the 2008 series which was staged last Saturday night in Marseilles, in the south of France, in front of a full house of 6,000 spectators.
It was a thrilling night though with several surprises. It was a disaster for Dougie Lampkin who was making his debut on the Beta REV3 and who could only manage a disappointing seventh place from the eight starters. But it was a red letter day for Albert Cabestany who made a surprise debut on the four-stroke Sherco – and almost stole the show! ‘Cabes' actually led the field after the Qualifying lap and finished a close second to Bou overall after winning a head-to-head race with Gas Gas rider Adam Raga.
The Qualifying lap took in seven sections and they certainly weren't easy as no single section was cleaned by all the riders. And the eleven minute time limit proved tight as only Bou managed to stay inside it.
James Dabill, who had such an excellent ride at Sheffield after Christmas, started off in real good form, taking dabs in the opening two sections and cleaning the third before overshooting the cable reels for his first maximum and then lost control on the following square concrete tubes. An eventual total of 20 for Dibs, including two on time, was not a disaster and compared well with World Indoor regular Jeroni Fajardo. With Jeroni picking up a hefty five time penalties, James was only two points adrift of finishing in fifth place and Fajardo is now his target to beat in the remaining rounds.
WORLD INDOOR TRIALS CHAMPS
Rd 1 – Palais des Sports, Marseille, FRANCE.
FINAL: 1 Toni Bou (E - Repsol Montesa HRC) 8 marks lost, 2 Albert Cabestany (E -Sherco) 10, 3 Adam Raga (E - Gas Gas) 11.
QUALIFICATION LAP: 1 Albert Cabestany (E -Sherco) 4, 2 Adam Raga (E - Gas Gas) 6, 3 Toni Bou (E - Repsol Montesa HRC) 11, 4 Takahisa Fujinami (J - Repsol Montesa HRC) 11, 5 Jeroni Fajardo (E - Beta) 19, 6 James DABILL (GB - TRW Montesa) 20, 7 Dougie LAMPKIN (GB - Beta) 26, 8 Jerome Bethune (F - Beta) 26.
SERIES STANDINGS after 1 (of 6) rounds: 1 Toni Bou 10 points, 2 Albert Cabestany 8, 3 Adam Raga 6, 4 Takahisa Fujinami 5, 5 Jeroni Fajardo 4, 6 James DABILL 3, 7 Dougie LAMPKIN 2, 8 Jerome Bethune 1.
NEXT ROUND: Feb 3 – Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, SPAIN.
For full report and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, January 25, 2008