Lampkin readies himself for Gas Gas enduro debut
By G2F on 20th Jan 11
Having recently made his first outing aboard his new Gas Gas trials bike, twelve times FIM Trial World Champion Dougie Lampkin - Gas Gas has now turned his attentions to be ready for his Gas Gas enduro debut this coming weekend. Thirty-four year old Lampkin who is relatively new to the enduro scene has already made an impact in this discipline with some significant results at international level despite his lack of experience. Adding to his podium finishes, Dougie's win at the ultra tough Hell's Gate extreme enduro in Italy last season ranks amongst one of his biggest achievements during what has been a long and highly decorated career.
No longer a regular on the indoor trial circuit, Lampkin made a one off appearance at the recent Sheffield event, before switching his efforts to getting to grips with his new Gas Gas EC300E machine ready for his debut for the Spanish make this Sunday at Eddy's Xtreme enduro to be held at Tong near Leeds, West Yorkshire. The expected course of rocks, logs and generally tough going will be the ideal preparation for Dougie who will compete in the second round of the 2011 FIM Indoor Enduro World Championship in Barcelona on Sunday 6th February in what will effectively be a home event for the Gas Gas factory team.
Keen to familiarise himself with the two stroke machine Lampkin has been a regular visitor to Fatcat Motoparc near Doncaster in more recent days, in between his trips to Gas Gas headquarters in Girona, Spain. Despite the recent bout of bad weather that has hit the UK, the Fatcat facility has still allowed Dougie maximum track time with the sandy circuit almost unaffected by the heavy deluge of snow and rain that made other venues unrideable. Time spent on the fast and flowing circuit has certainly benefited Lampkin's overall speed, with the veteran campaigner being more than well equipped for the more technical sections thanks to his undoubted trials skills.
Speaking about his forth coming Gas Gas debut Lampkin said. "It's certainly been a whole new learning curve, as up until now I have only ever ridden four stroke enduro bikes. The Gas Gas is certainly lighter and more easy to flick about, which should be great for the extreme and indoor events. The biggest difference is the lack of rear braking for the higher speed corners, so I have had to learn to use the back brake which felt quite strange at first."
"Having spoken to Eddy about the course for this weekend's event, it certainly sounds interesting." Dougie continued. "Hopefully with the ground being as wet as it has been, and the various technical and extreme sections that are going to make up the lap it should suit my type of riding. It will be good to have a chance to ride the bike in an event before heading off to Barcelona, as the track there is normally a real handful."
Lampkin ended by saying. "My Gas Gas trials debut was none too special, so let's hope I can do a bit better first time out on the Gas Gas enduro bike."