Raga takes a Bou!
By TMX Archives on 6th Feb 08
ADAM Raga was the darling of thepredominantly Catalan crowd on Saturday evening after pulling off a shock victory in the 31st Barcelona Indoor trial, second round of the 2008 World Indoor Championship, which was once again run in the St Jordi Stadium high up on Montjuic.
ADAM Raga was the darling of thepredominantly Catalan crowd on Saturday evening after pulling off a shock victory in the 31st Barcelona Indoor trial, second round of the 2008 World Indoor Championship, which was once again run in the St Jordi Stadium high up on Montjuic.
Repsol Montesa's Toni Bou, winner in Barcelona for the last two years, was hot favourite to pick-up a hat-trick but a couple of simple mistakes proved costly and the Gas Gas rider was right on hand to take advantage and claim his fifth Barcelona victory in total – equal to Marc Colomer but still two behind his mentor, Jordi Tarres who has seven to his credit. Albert Cabestany made-up the same all-Catalan podium as in the opening round in Marseille – albeit in a different finishing order.
For Dougie Lampkin though there was no change of fortune as once again, as in Marseille, he struggled for confidence, never recovering from a first section maximum on the very first step, although to be fair he did have a couple of good rides in the middle of the Qualifier.
Barcelona, played-out in front of a disapointingly small (although Bou's supporters were loud and created a great atmosphere) crowd of a claimed 9,800 spectators was quite radically different in its layout.
Normally comprising one brutal step after another, this year the emphasis was more on all-round skill and French section-maker Bernard Estripeau had been enlisted and he came up with a Chinese theme and the sections were dressed accordingly.
Using a new-for-2008 format, riders follow a rotating system of who-goes-first in the sections and it was Jeroni Fajardo's turn to go first. The Beta rider completed the eight Qualifying sections for a total of 18.
That was 17 in the sections plus one for busting the 11 minute time limit.
WORLD INDOOR TRIALS CHAMPS
Rd 2 – Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona, SPAIN
Final: 1 Adam Raga (E - Gas Gas) 15 marks lost, 2 Toni Bou (E - Repsol Montesa HRC) 18, 3 Albert Cabestany (E -Sherco) 32.
Qualification Lap: 1 Bou 1, 2 Raga 7 (Time 9:45), 3 Cabestany 7 (Time 10:34), 4 Takahisa Fujinami (J - Repsol Montesa HRC) 16, 5 Jeroni Fajardo (E - Beta) 18, 6 Dougie LAMPKIN (GB - Beta) 20, 7 James DABILL (GB - TRW Montesa) 22 (eliminated before lane races).
SERIES STANDINGS after 2 (of 8) rounds: 1 Bou 18 points, 2 Raga 16, 3 Cabestany 14, 4 Fujinami 10, 5 Fajardo 8, 6 LAMPKIN 5, 7 DABILL 5, 8 Jerome Bethune 1.
NEXT ROUND: Feb 10 – Palacio Municipal de Deportes, Granada, SPAIN.
For full report and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, February 8, 2008