Trials Torque: Time to head over the pond
By John Dickinson on 23rd Jul 15
THE 2015 World Trials Championship heads across the Atlantic this weekend for the American round which this year is being staged at Stepping Stones, Rhode Island, on the east coast.
This is the second and last flyaway round of the series with the first being the opening round at Motegi, Japan.
It is also the seventh of the nine rounds making 18 trials, each to count towards the World Championship.
So with just six trials left in which to score points all riders will hope to be on top form to finish the season strongly.
Reigning champ Toni Bou is sitting pretty on top of the table at the moment having amassed 231 points, 28 clear of Adam Raga.
But the privateer Gas Gas rider has won the last three days' competition and is on a really hot streak – Adam being mighty-motivated as he seeks a contract for next season.
On this form there should be no shortage of offers!
Repsol Montesa team leader Bou won't be worried, though, as he has that massive Championship advantage and will be going for victory in Anmerica.
His record in the States isn't all that impressive, having won only once, back in 2008.
So there is plenty of incentive for Toni to get back to winning ways.
Raga has a 25-point cushion over third-placed Jeroni Fajardo, with the Beta rider in turn just 15 ahead of super consistent Sherco-riding veteran Albert Cabestany.
Takahisa Fujinami is having an up and down year – his 20th in the World Championship – although he is ahead of the rider seen as his Repsol Montesa successor, the impressive Spanish teenager Jaime Busto.
There are just 13 riders in the Championship class and just one Brit, James Dabill on the factory Vertigo. James has a real battle of his own on his hands as he is currently joint seventh in the standings with Frenchman Alex Ferrer.
A couple of good results in the USA would do wonders for James' confidence.
There are no home riders in the Championship class but the 21 contenders in the super competitive World Cup includes four riders sporting the stars and bars.
But of more interest to British fans we also have four flyaway riders in Jack Price, Dec Bullock, Billy Bolt and Welsh ace Iwan Roberts.
Iwan is in with a real chance of lifting the title and has won three rounds already.
All four lads have been clocking-up regular points with Jack also having stood on the top step.
The fly in the ointment is French rider Quentin Carles de Caudenberg who has won five rounds but otherwise been wildly inconsistent.
World Cup contenders drop their two worst scores from the final count so all is not quite as it looks.
If you counted the drop scores to date Iwan (who didn't go to the opener in Japan) retains his total of 144 while de Caudemberg has a total of 172 but would lose 13 of those so the gap is currently just five points!
There are just two 125 class riders, Italian Marco Fioletto and France's Maxime Varin but the entry overall has been boosted by a dozen home riders in the non-championship Open class.
