Trials Torque: Brits offer up Lourdes prayers
By John Dickinson on 15th Jun 16
FOLLOWING hot on the heels of the fourth round of the 2016 FIM Trial World Championship run in Andorra last weekend comes Round Five and it is back to back rounds in the Pyrenees as the circus moves north to Lourdes.
This is the first time that the famous town with its powerful religious symbolism has staged the World series in France's long history of staging the Trial World Championship.
In fact since the very first round back in 1975 – when iconic Brit Mick Andrews won at Ambervieu – the country has only missed a single year of involvement in the competition and that was way back in 1990.
Lourdes takes the 2016 series into the second half.
And with Toni Bou now on a winning roll – the Repsol Honda double victory in Andorra taking his winning run to five in a row after a double in Germany and the second day in Japan – he is now well on course to take that incredible tenth World crown on the bounce.
Toni has now stretched his lead out to 17 points over his only serious challenger, Adam Raga on the TRS.
Raga has really pushed Bou to ride at his best but following his lone win of the season on day one in Japan, despite his best efforts and several close calls, he has been forced to take the runner-up position as Bou racked-up those five wins. If Adam is to start chipping away at Bou's lead he really needs to top that podium in France – preferably twice!
Easy to say but Adam is capable of doing this and in fact managed the feat in Andorra last year when on his private Gas Gas.
After France there are just five days of competition left, a single day in Belgium, then the British round at Tong, Bradford, Yorks (TMX Preview coming-up shortly) on the weekend July 16/17 followed by the long wait after the summer break for the series finale in Italy on September 3/4.
While the top two are way out in front there is a Battle Royale for the No.3 plate with veteran Japanese Takahisa Fujinami – who on 99 points is almost 30 behind Raga – just a single point ahead of his Repsol Honda team-mate, Spanish teenager Jaime Busto.
Busto, in turn, has just overhauled Sherco's own vet Albert Cabestany.
Jeroni Fajardo is showing signs of having adapted to the Vertigo having taken his first podium of the year in Andorra and is in fact just eight points adrift of Busto.
And Britain's only contender this year, his team-mate James Dabill, is still in the mix on 79 points.
James has already had two podiums, in Spain and Germany, and could have had several more with just a little luck and a top five 2016 finish is well in range for the British Champ.
Beta's Jorge Casales has underperformed alarmingly this year and currently sits some 40 points adrift of James and the talented Spanish rider needs a strong finish to his 2016 and that needs to start in France.
In the well-supported Trial2 class Britain's Jack Price has kept his incredible run of good form going strong and following seventh place at the opening round in Spain, the JST Gas Gas supported rider has not been off the podium, including having taken four wins.
Jack sits well clear of current second-place man, fellow Gas Gas rider Arnau Farre of Spain, although remember in Trial2 (and Trial125) the worst scored from two days of competition have to be removed come the end of the season.
TTT Beta rider and Welsh Champion Iwan Roberts holds third place, JST Cloburn Gas Gas runner Dan Peace continues the strong British presence in this class in fourth, while Beta's Dec Bullock has scored in every day's competition so far and currently holds 11th place.
All four Brits will be looking for another impressive haul of points in France this Sunday.
Trial125 may only be hosting small entries but there is a great scrap going on at the top between Britain's Jack Peace – Dan's younger brother and fellow JST Cloburn Gas Gas rider – and German Max Faude.
Jack has been fantastic so far although his rival and friend on the circuit, Faude, claimed his first win on Sunday in Andorra to keep Jack at the top of his game as he homes in on the 2016 title.
Lourdes could have a major bearing on where all three titles eventually go – and as to what we will have to look forward to in a month's time in Britain.
