Trials Torque: Who Will Be Big In Japan
By John Dickinson on 20th Apr 16
THE second round of the 2016 Trials World Championship moves to Japan this weekend for two days of competition at Twin Ring Motegi, the Honda-owned race track which hosts the event with sections on its rocky periphery.
This is the only flyaway round of the European based series and the majority of challengers are making the trip hoping to bag important points.
Britain will be well represented with a total of seven riders led by James Dabill and Michael Brown in TrialGP.
Dibs is fresh from his double victory in the opening two rounds of the British Champs which in turn came off the back of his superb third place in the second day of the opening World round in Spain.
The Vertigo rider looks fit, sharp and super confident and there's no reason why he can't make top three again on current form.
Michael isn't in such a good place unfortunately but the only way forward is for the Gas Gas man to ride himself into form.
Toni Bou, is already leading the series despite riding in Spain with a shoulder injury which he sustained in a training accident.
With two weeks recovery time behind him who would bet against the Repsol Honda team leader to add to his already impressive tally of 13 victories in Japan?
His team-mate Takahisa Fujinami will reach the major milestone of 300 TrialGP starts in his home round.
Fujigas has six victories himself in Japan and has stood on the podium an amazing 24 times.
Twin Ring Motegi has staged the Japanese round for 17 consecutive years.
The experienced Spanish crew of Adam Raga, Albert Cabestany and Jeroni Fajardo plus youngster Jaime Busto will all be targeting podiums.
As well as the regular contenders, no fewer than 10 Japanese ‘wildcard' riders are looking to show the European riders a thing or three.
They will be led by 37-year-old veteran Kenichi Kuroyama on the one-off factory Yamaha four-stroke.
Fujinami is the only Japanese rider to contest the whole series but he is joined by a total of 20 home riders in all three classes which boost the total Championship entry to a healthy 58.
Trial2 will see Iwan Roberts looking to extend his narrow two-mark Championship lead gained in Spain with fellow Brits Jack Price, Dan Peace and Dec Bullock among the favourites to stop him.
In the Youth class Jack Peace took two runaway victories in the opening round and comes off a superb weekend at the British Champs.
He has the measure of his four regular challengers but who knows how the five home riders will perform.
They will have to be pretty special to pip Gas Gas prospect Jack on current form.
Find out how the British challenge went in next week's issue...
