French connection
By TMX Archives on 20th May 11
With the opening round of the 2011 SPEA FIM World Trials Championship having just taken place at Gefrees, Germany, last Sunday the series moves immediately to France for the first of only two two-day events in the calendar - the second should be Japan later in the year.
The small town of Breal sous Montfort, near Rennes, will be the venue for this weekend's important event which will surely establish which riders are heading for glory this year and who is under-performing and has a lot of work to do!
Obviously Toni Bou starts as hot favourite to win on the Repsol Montesa and he has the usual phalanx of Adam Raga, Albert Cabestany, Takahisa Fujinami and Jeroni Fajardo snapping at his heels.
For Fajardo, in his first season on the all-new Ossa, there is the incentive of a first podium for the Spanish marque and the 27-year-old says that he has ridden at the French venue twice before, likes the terrain and will be looking to improve on his fifth place in the opening round.
For James Dabill on the factory Beta, sixth was not a bad result in Germany, but he needs to considerably reduce the gap between himself and the top five who already look once again a cut above the rest.
There's a lot of pressure on Dibs to get in that mix. Michael Brown, Dougie Lampkin (below), still handicapped by that injured ankle, Jack Challoner and Alexz Wigg get two chances this weekend to march up the finishing order.
In the Junior class Jonathan Richardson (above) could easily spring onto the podium if he rides to his potential, while Jack Shepherd will be happy with nothing less than another win in the Youth class following his cracking ride in Germany.
Don't miss next week's paper for a full report and pics from the two-day French trials bonanza.
