Bou wins at a hot and tough French Grand Prix
By G2F on 11th Jul 10
Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa further extended his lead at the top of the 2010 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship after winning at a hot and tough French Grand Prix. In very difficult conditions Bou had to wait for the second lap before he could break clear of the pack and was eventually followed home by his team mate Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa. The final rostrum place was filled by Jeroni Fajardo - Beta who looked in with a real chance of victory after the initial tour.
Heavy rain late on Saturday afternoon played havoc with the organisers as they were forced to revisit all their hardwork and had to change the majority of the sections set on the steep hillside as the dust turned to mud in a matter of hours. As a result of these major alterations the riders were permitted to inspect the sections during the opening lap and were alloted an extra twenty minutes on the interim time limit to allow for this important process.
All the riders looked nervous as they struggled to understand the nature of the terrain as well as the long and technical hazards. This became ever more apparent for sections six through to ten, which were all situated on a steep rock face in front of a packed crowd who were enjoying the action from the grass meadow below. It was here where Bou lost the bulk of his marks on the opening lap, his tally of twenty nine only giving him a two mark lead over Fajardo at this point.
Although everyone was suffering, especially as the day just got hotter as the Trial wore on, it was Adam Raga - Gas Gas who was enduring the biggest nightmare. On sections that required bravery and should haved suited him well, Raga looked to lack confidence and could do little to recover from a disappointing first lap to eventually finish in a potentially title wrecking sixth place.
Bou and Fujinami were by far the best on their second visit to the sections, which remained as difficult as ever. Both Montesa riders posted sub twenty mark scores to close with, which moved them ahead of their main rivals who failed to show any real signs of improvement. Even a big crash in section twelve for Fujinami on the second lap could prevent an important 1- 2 for the mighty Repsol pairing. With Raga's demise, Fujinami now moves up to second in the general standings with three rounds remaining.
With no real contenders in the World Pro class, it was left to Alexandre Ferrer - Sherco in the Junior category to delight the French fans. His victory was both unexpected and convincing as series leader Alfredo Gomez - Montesa never got to grips with the terrain all day. Although twenty marks off the winning score, Gomez did manage to salvage second spot on the day whilst his main title rival Jack Challoner - Beta slumped to sixth place and in doing so lost valuable points towards his campaign.
In the Youth division Jack Sheppard - Beta made it two wins in a row, as the sixteen year old followed up the win at his home GP with an important victory in France to further close the gap on Pol Tarres - Gas Gas. Tarres was second on the day, but has had his lead cut to just seven points ahead of the next two rounds which could prove critical in the Youth title race.
Next weekend the championship heads to San Marino for round six of this year's eight stop tour.
2010 SPEA FIM TRIAL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Round 4
St Michel De Maurienne – France, 11 July - 1 Day Event (Day1)
Results:
World
1: Bou 42
2: Fujinami 52
3: Fajardo 56
4: Cabestany 61
5: Lampkin 67
Junior
1: Ferrer 46
2: Gomez 66
3: Dagnicourt 71
4: Moret 71
5: Laniel 80
Youth 125cc
1: Sheppard 55
2: Tarres 59
3: Saleri 66
4: Traviesa 79
5: Catalin 82
2010 FIM Riders Championship Current Standings:
World
1: Bou 145
2: Fujinami 124
3: Raga 118
4: Cabestany 105
5: Fajardo 100
Junior
1: Gomez 130
2: Challoner 120
3: Ferrer 119
4: Moret 97
5: Dagnicourt 82
Youth 125cc
1: Tarres 144
2: Sheppard 137
3: Traviesa 121
4: Saleri 93
5: Catalin 79
2010 FIM Manufacturers Championship Current Standings:
1: Montesa 269
2: Gas Gas 197
3: Beta 179
4: Sherco 162