The daddies!
By TMX Archives on 21st Oct 03
Hardly your usual comment from the normally shy and retiring Graham Jarvis but, seeing as he'd just posted the joint-best individual score and helped Team GB to our second Trial des Nations victory on the trot, he "'AVE IT!" Hardly your usual comment from the normally shy and retiring Graham Jarvis but, seeing as he'd just posted the joint-best individual score and helped Team GB to our second Trial des Nations victory on the trot, he can be forgiven his little outburst.It was tight at the top with the Brits edging out pre-trial hot favourites Spain by a single mark. Japan came home third in a repeat of the top three from 12 months ago.The event, held at Lavarone in Italy, wasn't without its fair share of controversy. Steve Colley - picked to ride alongside Dougie Lampkin, Graham Jarvis and Sam Connor - was struck down with gastric flu the evening before the trial. Ben Hemingway was drafted in as a replacement and the Spanish promptly put in a protest that was swiftly dismissed by the FIM jury.Once the action was under way, Spanish minders ignored warnings and persisted in illegally 'modifying' sections by placing kicker stones to help their riders up big rocks. This prompted a five-mark penalty - and another protest from the Spanish that was also dismissed."Against all odds we still managed to take the win," grinned a delighted Dougie Lampkin. "It's been a tough day and we all really had to pull our finger out and work together. Ben and Sam rode they best I've seen them ride all year and it proved worthwhile in the end."Ben, after his 11th-hour call-up, was the hero of the day and even had to contend with a migraine on the opening lap. "It was absolutely horrible trying to ride with a migraine - I could feel the bike but I couldn't see my throttle or clutch at one point, that's how bad it got."There was further good news from the trial when Team GB's ladies squad - Maria Conway, Donna Fox and Katy Sunter - came home second in the women's event, just three marks adrift of Germany. And Team Ireland finished third behind Finland and Belgium in the B group.