James Dabill takes Gas Gas to seventh at X-Trial opener
By TMX Archives on 6th Feb 17
The 40th anniversary of the Barcelona Indoor Trial has been the scene of the lively return of the Gas Gas Factory Trial Team to the very highest level of international competition.
James Dabill and Franzi Kadlec got off to a great start with the official X-Trial team with seventh and eighth positions. Gas Gas has celebrated its return to the World Championship on home turf together with the thousands of fans who filled the stands of the Palau Sant Jordi to enjoy all the different activities in an event which was jam-packed with emotion and symbolism.
A mythical venue, the Palau Sant Jordi, and a very special date, the fortieth anniversary of the Barcelona Indoor Trial, the greatest stage and the very best moment in time for Gas Gas' return to the X-Trial World Championship, together with their fans and a team reinforced with James Dabill and Franzi Kadlec.
The latest signing to the bike brand from Girona arrived in Barcelona with extra motivation after achieving a podium finish at the Sheffield International Trial. This was one of the preparatory events before the real start of the X-Trial calendar. Unfortunately this time round Dabill was unable to repeat his success at the opening event of the World Championship.
The British Gas Gas rider started the evening well, getting through the first of the five zones of the classifying round facing the eight best international indoor trial riders without too much trouble. However, a fall in the second zone made a huge difference to the result from the latest signing to Gas Gas in his first event in the World Championship on the new Gas Gas TXT 300 GP. The rider from West Yorkshire will be riding this machine throughout the whole of the X-Trial Championship.
The hard knock to the handlebar of his bike on the ground of the course meant that Dabill had to beat a hasty retreat back to the boxes to pick up his second machine. A change of bike with different adjustments affected Dabill's concentration in this classifying round of only five zones and practically zero margin for error. Two fives in the next two zones made a classification for the final impossible even though the expert British rider completed the last zone with only one penalty point. This meant that finally he ended up with a seventh place. This result, while not making the British rider terribly happy, does mean extra motivation for the next event in the World Championship on 5th March in Neustadt, Austria.
James Dabill: "This has been a difficult event for me. And in fact I felt much better about how I rode today. I was a bit worried at first in the first zone. And in the second I had a fall and bent the handlebar. I had to change bike and it was difficult to get back into the pace with a different bike, although they are the same. It hasn't been possible to get 100% performance. A bit later I made another couple of mistakes and I wasn't allowed into the final.”
Lady luck also turned her back on his teammate in the Gas Gas Trial Factory Team. Young Franzi Kadlec is only nineteen years old and he is already starting out in the X-Trial World Championship on his Gas Gas TXT 300 Racing. This was a hopeful start for the talented young German rider, whose understandable beginner's nerves took their toll in the first three zones.
An eighth position in the classification prevented Kadlec from getting his passport to the final of the opening event in the World Championship. This is where Gas Gas was celebrating its return to the greatest showplace on earth for indoor trial, without a doubt extra-special and full of emotion. The pioneer of indoor trial celebrated its fortieth anniversary together with a load of Gas Gas activities for the thousands of fans filling up the stands in the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona.
Unfortunately the strong winds forced the cancellation of the Gas Gas and Torrot Kids children's circuit planned before the event so that the very youngest fans could have some fun on the electric bikes, the very best way to get girls and boys off to a good start off-road.
However, it was a very different story inside the venue. The fans went wild with their passion for the trial riding brand, painting one of the stands red with the emblematic Gas Gas colour. Gas Gas also sponsored of one of the eight zones in the event.
The most historic machines from the company from Girona, for example the very first Gas Gas Halley model, manufactured in 1985, had a starring role in the retrospective look back at the trial riding speciality which warmed the hearts of the fans in the Palau Sant Jordi. A flash back in time with an affectionate homage to all the riders who have written the story of the Barcelona Indoor Trial and especially its eleven winners. Amongst them was Marc Colomer, winner of five editions of this event in the 90's, and since last year, Gas Gas sports manager.
Barcelona X-Trial
1. T. Bou 5
2. A. Raga 21
3. J. Fajardo 24
7. James Dabill (Gas Gas) 17
8. Franz Kadlec (Gas Gas) 20
