The Essential Trials Stickie (2024)

F.I.M. Trial World Championship - Round 2 USA - May 25, 2013

Links: http://trialsusgp.com/
http://www.fim-live.com/en/sport/tr...l-world-championship-united-statesetats-unis/

TV Broadcast (SPEED2): http://www.speed2.com/racing-series/fim-trial-world-championship#.UaDAg7Xvtb4

Photos: http://www.trialscentral.com/user_photos/andy/2013/world_trials_championship/round_2_usa/day_1/
Courtesy of GSBS: http://gsbs.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/5-25-13-FIM-Trials-World/29627428_ZjqJdk#!i=2535250848&k=khqshzx

Reigning and six times FIM Trial World Champion Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa will lead the charge as the 2013 series heads to the USA for the second round of the current campaign. Bou only holds a slim advantage over his Japanese team-mate Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa after his first and third finishes at the opening encounter in Japan last month, which marked the start of a new era for the sport as the no-stop rules were re-introduced to the premier series. However the new rules had no part to play in Bou’s downfall on day two in Motegi, as a series of mistakes kept him on the lower tier of the podium.

Fujinami will be hoping that his track record of five previous wins at the US Trial GP will continue this weekend as he looks to close the two point gap on Bou. The highly popular Japanese rider was a winner last time out on home soil and remains a real championship contender despite his veteran status. Carrying almost as many years as Fujinami, Adam Raga – Gas Gas sits third in the current standings after his 2-4 showing at the opening Grand Prix. Although he would dearly love to win in the USA this weekend, having recorded his first ever GP victory in the US back in 2001, consistency is more important for Raga over the two days of competition if he is to mount a serious title challenge this year.

As has become the pattern over more recent seasons Jeroni Fajardo – Beta, Albert Cabestany – Sherco and James Dabill – Beta have identified themselves as the next group of riders most likely to infiltrate the rostrum if they can produce their best form on the day. Fajardo came within two sections of taking the win on the second day in Japan, but lost his nerve at the critical moment. However having almost been totally ruled out of the Trial due to a sudden bout of illness, Fajardo could eventually be happy with his weekend’s work in Japan. Cabestany was in the hunt on day one, but was a long way off the pace a day later, which presented Dabill with an early opportunity to grab a morale boosting top five placing as he looks to become a regular amongst the front running quintet.

Jack Sheppard – Beta is perhaps the surprise initial leader of the Junior class after he placed third and first in Japan, which was in complete contrast to the poor form that the British rider had shown at the opening two rounds of his domestic series. Spain’s more fancied Jorge Casales – Gas Gas was the winner on the opening day of the series, but endured a disastrous eighth place the following day. Casales holds third spot in the series as he heads to the USA two points behind Maxime Warenghien – Sherco who enjoyed a consistent 4-2 performance over the two days of the Japanese Trial GP.

French competitor Thomas Kenny - Beta is another rider who was not perhaps expected to be leading his respective class, but is more than worthy of his place at the head of the Youth category thanks to his first and third places at Motegi. His compatriot Quentin Carles de Caudemberg – Beta is only three points behind him in the series table at this stage, although both French riders will be expected to come under attack from Bradley Cox – Beta in Sequatchie, who failed to perform in Japan despite him being the pre-season favourite to lift the crown in this young division. A total of fifty-five riders across all three classes will compete in the US Trial GP, with a strong contingent of home representatives spread throughout the entry.

Sneak Preview As World Trials Land In USA

The Trials Training Center situated at Sequatchie, Tennessee is ready for this weekend's US Trial GP, which will mark the second stop of the 2013 FIM Trial World Championship.

The purpose built venue is currently basking under blue skies and enjoying warm weather as the riders completed their last practice session ahead of this afternoon's section inspection.

Twelve sections have been marked out for the two days of action, with many of them located in the slippery river beds that dissect the large woodland area that surround the main paddock which is also benefiting from the shade of nearby trees.

The atmosphere is very relaxed today after yesterday's scare when the exception of the Beta factory team, none of the other factory bikes had arrived due to logistical problems back in Europe. The good news is that now all the bikes have been delivered either late last night or early this morning, so it is very much business as normal, but with an American flavour.

Having not had a Trial GP on American soil for five years, there is certainly a high level of expectation from all sides about the two days actions that lie ahead.

The natural terrain that TTC has in abundance, certainly looks perfectly suited for the new no-stop sections, and over the next forty eight hours we will see if this is the case or not…

Trials Central will have full coverage of the US Trial GP over the weekend, but please remember that things will be running six hours behind UK time.

In meantime here are some shots from the paddock from earlier today to get you in the mood.

US TRIAL GP IS GO

24/05/13 - 17:08
The Trials Training Center at Sequatchie, Tennessee is a hive of activity today, as the purpose developed venue prepares itself for the second round of the 2013 FIM Trial World Championship. The series last stopped off at this well-appointed facility back in 2008, so after a five year absence anticipation amongst the riders and fans alike is high.

The terrain that surrounds the central paddock area, where the teams are busily unpacking their respective flight cases after logistical delays meant some of the factory bikes did not arrive until late last night, is ideally suited to the sport of Trial. The majority of the twelve sections that will be ridden over the two days of competition, starting tomorrow, make good use of the natural waterways that flow through the huge wooded grounds.

Many of the sections are also within close walking distance of the public camping area, which is now beginning to fill with eager spectators who have travelled from across the USA.

The local weather forecast for the weekend is mainly sunshine, with only a very slight chance of rain late on Sunday, so with little change in the conditions expected the organisers are confident that no further alterations to the hazards will be needed to create a perfect platform to exploit the new no-stop rules.

Who will Win the Wagner Cup?

25/05/13 - 16:28
The Wagner Cup has been a part of the FIM Trial World Championship ever since the series first visited North American shores back in 1975. The famous trophy is awarded to the overall winner of the US Trial GP, so in the case of this weekend’s event it will be the World Pro rider who records the best result over the two days of competition.

The distinctive award that incorporates four big-horn sheep resides permanently at the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) headquarters in Ohio. The highly prestigious golden cup carries the engraved name of every winner since 1975.

Wiltz Wagner, after whom the trophy is named, was one of the founding members of the North American Trials Council (NATC) and is widely regarded as the father of Trial in the USA. Wiltz is in attendance at this weekend’s US Trial GP at the Trials Training Center (TTC) at Sequatchie, Tennessee and will be on hand to present the trophy to this year’s winner on Sunday afternoon.

Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa was the last recipient of the Wagner Cup when he was the best performance at TTC, Sequatchie back in 2008.

So the big question now is, who will win the Wagner Cup this time around?

Day 1:

Video: http://www.timesfreepress.com/videos/2013/may/25/6639/

Adam Raga – Gas Gas claimed a clear win on the opening day of the US Trial Grand Prix to earn himself the title of Captain America, as he finished eight marks clear of Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa in what was a relatively low scoring event. Jeroni Fajardo – Beta ensured that it was an all-Spanish podium as he edged out his compatriot Albert Cabestany – Sherco to take third spot on the day. Raga scored his first every GP victory on US soil back in 2001 and once again confirm his liking for competing Stateside as he moved within two points of Bou in the title race with the second round of the 2013 FIM Trial World Championship only halfway completed.

Good weather throughout the latter part of the week, and into today meant that conditions out on the course were relatively dry as the sun continued to shine throughout proceedings. Carrying on with the form he showed in Japan Fajardo made the early running and only lost marks in three of the twelve sections on the opening lap to arrive as the early leader on an interim total of five. However like his two closet challengers Bou and Raga, who both dropped seven marks on their initial lap, Fajardo also lost an extra mark on time as they paid the penalty for a slow start to the Trial.

Raga was to come into his own on the second lap as he remained feet up through all the hazards to carve out a clear advantage over the chasing pack, although Bou at this stage was still in contention as he lost single dabs in sections three, five and eleven. By this stage the eventual rostrum finishers were already starting to book their places in the top three as Cabestany lost ground, with him being the last remaining threat to the leading trio. Away from the absolute front-runners Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa and James Dabill – Beta were in their own fight for the final top five placing.

The ever-popular Japanese rider would finally triumph in this duel, as both he and Dabill finished a considerable distance behind the leading four riders. Cabestany could do nothing other than consolidate his safe fourth place, as his other three countrymen evicted him from the podium battle. Raga held his concentration and nerve brilliantly to record a well deserved win, his first of the new season, whilst Bou did just enough to hold on to the runners up spot. Thanks to his third position today Fajardo has now moved to within one point of Fujinami in the general standings and could move up to third in the series if he can make it on to the podium again tomorrow.

Jack Sheppard – Beta was once again the winner in the Junior class, but only just as a mere two marks spilt the top three riders. Sheppard’s win was earned through his sheer consistency as he posted lap totals of four, three and three to end his day on ten marks. Runner up Francesc Moret – Gas Gas and third placed rider Jorge Casales – Gas Gas actually posted the best two closing rides, as they each only dropped three marks apiece for laps two and three combined, but lost out to Sheppard as they both failed to match the British rider over the opening twelve sections. Jack is now twelve points clear of Casales in the championship table after three counting days.

Quentin Carles de Caudemberg – Beta now heads the Youth general standings after he clinched his first win of the 2013 campaign today. The young French rider enjoyed a relatively easy win over his challengers as he came home seven marks clear of his closest rivals. Behind him things were much tighter with three riders all tied on eighteen marks. Bradley Cox – Beta was to come off best in the three-way tie-break to claim the runners up spot from Gabriele Giarba – Beta who took the last podium place. Martin Matejicek – Gas Gas was cruelly demoted to fourth as the ultimate loser in this process. Previous class leader Kenny Thomas – Beta finished in sixth place today.

World Championship Results

1. Adam Raga - 9
2. Toni Bou - 17
3. Jeroni Fajardo - 19
4. Albert Cabestany - 24
5. Takahisa Fujinami - 37
6. James Dabill - 40
7. Loris Gubian - 57
8. Matteo Grattarola - 62
9. Alexandre Ferrer - 63
10. Benoit Dagnicourt - 70

Junior Championship Results

1. Jack Sheppard - 10
2. Francesc Moret - 11
3. Jorge Casales - 12
4. Cedric Tempier - 18 (28 cleans)
5. Maxime Warenghien - 18 (27 cleans)
6. Pol Tarres - 20
7. Jonathan Richardson - 21
8. Steven Coquelin - 23
9. Locaa Filippo - 35
10. Kyle Middleton - 38

Youth Championship Results

1. Quentin Carles de Caudemberg - 11
2. Bradley Cox - 18 (30 cleans, 2 x 1)
3. Gabriele Giarba - 18 (30 cleans, 1 x 1)
4. Martin Matejicek - 18 (27 cleans)
5. Timo Myohanen - 22 (30 cleans)
6. Kenny Thomas - 22 (28 cleans)
7. Declan Bullock - 23
8. Pietro Petrangeli - 35
9. Ignacio Fernandez - 36
10. Ignacio Martin - 51

Day 2:

Adam Raga – Gas Gas snatched a dramatic second day victory at the US Trial Grand Prix to move to the head of the 2013 FIM Trial World Championship standings, and to complete back to back wins as the series returned to American soil for the first time in five years. Raga defeated Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa on a most cleans tie-break after the two Spanish rivals finished on twenty-four marks apiece following a tense final lap. Bou cruelly lost out by a single clean and in doing so also lost his championship lead, and now trails Raga by a single point after two rounds. Bou’s team mate Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa gratefully accepted the final podium place today having missed out on a top three finish yesterday.

Raga took control of day two from the first lap with a confident opening performance that saw him ride his way through the initial twelve sections, four of which had been modified overnight, for the loss of a mere three marks. The alterations made to the hazards were designed to make them more difficult for the second and final day of competition and appeared to have the desired effect with the riders facing a more severe challenge than twentyfour hours earlier in all three classes.

After two laps, Raga and Bou were tied in first place on eight marks apiece and with a comfortable margin over the other leading competitors. Fujinami was the best of the rest at this stage on twenty-six marks, which was four better than Jeroni Fajardo – Beta, who in turn had a seven mark advantage over Albert Cabestany – Sherco who was not enjoying the best of days in the changed conditions. These two Spanish riders would eventually finish fourth and fifth respectively. Interesting the pressure got to both Raga and Bou on the closing and decisive lap with each notching up three fives, and the pair ended up with a third lap total that was double what they had dropped over the initial two laps. Bou effectively handed Raga his second win in two days when he failed the step in section ten and caused the tie-break situation, which he would ultimately lose.

Jack Sheppard – Beta saw his lead at the head on the Junior ranking drastically reduced when he failed to repeat his first day performance and slumped to fifth on day two. Francesc Moret – Gas Gas achieved his first victory of the year as he narrowly beat compatriot Jorge Casales – Gas Gas. Just one mark separated these two competitors at the finish after the lead swapped several times during the course of the day. French rider Cedric Tempier – Sherco ended up in third spot, but a long way back for the leading duo. Casales now sits six points behind Sheppard in the championship standings, with today’s winner Moret a further four points back in third position.

It was delight for Britain’s Bradley Cox – Beta as he finally recorded his first win of the season to date in the Youth class, after having failed to find his real form so far this year. France’s Quentin Carles de Caudemberg – Beta finished as runner up today, eight marks behind Cox, but still heads the general standings with a six-point lead over his British rival. For the second day in a row Italian rider Gabriele Giarba – Beta took the last place on the podium to move up to fourth in championship table. Kenny Thomas – Beta improved on the sixth spot he occupied yesterday and earned a hard fought fourth position today. Despite arriving in the USA as the Youth category championship leader, he now has slipped to third place in the intermediate rankings before the series heads back to Europe next month following the initial two overseas rounds.

The third round of the 2013 FIM Trial World Championship will be played out in mountains of Andorra in mid June when at the same event and venue the 2013 FIM Women’s Trial World Championship will get underway.

World Championship Results

1. Adam Raga - 24 (28 cleans)
2. Toni Bou - 24 (27 cleans)
3. Takahisa Fujinami - 38
4. Jeroni Fajardo - 40
5. Albert Cabestany - 55
6. James Dabill - 61
7. Alexandre Ferrer - 83
8. Loris Gubian - 90
9. Matteo Grattarola - 104
10. Jack Challoner - 110

Junior Championship Results

1. Francesc Moret - 14
2. Jorge Casales - 15
3. Cedric Tempier - 28
4. Jonathan Richardson - 31
5. Jack Sheppard - 34
6. Pol Tarres - 38
7. Maxime Warenghien - 42
8. Steven Coquelin - 47
9. Locca Filippo - 61 (20 cleans)
10. Carles Traviesa - 61 (17 cleans)

Youth Championship Results

1. Bradley Cox - 22
2. Quentin Carles de Caudemberg - 30
3. Gabriele Giarba - 34
4. Kenny Thomas - 35 (25 cleans)
5. Martin Matejicek - 35 (21 cleans)
6. Timo Myohanen - 41 (25 cleans)
7. Pietro Petrangeli - 41 (22 cleans)
8. Declan Bullock - 43
9. Ignacio Martin - 47
10. Ignacio Fernandez - 60

World Championship Standings

1. Adam Raga - 70
2. Toni Bou - 69
3. Takahisa Fujiinami - 59
4. Jeroni Fajardo - 56
5. Albert Cabestany - 49
6. James Dabill - 41
7. Alexandre Ferrer - 24
8. Jack Challoner - 23
9. Matteo Grattarola - 21
10. Loris Gubian - 17

Junior Championship Standings

1. Jack Sheppard - 66
2. Jorge Casales - 60
3. Francesc Moret - 56
4. Cedric Tempier - 54
5. Maxime Warenghien - 50
6. Pol Tarres - 48
7. Jonathan Richardson - 43
8. Carles Traviesa - 27
9. Steven Coquelin - 23
10. Kyle Middleton - 21

Youth Championship Standings

1. Quentin Carles de Caudemberg - 69
2. Bradley Cox - 63
3. Kenny Thomas - 58
4. Gabriele Giarba - 52
5. Pietro Petrangeli - 47
6. Martin Matejicek - 45
7. Timo Myohanen - 45
8. Declan Bullock - 33
9. Ignacio Martin - 27
10. Ignacio Fernandez - 24

King Bernie is Back in Town

26/05/13 - 16:04
1979 FIM Trial World Champion Bernie Schreiber made a much over due return to the FIM Trial World Championship when he attended the opening day of the US Trial Grand Prix held at the Trials Training Center located at Sequatchie, Tennessee. Bernie was in high demand with the fans and media delighted to see America’s only ever rider to lift the FIM Trial World Championship back in town.

Bernie could not exactly remember when he last visited the series, but was happy to be amongst the Trial community once again and spoke freely when asked a variety of questions.

“I think it was the late eighties or early nineties when I was last at a World Trial, but its nice to be back and to see what is happening, it’s all quite impressive.”

“A couple of years ago I rode a classic event in Europe and ran into Yrjo Vesterinen, Charles Coutard and Thierry Michaud, so I was able to catch up a little bit on the sport then, but I haven’t had the opportunity to see the new generation of riders in action until today.”

“It been interesting to see the new no-stop format, it looks like the riders are still adapting to this way of riding, but the sections are certainly spectacular and the public have really been enjoying that.”

“As a rider you not always sure what is best, so as a rider you just have to adapt to whatever the rules might be, but it is clear that both the riders and bike have developed massively and taken the sport to a new level.”

“The new format is a great opportunity to make something really spectacular for the future, its new now and needs some work, but in a year’s time I think you will see something really special.”

“I have had the chance to ride a modern Trial bike more recently, and I can say that I could certainly do things more easily on it when compared to the bikes we use to ride, but I will not be making a comeback of any kind you can be sure of that, especially having seen the sections today.”

“It’ a real pleasure for me to be back today, it is just a shame that there has not been another American champion since me, and that’s something we need to address. The American riders need a GP in their country as often as possible and to be exposed to the top riders, and what is happening in Europe so they can understand what level they need to be at.”

“I was lucky enough to see Sammy Miller and Mick Andrews ride in America when I started out, and I knew those guys were good, but I wanted to be better than them. Seeing them gave me the dream and the confidence, and the drive to go on to be best in the World.”

Nowadays Schreiber is part of Omega Sports Marketing team who support the PGA golf tour in America, but the purists amongst us will be pleased to read Bernie’s reply when questioned about his swing. “You will be glad to know that my Trial riding is still much better than my golf.”