08/08/17 – TrialGP Czech.R – The Czech Republic has been a part of the FIM Trial World Championship since its…
The Czech Republic has been a part of the FIM Trial World Championship since its inception back in 1975 and this year will host the penultimate round of the current TrialGP series early next month. This will be the second time that the championship has visited the beautiful lakeside venue at Sokolov, and is only the fifth different location that had the honour of holding TrialGP Czech Republic.
Ahead of the forthcoming encounter, it is the perfect moment to reflect on some of the previous battles that have taken place on Czech soil starting with a look back to 2007 when Adam Raga came out on top.
RAGA BACK ON TOP AS MISTAKE COSTS BOU DEARLY
Adam Raga – Gas Gas today took his second victory of the 2007 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship with a win over Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa HRC and Albert Cabestany – Sherco at the Czech Republic Grand Prix held at Kramolin, south of Prague.
In what was to be a low scoring event held in searing heat, both current championship leader, Bou and reigning outdoor champion Raga found themselves tied on two marks apiece at the end of the first lap. Both riders dropping their marks on the same two sections. However, a careless mistake, totally out of character given his current form, was to cost Bou dearly when he dropped a five on the seventh section of the second lap.
With Raga on form and cleaning section after section there was to be no comeback for the young Spaniard. Raga ran the entire second lap clean to win by two marks to Bou’s seven. Following a tough battle with Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa HRC, Cabestany celebrated his second successive podium position of the series with another third place finishing just one mark adrift of Bou.
Bou still retains his lead in the championship standings with a seventeen point lead over Raga. Fujinami remains in third position, but Cabestany now moves up into fourth place overtaking Dougie Lampkin – Repsol Montesa HRC who finished the event in a poor seventh position.
In the Junior championship, it was to be a day of domination by British riders. Alexz Wigg – Gas Gas, Michael Brown – Beta and Sam Haslam – Scorpa, occupied all three places on the podium. As with Bou in the senior championship, it was to be a single five in the seventh section that cost championship leader Brown his seventh win of the series. He still maintains a twenty one point lead over Wigg and remains the favourite to win the Junior title.
The Youth championship saw young American, Patrick Smage return to the top of the podium following his win at the Grand Prix of Italy two weeks ago followed by sixth place at the Polish GP last weekend. Smage completed the entire event without dropping a single mark, although second place Ross Danby – Gas Gas only lost a single dab in the event. Third place went to David Millan – Sherco of Spain. Championship leader – Alfredo Gomez – Gas Gas finished off the podium in fourth place turning in his worst performance of the season to date, but he retains a twenty nine point lead over second place Danby in the championship standings.
Following three frenetic weeks of country to country events, the championship now takes a very short break of just one weekend, returning with the Grand Prix of Great Britain on 29th of July.
