Following back-to-back Australian and Japanese GPs, the 2012 FIM Trial World Championship will return to Europe this coming weekend as Spain prepares to host the fourth round of the series. Expect an exciting homecoming from the four leading Spanish World Pro riders, Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa, Jeroni Fajardo - Beta, Albert Cabestany - Sherco and Adam Raga - Gas Gas.
Bou has marked out a commanding twenty-nine-point lead and is charging ahead en route to securing his sixth consecutive FIM Trial World Championship, whilst his compatriots fight it out to become ‘the best of the rest.’ Fajardo and Cabestany are tied in second place with Raga following just six points behind them in current standings.
After a disappointing run of results in the previous two rounds, Raga will be hoping to climb back up the leader board this weekend. Raga has already proved capable of challenging Bou, having won on the opening day of the series in France. No other rider has beaten Bou since then, but can Raga do it again?
Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa will be Japan’s only representative in the World Pro class this weekend after having been surrounded by his compatriots at his home round and will be aiming to take to the podium for the third time this season. The likes of James Dabill – Beta, Alexz Wigg – Gas Gas and Daniel Oliveras – Ossa will also be hoping the same kind of form they showed at times in Japan. In contrast Loris Gubian – Gas Gas will be looking to reignite his campaign as the series shifts back to Europe.
French rider Alexandre Ferrer - Sherco leads the Junior division by twenty-five points, but his winning streak was broken in Japan when he dropped to third place on day one, behind his Spanish rivals Pol Tarres - JTG and Francesc Moret - Montesa. Both Tarres and Moret will aim to knock Ferrer off the top spot again, and will compete against each other to take the first prize in their home round. Meanwhile, Great Britain’s Jack Sheppard - Beta is determined to change his fortunes. Out of the top-six Junior riders, Sheppard (fifth), is the only not to have made it onto the podium this season.
Competition in the Youth class will be equally fierce. Steven Coquelin - Gas Gas from France leads this category, but will have to fight hard to stay on top with Great Britain’s Bradely Cox – Beta lagging only fourteen points behind him in the general standings. Moreover, Norway’s rising star, Sverre Lundevold has proved to be in spectacular form having already topped the podium twice, including his latest victory on day two of the Japanese GP.
This weekend’s action will be played out over two days in Penarroya-Pueblonuevo where the 2012 FIM Trial World Championship will cross its halfway point. The remaining three rounds of the series will also be held in Europe.