With not even a moment to pause the 2014 FIM Trial World Championship continues at pace with the riders and teams already heading to this weekend’s forthcoming Italian Grand Prix following the conclusion of the previous round in Corsica just twenty-four hours ago. Rounds three and four represent very contrasting stories, with yesterday’s competition being the first time the series has visited the French island, whilst on the other hand Italy has been very much a part of the championship since it was first conceived back in 1975. Only on very few occasions over the last four decades has the Italian GP been missing from the schedule.
Martin Lampkin was the first ever winner of the Italian round of the FIM Trial World Championship way back in 1975, he was quickly followed by his British compatriot Mick Andrews a year later. Bernie Schreiber Charles Coutard and Antonio Gorgot were also amongst the other victors in Italy during the early years before Eddie Lejeune made the Grand Prix his own during the eighties. The Belgium triple FIM Trial World Champion won the Italian GP on no less than four times – 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1986 – 1985 was one of those rare years when the series did visit Italy. Lejeune’s last GP win in Italy was in Sestriere, on that day in July 1986 he beat a certain Jordi Tarres by ten clear marks.
Fittingly it was Tarres who would then pick up the baton from Eddy, as the eventual seven times FIM Trial World Champion went on to win the next five editions of the Italian GP from 1987 to 1991 inclusive. Tarres’ victorious run in the Italian hills, during this time, was twice interrupted by the late and great Diego Bosis. Tarres’s wins in Foppolo in 1993 and San Gemini in 1995 took his tally to seven victories to put him second in the overall table of Italian GP wins. Bosis was to win his home Grand Prix on two famous occasions – 1992 and 1994 - much to the delight of his many passionate fans, but was unable to add more to his total as the new generation of riders were soon to become the new Kings of Italy.
Eventual 1996 FIM Trial World Champion Marc Colomer won the Italian GP on route to him taking his title in the same season. However Colomer was soon to be over shadowed both in terms of the title and at the Italian GP as Dougie Lampkin started his period of absolute dominance. From 1997 through to and including 2001 Lampkin was unbeaten on Italian soil. Further victories in the following years up until 2004 saw Dougie amass an incredible nine Italian GP wins to become and remain the most successful rider of all time at this particular Grand Prix.
Takahisa Fujinami, who netted five GP wins in Italy, before he was soon to be superseded by the new King of Trial Toni Bou, brought Lampkin’s reign to a close. With the exception of 2009 when Adam Raga added another win to his only other success on Italian soil back in 2005, Bou has been unstoppable at the Italian GP in more recent years. Toni claimed his first Italian GP win at Erba in 2007, before then
also winning in Tomezzo in 2008, Foppolo in 2010, Montecrestese in 2011, St Stefano D’Aveto in 2012 and in Barzio just last season.
This weekend will mark the thirty-seventh time that the Italian GP has been a part of the FIM Trial World Championship, 1998 and over fifteen years ago being the last time Italy was not in the calendar. The town of Alagna Valsesia, situated approximately one hundred kilometres north west of Milan, has the honour of hosting this year’s Grand Prix in Italy. As usual, with a starting area with an altitude over one thousand metres high, the event will take place in the Italian hills and is sure to be besieged by thousands of home fans who have contributed so much over the years in keeping this GP as one of the most popular and important stops on the tour each season.