It was back to winning ways for defending British Trials champion, James Dabill – Vertigo as he put yesterday’s defeat by visiting Spaniard Jorge Casales – Beta behind him and returned to the top step of the podium at round eight of the RT Keedwell ACU British Trials Championship at the Bob MacGregor Trials Academy in Ayrshire, Scotland. Casales, unable to repeat his performance of the previous day, took second place with Ross Danby – JTG completing the podium line-up.
Despite assuring himself of his sixth British Championship title at Saturday’s competition where he finished runner-up to Casales, there was perhaps a point to prove for Dabill at today’s Trial, but it was to be a very evenly matched battle between the Brit and the Spaniard all day. Casales did not get off to the best of starts, dropping six marks over the opening three sections, all of which were wet and slippery following overnight rain and certainly not the conditions he is used to in his homeland. Dabill, however, came out stronger than the preceding day, dropping just a single dab until the fifth section where he dropped the first of his four fives during his first lap. Fortunately, Casales wasn’t faring much better, also dropping four fives during his first visit to the sections, but with a couple fewer single dabs it was Dabill who held a slender two mark advantage at the end of the opening tour – a score that was to prove decisive come the end of the Trial.
On laps two and three, there was absolutely nothing to separate the two World Championship contenders as the lead passed back and fore between them. Casales gained a small advantage on section three of the second lap when Dabill dropped three marks and he was to hold and even extend this advantage up till section nine where two fives in succession put the pair on sixteen marks apiece for the lap and Dabill still holding on to that valuable two mark advantage.
Lap three was an almost identical story with Casales again taking a small advantage, but the pair both again ending their final visit on sixteen marks to give Dabill victory on an overall score of fifty four to Casales’ fifty six.
In the Expert Class, it was a close battle between James Stones – Sherco, yesterday’s winner, Dan Thorpe – Gas Gas and Tom Hooper – Sherco, a battle that ultimately Stones was to win by a two mark advantage over Thorpe with Hooper having to settle for third place, a further three marks behind Thorpe.
The Youth Class was again dominated by yesterday’s winner, Toby Martyn – Beta and Jack Peace – Gas Gas. Martyn made it a double win with a nine point victory over Peace after the Scarborough lad turned in a poor first lap score of twenty two to Martyn’s score of nine – a situation that was almost unsurmountable given the even matching of these two young riders. Sam Johnson – Beta, once again filled the remaining podium spot.
Results
pdf Download Championship Class Results (70 KB)
pdf Download Expert Class Results (21 KB)
pdf Download Youth Class Results (17 KB)
Download Championship Standings
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