Unfortunately all good things have to come to an end, which will be the case when the 2012 FIM Women’s Trial World Championship comes to a close in Moutier, Switzerland tomorrow afternoon. Almost forty female competitors representing twelve countries and from as far afield as Australia and America will contest the season finale that will ultimately decide the definitive rankings for 2012, which has seen the most successful edition of the championship to date. Laia Sanz – Gas Gas may already have taken the title, but is sure to arrive at the last individual test of the year focused on maintaining her 100% winning run. Sanz returned to Spain earlier this week in order to get the OK from her doctor to ride this coming weekend, as the medical team continue to monitor and manage her badly injured toe.
Behind Sanz, the contest is close, fierce and tense. Due to the fact the final series standings will be calculated from the best three results from the five counting days, the possible scenarios are wide and almost endless. Normally Emma Bristow – Ossa would look a safe bet to repeat her runners-up spot in the championship, as she did last year with her current counting score of fifty one points being a total made up of her three second places this season thus far. Although her closest challenger at the moment is her compatriot Rebekah Cook – Beta, who has six points less than her, it is in fact Sandra Gomez – Gas Gas who represents her biggest threat.
If Cook wins in Moutier tomorrow her tally can only rise to fifty points, based on one victory and two third places, however if Gomez was to succeed in taking the top spot she would end her campaign on fifty two points which would be one more than Bristow could achieve even if she took second place again on Friday.
Outside of this situation, the other permutations are too many to consider and document, but with positions second through to fifth in the general standings currently split by just twelve points, the significance of tomorrow’s final battle cannot be overstated. France’s Sandrine Juffet – JTG is one lady to watch, her pair of fourth places last weekend have put her in touching distance of her peers as she looked to regain fourth position in the series to match her 2011 ranking.
The twenty-two year old from Villeurbanne has only visited the podium once before, her single third place coming in Italy last season, a feat she will look to equal tomorrow. Another lady who showed great consistency last time out was Britain’s Donna Fox – Beta. Fox marked her return to the series after a prolonged absence by taking sixth place on both days last weekend. A member of the British Women’s Trial des Nations team, Fox has a point to prove now that she is back on the World stage and could just produce an upset come tomorrow afternoon. Other names that may feature amongst the higher order when the showdown gets underway are Katy Sunter – Gas Gas, Mireia Conde – Beta, Kristie McKinnon – Gas Gas and Nikita Smith – Gas Gas who all showed good form last time out. By this time tomorrow the female finale will be in progress, as battle is declared for one last time this season.