After a brief pause the 2014 FIM X-Trial World Championship will resume this coming Saturday 25th January in the famous French city of Marseille. Having placed sixth at the opening round in his home country of Great Britain James Dabill – Beta now has his sights set on a podium finish as he continues his return to the series this weekend. The twenty-seven year old failed to qualify for the indoor campaign last season, but is now delighted to be back as part of the tour having gained automatic qualification for the 2014 series thanks to his sixth spot in the 2013 FIM Trial World Championship.
eaking after the initial event in Sheffield, the four times national champion said. “It goes without saying really that I am glad to be part of the FIM X-Trial World Championship once again. Last year it seemed like a long winter having missed out on a place in the series and was frustrating to have to watch the other guys in action without being a part of it.”
“Overall I was happy how things went at Sheffield, the result could have been better, but I felt that I was riding well. I knew it was going to be tough, as a part from in England, pretty much all the other countries have national indoor competitions, so the Spanish and French riders always start the season with an advantage in terms of riding those kind of events.”
Dabill continued. “With the new format, where you go head to head with another rider to qualify, you just have to blank that out of your mind and only think about your own riding. Obviously you want to win your pairing, but at the same time you have to remember that if you ride well you can still make it through to the semi-final as the best loser, which was the case for me at Sheffield.”
“Even with the new format, the top six riders with the six best scores still made it into the semi-final, so despite some concerns the best guys made it through. Missing out on a place in the final at Sheffield by a single mark was hard to take especially in front of my home fans, but at least it showed that I am on the pace of the other top riders.”
Looking ahead to this Saturday’s second round encounter, James explained the following. “Marseille is always a really tough event. The sections are normally very technical and are very physically demanding, this plus the small arena means it is a really tense and hot atmosphere. It’s a killer, but it’s the same for everyone.”
“Hopefully the new format will help, as riding in pairs will at least give you a chance to take a breather, whereas before it was seven or eight minutes of pure hell out there on your own. If I can ride as well as I did at Sheffield I would like to think I could be in the mix again.”
“It’s a step by step process, one section at a time to get through qualifying and then hopefully when you are in the semi-final you do the same to get in the final, and then after that you can go all out for a podium place as at that stage there is little to lose.”
“My aim is to be on the podium, which is going to be difficult, although has to be my goal in terms of my own progression and especially if I am to claim a top five placing at least, come the end of the season. Anyway I have been training hard and I am ready for Marseille.” ended a determined Dabill.