2012 FIM Trial World Championship Round 4, Day 1

Eighteen-year-old Jitsie factory Beta rider Jack Sheppard looked more like a boxer than a professional trials rider after the opening day of round four of the 2012 FIM Trial World Championship in Spain. The blooded teenager crashed hard on the very first section, smashing his face hard against the jagged rocks. The incident robbed Sheppard of his confidence and rhythm, and was the catalyst for his disappointing ninth place finish.

Jack was not the only rider to slip up, even Toni Bou was reminded of the laws of gravity on a course that proved extremely challenging for the World's elite. On paper the conditions looked good. It was thirty-two degrees and sunny, and the mountains surrounding Penarroya-Pueblonuevo provided a picturesque backdrop for the fourth round of the series. However, because it was so dry dust had settled on the rocks, making each hazard extremely slippery.

Unfortunately, like many riders, Sheppard found this out too late and was lucky not to suffer a more serious injury as he head-butted the sharp stone, losing his helmet in the process. The timing of the accident was awful and the spectacular and painful dismount clearly affected Jack's performance for the remainder of the two laps. With that in mind, to still finish in the top ten, only sixteen marks behind Benoit Dagnicourt - Beta in fifth place, was an accomplishment.

"If I am completely honest, that crash on the first section did put me off a bit," admitted a thoughtful Sheppard. "As you can imagine, having such a heavy fall so early in the competition dented my confidence. After that, I wobbled around the rest of the first lap and, in fairness, I was not riding too well at all."

"The second lap was better and I relaxed a little," continued Jack. "I had quite a few good rides. I did drop a few marks here and there, but I maybe dabbed once, and did not pick up lots of fives like I did on the first lap. It still wasn't perfect, as I was being cautious, but it was definitely an improvement."

"It's a shame," concluded the youngster. "Looking back, the crash knocked it out of me a bit. I caught the front wheel on a drop off and ended up smashing my face on the rock at the bottom, which hurt. It was not the start I wanted but at least I managed to finish the day much stronger than I started. The sections were very awkward and nothing was flowing, the heat made it difficult too. It was a bad day, but not quite as bad as I expected after the start."

After a good night's sleep Jack will return to action tomorrow for the second day of competition hoping for a better result: "Hopefully I can rest tonight, put the crash behind me and fight for the podium on Sunday, as that is where I should be."