World Outdoor Trials Championship La Rabassa, Andorra
Cabestany on top in Andorra
 Albert
Cabestany – Sherco today took victory in the penultimate
round of the 2006 World trials championship held at La Rabassa
in the small principality of Andorra. Takahisa Fujinami –
Repsol Montesa HRC took second place with Adam Raga –
Gas Gas in third.
With some sections as high as 2600 metres above sea level
it was a convincing win for Cabestany who dropped just three
marks on the opening lap and four on the second. Time was
tight for all the riders and a single time penalty for Cabestany
saw him finish on a single-digit score of eight.
Neither, the recently rejuvenated Fujinami or championship
leader, Raga who were involved in their own battle could match
the performance of Cabestany. This battle was to be won by
Fujinami with both riders finishing on eighteen marks, but
with Fujinami having completed four more sections clean.
Raga still remains championship leader with a ten point margin
over Fujinami. However, with just one more round of competition,
he must surely be the favourite to take his second World title.
In the Junior Championship, the three-way battle that has
taken place throughout the season between Daniel Gibert –
Montesa, Daniel Oliveras – Gas Gas and Michael Brown
– Beta continued. It was Gibert who was to prevail on
this occasion with Oliveras taking second and Brown the remaining
podium position. With such evenly matched riders and close
championship scores, this battle will have to wait until the
final round in Belgium to determine who takes the title of
2006 World junior champion.
The Youth championship is another that will go to the wire.
Matteo Grattarola – Sherco took his third victory of
the season with Alexz Wigg – Gas Gas in second and Alfredo
Gomez in third. With the riders permitted to drop their two
lowest scores at the end of the season, Wigg has a virtual
three point lead going into the final day of competition.
All will be decided when the championship returns in three
weeks time, with the famous motor racing circuit of Spa Francorchamps
in Belgium playing host to the closing round of the 2006 season
over the weekend of 23rd / 24th September.
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