Italian Championship
Following his recent good run of form at the World championship,
James Dabill continued his 2007 campaign with an emphatic
win at the third round of the Italian domestic series held
near Torino. Dabill staged a fantastic late come back to snatch
a final lap victory, as he posted the best lap score of the
trial in the closing stages.
The competition was certainly an event of two halves, with
the ten section course comprising of five natural hazards
in a limestone stream and five man made sections. James did
not start particularly well, and found himself trailing Maurino
by two marks as the first punch cards were exchanged.
Typically Dabill responded to the challenge and produced
a much improved second lap showing, with a score nearly half
that of his earlier performance. However this was still not
enough for James to take the lead as Maurino matched him mark
for mark on lap two.
With an all important win up for grabs, Dabill showed his
recent potential with a blistering last lap aboard his Future
TRW Montesa Cota 4RT. His total of just eight marks for his
final visit to the ten testing hazards destroyed the opposition,
as Maurino lost twenty one marks for the same period.
The margin of victory for James was a comfortable twelve
marks come the finish, and gives the youngster from Leeds
a commanding thirteen point lead in the overall standings
after three of the scheduled eight rounds.
Dabill spoke after the trial about his latest success. “The
day did not start brilliantly, but in the end we managed to
turn it around. I thought my second lap would have been good
enough to have gone ahead of Maurino, so I knew I was going
to have to produce a great last lap if I was going to stand
any chance of winning. In the end it looks like it was an
easy win, but that is nowhere near the truth.”
James now returns to the UK, as he prepares himself for next
week’s Scottish six day trial, which he will start as
one of the favourites to lift the famous trophy.
“After last year’s fiasco with time, I am really
looking forward to Scotland, and I hope I can ride as well
there as I have been doing recently.” Dabill stated.
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