RAGA BACK ON TOP AS MISTAKE COSTS BOU DEARLY
 Adam
Raga – Gas Gas today took his second victory of the
2007 FIM SPEA Trial World Championship with a win over Toni
Bou – Repsol Montesa HRC and Albert Cabestany –
Sherco at the Czech Republic Grand Prix held at Kramolin,
south of Prague.
In what was to be a low scoring event held in searing heat,
both current championship leader, Bou and reigning outdoor
champion Raga found themselves tied on two marks apiece at
the end of the first lap. Both riders dropping their marks
on the same two sections. However, a careless mistake, totally
out of character given his current form, was to cost Bou dearly
when he dropped a five on the seventh section of the second
lap.
With Raga on form and cleaning section after section there
was to be no comeback for the young Spaniard. Raga ran the
entire second lap clean to win by two marks to Bou’s
seven. Following a tough battle with Takahisa Fujinami –
Repsol Montesa HRC, Cabestany celebrated his second successive
podium position of the series with another third place finishing
just one mark adrift of Bou.
Bou still retains his lead in the championship standings
with a seventeen point lead over Raga. Fujinami remains in
third position, but Cabestany now moves up into fourth place
overtaking Dougie Lampkin – Repsol Montesa HRC who finished
the event in a poor seventh position.
In the Junior championship, it was to be a day of domination
by British riders. Alexz Wigg – Gas Gas, Michael Brown
– Beta and Sam Haslam – Scorpa, occupied all three
places on the podium. As with Bou in the senior championship,
it was to be a single five in the seventh section that cost
championship leader Brown his seventh win of the series. He
still maintains a twenty one point lead over Wigg and remains
the favourite to win the Junior title.
The Youth championship saw young American, Patrick Smage
return to the top of the podium following his win at the Grand
Prix of Italy two weeks ago followed by sixth place at the
Polish GP last weekend. Smage completed the entire event without
dropping a single mark, although second place Ross Danby –
Gas Gas only lost a single dab in the event. Third place went
to David Millan – Sherco of Spain. Championship leader
– Alfredo Gomez – Gas Gas finished off the podium
in fourth place turning in his worst performance of the season
to date, but he retains a twenty nine point lead over second
place Danby in the championship standings.
Following three frenetic weeks of country to country events,
the championship now takes a very short break of just one
weekend, returning with the Grand Prix of Great Britain on
29th of July.
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