World Indoor Trials Championship
Round 2
Barcelona, Spain
 James
Dabill made only his second start as a permanent rider in
the World indoor championship, and despite his best efforts
the youngster from Leeds came off the worst in the seven-way
battle. By far the least experienced competitor in this elite
series, James in no way showed himself up, with some moments
of brilliance in what is one of the biggest and most famous
arena events on the tour.
Like most of his rivals James’ night did not begin
well as he fell back of the initial step of the opening section
to record his first five within seconds of his lap getting
underway. Dabill displayed great composure a few moments later
as he completed the tricky second section feet up to get his
campaign underway proper, before failing again at the third
hazard.
Despite these early set backs Dabill remained confident in
his approach, and this reflected in the next hazard as he
became the first rider to conquer the difficult jump at the
start. The large Spanish audience responded well and urged
Dabill through the remainder of the section, only to see him
fail within sight of the ends cards as his front wheel slipped
off one of the concrete tubes.
Two-text book cleans and a steadying dab in the following
three sections were at least some reward for James’
efforts, and it looked like he would be rewarded further in
the final section of the lap, but for a late disaster. Dabill
really showed his ability as he edged his way over the massive
boulders, which were surrounded by water, however a misjudgement
with just two rocks to go added another five to his increasing
score.
Dabill arrived in Barcelona after a mixed few days, which
included a solid third place behind Raga and Fajardo in Nice
on Friday night, just hours before escaping unhurt from a
potentially fatal crash as he fell asleep at the wheel whilst
driving back to Italy.
“It’s been a mad few days, which may have just
taken their toll here tonight. The result is a real disappointment,
and does not reflect just how well I rode in places. Unfortunately
in this company you cannot make mistakes, and tonight I made
two. One in section three when I failed to stop after the
drop off and the other in section four when the hard work
had been done.”
“The crash on he way back from Nice was a big escape
and certainly has used up one of my nine lives. I am looking
forward to a quieter week and hopefully a better showing in
Granada next Saturday.”
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