6 Time US National Champ Geoff Aaron took a big step towards a record breaking seventh title with a pair of wins at the opening Nationals in Aguanga, California. Geoff topped it off on Sunday with his fourth victory in the El Trial de Espana. Gas Gas kept their incredible string of wins in the Champ class, and took all the podium positions on Saturday and Sunday. Especially notable was the performance of Wilson Craig at round 2, taking a very strong second place, only 6 points behind Geoff.

During practice, it was clear that most of the Champs had been working hard over the winter months. Virtually all the champs are getting much more adept at jumping rock to rock on the rear wheel, Adam Raga style. Geoff Aaron can now land on a rock on his rear wheel, hop it around a full 180 degrees, and hop to the next rock all on the rear wheel! Wilson Craig was also looking particularly sharp, and Ryon Bell was as smooth as ever. Wilson and Ryon have been practicing 5 days a week up in Canada, and it certainly showed. The venue near Temecula, California is virtually in Geoff's back yard, so he was clearly comfortable from the start. Wilson and Ryon's training grounds consist of wet, slippery terrain, so they were somewhat handicapped from the start.

National #1.

Geoff Aaron was simply brilliant right from the start of the event. Where other riders were taking soft ones and two's, Geoff would fight for the clean. By all accounts, the sections were technical, but not overly difficult. Cleans were possible on all of the sections, but it was vital to stay on line. The rocks were so grippy it was easy to be caught out and be forced to compensate with a dab. Geoff, of course, had the measure of this terrain, and came through with a dominating performance. With loop scores of 2, 2 and 5, Geoff's total of 9 eclipsed Ryon Bell's 2nd place score of 28. Geoff's final loop 5 came in a heavy crash at section 2. Geoff had been the only rider on previous loops to attempt a rock to rock to rock splatter, using some of his newly developed rear wheel skills. All the other riders used a narrow 'cheater' line round the side, usually taking at least a point on the way. On Geoff's third loop, he opted for the cheater line, but got into trouble at the exit. Geoff clearly wanted a clean loop, and tried to hold on a little too long for his own good! Full results in PDF format click here.

National #2.

The sections for round two were again technical, but seemed to be 'up-sized' from the previous day. There were some huge steps, and combinations that required the rider to be perfectly on top of the bike at the appropriate moments. If the rider got 'behind' the bike in the combination-step sections, it was difficult to recover. Geoffs day started in the worst possible way with a five in section 1. In what at first appeared to be a perfect clean, Geoff was surprised to be given a five in a strict checking decision that deemed his rear wheel to have passed over a ribbon that was hugging a rock. Geoff had put his rear wheel on the rock to help the turn in what appeared to be a deliberate move. Geoff could easily have made the turn without the rear kick, which made the observers decision all the more harsh. Being the true professional he is, Geoff did not allow himself to get upset by the decision, and moved on to the next section without fuss. At the end of loop one, Geoff had a total of 7. Ryon Bell had a great first loop, and was leading on just 4 points. Wilson Craig was ready to pounce with a total of 8. On loop two, Geoff put the pressure on with an incredible two point loop, but Wilson came in with an equally impressive 3, leaving him just two points off the lead. Ryon had a bit of a lapse on loop 2, with a score of 10, but was still within striking distance. On loop 3, Geoff continued his run, with another score of 2. Wilson took a couple of soft dabs on his way to a 6 point loop, and Ryon came in with a 9. This left Geoff a clear winner again, with a total of 11 for the day, with Wilson taking a fine second on 17, and Ryon in third on 23. This gave the Gas Gas Pro another 1, 2, 3 finish. Wilson told us he'd felt great all day, and scored all cleans, one's and two's, avoiding any 3's or 5's. He also said that he felt Geoff was the best he'd ever seen him. From a spectator's viewpoint, it was clear that the level has gone up several notches this year, and it was a real joy to see the riders reach this caliber. Full results in PDF format click here.

El Trial de Espana.

The relatively easy morning loop failed to take any points from the top boys, leaving a level playing field for the exhibition sections. A pattern already seems to be emerging for 2003, with Gas Gas Pro riders Aaron, Bell and Craig looking strongest of all. David Chaves is riding with a lot of confidence and looks to be a constant threat, and on his day, Chris Florin can run with anyone. In the exhibition sections, the large crowd was treated to some spectacular action. Section 1 was similar to previous years at this venue, and took points from all the riders. Ryon Bell suffered an unfortunate 5 here, which proved to be expensive. Geoff came through with a 1 and a two. Wilson was again strong here, and was in second place going into section 2. Section 2 consisted of a huge double step, followed by a leap to a monstrously steep boulder that rose up to 30 feet in the air. From here, a 12' drop off was followed by a turn, then up the same 12' vertical wall. This wall stopped everyone except Aaron and Bell, who both emerged clean. This left the event as a two horse race, with Aaron on 3, and Bell on 7. The third and final section, set by the ever inventive Stan Hensley and Bob Pick, was both spectacular and technically difficult. The opening splatter went up a rock that Pick and Hensley had been eying up for years' a near vertical 15' rock, with a slightly sloping approach and a small kicker at the base. Mid way through the section was a ride along a razor edge rock, with a 10' drop to the side for those who failed! Ray Peters opted out of riding this one, citing that he needed to be at work the next day! To close out the section, there was a series of 4 boulders, requiring a jump, then some rear wheel finessing and rock straddling up to the exit. Bell and Aaron again scored best on this one, with Geoff managing a clean that assured him his fourth El Trial victory.

All in all, this was a dominating weekend for Geoff, but it's all still left to play for when rounds 3 through 6 hit the Northwest of the Country, which might just play into the hands of Ryon Bell and Wilson Craig.

Team Ryon Bell Report:

"This is my most successful start to a season yet!" exclaimed Ryon after finishing second to fellow Gas Gas rider Geoff Aaron by a scant six points at the El Trial de Espana held earlier today in Aguanga, California. "It's my first outdoor competition on a new bike and with my new minder Ian Banfield. Everything worked well for me this weekend," said Ryon. Ryon began his successful weekend by finishing 2nd and 3rd of rounds one and two of the 2003 NATC Observed Trials Championship also held at Aguanga, but utilizing a different loop than that used for the El Trial today.

The event was held on the dry and dusty granite of sunny Southern California, with the temperature being very warm. "The sections were very technical, but not too difficult," explained Ryon, "which meant that the event was very intense mentally as you tried not to make any mistakes. You paid dearly for any five that you suffered." Round One was held on Friday, and by maintaining his concentration, Ryon piloted his Gas Gas to 2nd overall on the day.

"On Saturday I was leading after the first loop, but then I suffered a silly five on the second loop, then another silly five on the third loop." This dropped Ryon back to third place on the second round of the championship.

"Today I went clean on the morning loop of the El Trial", said Ryon. "In the afternoon there was three exhibition sections which we each rode twice. I started out very poorly by going 5-2 on the first section, which was really the easiest of them. But then I turned it around on the second section cleaning it both times and this put me back into contention. I went 1-2 on the third section, while Geoff got a clean and a one, so I finished second with ten points to Geoff's four points. Wilson Craig finished third with 16 points."

"My bike ran really well, with no mechanical problems, and I'm very happy with Ian's minding," said Ryon, summing up the weekend. "It's the best start to a season that I've had yet in my career and I'm looking forward to the next event."