Adam Raga Extends Lead with Another Win!
Marseilles, France. January 24th 2004.
Adam Raga's ability on indoor sections in now at a stage where, even on a mediocre night (for him!) he can pull off a win against the best riders in the World. There's no question that his style, coupled with the advantages of the Gas Gas Pro against the competition, are a dominant package. At only 21 years of age, Raga is already being talked about as a repeat World Champion. According to former World Champion Tommi Ahvala, who witnessed Raga riding at the annual Gas Gas party in November, Raga is now refined enough to take over as undisputed King of Trials.
In the qualifying heats, it was clear that Adam was up against stiff competition. After a slow start with a two, a three and a five on the first three sections, Adam got into his groove losing just one more point, plus one in the race for a 13 point total. Albert Cabestany, eager to get back to the form that won him the 2002 Championship, put in a great ride to lead with 6 points. Takahisa Fujinami, fresh from his first win in Koblenz the previous week was also hot, with 7 points. Dougie Lampkin was looking great until a five on section 6, which the other top guns got through cheaply, giving him a total of 11. Thankfully for Raga, none of the other riders in the event rose to the occasion, with Freixa next back on 19, so he took the final transfer spot.
In the final, Raga started badly with a five on section 1. Cabestany also fived, while Fuji got a one and Dougie a great clean. The lead changed several times on the way, with each rider suffering a fiasco at some point. Fuji fived twice, putting him at the rear of the group. In the end, Raga pulled the rabbit out of the hat with just a single point on the last 5 sections, proving that he can take the pressure, and put it back on his rivals when it counts the most.
With this win, Raga and Lampkin have two wins each, but with Raga finishing on the podium at each event, while Dougie failed to qualify in Koblenz, Raga carries a 4 point approachin the halfway point in the series. With round 6 on Raga's home turf in Madrid, the series could just be heading Raga's way!
