Pierre Sauvage (winner of the Junior Class) in a photo by Mario Candellone
Spanish Francesc Moret (Vertigo), Frenchman Pierre Sauvage (Sherco) and Slovak Vladimir Kothay (Ossa) all kings in Luserna San Giovanni, 50 km South-West of Turin, Italy, in the second round of the FIM Europe Trial Championship.
In a very hot and humid Saturday the European Trial circus showed up again after more than three months but the riders fighting for the top places in all the classes were still the same. In the Champ class, due to the very dry terrain and the ability to draw the sections showed by the organizers, that considered the non stop rules, the top riders’ scores were very low. People watching were astonished by the high rocks and real stone wall overtaken by riders very easily.
The one who kept more his calm at the end of first lap was Moret, delivering his card with just 2 points on the 15 sections fitted in the first loop. Not far behind the leader of the Championship, Italian Gianluca Tournour (Gas Gas) carried three points more. In third British Dan Peace (Gas Gas) a bit distant: 10 penalties. This order did not change in the second lap, because the only very challenging hazard for their level was number 6. All three arrived at the same time and all of them spent time watching and watching again before facing it. Then Peace made a 3, Tournour scored 2 and the winner just one dab.
Still a competition completely dominated by one single rider was again the Junior class. Sauvage won without any doubt as he did in Pietramurata. Behind him Norwegian Marius Christiansen (Gas Gas) overtook Italian Luca Corvi (Scorpa) in the final part of the race.
More challenging the Over 40 class. Kothay at half competition was tied with Dutch John Van Veelen (Ossa): both scored only 4 marks. Then Kothay was able to repeat this superb performance while Van Veelen doubled his previous score. In third the winner in the first round, Italian Valter Feltrinelli (Sherco) with just three points more.
In the International 1 class, Italian Andrea Soulier (Sherco) triumphed while on top in the International 2 there was German Wolfang Guttemberger (Sherco).
Tomorrow in the same place and sections there will be the third round.
Francesc Moret, winner of the Champ Class, in a photo by Mario Candellone.
