British Jack Peace on Gas Gas and German Therese Bäuml on Beta (in the photo with the chairman of FIM Europe Trial Commission, Anders Minken) clinched the European titles in the Youth class and Women class in the last round held in the Bavarian town of Grossheubach, in Germany: around 80 kilometers from Frankfurt, in a valley between the Spessart and Odenwald foothills, it is very well known in the Trial circus for the important events organized in the past.
No doubt for the title in the women class: Therese Bäuml (in photo2) won even this fourth and last round and deserved to climb the highest step of the podium. She collected 14 points in the first loop, gaining soon a significant advantage on the couple formed by Norwegian Ingveig Hakonsen (Beta) and German Bianca Huber (Scorpa), who had scored 22 marks. In the second part Ingveig rode in superlative way, scoring only 5 marks. But it was too late to worry the leader, who with 8 mistakes kept the first position, winning race and title. It is her second European title in a row. The Norwegian finished second and overtook in the final standings Italian Sara Trentini (Beta) today only in sixth place. Third Bianca Huber.
The fight for assigning the title in the Youth class was rich of surprises. Before this last round Jack Peace was leader 15 points clear on Italian Lorenzo Gandola (Scorpa, photo 3) and both shared the wins and the second places in the previous rounds. All odds were in favour of another intense battle between these two riders but today French Kieran Touly (Sherco) played the role of outsider catching the first place and delivering the title to Peace. Peace was beaten by Gandola and reached by him as total number of points, but thanks to Touly who tore the victory to the Italian, he could boast one more victory. Gandola was very unlucky: he started this race very strongly scoring only 7 points in the first loop. Touly was behind with 11 errors. In third position Billy Green (Beta) 13 points ahead of Peace (15). At this point the champion would have been Gandola. But two events overturned the situation: first, the second loop-masterpiece of Touly, fully clean, which meant the first victory for the Frenchman. Gandola scored 8 and slid to the second place, which was enough to clinch the title if Green had maintained the third place, but Peace, scoring just 6, overtook him and climbed to third place. Both Peace and Gandola finished the championship with 355 points, but Peace won twice, Gandola just one.
In the International Youth class German Nick Weber (Beta) beated Belgian Alex Crosset (Gas Gas). Third German Valentin Daum (Scorpa).
Among the International Women, the best was German Carolin Sauerbrei (Sherco) ahead of British Alicia Robinson (Beta) and Alexandra Huber (Beta). There were 29 female riders competing split in the two classes.
Tomorrow the same venue will host the last round of European Championship and Junior Cup and Over 40 Cup.
Photos 2 and 3: @Phototrial.it
