The 2011 SPEA FIM X-Trial World Championship did not go to plan for Dougie Lampkin

Held in Italy alongside the first round of the 2011 SPEA FIM X-Trial World Championship,did not go to plan for Dougie Lampkin. In what proved a forgettable night’s racing the popular Brit failed to progress to the final from his heat race before his bike choked, and then would not restart in the last chance qualifier. It meant Lampkin played no part in the final for the first time since he began racing indoor enduro two years ago.

A clearly disheartened Lampkin put his performance in the qualifying race down to a mixture of bad luck and rusty race craft. He failed to get out the gate well before colliding with another rider in the first corner. This left the ex multi FIM Trial World Champion with an uphill battle, which proved insurmountable following a crash in the unforgiving log section.

“Obviously I am very disappointed with the way my evening went,” explained Lampkin. “To be honest the track did not really suit me. It was a fast loop and the obstacles were not that difficult. That meant that unless you a good start you struggled get through the pack. In my qualifying heat I almost crashed in the first corner after my front wheel was taken out by another rider. I managed to creep back up through the field and I got back into sixth. But then I came off in the logs and I ended up in the water.”

Dougie’s luck did not get any better in the last chance session: “I had an okay start and I was sat in second place for the first half of the race. I felt good and I was comfortable, so the plan was to sit behind the leader and see the race out. Then my bike stopped and it would not restart, which was a nightmare. To not qualify for the final is a real pity. I was gutted. Italy feels a long way to come if you do not make it through to the main races.”

The tight enduro track snaked around the perimeter of the Trial course. This gave spectators a close-up view of the action and added to the intensity. Having not made the cut for the final, Lampkin was entered into the Night Race, which gave him a real taste of the atmosphere in the stadium: “It was crazy. You just cannot see anything. They turn all the stadium floodlights off and you have to rely solely on your bike’s headlight. It is a great spectacle for the crowd, but I would rather qualify for the final next time as I prefer to see where I am going when I am racing!”

Lampkin hopes his fortune will improve when the 2011 FIM Indoor Enduro World Championship resumes in February. Until then he will have to wait to take on new series leader, Mika Aloha – HM Honda, after the Finn beat runner-up Joakim Ljunggren – Husaberg and third placed Tadeusz Blazusiak – KTM on a night that Lampkin would quite happily forget.

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