http://trialsblog.com/ en danieljoliver@gmail.com Copyright 2012 2012-05-14T08:18:14+00:00 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/on-the-road-with-james-dabill http://www.trialsblog.com/article/on-the-road-with-james-dabill#When:08:18:14Z Amped Clothing joined British Trials Champion James Dabill on a road trip to France for the opening round of the FIM World Trials Championship. Here is the video following their week. Trials videos, 2012-05-14T08:18:14+00:00 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/2012-gas-gas-raga-replica http://www.trialsblog.com/article/2012-gas-gas-raga-replica#When:16:02:12Z John Shirt has sent us details regarding the new 2012 Gas Gas Raga Replica. Find out more on the new machine here. Press release from John Shirt.—- The replica of the No.1 Factory rider ADAM RAGA will be available late May. Below is a list of changes /specification for the new model which will be available in 250,280 and 300cc capacities. The main change from last years Raga Replica is the introduction of the new ‘Tech’ front fork. Gas Gas now works with five suspension manufactures across the range of Trials and Enduro bikes and likes to offer a good choice to their customers. The aluminium tubed Marzocchi’s are a superb fork and will continue to be used on standard Trials models. Adam tested the new ‘Tech’ forks and loved how smooth and sensitive the ‘action’ was which he prefers. There is also a new front wheel spindle to match and reinforced red anodised fork clamps / yokes from last years Raga Rep. The Raga model also has the multi-adjustable Reiger rear shock which can be adjusted ‘3 ways’. You can adjust the spring length (also different weight springs are available) and both the compression and rebound can be adjusted. This is simply the best rear shock fitted to any current production Trials bike. The ‘PRO Racing’ model also has a Reiger shock but only the spring and rebound can be adjusted ‘2 ways’. The RAGA280 and RAGA300 come with a Keihin carburetor which smoothes out the bigger engines and also give a lot more top end power. The factory believes that the Keihin is not needed on the ‘clubman friendly’ RAGA250. There is also a slight change to the rear linkage dimensions which the Factory riders (Raga, Lampkin, Brown and Gubian) now use. This new linkage also has better protection from the rocks with a slight change to the frame underneath. The frame also has a stronger top shock mount. The 2012 RAGA also sees a return to AJP brakes which are continuing under a new company / brand ‘Braktec’. The Formula brakes which are fitted to standard 2012 Pro models and Pro Racing models are fine but some riders (including Adam) prefer the AJP feel. The Formula clutch master cylinder is more suited to a clubman rider because it makes the ‘bite’ of the clutch slower. The top riders prefer the clutch more instant which the AJP master cylinder gives. It’s good that the factory now work with two brake suppliers for their trials bikes plus Nissin for their Enduro bikes. Usual Raga changes include the Gold magnesium crankcases and clutch case to match which look superb. The BIG news on the engine is that after 10 years in production the Pro Raga engine now has a ‘gear change selector shaft’ that can be changed without splitting the crankcases. So if you have an accident which damages the shaft, a quick change (and no cost labour bills) can now be done. The new titanium front exhaust looks stunning which is made with a ‘conical’ design which gradually steps from the smaller diameter leaving the motor to the larger diameter going into the middle exhaust. This slightly smoothes the power even more, but mainly looks stunning…as does the new design kickstart. The GG Factory is obsessed with weight but I’m now pleased to say that the skinny, lightweight Iris chain is replaced with a much stronger Regina chain. Quality components including Renthal fat-bars, Renthal grips and S3 aluminium footrests come standard on the Raga model. The airbox and airbox lid now have even better sealing together with a quick release lid fixing. The airbox on the GG Pro is superb now but we’ve been asking for a better seal between the ‘two halves’ and this is what they’ve done. The look of the 2012 Raga is similar to last years with the black frame which looks stunning for a limited edition model. Yes GAS GAS is predominantly red but for a limited edition it has to different and this colour ‘combo’ really does work on the RAGA! The white plastics, red anodized fork clamps and rear chain adjusters together with the cool new sticker design and black rims, this 2012 Raga really does stand out from the rest. Available end of May. Prices to be confirmed. TECH front forks (high spec with coated stanchions) REIGER rear shock with ‘3 way’ adjustment (spring, compression and rebound) KEIHIN carburetor (280 and 300) AJP/BRAKTEC brake calipers and front brake master cylinder AJP/BRAKTEC clutch master-cylinder RENTHAL fat-bars RENTHAL grips REGINA chain S3 aluminium footrests New Titanium front pipe in ‘conical design’ Magnesium gold crankcases Magnesium gold clutch case New design kickstart New gear selector shaft with ‘quick change’ design. New front wheel spindle and wheel bearings to suit. Black rims with GAS GAS logos Frame modified to help protect rear suspension linkage New design rear suspension linkage Stronger, Raga red anodised front forks clamps / yokes Raga red anodised rear wheel adjusters Better airbox and cover sealing Quick release air-filter cover Improved top shock mount New fuel tank breather New 2012 RAGA stickers Bikes, Trials photos, Trials products, 2012-05-03T16:02:12+00:00 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/2012-fim-trial-world-championship-la-bresse-france http://www.trialsblog.com/article/2012-fim-trial-world-championship-la-bresse-france#When:18:14:50Z Video highlights from the opening round of the 2012 FIM Trial World Championship held in La Bresse, France. Trials videos, 2012-05-02T18:14:50+00:00 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/brits-abroad-world-trials-championship-france http://www.trialsblog.com/article/brits-abroad-world-trials-championship-france#When:13:33:11Z This weekend saw the 2012 FIM World Trials Championship kick off in La Bresse, France. With James Dabill, Michael Brown, Jack Challoner and Alexz Wigg all making the trip to the season opener. With the term “Brits abroad” usually bringing with it a negative light, we decided to bring you a few spare photos of the four Brits in action, showing that there can be positive results coming from our travels and there’s more to us then just crazy holiday binges. This weekend saw the 2012 FIM World Trials Championship kick off in La Bresse, France. With James Dabill, Michael Brown, Jack Challoner and Alexz Wigg all making the trip to the season opener. With the term “Brits abroad” usually bringing with it a negative light, we decided to bring you a few spare photos of the four Brits in action, showing that there can be positive results coming from our travels and there’s more to us then just crazy holiday binges. James Dabill With James being the reason we were over in France in the first place to film his weekend’s antics, we didn’t get a chance to grab as many photos of Dibs in action as we would have liked. But here are a few snaps that we did get, and make sure you keep you eyes peeled for the video from his weekend, which will be dropping later this week/early next week. Dabill kicked off his 2012 campaign with two great 6th place finishes & right on the tail of the formidable top five, showing just how hard James had worked during the off season. With James fired up like he is for 2012, don’t be surprised to see this form continue. Michael Brown Michael Brown will also be pleased with the riding he demonstrated on both days of the season opener. Bagging results of 9th and 7th sees Brown come away with a joint 7th position in the Championship with fellow Brit Jack Challoner. There was a tight battle for 6th - 9th on the opening day in France and expect to see that continue throughout the season. Jack Challoner Jack Challoner will also be pleased with the account he gave of himself in France. Swapping results with Michael Brown on the weekend, Jack came away with a solid 7th and 9th place finisih narrowly missing out on 8th on day 2 due to Gubian racking up more cleans. Both Challoner and Brown can be pleased with their riding, looking stronger and closing the gap on the top riders in the Championship in comparison to last season. Alexz Wigg Putting a difficult 2011 season behind him, Alexz Wigg was once again on the scene this weekend in France. Wiggy finished 13th on day 1 and 12th on day 2. With the rule at the WTC events being that if either the bike or rider touches a flag it results in a five, Alexz suffered a few unfortunate maximums. Regardless of that, Alexz demonstrated that when he’s on the top of his game he is more then capable of mixing it at this level and it was good to see him back. Trials photos, 2012-05-02T13:33:11+00:00 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/james-dabill-closes-in-on-top-5 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/james-dabill-closes-in-on-top-5#When:09:02:51Z After months of anticipation, the opening round of the 2012 FIM World Trials Championship got underway in La Bresse, France this weekend.  With both Saturday and Sunday counting as point scoring day’s, all the riders were keen to pull out an early advantage in the championship.  Great Britain’s James Dabill (Beta) demonstrated that he is now a firm fixture of the ‘Big Contenders’ but narrowly missed out on fifth place on both days by just a handful of marks. After months of anticipation, the opening round of the 2012 FIM World Trials Championship got underway in La Bresse, France this weekend.  With both Saturday and Sunday counting as point scoring day’s, all the riders were keen to pull out an early advantage in the championship.  Great Britain’s James Dabill (Beta) demonstrated that he is now a firm fixture of the ‘Big Contenders’ but narrowly missed out on fifth place on both days by just a handful of marks. Continuing with the form set out in previous years, the Spanish riders were again dominant in this weekend’s round, but no single rider managed to take the maximum points on offer.  Adam Raga (Gas Gas) took the win on the first day ahead of reigning World Champion Toni Bou (Montesa), with Albert Cabestany (Sherco) completing the rostrum.  Dabill’s Spanish team-mate, Jeroni Fajardo (Beta) finished just off the podium.  Just behind the four Spanish riders, Monster Energy rider James Dabill and Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa) were both fighting for fifth place on the opening day.  Both Dabill and Fujinami finished the opening lap on 20 marks, but despite cleaning 10 of the 15 sections on the second lap, James was unable to match the experience laid out by the Japanese rider, and finished in sixth place. On day two it was Jeroni Fajardo’s turn to challenge Bou for victory, but despite leading after the opening lap, Jeroni only managed to take his factory Beta to the runner-up position.  Toni Bou resumed normal business taking the top step of the podium ahead of a consistent Albert Cabestany, who again finished third.  Takahisa Fujinami and Adam Raga both finished on 18 marks, but fourth place eventually went to Fujinami who successfully cleaned more sections.  James Dabill was on tremendous form, and on two marks adrift of the battle for fourth, demonstrating that he is well worth watching as the championship makes the trip to Australia next month. Taking about the weekend James comments, “It has been really great to get back into the World Championships, and I’m really happy with my performance this weekend.  I definitely felt competitive all weekend, and managed to clean a lot of the harder sections.  The set-up Beta brought this weekend was brilliant, the bike felt really great. “To be just two marks off fourth place has given me a massive confidence boost, and I’m definitely looking forward to the next round in Australia.  But for now I’m heading back to the UK to prepare for the Scottish Six Day Trial”. James’ next event will be the Scottish Six Day Trial which he won last year for the second time. 2012-05-02T09:02:51+00:00 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/brown-makes-french-trip-count http://www.trialsblog.com/article/brown-makes-french-trip-count#When:08:57:44Z KX energy trials rider, Michael Brown made a great start to the 2012 FIM World Trials Championship this weekend, recording a 9th and 7th place in the two-day round.  The small village of La Bresse in France, located near the German/Swiss boarder hosted the opening round of the series and provided spectators with an incredible display of extreme motorcycle trials.  At the top of the World Pro class, Spanish riders Adam Raga (Gas Gas) and Toni Bou (Montesa) were the riders to take victories this weekend. KX energy trials rider, Michael Brown made a great start to the 2012 FIM World Trials Championship this weekend, recording a 9th and 7th place in the two-day round.  The small village of La Bresse in France, located near the German/Swiss boarder hosted the opening round of the series and provided spectators with an incredible display of extreme motorcycle trials.  At the top of the World Pro class, Spanish riders Adam Raga (Gas Gas) and Toni Bou (Montesa) were the riders to take victories this weekend. Fresh off the back of his British Championship victory, Michael was eager to make every section count in the international event.  Aiming to break into the Top 5 this year, Michael faces tough competition, with six major riders all fighting for the same goal.  On Saturday, Michael finished the day with 49 marks, the same as Italian Gas Gas rider, Matteo Grattarola, but it was Matteo who finished with the ‘most cleans’ to clinch 8th position ahead of British rider’s James Dabill (Beta) and Jack Challoner (Beta) who finished 6th and 7th respectively. Disappointed he was unable to feature in the ‘Top 6’, Sunday provided Michael the platform he needed to improve upon his previous performance.  Two laps of 20 gave Michael the 7th place he was searching for, and comfortably too, with nearest competitor Loris Gubian a distant 10 marks behind.  Unfortunately the Scarborough rider was unable to break into the Top Six territory, but his efforts this weekend have proven he has what it takes to challenge against the best. Michael commented after the event, “The World Championship is just so different to the British Championship, especially with the rule changes back home, fortunately I have made time to practice in both Spain and the UK, and managed to strike the balance right.  There is no doubt that this year is going to be tough, there’s so many good riders out there, especially those fighting for 6th place” Michael will head back to Scarborough for a few days before driving up to Scotland for the world famous Scottish Six Day Trial which starts on the 4th May.  Despite never winning the Scottish Trial, Michael has, on more than one occasion, worn the iconic yellow number board which identifies the leader.  Michael will be looking to add the Scottish Six Day Trial to his trophy cabinet this year. Rider news, Trials photos, 2012-05-02T08:57:44+00:00 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/challoner-kickstarts-2012-world-trials-campaign http://www.trialsblog.com/article/challoner-kickstarts-2012-world-trials-campaign#When:08:45:50Z Top Trial Team frontman, Jack Challoner kickstarted his 2012 FIM World Trials Championship assault at the opening round of the series is La Bresse, France this weekend.  Held over two ‘point scoring’ day’s, the opening round of the season provided close results throughout the leader-board. Top Trial Team frontman, Jack Challoner kickstarted his 2012 FIM World Trials Championship assault at the opening round of the series is La Bresse, France this weekend.  Held over two ‘point scoring’ day’s, the opening round of the season provided close results throughout the leader-board. Jack Challoner, current ranked 9th in the World Standings after last year’s championship, was keen to prove that he has what it takes to break into the Top 7 this year, and he has definitely shown he is a contender within this competitive battle.  At the top World Pro class, the Spanish foursome dominated again, with Adam Raga (Gas Gas) winning Saturday and reigning World Champion Toni Bou (Montesa) becoming victorious on Sunday. On the opening day of the championship, Jack Challoner finished 7th, just 6 marks behind fellow Yorkshire rider James Dabill (Beta), only conceding two ‘five mark’ penalties on a difficult second lap.  Jack’s performance on day one meant he would finish ahead of Matteo Grattarola (ITA - Gas Gas) and Michael Brown (GBR - Gas Gas), who finished 8th and 9th respectively.  The 21 year old from Halifax was unable to keep hold of 7th position on the second day in France, despite a competitive opening lap.  Jack’s first lap score of 19 wasn’t enough to compensate for a tough second lap where he had a big crash on the second section before recording 6 maximum marks, four in the last six sections.  A combined score of 50 put the Yorkshire rider level with Frenchman, Loris Gubian (Gas Gas) who rode with one more clean than Jack to clinch 8th place. Speaking about the opening round in La Bresse, Challoner comments “I’m very glad the season has started again, it has been a great opening weekend especially for the Top Trial Team.  Bradley Cox finished second on both days in the Youth Championship, beaten by Sverre [Lundevold] today.” “The vibe here today is great, I think all the riders have been training hard over the winter and are ready to get back on the road.  I’ve been riding the Italian Championships over the last month which has given me the perfect platform to be competitive in the World Championships” “Im riding really well, which is why I am a little disappointed with my second lap today, I made a few mistakes, which at this level can be very costly.  I’m looking forward to going back to the UK now, it’s been a while since I’ve been home, and I hope I can challenge for the win at the Scottish Six Day Trial” Rider news, Trials photos, 2012-05-02T08:45:50+00:00 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/oset-bikes-team-up-with-global-racing-oil http://www.trialsblog.com/article/oset-bikes-team-up-with-global-racing-oil#When:09:45:12Z OSET Bikes and Global Racing Oil have now become official partners, in an agreement that will be recognised worldwide. OSET Bikes and Global Racing Oil have now become official partners, in an agreement that will be recognised worldwide. With the new OSET 20.0 arriving this summer and riders taking on tougher and more demanding terrain, it’s more important than ever to keep the critical components lubricated and bikes well maintained. GRO products have been tested throughout the development of the new OSET 20.0 and OSET are very happy to join other GRO partners GasGas and Ossa in approving and recommending Global Racing Oil products to its users. Barry Huskinson, business development manager at OSET Bikes, said: “All bikes require maintenance and lubrication. For example the chain and bearings need to be lubricated. The bike always needs washing and it’s best practice to use multispray to drive out moisture. The Global Racing Oil product range covers all of these areas with great performance and we are delighted to be working closely with GRO”. James Fry, GRO, said: “We are delighted to be in partnership with a pioneering and forward thinking firm like OSET. We are pleased to help keep the bikes of these fantastic young riders well lubricated aiding them to increase their skills and I’m sure many future victories with GRO. We’ve also had a number of discussions about some exciting future projects that we think will really add something new to the market.” OSET, the market leading manufacturer of electric motorbikes and Global Racing Oil’s range of high quality lubricants and maintenance products, are proud to be working together on all future and existing projects resulting in new and improved products for both companies’ customer bases. Bikes, 2012-04-23T09:45:12+00:00 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/british-trials-championship-round-1-results http://www.trialsblog.com/article/british-trials-championship-round-1-results#When:14:48:29Z British Trials Championship - Round 1 results Will be updated as and when we hear more. No official results or scores out yet. M. Brown - 3 G. Macdonald - 4 J. Dabill - 5 R. Danby first time out on his Jotagas. Results, 2012-04-15T14:48:29+00:00 http://www.trialsblog.com/article/2012-fim-x-trial-des-nations http://www.trialsblog.com/article/2012-fim-x-trial-des-nations#When:11:14:29Z Video highlights from the 2012 FIM X-Trial des Nations. Trials videos, 2012-04-11T11:14:29+00:00