PORTUGAL:  Pacos de Ferreira, 28-29/4/2001

You wouldn't know it from looking at the results, but Brit Dougie Lampkin's title defence may be a tough one this year. Yes, the Montesa rider had won both days at the first stop, and he did likewise at this event in Portugal, but his rivals seem closer than last year. And -dare we say it - Lampkin hasn't been displaying his dominance as consistently as is usual. Day one saw the champ having to fight for his win, as the Japanese riders (especially Takahisa Fujinami) and several young Spaniards are improving their riding (Lampkin's countryman Graham Jarvis is also stronger, now that he's over his injury). Of course Lampkin did find a way to win, as he almost invariably does, and his day-two victory was more convincing. Clearly, his hard-working rivals still have a bit more of that hard work ahead of them.

Day 1
Jarvis started Saturday off on the right foot. After the first five sections (all quite easy for the top riders), he and Lampkin were the only ones to arrive with less than three points - both scoring popular twos. In the following section (the most difficult, with small, wet rocks and narrow turns distributed over its considerable length), the first rider to go was Spaniard Marc Freixa, scoring three. After him, more threes - no less. In the group of top riders, all more or less were proceeding together, with little difference in the scores.

Only Colomer was very nervous, collecting point after point. At half competition, Jarvis was leading with 15 marks; behind him were tied Lampkin and Freixa with 16, and Fujinami was fourth with 18. Both Lampkin and Fujinami turned in superb second loopThe former scored only 11 marks and clinched the victory, and the latter (with a score of 13) was able to tie up the runner-up position. In third place was Freixa, while Jarvis dropped to fourth. For the first time in many years, Colomer was out of the points-paying positions. In the Junior classification (riders aged 20 or younger, and excluding sections five, 10,11 and 13) Englishman Sam Connor won after a big fight against Josep Manzano (with two points more) and Taichi Tanaka (with three marks more9. Behind them was the new Spaniard entry, 15-year-old Jeroni Fajardo.
Day 2
On Sunday, the organizers made some modifications in order to make the most difficult sections -five,six and 14- easier. Under a cloudy sky that threatened rain, all the riders tried to hurry in order to finish before the storm. Despite the rush, the scores dropped compared to day one - until the rain started. The hurry-up tactic greatly benefited some of the top riders. Despite being one of the last starters, Freixa rode very fast and very well, finishing the loop with nine points. His rivals were unlucky, and after section nine or so, encountered the first shower. At this point, Lampkin showed his strength, performing at his best on the wet stones. The six-point total he picked up on the loop meant that the leader position was again his. Behind Lampkin, Freixa's nine was good for second, and then came Fujinami and Steve Colley, tied at a much-higher 17. Albert Cabestany was in fourth, and Colomer was fifth. On the second loop, the weather alternated between showers and sunshine, so all the sections worsened a little.

Of course it was for everybody, and Lampkin retained his concentration, scoring 11 and winning easily. Jarvis had a good performance at 13, but enough to climb to the podium, as he could do no better than fourth. Freixa worsened his performance, but kept the runner-up position. In third was Fujinami, quite disappointed with some of the observers. In the Junior class, Manzano won with 28 points; in second was Jose-Maria Saez with 36, and Tanaka was third at 38.

Briefly….
· The poor results of Marc Colomer are somewhat surprising, as he performed quite well last year. The fact that he's riding a new bike (a Gasgas) may have something to do with it. The Spaniard finished 19th and 12th in Portugal.

· This round was held in the same location as last year, in a small village near Porto in the north of Portugal. The event enjoyed great organization and very good sections. All of the zones except for the last one, were situated on a hill three miles from the start area, and featured big stones and streams. Some of the sections were very technical, with enough challenging obstacles that riders couldn't afford a moment of distraction.
· The press office was also well-organized, with five computers connected to the internet available for journalists, as well as two fax machines and four telephones. Many free buses were provided for the spectators, and the competition was also free to watch. Pacos de Ferreira is famous for its Portugese furniture, and its town hall was a major sponsor.