Dougie Lampkin rounded off his 2007 World indoor campaign with a solid third place at the final round held in Madrid, Spain late last night. This marked Lampkin's second only podium finish in what has been a disappointing championship for the ex World champion. Riding as last man in the heat, Dougie had the luxury of watching all his rivals in action before making his own calculated attack.
Following his inspection of the usual array of steel boxes and concrete tube that now make up every Spanish indoor trial, Lampkin had deemed the course to be 'very tough'. However, the soon to be thirty one year old, made light work of the first four sections as he remained feet up throughout. In truth no one rode these opening four hazards better than Dougie, and it was this initial performance that allowed him to ride the rest of the lap purely with qualification in mind.
Even with two fives later in the lap, Dougie was still comfortably clear of Cabestany with the race and high jump still to complete. With safety in mind Lampkin made it through to his second final of the season with three marks to spare. As the last of the qualifiers, Dougie had the task of riding all the sections first in the final, this time the hazards were ridden in the reverse direction.
In a similar story to the heat, Lampkin started the final well with another series of textbook cleans, however as the lap progressed Dougie last contact with his younger counterparts. With a safe third place guaranteed, there remained little to prove, especially with the outdoor season just around the corner.
Immediately after leaving the podium celebrations Lampkin commented. " This has been a great way to finish off the indoor season, as overall it has not been a good championship for me. I felt very relaxed tonight, and that certainly reflected in my riding. With no pressure on me I could really enjoy it out there. I started well in the final too, but the wheels fell off it halfway through. With the indoor series now over I am really looking forward to moving outdoors next week ready for the World championship in two weeks time."
Final championship standings:
- 1: Bou 67 (World Champion)
- 2: Raga 57
- 3: Cabestany 54
- 4: Fujinami 41
- 5: Lampkin 36
- 6: Fajardo 30
