Dougie Lampkin took fourth place in the first of the two days of competition in La Antigua, Guatemala after a day of close competition held in searing temperatures and sweltering humidity. Like many of the riders, he found the going tough. The new event to the calendar was made up of sections winding up and down river-beds at the Autodromo las Volcanes, one hundred kilometres south of Guatemala City. After a close first lap, Dougie was unable to make roads into Adam Raga's advantage for third place and so finished the first day in fourth spot.
Lampkin had a good start to the first lap, settling into a good rhythm and matching performances with his peers. He recorded a five in the first of the particularly tricky sections, number six, but this was to prove the first major test of the trial, with only two riders not fiving the test on both laps. He continued well, but then dropped a pair of fives in sections ten and eleven, while others passed for only a single dab, putting him at a big disadvantage. He also suffered another maximum on the penultimate hazard of the first lap, putting him fifth, just one point behind Albert Cabestany at the halfway point.
Dougie pushed hard to make up the deficit on the second lap, but admitted that he pushed perhaps too hard, making mistakes, which cost him dear. However, his performance was sufficient to see him climb past Cabestany, but not enough to close in on Raga in third place. He eventually finished the day fourth, eight marks off Raga and a podium position.
Lampkin commented. "The first lap started well and I was feeling good. Then at section ten I had a five, after that I tried a little too hard to pull those marks back. I then had a five, where threes were par so that was no good. I also failed at section fourteen on both laps, which was very costly, especially when other riders were cleaning it. Then, I rushed the second lap trying to claw it back. I conceded three bad fives today where no-one else took any marks and that's simply too much to give away. I think if I hadn't rushed the second lap, I could have done better, but I will now have to wait until tomorrow, for the chance to put things right."
Current championship standings:
- 1: Bou - 40
- 2: Raga - 32
- 3: Fujinami - 30
- 4: Lampkin - 28
- 5: Cabestany - 22
Dougie Lampkin's next event: 22/04/07 Sunday - La Antigua, Guatemala Rnd 2 World Outdoor Chp.
