Dougie Lampkin could only manage fifth place at the second round of the Spanish domestic outdoor championship held near Tarragona earlier today. Lampkin arrived at today's venue, which sits approximately one hundred kilometres South of the city of Barcelona, in a confident mood, having scored a convincing victory at an international invitation indoor event held in France late on Friday night. However despite his confidence Dougie endured a difficult day, during which he felt he was 'harshly' penalised on two occasions, which prevented him finishing closer to his rivals.
The course of fifteen sections comprised of nothing other than dust and dry rocks, with five of the hazards being placed in the theme park, which hosted the event. These particular sections proved nothing more than a gesture for the few tourists who were on hand and who had braved the unusually cold weather. Lampkin clocked up three maximums on his way to a total of nineteen marks, which left him someway off the pace of the leaders at this point.
Having already been docked a five for touching a marker, Dougie then also fell foul of the new rule in the Spanish championship, where just touching the boundary tape is enough to be given a maximum penalty.
Although Lampkin only conceded one further five on his closing lap, this was not a significant enough improvement to pull himself further up the leader board.
Once again it was Dougie's new team mate Bou who was the clear winner, he put in a clean final lap to beat Raga by six marks, after the young Spanish pairing had shared the lead at the halfway stage of the competition. Lampkin currently holds fourth position in the overall standings, but will not compete in all the rounds of the championship.
Speaking after the event Dougie said. " Apart from the two fives which I would say were doubtful, I feel that I have ridden OK. The trial has not been fantastic, and nor was my result. I don't plan to dwell on what has happened today, as I would prefer to prepare in a positive way, ready for next weekend when the World championship starts."
Current championship standings:
- 1: Bou - 40
- 2: Raga - 34
- 3: Fujinami - 28
- 4: Lampkin - 26
- 5: Cabestany - 24
- 6: Freixa - 20
Dougie Lampkin's next event: 01/04/07 Sunday - Mancha Real, Spain Rnd 1 World Outdoor Chp.
