Multiple world champion Dougie Lampkin, 34, has confirmed his deal with Gas Gas for the next three seasons. The Briton will compete in the Outdoor Trial World Championship and the Indoor Enduro World Championship, as well as some more events in this specialty and other specific trial events.
In addition to his track record and quality, Lampkin brings to Gas Gas a very broad vision and knowledge of Trials, something that will undoubtedly help the Girona brand to develop its off-road models more effectively. Undoubtedly, he will try by all means to achieve his long-awaited hundredth World Cup victory and will surely be a great squire for Adam Raga, who in recent years is used to being the only rooster in the Gas Gas chicken coop.
Lampkin has linked his fruitful career to Beta and Montesa during three major stages, but he has never been at the controls of a Gas Gas, so the expectation to see how he performs on it is maximum. The debut is scheduled for January 8 at the Sheffield Arena, on the occasion of the second round of the Indoor Trial World Championship.
According to Lampkin: “It’s an excellent opportunity for me and I’m delighted to be part of such a strong team. I’m going to fight by all means to have a good season and get the long-awaited victory number one hundred. I’m sure that continuing to ride at the highest level will help us maintain the optimal level of development that we have envisioned.”
Breaking news from Sheffield after Lampkin’s debut with Gas Gas:
The Briton was unable to show off in front of his home crowd at the Sheffield Indoor Trial, which does not count towards the World Championship, due to technical problems, specifically two unfortunate punctures at key moments of the night.
In the end, the 34-year-old could do little in the final sections, missing out on the heats by a single point (23) over Japan’s Takahisa Fujinami (22)
According to Lampkin: “What happened tonight is an accumulation of bad luck, mainly due to mechanical problems, although I have also blamed the lack of adaptation to the bike and the lack of running in indoor areas, where I have not practiced in high competition for almost a year. Missing out on the tie by just one point on the day of my debut with Gas Gas is very frustrating. While it’s obviously not a happy day for me, it’s not the end of the world either, as I can now fully concentrate on preparing for the outdoor World Cup. Once again, I would like to thank everyone for their support and warm welcome. I hope to give them the success they deserve for the rest of the season.
Results:
Final : 1: Bou 2, 2: Raga 15, 3: Fujinami 21, 4: Dabill 29, 5: Brown 30, 6: Challoner 37
Qualifying Round : 1: Toni Bou – SPA – Montesa 13 , 2 James Dabill – GBR – Beta 13, 3: Adam Raga – SPA – Gas Gas 18, 4: Jack Challoner – GBR – Beta 19, 5: Michael Brown – Gas Gas 21, 6: Takahisa Fujinami – Montesa 22
Eliminated : 7 : Dougie Lampkin – GBR – Gas Gas 23, 8: Alexz Wigg – GBR – Sherco 30
