KING CABESTANY

Netherlands

With limited natural hazards to be used, those found in the Netherlands were very much demonstration ones for the TrialE class. Technically quite difficult it was the heat that was the problem, but after a clean ride on the opening lap Cabestany did not succumb to the pressure, using his vast experience to stay calm and complete the event parting with no marks. Both Cabestany and second-placed Kuroyama were aware that a stop and the five-mark penalty which could spoil their results was always around the corner, and both remained focussed on the job in hand. When you complete an event parting with no marks it may look an easy victory, but no victory is easy whether you part with any marks or not.

Italy’s Gianluca Tournour is new to this class and his score of 11 marks lost was a respectable ride as he finished well clear of the ex-world round minder for Toni Bou, Joan Cordon on the prototype Mecatecno. This Spanish rider and machine combination looks to have huge potential but was not on the same pace as the top three.

Belgium

Would the electric machines have enough power to even climb some of the imposing rocks and hills? Could Kenichi Kuroyama challenge Albert Cabestany? Sections six and eight would provide the answers. The nature of section six, with its entrance off the closed road and its steep undulating rocky climb stopped Kuroyama on both laps along with the entire Trial125 class riders, as Cabestany used his experience to part with two single-mark attempts.

On section eight, in the shaded wooded area, the hazard looked impossible for the electric machines. Very steep in its nature and with large rocks littered through it only two of the Trial125 class riders, who were on the same route as the TrialE class, passed the ends cards! Enter Cabestany and the Gas Gas. Looking incredibly confident, once again he used his knowledge to part with just a single mark after riding so smooth over the opening jagged rocks that it prompted a huge appreciation from the watching crowd. They knew they were watching a master at work; on the second lap he ‘cleaned’ it! In a class of his own, he was a very worthy winner.

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Yamaha: The TYE brings a touch of ‘Moto GP’ to the trials paddock with its handcrafted, carbon fibre monocoque frame. It looks ‘Trick’ and is very much a work of art with its change of shape and form from the headstock down to lower part where the footrests are located. The motor is a high rotation compact type with high-power, which achieves a high off-road performance whilst being powerful at low speed. A mechanical clutch controls the power, offering excellent traction and feedback to the rider. No one would disclose the weight, only the fact that it’s less than 70kg.

Gas Gas: This picture shows the Gas Gas TXE with the battery removed, and as you can see it’s very similar to its two-stroke counterpart. The tried and tested tubular chassis is made of chromium-molybdenum steel, as used on the TXT model range. It also inherits a large part of its aesthetics as well as its tried and tested components in terms of suspension, brakes, wheels and tyres. It has an efficient electric watercooled motor powered by the latest generation of batteries. Very efficient in its running, the engine is paired with a six-speed transmission and a mechanical clutch, and it has a weight of a claimed 68kg.

Dany Crosset (Gas Gas-BEL)

Joan Cordon (Mecatecno-ESP)