JUMPING JACK
It’s a case of ‘Rule Britannia’ as the British riders led the way headed by a jumping Jack Peace (ShercoGBR). He and fellow Brit Toby Martyn (TRRS-GBR) are so closely matched that every single mark lost is so important. Peace holds the upper hand with two wins to Martyn’s one; this championship is going to be so close! Throw in a handful of winners who on their day could take the top spot on the podium – any one of maybe seven riders could have a good day’s riding and secure a victory. With the arrival of Billy Green on the podium in France, will we see a new class winner in Trial2 in the not-too-distant future?
ITALY, ROUND 1
Never mind the hot sun; it was a case of blazing saddles as the heat generated by both Jack Peace and Toby Martyn in the fight for the victory raised the temperatures of everyone involved! Martyn led the way after the opening lap on nine marks lost to Peace’s 12; the only other rider anywhere near was Alexandre Ferrer (TRRS-FRA) on 13.
With the loose rocks in the sections now bedded in, some superb riding was witnessed as Lorenzo Gondola (Beta-ITA) came fighting back up the order with a stunning lap of four marks lost to secure third position. However, a stop in the fourth section made it difficult for Martyn to come back as Peace took the victory by a single mark with some consistent riding.
If day one was a close fight, day two would be even closer. With the predominately white, bright rocks in the sections polishing up under the sun, two consistent low scores of 10 secured a victory for Toby Martyn with a total of 20. Jack Peace raised the game enough to part with just eight with some strong riding after his opening lap of twelve, which secured the second-place finish, and these two were in a battle for the victory as Aniol Gelabert (Beta-ESP) finished 12 marks behind them. We knew that this Trial2 class would be competitive in 2021, but no one could have predicted how close the marks would be in the top 15 in the chase for the vital championship points.
ITALY, ROUND 1
TOLMEZZO, 12TH–13TH JUNE
DAY ONE RESULTS: 1: Jack Peace (Sherco-GBR) 20; 2: Martyn 21; 3: Gondola 25; 4: Haga 28; 5: Ferrer 30; 6: Tournour 30; 7: Petrella 31; 8: Green 42; 9: Gelabert 43; 10: Farre 46; 11: Suarez 46; 12: Alex Canales (Sherco-ESP) 47; 13: Defrese 48; 14: Andrea Riva (TRRS-ITA) 49; 15: Rabino 50.
DAY TWO RESULTS: 1: Toby Martyn (TRRS-GBR) 20; 2: Peace 20; 3: Gelabert 32; 4: Haga 36; 5: Suarez 36; 6: Tournour 38; 7: Gondola 42; 8: Defrese 46; 9: Farre 47; 10: Ferrer 49; 11: Rabino 52; 12: Riva 56; 13: Trueba 57; 14: Joshka Kraft (TRRS-DEU) 60; 15: Canales 60; 18: Green 67.