SUPER-COOL HAGA
You could argue that this was the one to win. Unlike TrialGP and the dominance of Toni Bou, the Trial2 class had seen Norwegian rider Sondre Haga take only a single win all season in France when it mattered most. Nevertheless, he came to the final round in Italy knowing that a consistent season was not over. He dug deep and kept a super cool head with a strong finish, giving him the edge over the second-place championship finisher Pablo Suarez (Montesa-ESP).
At the start of the final run in the championship with rounds in Belgium, France and Italy, Sondre Haga found his form as his nearest challenger Pablo Suarez lost his and slipped down the results to give his 23-year-old Norwegian challenger the advantage. Gianluca Tournour (GASGAS-ITA) came good in Belgium to record his first championship win of the season as Great Britain’s Billy Green on the Scorpa missed the win by just two marks. As Haga finished third, Suarez was down in seventh, and for the first time all season, the championship was now getting very tight at the top.
As the championship moved to the old medieval town of Cahors in France, Sondre’s 100% podium record for 2022 with three third-placed finishes and four runner-up positions came to life with a win. It rewarded him with a 21-point lead with just two points-scoring days left in Italy.
WINNER TAKES ALL
It was all pressure in Italy in the fight for the title, as Haga started the weekend knowing only a disaster could keep him away from the Trial2 title he so much wanted. The Norwegian kept his cool and rode a very well-calculated two days. As it turned out, the first day’s victory went to Gianluca Tournour (GASGAS-ITA). He recorded his first back-to-back wins as Spain’s Pablo Suarez closed in on Haga finishing three places in front of his rival in third position to pull some much-needed points back.
At the start of day two, Suarez was still very much in the championship hunt. He set the pace on the opening lap, with his score of six giving him a onemark advantage over Haga with the previous day’s winner and home hero Gianluca Tournour (GASGAS) fourth behind Arnau Farre (Sherco). Spain’s Farre was in a close fight with Billy Green breathing down his neck for third place in the championship. Looking to make it back-to-back home victories, Tournour put together an incredible second lap and was on course for a famous victory until he picked up a maximum three just a few sections from the end to destroy his dreams. His eventual total of 17 saw him fall short by two marks as Suarez claimed his fourth win of the series, but a fighting and consistent Haga ended the day in third on a tie-break on 19 marks lost. He out-pointed Farre on the most cleans and took the title with a clear 11-point advantage, much to his delight. In Farre’s favour, he was well in front of Billy Green to take the final step on the podium in the championship. With six individual round winners from the ten on offer, it has been a season of many surprises.
Sondre Haga was rewarded for his hard work but take nothing away from Pablo Suarez, whose inconsistent results have been the only letdown. The top six championship finishers are capable of winning in the Trial2 class, but there can only be one championship winner, and it was Haga who had the edge.
Electric Motion made the bold move to put French rider Gael Chatagno into this class, and he waited to show the true potential of the electric-powered machine with a sixth-place finish on day two in Italy, resulting in a top ten result in the final championship standings. It has been a very close 2022 season Trial2 as it continues to be, as many would say, the one to watch.
FIM TRIAL2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND FOUR: BELGIUM, COMBLAIN AU PONT
RESULTS: 1: Gianluca Tournour (GASGAS-ITA) 22; 2: Billy Green (ScorpaGBR) 24; 3: Sondre Haga (Beta-NOR) 24; 4: Arnau Farre (Sherco-ESP) 25;
5: Lorenzo Gandola (Beta-ITA) 27; 6: Dan Peace (Sherco-GBR) 31; 7: Pablo Suarez (Montesa-ESP) 32; 8: Hugo Dufrese (Vertigo-FRA) 34; 9: Jack Peace (Sherco-GBR) 34; 10: Mats Nilsen (TRRS-NOR) 39; 11: Mattia Spreafico (Vertigo-ITA) 41; 12: Gerard Trueba (Beta-ESP) 42; 13: Gael Chatagno (Electric Motion-FRA) 43; 14: Marco Mempor (GASGAS-AUT) 46; 15: Jack Dance (GASGAS-GBR) 46.
ROUND FIVE: FRANCE, CAHORS
RESULTS: 1: Sondre Haga (Beta-NOR) 10; 2: Gandola 14; 3: Farre 16; 4: Jack Peace 16; 5: Dan Peace 18; 6: Tournour 24; 7: Chatagno 27; 8: Dufrese 31; 9: Mempor 32; 10: Trueba 33; 11: Suarez 39; 12: Dance 41; 13: Tsuyoshi Ogawa (Beta-JPN) 42; 14: Nilsen 43; 15: Spreafico 44.
ROUND SIX, DAY ONE: ITALY, PONTE DI LEGNO.
RESULTS: 1: Gianluca Tournour (GASGAS-ITA) 30; 2: Gandola 31; 3: Suarez 35; 4: Farre 39; 5: Green 48; 6: Haga 52; 7: Jack Peace 53; 8: Spreafico 57; 9: Dufrese 60; 10: Dan Peace 61; 11: Dance 62; 12: Trueba 63; 13: Mempor 63; 14: David Fabian (Beta-CZE) 67; 15: Carlo Rabino (Beta-ITA) 71.
ROUND SIX, DAY TWO: ITALY, PONTE DI LEGNO.
RESULTS: 1: Pablo Suarez (Montesa-ESP) 15; 2: Tournour 17; 3: Haga 19; 4: Farre 19; 5: Gandola 23; 6: Chatagno 25; 7: Jack Peace 26; 8: Green 29; 9: Dan Peace 32; 10: Dufrese 34; 11: Pau Martinez (Vertigo-ESP) 38; 12: Spreafico 38; 13: Nilsen 45; 14: Canales 46; 15: Mempor 46.
2022 FIM TRIAL2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
POSITIONS: 1: Sondre Haga (Beta-NOR) 158; 2: Pablo Suarez (Montesa-ESP) 147; 3: Arnau Farre (Sherco-ESP) 127; 4: Billy Green (Scorpa-GBR) 118; 5: Lorenzo Gandola (Beta-ITA) 114; 6: Gianluca Tournour (GASGAS-ITA) 105; 7: Jack Peace (Sherco-GBR) 95; 8: Hugo Dufrese (Vertigo-FRA) 78; 9: Dan Peace (Sherco-GBR) 73; 10: Gael Chatagno (Electric Motion-FRA) 55; 11: Gerard Trueba (Beta-ESP) 43; 12: Jack Dance (GASGAS-GBR) 38; 13: Mattia Spreafico (Vertigo-ITA) 34; 14: Alex Canales (Sherco-ESP) 33; 15: Mats Nilsen (TRRSNOR) 24.
MOST WINS: Pablo Suarez (Montesa-ESP) 4; Gianluca Tournour (GASGASITA) 2; Sondre Haga (Beta-NOR) 1; Arnau Farre (Sherco-ESP) 1; Billy Green (Scorpa-GBR) 1; Lorenzo Gandola (Beta-ITA) 1.
MACHINES TOP 15: Sherco 4; Beta 3; GASGAS 2; Vertigo 2; Electric Motion 1; Montesa 1; Scorpa 1; TRRS 1.