Britain’s George Hemingway kicked off the defence of his Trial3 title in style with commanding performance.
With the event based nine-hundred metres above sea level in Sant Julià de Lòria with some sections plotted another five-hundred metres further up the severely steep and wooded mountain slopes, altitude was always going to be a factor.
Boasting a very healthy entry of forty-one riders, the Trial2 class is always incredibly competitive and this trend continued today with a four-way tie for first place that eventually saw Farré emerge on top from the British pairing of defending champion Billy Green (Scorpa) and series leader Jack Peace (Sherco) with Spain’s Alex Canales (Sherco) missing out on the podium after all four recorded a total of twelve marks lost.
Time penalties came into play for all four riders, but ultimately it was the scores in the sections that decided the podium with Farré dropping a total of seven on observation compared with Green who lost nine, Peace ten and Canales eleven.
Getting the defence of his Trial3 title off to a dominant start, sixteen-year-old Hemingway took control from the beginning and his total of two marks lost – comprising a single dab on each lap – saw him run out winner by ten marks ahead of French teenager Romeo Piquet (Beta) with series newcomer Euan Sim (Sherco) from Britain parting with twenty for third on a very impressive debut.
“It’s been a great day and I’ve enjoyed pretty much every moment of it,” said Hemingway. “I worked hard during the off-season and I’m happy to pick up where I left off last year.”