After the first round on the indoor world championship, what are peoples views on dougs performance? Is he past his best? Just not used to 2 stroke yet? Is his best to come? Are we simply convincing ourselves his best is to come based on his early days performance on a 2 stroke? Or perhaps he's just not up there with the best now?

Whats your view??????????????????????????

One things for sure you can't knock him for his enthusiam for trying.

Edited January 21, 200818 yr by sectiononecleaner

Changing bikes at Dougs level can't be easy although Wiggy and Cabestany did very well on their first outings. I'm not sure we will see anything as dominating as his past but he'll soon get to grips with the Beta and start getting back on the podium again

I say give him a chance. He'll get on the pace, lets just hope it's the best pace

I agree......give him a chance! He's still one of the elite in the world. When you are competing at this level it doesn't take much to drop you down the order on any particular day.....even when you're not competing for the first time on a completly different bike.

It's clear that he has already proved how good he is/was.

I'd find it hard to believe he can be as determined as he used to be, but I believe he must have been the most hard working of all the top world riders over the last few years. I never considered him the most 'natural' type of rider of the top lads, but just look at the results over the years. He hammered the riders who appear lighter and smoother on the bikes...... To me that shows a mega determination and will to win.

Once somebody has that 'will to win' you know they won't quit!

I'd say give him a chance, but to be honest age must start to take its toll and with all those titles under his belt perhaps even some of the determination will have gone.

Whilst his best years are obviously behind me, happens to the best of them, he still contributes hugely to the sport of motorcycle trials and is still more than capable of mixing it with the best of them. He's not there to make up the numbers.

A great ambassador for Great Britain and trials.

Is that the guy who came second at Sheffield?

He`s probably forgotten how to mix two stroke after 3 years, so wait and see.

This might seem an obvious question, but I'll ask it anyway:

It's an interesting point that performance diminishes with age. In Dougie Lampkin's case there's no reason to doubt his physical fitness, reaction times, confidence, motivation and determination are still at extremely high levels, so why, exactly, should performance tail off with the passage of time? Of course this happens to (almost) everyone, but what is it that slips such that people who dominate a sport eventually slide down the rankings? I accept that in trials physical fitness does reduce with age, or at least you have to work harder to keep it, but if that was the only factor people in relatively non-physical sports like snooker could stay on top indefinitely. But they don't. Why not?

This might seem an obvious question, but I'll ask it anyway:

I would guess at reaction times and confidence being the first to diminish as folk age...

Never one to shy away from comment, Dougie is the best Trials rider the world has ever seen.

Some may say he's past his best but i think he isn't just yet, and will get one more if the chance presents itself, muddy and wet?

A pal of mine said, and I don't know whether its right but I will repeat it anyway, but it wasn't my thought, just food for thought.

"Just suppose thst the HRC works 4rt is really the very best bike in the world and then some. It is better than all the rest head and shoulders better.

Why did bou do so well from the off? Why has Dougie not repeated the second place, a possibilty this is the best trials bike the world has ever seen?"

Never one to shy away from comment, Dougie is the best Trials rider the world has ever seen.

I would argue that the best trials rider the world has ever seen is Toni Bou.

Getting back to this thread, I hate these type of threads! It is totally negative. The first time out on his new bike and we are debating here whether he's 'good enough' or whether he is 'too old' etc etc. I saw him, like many others at Sheffield, and he didn't look past it to me. In fact, if anything. He looked fresh and determined.. and come on, if he can win the Scott then he just has to be fit surely.

I think its all about confidence and that's all. Anyone who has played a competitive sport at a high level will know that's the difference between winning and losing once the skill is there. Look at Toni Bou at Sheffield. That was confidence extreme that was.

Give him some time and get behind him I say.

IMHO

Apparently, from someone in the know and immediate circle, the word from the horses mouth are, nerves got me.

Come on dougie!!! You are the best, keep beleiving and you can do it!!!!

He'll be reet, his practice section got a bit damp this past week.

http://silsden.net/pictures/floods_jan2008/index.htm

I am sure all the people that said Doug would do well back on a 2 stroke are wondering if their words will come true.

Certainly too early to say and just maybe he has left the best bike for the job, who knows. I am pretty sure it was not all about money and Doug throughout his career has endevered to achieve his goal, if he thought that was on a Beta then that is probably why he is riding one.

Finally Doug has not been in good form over the past few years in the ''Circus Sections'' indoors, so perhaps we should hold our judgmental decissions until the Circus finishes and get onto some proper sections (Mind you thats getting a bit like a circus) OUTDOORS

Truely hope he gets his 100th, but it looks like its getting further away.........................

Edited January 21, 200818 yr by GIZZA5

I think I would have to agree with Atom Ant that Toni Bou has been the best Trials Rider Ever seen, and thats saying something when My hero Jordi tarres has just been knocked of "The Greatest Perch" by Toni..........However Doug has done the UK proud, and who is to say that he has passed it? we all know that it would take something special for Doug to win an 08 World championship round against the Likes of Raga, Cabestany, but then there is the biggest problem of all, and that's in the form of That Montesa Riding freak of nature Mr bou!

I wish all the best to Doug on his 08 campaign.

-Finny