Red Bull athlete Dougie Lampkin - Gas Gas showed that he remains a real force to be reckoned with as he won the World famous Scott - time and observation - Trial for a fourth time. In wet and misty conditions Dougie endured considerable pain as he almost completely severed his outermost toe from his left foot almost two thirds of the way around what is still regarded as the toughest single day event in the World of motorcycling. As a result of the impact that caused this nasty injury the thirty-seven year old veteran was unsure of his eventual victory with having struggled during the latter stages of this historic competition despite having made a strong start to his day.
This win sees Dougie equal his father Martin's tally of four Scott victories, who himself was a force to be reckoned with on the North Yorkshire moors during the late seventies come early eighties. Dougie's first success in this unique challenge of speed and skill came almost twenty years ago in 1994 and reinforces the sheer length of his illustrious career that has also seen him net twelve FIM Trial World titles along the way. Lampkin junior's last two Scott victories came back to back in 2006 and 2007 before a series of mechanical issues and injuries ruled him out of the front running in more recent editions.
However Dougie did remind his rivals that he remained a contender when he finished as runner-up to his Gas Gas team-mate Michael Brown just twelve months ago. Confirming his status as an all round off road rider, Lampkin's latest victory comes just six days after he finished in a close second place at an extreme Enduro event in Portugal last Sunday. 2013 has proved another incredible season for the ex multi World champion with Dougie having won two of the biggest and most important events outside of the FIM Trial World Championship, namely the Scottish Six Days Trial and the Scott Trial.
Sore, slightly surprised, but thrilled nevertheless Dougie spoke about bringing his season to a close on a real high. "I know more than most that you need luck to be on your side if you are going to win the Scott as I have had my fair share of bad luck here in the past. Everything was going really well and I mean well right up to the third petrol stop. Then on the way to the fourth stop I hit something very hard on the moor."
"I was really pushing on, but it stopped me in my tracks. The whole bike bottomed out, my foot smacked into it and my back and neck compressed really badly. From that point on I struggled, my vision went, it was hard to hold a line and I just paddled through some of the last sections as I was feeling that bad. From what the paramedic who treated my toe afterwards said I am lucky that it didn't get ripped right off."
Lampkin ended by saying. "All that pain seems quite worthwhile when your name is read out last and you are declared the winner when you thought luck hadn't been with you once again. It feels quite amazing to have won the Scott for a fourth time especially at my age and in the same year I had just won the Scottish for a seventh time. As I keep telling the young ones, there is still a bit of life left in the old dog!"
Latest update: After further medical examination of Dougie's damaged toe he will now undergo an operation later today to address the badly crushed, broken and severed joint.
Image courtesy of Eric Kitchen
Results
Standard Time: Jonathan Richardson
1. Dougie Lampkin - 55
2. Ross Danby - 89
3. Jonathan Richardson - 92
4. Michael Brown - 97
5. Ian Austermuhle - 102
6. Sam Haslam - 103
7. Richard Sadler - 112
8. Sam Connor - 115
9. Jack Challoner - 118
10. Dan Thorpe - 124
11. Ben Hemingway - 138
12. Philip alderson - 142
13 James Fry - 143
14. Will Reynolds - 147
15. Alexz Wigg - 151
Full results can be found in the attachments below.
For some photos from yesterday's event, click here and here too. There will doubtless be many more photos to come.