SHEPPARD CONTINUES TO HEAD EURO SERIES

Round 4 - 2010 UEM European Trial Championship
La Rabassa - Andorra - 13/06/10

Less than a week since making the long return trip from the Japanese Grand Prix, Jack Sheppard - Beta this weekend switched his attentions to maintaining his position at the head of the overall standing of the 2010 UEM European Trial Championship. Despite having to play second fiddle to his arch rival Pol Tarres for the second round in a row, Sheppard still holds a slight advantage over his Spanish counterpart with just two counting events remaining.

Round four of the Euro series was played out in the small and mountainous principality of Andorra, with the town of La Rabassa just over the border from Spain being the base for this weekend's event. The unique Naturlandia facility that sits high in the hills is no stranger to hosting top level trials, with the venue having been the scene of several FIM Trial World Championship events over the years.

The sixteen year old from Suffolk endured a difficult weekend as he and his Italian team struggled to find a set up to cope with the high altitude location. With the start area situated at fifteen hundred metres above sea level and the top group of sections a further five hundred metres up the mountain, the thin air caused a multitude of problems for the smaller capacity bikes.

On this occasion Sheppard had no answer to Tarres, who ran out an easy winner and collected twenty championship points to close in on Jack in the title race. However the sections were not Sheppard's main problem, as he fought to keep the bike just running at times such was the severe nature of the set up issues he was experiencing. Unable to make a proper attempt at some hazards, the teenager was forced to return to the paddock to carry out more drastic modifications as he set about salvaging second place, knowing that the win was out of his reach this time around.

Whilst the changes did not totally cure the ongoing power problems, Jack got on with the task and put together as good a closing lap as possible over a course that mainly featured dry rock sections. Only a couple of hazards in a narrow river offered any variety as light rain at the upper most sections threatened to totally change conditions, but never actually materialised into anything significant.

Sheppard now holds a slender two point lead over Tarres with the final two rounds set for Italy and the Czech Republic during the months of July and August respectively. Still happy to be at the top of the table Jack stated. "Considering how things have gone this weekend, I am just relieved to have taken second spot and to have managed to hang on to the lead in the championship. Despite everyone's best efforts we have not managed to get the bike running right all weekend. Yesterday it felt better, but a change in temperature today just put us back to square one."

"Although the sections definitely suited the Spanish riders it has been one of the best trials of the series to date. It is just a shame that I have not been able to challenge for the win today, as that was my main aim. Now I know I must beat Tarres in the last two rounds if I want the title to be mine." Sheppard concluded.

Jack will fly back to the UK tomorrow morning, and will spend the week preparing for next weekend's British championship event in South Wales, before he then switches his focus to his home GP at Fort William, Scotland the following weekend.

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