The participation of many of the leading riders in round seven of the 2015 FIM Trial World Championship was in doubt right up until late yesterday afternoon after their bikes got heavily delayed in customs en route to the US Trial GP at Stepping Stone Ranch.
Series leader Toni Bou – Repsol Honda, his team-mates Takahisa Fujinami and Jaime Busto, along with Adam Raga – Gas Gas, Sherco riders Albert Cabestany and Alexandre Ferrer, James Dabill – Vertigo and Eddie Karlsson – Montesa were all without their factory machinery right up until 5pm local time yesterday when the truck carrying the precious cargo finally rolled into the paddock.
Transported from Europe en mass, the shipment of bikes for the foremost World Pro protagonists was originally meant to arrive on Wednesday afternoon, but they were extensively delayed as they passed through New York airport before making the last part of their long journey overland to the event in Rhode Island.
Due to the late arrival of the factory bikes, FIM Race Direction modified the event schedule to allow the riders to partake in official practice late yesterday afternoon in order to their make final preparations for today’s competition that marks the opening day of the US Trial GP.