The TrialGP held in Motegi saw Vertigo come away with more points in the Manufacturers’ Championship. Grattarola, fifth in TrialGP, and Spreafico, seventh in Trial2, both produced positive results for the brand in the green livery.
The third double-header of the TrialGP World Championship calendar took place at the Japanese circuit in Motegi after an absence of three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a hitch-free journey, the team set about preparing for the event with the help of local importer Mitani. Friday proved a productive day with an upbeat training session. However, the rain refused to ease from five in the afternoon until almost midnight, leaving the terrain muddy, meaning that Saturday would be a slippery ride through the sections which had barely been modified since the section inspection.
On Saturday, the opening day of the trial, the field looked very evenly matched on the terrain, where getting through the sections would be a challenge for most of the riders. Matteo Grattarola, nevertheless, went from strength to strength and was able to post fifth, a satisfactory performance for the Italian rider. However, Gratta had a tougher time on Sunday, making a few too many mistakes and dropping a place to sixth. The Vertigo factory rider in the top category now lies just one point shy of fifth place in the general championship standings.
Trial2: Spreafico, double top ten
In Trial2 the best Vertigo rider was Italian Mattia Spreafico, who coped well with Pau Martinez’s absence due to injury, taking the Vertigo Nitro into the top ten both days: 7th and 9th. Belgian Emile Mattheeuws struggled with the muddy sections of the Motegi circuit, finishing 22nd and 19th. Local rider Daito Fukudome finished 30th on day one of the trial and was forced to withdraw on the second day when he crashed heavily in section 2.
The next round of the TrialGP World Championship will be held in San Marino from 9 to 11 June. The Baldasserona Crossdromo will once again host the top competition after a 22-year absence from the tiny location in the centre of the Italian peninsula.
MATTEO GRATTAROLA, Vertigo Factory rider: “The Japanese Trial is always a very demanding one because the weather conditions usually complicate the event and make it very difficult. That’s how it was on Saturday, we had a hard time because in the sections it was difficult to keep our balance, but we ended up getting a good result. On Sunday it became a more accessible trial for everyone. I didn’t start very well, but then I was able to get back into the competition a bit, although I ended up with a few more fiascos. I think the feeling aboard the Vertigo Nitro RSR is getting better and better and soon we will climb further up the table. Now I’m sixth overall, but I want more.”
Photos: Pep Segales/Vertigo
