The small town of Kramolin located one hundred and twenty Kilometres South of the capital city of Prague and close to the Austrian / Czech Republic border holds the responsibility for deciding the final order in the 2010 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship.
Only one position is clear at the moment, with Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa having already been declared champion at the penultimate Grand Prix in Italy.
Free of any real pressure Bou will be at his most dangerous for the final round of the 2010 series and just could play his part in deciding the rankings that fall behind him. Unlike other forms of motorsport, team orders are almost impossible in Trial, so Bou's team mate Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa will have to rely on his own performance if he is to snatch the vice champion's position away from Adam Raga - Gas Gas.
Victories on the second day of the Grand Prix held in Portugal and Great Britain have put Fujinami in with a chance of securing his best finish in the championship since back in 2006. Raga's sole win of the season came on the closing day in Japan, and despite his sixth place at the French GP the double FIM Trial World Champion has kept himself in contention for a top two finish thanks to his consistency throughout the rest of the year. A mere two points separates these two protagonists after a season long battle.
A similar margin, this time three points, is the gap between Albert Cabestany - Sherco and Jeroni Fajardo - Beta who are currently fighting it out for fourth spot in the general standings. Fajardo has enjoyed the stronger run of form over the last three counting days following his disasterous showing at the British round. Seventh in Italy was Cabestany's equal worst result of his campaign, Albert's other black moment coming on day two of the Japanese GP during yet another season when he has failed to realise his true potential.
In the Junior class only eleven points currently splits the top three riders when their best nine results are taken into consideration, the same number of counting days will decide the eventual champion. Britain's Jack Challoner - Beta has ridden his way back to the top of the points table after back to back victories in San Marino and Italy. Spain's Alfredo Gomez - Montesa will need to regain the form that has already netted him two wins this season, if he is to defeat Challoner and to keep Alexandre Ferrer - Sherco at bay.
With Pol Tarres - Gas Gas having wrapped up the Youth title with room to spare, it is now down to Jack Sheppard - Beta and Carles Traviesa - Gas Gas to scrap it out for second place in this class. Sheppard holds the upper hand as they head to the Czech Republic, but will not under estimate his young Spanish rival with Traviesa having beaten him on a number of previous occasions throughout the year.
All in all round eight of the 2010 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship is shaping up to be an interesting and exciting finale to a six month campaign that started at the Spanish GP back in April. Since then the riders have visited no less than seven different countries, including the long trip to Japan, before heading to Kramolin this weekend to complete the eleventh and final counting day of the series.
