Marc Freixa it's the 2001 Indoor World Championship runner-up  
   
 
  
  

Marc Freixa, the Team Otyan-Sherco rider, has finished in the second place in the Indoor Trial World Championship in his first participation in this series, after a thrilling battle with Marc Colomer for the second step of the podium in the overall rankings.

Freixa started his first Indoor World Championship, the former World Cup, with two second places in a row, setting Doug Lampkin under pressure. Moreover, in the Italian event Freixa beat the British rider on the first of the two days. However, he was second again on the second day, which was the only valid one for the World Championship.

 
 
 
 
  
 

Halfway in the Championship, Freixa was steadily in the second place of the rankings, with clear options to challenge the number one man. But he missed the final in the next three events, so he was passed by Marc Colomer in the overall classification. But he didn't settle for the third place, and collected one silver and two bronze medals in Paris, Bolzano and Bremen respectively, taking Colomer's place away with only one event to go and recovering the privileged position he had held during the first half of the series.

Finally, in the Trial Indoor de Madrid, the last event of the series, Freixa did not fail. He finished third, right behind Lampkin and Albert Cabestany, which was much more than enough to secure the second place in his first participation in the Indoor World Championship.

  
   
  
   
 
   
 The World Championship starts in Spain 
   
 

The 2001 World Championship will start in Sant Joan de les Abadesses (Girona, Spain), after security reasons connected with the cattle diseases which affect the United Kingdom forced the British event to be cancelled. The 2001 Championship will consist on 9 valid events plus the Trial des Nations. Sant Joan de les Abadesses is one oif the places with the highest trial tradition in Spain. This year will be the 30th anniversary of the 3 Days of Santigosa, which has seen the best riders in the history of world trial in its entry lists. In an exceptional setting, Sant Joan is preparing to host a week wholly dedicated to trial, starting with the 3 Days on 13, 14 and 15 April and ending with the opening event of the World Championship on 21 and 22 April.

 
   
 

Calendar of the 2001 Trial World Championship

 
21 and 22 April XXXIII Trial de Sant Llorenç Spain
28 and 29 de April Paços de Ferreira Portugal
19 and 20 May Mons Belgium
2 and 3 June Twin Ring Motegi Japan
9 and 10 June Goldendale, Washington USA
30 and 1 July Foppolo Italy
7 and 8 July Troisfontaines France
14 and 15 July Sant Julià de Lòria Andorra
1 and 2 September Nepomuk Czech Republic
     

Trial des Nations

23 September La Bresse France
 
 
   
The Team OTYAN from the inside
 

The Team Otyan, only two years old now, is progressively becoming a reference of its own in the world of trial. After their great debut last year, the Italian team are tackling 2001 with the only aim to be the best. With that in mind, Yann Buggatti, a former enduro rider and businessman who created the team and is now its maximum responsible person, has decided to go as professional as possible, giving it a spectacular competitive structure.

The staff is formed by 10 people including drivers, cooks, riders, assistants, technicians and the sports director. The works riders of the Team Otyan are two of the best riders in today's world trial: Marc Freixa and Marcel Justribó, who finished 4th and 8h respectively in the 2000 outdoors World Championship. Marcel Justribó already counts on some experience with the team, as he was in charge of starting the team's launch together with Diego Bosis in the trial's world.

 

Marc Freixa is Bosis's replacement. This young Spanish rider is one of the rising stars of this sport and already counts on a World Championship win, as well as this year's second place in the Indoor Trial World Championship. Both riders will enter the Trial World Championship, but apart from that Freixa will participate in the Spanish Championship, while Justribó will take part in the Italian one. However, he will also enter some Spanish events when the two calendars allow him to, so as to extend his training.

But the Team Otyan is already starting to prepare for the future. With an Italian rider in mind for the near future, they have created a small "satellite" promotion team to enter the Italian children's championship.

 

The logistics headquarters is an impressive 17-metre-long motor home trailer, the first of its size and characteristics ever used in the trial world. It is fully equipped with the latest technology so as to provide the best technical assistance available, without leaving comfort aside, because this huge vehicle contains a workshop, an office and a home. Mr Paolo is the ëhousekeeper', and he is at the same time the driver, the cook, and the person in charge of keeping the Team Otyan flagship in perfect shape. The logistics is completed with 2 space wagons which are perfect for quick and effective assistance in case of need, as well as for short journeys.

 

Al this sports network is supervised and co-ordinated by Xavier Vilalta, David Cobos's former sports manager and coach and manager of the Spanish national team, who acts as the sports director and monitors the riders diets in person.

For 2001, the Team Otyan has chosen the new Sherco bikes to replace the Montesa-Honda of the first year. With this move, the Italian team enjoys preferential treatment regarding parts and resources, apart from benefiting from the experience and professionalism of the Catalan manufacturer.

 
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