Dougie Lampkin scored an important and morale-boosting victory over his indoor championship rivals, when hepulled off a comfortable win in France last weekend.

Lampkin, who had failed to qualify for the final in Germany last weekend, bounced back with a great performance that saw him dominate both laps of the non-championship event at Toulouse. His return to the top of the podium bodes well for the next round of the World indoor series at Marseille tomorrow (Saturday).

"I managed to put the disappointment of Koblenz out of my head, we drove back non-stop through the night from Germany, so by the time I got back to the UK the only thing I was thinking about was the week ahead. I made mistakes last weekend, so I practiced even harder this week and the hard work has paid off.

"Although there were only a limited number of sections in Tolouse, they suited my style of riding. To win by four marks ahead of Adam Raga was a great win and has certainly boosted my confidence going into the next event.

"If I can produce a similar performance I won't be be far away. It's important to close the gap on Raga before we go to Barcelona, as he is going to have massive home support in Spain."

The colourful trial in Toulouse took place in front of a packed house, with 5,000 French fans crowding into the local sports arena. Five observed sections made mainly of natural materials plus one twin lane race were set in a landscape of sand and pyramids, the Egyptian theme offering a unique backdrop for the World's best trials riders.

Dougie dropped two marks on a section of massive logs, one at the water hazard and two more on a difficult race up the steps to the top of the main pyramid. His total of five penalties put him clear and during the second lap Lampkin dropped just two penalty points to secure victory.