Dougie Lampkin was cruelly robbed of his eighth successive victory at the Sheffield indoor trial, when his machine misfiered just yards from the finishing line.

Lampkin had eight thousand home fans on the edges of their seats as he drew level with Cabestany going into the last duel, after trailing the young Spanish rider for most of the final.

Showing great determination Dougie saw his opportunity as Cabestany dropped a point on the high jump. He beat him on the first of the dual lane race-off sections and set up the thrilling final lap.

Lampkin was leading by over a bike's length as the pair raced back towards the final obstacle. Dougie was left helpless as his Montesa missed a beat forcing him to ride over the pipes rather than jump the final obstacle.

Despite struggling to the finish line, Lampkin could do nothing as Cabestany made the jump.

The decision was close and uncertain as officials decided whose tyre had crossed the line first, but Lampkin feared his seven year reign had come to an end. The official result gave Gabestany victory to the disbelief of the capacity audience.

"I was totally gutted, there are no other words to explain it - it was a nightmare.

"It was a cruel way to loose, I thought I had done enough to win. When the bike died, I was just hoping it would pick up again, but it was too late and the damage had been done.

"If there is a consolation I was happy with the way I rode. Cabestany rode brilliantly and I matched him."

Having led Cabestany by just two marks after the heats, Lampkin knew the Beta rider would be his main rival.

He cleaning eight of the nine sections in the qualifying round and was angry with himself as he slipped off a log section to record a maximum. The single mistake prevented him completing the whole course clean.

A pair of runners-up positions in the opening two rounds of the championship sees Dougie just one point behind Raga, who was third at Sheffield, in the overall standings and five clear of Cabestany.

The series moves to Germany on Saturday, when Dougie is determined to record his first victory of the New Year.

Championship to date: 1: Raga 35, 2: Lampkin 34, 3: Cabestany 30, 4: Fujinami 26, 5: Freixa 24, 6: Jarvis 22.