DOUGIE Lampkin suffered a major setback in his bid to regain the world indoor trials crown when he slumped to a disappointing fifth in Barcelona.

The Sandiford of Burnley rider had hoped to close the gap on his rival Adam Raga with a victory on the Spaniard's home soil.

But in reality he failed to qualify and could only sit and watch from the sidelines as Raga turned in a faultless performance.

Lampkin, the reigning outdoor champion, experienced a nightmare start clocking up three five-mark penalties in the first four sections.

Another two maximums left the Montesa man with too much ground to make up in order to qualify for the three-man final.

The result left the pair ten points apart in the championship table.

"I was confident that I could improve my position in the championship, but I've ended up making it worse," said Lampkin afterwards.

"I didn't ride well and Raga did, and now his advantage in the overall standings is starting to be a big one. There's still a long way to go and lot of points at stake, but one thing is clear -- it won't be easy for me to get the title back."

Second place in round six went to Marc Friexa -- his first of 2004 -- while Japanese rider Takahisa Fujinami maintained his consistent form with another place on the podium.

Provisional standings: 1: Adam Raga (Gas Gas) 54pts; 2:Dougie Lampkin (HRC-Montesa) 44; 3: Takahisa Fujinami (HRC-Montesa) 38