Adam Raga (TRS) closes the World Championship season with a big win at the first X-Trial in Budapest
Budapest has made its debut as the stage of the X-Trial World Championship with the victory of Adam Raga in a race that has been decided in the last section.
The TRS rider once again had Jaime Busto (Gas-Gas) as his opponent in the grand final, as he did in Paris, after having already been the best in the first and second rounds. But on this occasion, the balance has tipped in favor of a very effective Raga who has not been able to breathe easy until the last zone as both he and Busto, have reached it tied with a single penalty point and the Hungarian spectators, who witnessed a round of the X-Trial World Championship for the first time, vibrating in the stands. On this occasion, it was Raga who took the lead because Busto took a five while he was penalised only two points.
Third place went to an effective Benoit Bincaz (Scorpa) who once again showed why he is the best rookie of the year and has been improving in effectiveness as the race progressed to make a second round of a high level with seven penalty points less than his closest rival in the fight for the podium. Beta’s Brit James Dabill.
Miquel Gelabert (Sherco) and Takahisha Fujinami (Repsol Honda Team) completed the Top 6 after finishing third and fourth respectively in the first round.
Those eliminated in the first round of the first world championship race held in Hungary were the debutants Petrella (TRS) and Marcellí (Montesa) and the Frenchman Ferrer (Sherco).
Despite being the first time that the speciality visited Budapest, almost 4,000 spectators filled the stands of the SportArena in the Hungarian capital.
Adam Raga (1st):
“It was a great victory and the best way to close the championship. I dominated the first two rounds and also the final, although this one was not decided until the last section as Jaime Busto made it very difficult for me. This result confirms the great final stretch of the Championship that I have done and shows that the recovery from my arm injury has been on a very good track.”
Jaime Busto (2nd):
“This second place after having played the second final in a row after winning in Paris is a great result. I wanted to take risks in the last section to get the win, but it didn’t work out. Today I went from less to more, as in the first round I didn’t ride quite well.”
Benoit Bincaz (3rd):
“To return to the podium in my rookie season is a great result. I think I rode at a very good level today, especially in the second round, where I secured the podium. The fourth place in the Championship with two podiums accumulated in my first season in the World Championship of this speciality is more than satisfying.”
The official X-Trial season will close on April 6 with the X-Trial of Nations at the Palais Nikaia in Nice.
