2011 World Indoor Championships. First test.
An in-form Toni Bou (Montesa) began the defence of the indoor world title with a solid victory at the Palasport Fiera di Genoa. Cabestany (Sherco) finished splendidly behind him, while Raga (Gas Gas) had to settle for third place in the 2011 SPEA FIM X opener. All three drivers finished on a tight margin of just five points.
The SPEA FIM X Trial World Championship joined the FIM Indoor Enduro World Championship, where trial rider Alfredo Gomez took a superb sixth place. As far as the Trial was concerned, Bou dominated consistently from the start, closely followed by Cabestany, Raga and Fujinami. Rookie Jack Challoner (Beta), 19, was the first driver to fall out of qualifying. He was eliminated along with a resurgent Michael Brown (Sherco) and Francesco Iolitta (Beta).
James Dabill (Gas Gas) was unable to repeat last year’s good performance in Sheffield. The British star managed to overcome his compatriot Michael Brown by the minimum difference. In fifth place, although with worse luck, was the Japanese Fujinami (Montesa), who suffered a heavy fall while competing in the race in parallel.
This left Bou, Cabestany, Raga and Jeroni Fajardo focused on the fight for the first victory of the year in the Genoese final of the SPEA FIM X Trial. Fajardo did not finish a good performance and was quickly unseated by his rivals in the fight for the places of honor.
Bou continued to maintain the good pace of the semi-final and victory was within his grasp; I just needed to stay focused and not make big mistakes. Cabestany, on the other hand, did not take a penalty in any of the last three sections and overtook Raga, who after making a significant mistake in the last section of the course was relegated to the third step of the podium.
Bou now remains the provisional leader of the 2011 SPEA FIM X Trial and will be looking to round off the intense indoor season with his fifth consecutive crown. However, Cabestany and Raga follow closely behind him to complicate such a feat.
The championship will resume next January in the French city of Marseille. There we will be able to see live the only change of bike that will take place among the official riders this year: that of Fajardo going from Beta to Ossa. At the moment the performance of the bike proposed by the legendary brand is unknown, so the French event will have a double incentive for all fans.
Toni Bou: “I’m very satisfied because I couldn’t have started the championship and the defence of the title in a better way. It has been a very difficult trial in which there has been tension, but the final result has been an excellent relief for me. The five-point advantage with which I finished the semi-final was very valuable; I reached the last zone of the final with one less but still with enough margin to allow me to secure a complicated step and not take risks that could have compromised the victory and the leadership of the World Championship”.
Adam Raga: “Looking at the final result you could say that it could go better; Also, it’s true that I failed a little more than I would have liked, but it’s actually a good result to start the World Cup. I don’t think I did badly at all and just look at the fact that I wasn’t third by just two points and that I didn’t end up winning by five. Considering that I was about to get through zone 1, where everyone had a fiasco, and that I also came close to passing zone 2, another one that no one could do either, it’s obvious that we’re competitive. I’m convinced that things are on the right track and starting the indoor world championship on the podium is good. We’re working in the right direction and now it’s time to focus on having a good pre-season, in which we’ll be in some indoors in France, before returning to the World Championships in January.”
* Last minute from Sheffield
In this race held on Saturday, January 8, non-scoring for the Indoor World Championship, Bou has won with a record of only 2 points, followed by Raga with 15 and Fujinami with 21. Out of the places of honour were Dabill (29 pts), Brown (30 pts) and Challoner (37 pts).
One of the great expectations of this race was to see Dougie Lampkin making his debut with Gas Gas. In the end , luck was not on his side and mechanical problems at inopportune times kept him out of the qualifying round. In this news you can see what his statements have been after the race.
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