For the young Basque rider
Jaime Busto
, last
Saturday’s X-Trial in Paris
will always be special. There, the rider of the GasGas Trial Factory Team from Torrot achieved his first victory in the World Championship, beating Adam Raga in the grand final and leaving
behind Toni Bou
and Takahisa Fujinami in the semi-finals. But the Basque is not satisfied with this first victory and confesses that his ultimate goal is to fight for the title in the future, while he faces the Trial GP World Championship that will begin on May 19 with optimism.
Question: How does it feel to get a win in the X-Trial World Championship?
Jaime Busto: “Getting the first victory in the X-Trial World Championship is very important for me and for GasGas. For my part, I had never won a race in this competition and, on the other hand, it is GasGas’ first triumph after the purchase of Torrot in 2015. I’m very happy, because we achieved it in my first year in the GasGas Trial Factory Team, with a new bike for me and with a new competition system. In short, I’m very happy because it’s been proven that we already have a good feeling with the bike.”
Q: You beat Adam Raga in the final, how did you control your nerves in those moments?
JB: “The final against
Adam Raga
was very difficult. I tackled the zones after him and he made very few mistakes. Despite that, I controlled the pressure of the moment very well. I’m very happy with the victory, but also for having been able to manage the nerves in that situation. That’s what allowed me to take advantage of Raga’s mistake in the fifth zone and get the win.”
Q: What did it mean to you to finish first in Paris?
JB: “I ended up very happy to have won in Paris. I had never raced there before and the truth is that I felt very comfortable. This first win can give us extra motivation for the rest of the year.”
Q: At just 20 years old you have already won the World Cup, how far do you want to go in the future?
JB: “The first win always tastes good, but our goal is to be able to win a World Championship. This year, with Toni’s [Bou] victory, it’s impossible in X-Trial, but we’re going to give everything to be champions, starting with the TrialGP championship that will start in May.”
Q: Have you made any changes to your work routine compared to previous seasons?
JB: “The truth is that this season, we have mainly focused on adapting to the bike. We started the season very well, but in the following races things got a bit complicated. We had been training very hard for a few weeks to get the most out of our GasGas. The week before Paris I was very mental, I looked very strong and we finally did it.”
“The remaining race in the X-Trial World Championship is very important because we are playing for third place in the general standings and right now that is our priority objective”
Q: Now that you have competed in 6 World Championship races with the GasGas, what do you think are your strengths on this bike?
JB: “With this bike I feel much more comfortable, especially with the strides. Now I can upload them more easily. I also feel great on the slick starts. Possibly those were the points where I looked weakest before. Those little details help us improve and make a difference.”
Q: And what has it been like working during this first half of the season with the GasGas Trial Factory Team?
JB: “I’m finding it very easy to work in the GasGas team, I think the professional environment is very good. We have changed our work routine and we have added the figure of a coach, Salva García, who has a lot of experience. All this, together with the group of professionals led by Marc Colomer, makes me feel more confident and stronger than ever, after overcoming the logical period of adaptation. The whole team is doing their part and we are all rowing together to achieve the objectives. Thanks to everyone we managed to make the bike a little bit better day by day and I think we are heading in the right direction.”
Q: And with your teammate Jeroni Fajardo?
JB: “Jeroni is a great rider with a lot of experience. When we’ve been training together, he’s always helped me and I’ve tried to help him. His experience can bring a lot to me, and also to the team, and I think this can be a great year for both of us.”
Q: There is one round of the X-Trial World Championship left in Budapest. How do you deal with it?
JB: “The remaining race is very important because we are playing for third place in the general classification and right now that is our priority objective. We hope to do well in Budapest and get a result that will allow us to finish third.”
Q: And in May you will start the TrialGP World Championship, how do you see it?
JB: “In two months this championship starts and I think we can do even better there. We will be more adapted to the bike and we will have more running. We’re really looking forward to doing well. It’s a totally different World Championship to X-Trial and we’ll see what we’re capable of.”
Q: What’s the biggest difference you notice between the two disciplines? And which of the two is your favorite?
JB: “There’s a lot of difference. The last X-Trial races have been very similar, with very similar sections. They are obstacles that are always dry, but they are very deceiving, because they slip. On the other hand, the Trial GP is much more random. Sometimes it rains, sometimes we run on dry ground… And that makes it different. I’ve always liked indoor more, but this year I think we can do much better outdoors.”
