Toni Bou won his fifth consecutive Trial World Championship title in France, his tenth in addition to the five he also has won in the Indoor specialty. The Repsol Montesa Honda Team rider has been crowned absolute King of the speciality for the fifth consecutive year by winning the last round of the calendar, closing in the best possible way a championship that has had to fight until the last section.
You always say that winning a World Championship is more difficult than it may seem from the outside, and this year it wasn’t decided until the last race. What has it been like for you?
“It’s clear that it’s always difficult to win a World Cup, the other times it was very difficult for me. A World Championship is always a World Championship, a competition in which the best riders are, and this year has been very difficult, as evidenced by the fact that it was not decided until the last race. But doing races like today’s, in which I rode very well on terrain that is normally very difficult for me, is a great joy. The harder it is to win, the better victory tastes.”
You started very strong, with 5 wins in 6 races. But in the second half of the championship, Adam Raga made things very difficult for you and took the excitement to the end. How have these races been?
“The victories have had a lot to do with the type of race. It is very important if we find easy areas where a mistake can be decisive, or races that have been more difficult or with very slippery terrain, where there are more places to make a difference. Whenever I started at the front it was very difficult for me to win, or when it wasn’t like that, like yesterday, I ran into problems such as rain, which Adam [Raga], starting in front, didn’t have. Thereare many factors that have increased the difficulty of winning this championship , but today we have found a very difficult race, we have both gone together, and it has been a very important victory”.
The regulations have been more demanding for race winners and have been more exciting for the competition. What do you think about it?
“Maybe it’s been more exciting, but I think for the audience the show is much uglier. Fans just want to see the best at the end, because then they can see all the drivers and follow the competition. But if we pass Fujinami, Raga, Cabestany, Fajardo and I, people already leave. On the other hand, all those who come behind, which is also important for the fans to see, find the areas almost empty. On the other hand, if they are waiting for all the pilots in the area, they can see everyone. I think it’s nicer for everyone with the old rules.”
Looking at Adam Raga’s level, has it ever happened to you that the title could have escaped you?
“It’s clear that Adam was very strong, he drove well and made things very difficult , but in the end I won the World Championship with a 13-point advantage, which is a lot. He’s been more consistent than other years, he’s always been at the front and he’s always very dangerous. It made things very difficult for us, because in the end, when you win you only score three points more than the second, but we finished with a 13-point advantage. I think it’s been a very positive championship.”
It is often said that the low level required in the tests is not enough. What do you think of the level demanded this season?
“The level of racing has usually not been too high. This year there has only been one very, very difficult race, which was in Andorra. The one in Japan was too, but because of the rain, which always makes the sections more difficult. On the other hand, races that are really marked to be difficult, there are very few.”
As for the bikes, how do you see the evolution of your bike and those of the competition?
“For a few years now, the evolution of the bike has been more at a standstill, because it continues to work very well. It’s true that we have to start working and evolve quite quickly, because the opponents are gradually improving, working, and always putting on the most difficult level. The intention is to work and move forward with the same desire.”
10 trial world championships, 5 indoor and 5 outdoor. The 7 outdoors of Lampkin and Tarrés are not so far away: can you now say that you are going for them?
“Well, I think there’s still a long way to go. We’re closer than ever, that’s true, and we’re very happy with how everything is going. The goal is clear that it will be to win as many World Cups as possible, if there are six, seven or eight, we will see. We’ll try to keep at the same level to get as many as possible, but I don’t set any goals. I’m still working the same way, because I don’t think the way to work is to go for the seven titles. The way to work is to keep evolving, try to be better and win as many races as possible.”
Where do you think trial is evolving?
“I think trial has to make a change, it has to try to work to bring it closer to the public. The fans, when they come to see a trial, especially the indoor one, enjoy the show a lot, so what we have to do is bring it closer to the people, look for formulas so that they enjoy the trial and continue working in this sense, because I think that It’s a very nice sport and you could get a lot more out of it“.
And now, what will Toni Bou do? What immediate plans do you have between now and the end of the year?
“Vacation! It’s clear that it’s also something that’s very important, because we’ve done a very good job and longer than normal, since we haven’t been able to rest in August. We knew that we would play for the World Cup these two months, August and September, and we have done a special job. The important thing is that we have won the title and now we have to enjoy it, as there are no more races.”
Click here to see the chronicle of the achievement of the title
Click here to see Toni Bou’s biography
Text: Repsol
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