the third time in its history, the Trial of Nations, the FIM national team event that since 1984 has put an end to the international outdoor season, has visited Andorra. A regular setting in recent years of the Natural Trial World Championship, and this year even of the Spanish Championship (CET), the Country of the Pyrenees had already hosted the great event of the speciality before.
To be exact, in 1994 and 2008. Well, as was the case in the two previous visits, the victory has been taken by Spain.
Toni Bou (Montesa-Honda), Adam Raga (Gas Gas), Albert Cabestany (Sherco) and Jeroni Fajardo (Beta), who have joined forces in the national team since 2006, have barely found opposition to string together their ninth victory in this race; the eleventh for our country since 2004, when Raga, Fajardo, Cabestany and Marc Freixa started such an impressive streak in Cordoba. Their final score is 11 points.
Great Britain, with 93, and France, with 104, have joined them in the next two places on the podium; thus repeating the box seen last season on French soil.
With this new victory, Spain now has a total of 21 in the 30 editions of the Trial of Nations held to date.
This was the second Spanish victory in its history with fewer penalties accumulated after the one obtained in 2007 on English soil. In Douglas, seven years ago, Spain only scored a total of 7 points. It was also the third most comfortable win for the men’s national team in the three decades of this competition. Only in 2011 and 2013, again with the British as runners-up, did Spain win by a larger margin; by 98 and 89 points, respectively.
The next edition of the Trial of Nations will be held in Spain.
Specifically, in Vandellós-Hospitalet de l’Infant (Tarragona), and the event will serve
to pay tribute to MC Tarragona, the club that has been organising the longest-running event in our country for more than half a century: the Tarragona Trial. By the way, it will be the third time that our country hosts the ToN after Seva (2000) and Cordoba (2004).
RFME / Photos: JC Vázquez
