The Spanish squad, formed by Toni Bou and Jaime Busto, have won the 2019 edition of the X-Trial of Nations, held in Vendée, France, ahead of the French and British teams.
Toni Bou (Repsol Montesa Honda) y Jaime Bust (Gas Gas), who also set a record in terms of the final points gap to the second-placed rider, cemented their triumph in the first two rounds that they completed without any penalty, while the French drivers Benoit Bincaz (Beta) y Alex Ferrer (Sherco) They had already accumulated 12 penalty points in their first two passes through the zones. The French formation has had the handicap of the fall that Bincaz has starred in the warm-up prior to the dispute of the test in which a fall has caused a strong contusion in his wrist and right leg. Despite this, the rider from Beta has had a good performance and Ferrer has seconded him by also riding at a high level against his compatriots.
Young Britons Jack Price (Gas Gas) y Toby Martyn (Beta) they have also played at a high level since, in fact, they have been only one point behind France after the first two rounds and this has been the difference that has prevented them from reaching the final to fight against Spain. Martyn, who was making his debut on the world X-Trial scene, and Price, who is also a young talent from the British academy, put in a very solid performance to repeat the third place achieved last year in Nice.
The Italian team formed by Luca Petrella (Beta ) and Matteo Grattarola (Montesa) has qualified fourth despite the fact that in the first round they have managed to penalize one point less than the British, but in the second, they have conceded 4 points more than their rivals and have lost all chances.
On the other hand, Norway, who returned to the competition after years of absence with the youngster Sondre Haga (TRRS) and the veteran Hakon Pedersen (Gas Gas) He has covered a promising first round, but in the second pass through the zones he has given up too many points and this circumstance has relegated the Nordics to fifth place.
Toni Bou:
“It was an extraordinary win because we had two extraordinary first rounds and in the final, which was more demanding, we withstood the pressure of competing against France well as we also had a significant points advantage. Jaime has ridden at a high level and I think we did a good job as a team.”
Jaime Busto:
“Competing alongside Toni is always exceptional and possibly makes you feel less pressure. I think we rode at a high level from the first section and we didn’t leave anything to chance. The atmosphere and the crowd have been extraordinary and, although they have gone all out with their riders, they have also recognised and rewarded our great performance”.
Benoit Bincaz:
“Today was a difficult day for me because I crashed in the warm-up and hit my right hand and leg hard. I gave it my all and we achieved a second position, which is also very important in front of the fans who have given their all to us. Alex also rode at a high level today.”
Alex Ferrer:
“We are satisfied with this second place because Benoit has not been able to be one hundred percent. We gave everything to be in the final and the fans helped us with their encouragement. We’ve had a good performance, both Benoit and I and this second place at home is a good reward.”
Jack Price:
“We’re really happy because both Toby and I are very young and yet we were on the verge of going through to the final. Maintaining the third place that Great Britain occupied last season was already a good goal and we have achieved it. Toby has been great in his debut in the competition.”
Toby Martyn:
“Everything was new to me tonight and I think my performance was good. The truth is that I have enjoyed it a lot and I really want to continue on the world stage of this discipline. Both Jack and I have done a great job to maintain third place in the rankings of nations.”
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