Impressive performance by Toni Bou in Sheffield, adding his 27th consecutive victory The 2015 X-Trial World Championship season kicked off in Sheffield (UK) with a solid victory for Toni Bou, the undisputed favourite and defending champion since 2008.
With this victory, the rider from Piera keeps alive the historical record of 27 consecutive indoor victories , as he remains undefeated since January 2010.
The Sheffield Indoor Trial arrived with important absences, such as that of Takahisa Fujinami who is recovering from a knee injury, and the great expectation for the debut of a new brand of trial bikes: Vertigo. The Combat – that’s the name of the new model – was presented in two versions during the last Milan Motor Show and just a month ago the arrival of British champion James Dabill to the ranks of Vertigo was officially announced.
Dabill, accompanied at all times by the father of his development, Lampkin, starred in a worthy performance and the sensations in this first public appearance were satisfactory for all, finally qualifying in sixth position with 20 points behind the Frenchman Alex Ferrer (18 points).
The four riders who would play for the victory in the final round were Toni Bou, Adam Raga, Albert Cabestany and Jeroni Fajardo. Bou stood out from the first zone and his only mistake was to score a time penalty point, while his three rivals were very evenly matched.
Fajardo, strong in parallel races, was only one point away from entering the fight for the playoff that would decide the second classified between Raga and Cabestany, finally being for the latter.
The next race will be on January 31 in Marseille (France).
STATEMENTS FROM THE PILOTS
Toni Bou: “I’m very happy with how I’ve started this year. I was a bit nervous and I wanted to go out aggressive. I think I’ve done very well. During the last months of the year we have worked a lot and I am very satisfied with the work done and how I was able to go today, riding strong”
Adam Raga: “This first round went quite well for us even though third place may not be a true reflection of how the race in Sheffield went. I looked good, both in the qualifiers and in the final, but I made a small mistake at the start of the fourth zone and I added a five that cost me second place. Anyway, considering that last year we finished fifth here and the year before seventh, I think the result is very positive for us. The championship has only just started and we have to keep working.”
GLOBAL INDOOR TRIAL CLASSIFICATION SHEFFIELD 2015
Photos: FIM / Good Shoot
