Toni Bou regains the first position in the X-Trial World Championship after a narrow victory over Adam Raga in Bilbao.
The Bilbao Exhibition Center hosted the first visit of an X-Trial to Jaime Busto’s hometown. A race that, in addition, coincides with the halfway point of the championship, where equality remains as a common denominator between the two great favourites: Bou and Raga.
After Raga’s victory in Barcelona, Bou needed to rediscover himself with the top step to take the reins of the championship. In addition to the great competition and level of the riders, we must add the requirement of the regulations, which do not allow any failure to the top favorites.
In the first round, where the first three riders were discarded, Haga, Petrella and Marcelli were left out. For Haga it was his debut in an X-Trial, while for Marcelli it was his first contact this season. Both gave a very meritorious performance.
This first round was led by Adam Raga with a one-point advantage over Toni Bou, followed by Busto, Fajardo, Bincaz and Gelabert.
In the second qualifying group, where Raga faced Bincaz and Fajardo, and Bou faced Busto and Gelabert, the two favourite riders set their records, presenting cards with six points.
The two met again in the grand final for the third time in a row. They started with two “ones” in the first zone, while Raga left himself a fiasco in the second zone, a fact that Bou took advantage of to manage a small initial advantage. In the fourth zone, Bou was again more effective, with a point to his credit, to Raga’s three. However, the rider from Montesa left himself a fiasco in the fifth after lingering too long in an inning that should not present complications. In the overall calculation, Bou was two points ahead of Raga before entering the last zone. The TRS rider overcame it cleanly and his chances of victory were in the hands of Toni Bou, who dispelled all doubts by completing the zone also without penalty.
It was the second victory of the season for Toni Bou, who is five points ahead of Raga in the overall standings. They were joined on the podium by a spectacular Benoit Bincaz, who beat local Busto in the fight for third place. Fajardo was fifth and Gelabert sixth.
DECLARATIONS
Toni Bou (1st)
“This is a very important victory and it was very tough, both in the first round, in the second round and in the final where Adam again drove well. After the crash in Barcelona I wasn’t able to train as much as I wanted to and this situation makes this victory even more special. In addition, it brings me back to first place in the standings of a championship that, as we have been saying from the beginning, is proving to be tough and very even.”
Adam Raga (2nd)
“I’m satisfied with this second place and, above all, with my overall performance here as I was the best in the first round, I penalised the same points as Toni in the second round and the final was decided in the last area of the race. I’m riding at a high level and what happened here proves it. The public has behaved exceptionally well on this first visit to Bilbao”.
Benoit Bincaz (3rd)
“Today I felt really good from the start and I rode at a high level. It’s my first podium of the season and now the goal is to repeat it in the next rounds. The bike has worked perfectly and I already feel very comfortable with it. I’m really happy with my performance in this event and the upward trajectory I’m on.”
Jaime Busto (4th)
“The truth is that I’m not too satisfied with today’s result, because I felt very good during the first lap, with a lot of desire and confidence with my GasGas. I finished third and in the next round I was in the second group, with an opponent as strong as Toni [Bou]. I finished close to him, but we couldn’t qualify for the grand final. In the fight for third and fourth place, Bincaz did better. We’ll keep training to improve next week in Granada.”
Jeroni Fajardo (5th)
“In the first round I managed qualifying quite well, with a clean lap, without too many mistakes. I qualified fourth, which paired me in the second round with Raga and Bincaz in the first group. However, this time we couldn’t get to the semi-final, as in the first section I made a three and then, in the others, I couldn’t come back from the race. Despite this, we have to turn the page and prepare with enthusiasm for the next test in Granada.”
X-TRIAL BILBAO CLASSIFICATION
