It couldn’t be more equal. Toni Bou and Adam Raga have scored the same points in the final round, including in the tiebreaker zone, finally being decided by the result of the second round in favor of Toni Bou.
Toni Bou (Repsol Honda) took his 65th victory in the FIM X-Trial World Championship in Budapest, winning the most evenly matched and competitive final in history, which was decided by the records achieved in the second round, as Bou and Adam Raga (TRRS) tied on 15 points after covering the six sections, in a clear demonstration of the equality and the very high level of riding of both.
TIE TO TIEBREAKER
The tie-off zone ended with a five for each of them and, in the end, the best record in the second round (10 points for Bou to 13 for Raga) decided the victory of the World Champion who accumulated his third victory of the season.
GABRIEL MARCELLI, THE SURPRISE OF THE BUDAPEST XTRIAL
The young rider from Montesa Gabriel Marcelli, who this season is part of the group of the five Permanent Riders of the Championship, has achieved the first podium of his sporting career beating Jeroni Fajardo (Sherco) after having achieved the fifth best time in the first round and being ahead of Jaime Busto (Vertigo) in Toni Bou’s group in the Second Round.
THE RETURN OF JORGE CASALES
On the other hand, Jorge Casales (Gas Gas) who returned to the Championship after having competed in the X-Trial of La Réunion has been left out of the fight for the third time since in the Second Round he has penalized the same points as Fajardo but has invested more time in his course.
The riders who were eliminated in the First Round were Miquel Gelabert (Vertigo) and Benoit Bincaz (Beta). Both have failed to qualify by a slim margin of three points.
Toni Bou (1st):
“It was a very close victory in a very, very demanding race. In the first two rounds I felt very good and I was the best riding very effectively. The final was something else because I made some mistakes that I could have avoided and the situation became complicated until I had to break the tie for the score of the Second Round. Adam rode very well and we have to congratulate him. Winning in this situation when you feel like you could have done better is the best reward.”
Adam Raga (2nd):
“I’m very happy because I rode at a high level and I kept my chances of winning until the last moment. I was a bit fair from a physical point of view at the end and in the sixth zone I gave a penalty that took us to the tiebreak. In any case, I am really satisfied with my performance in a very demanding race and this charges my batteries to continue at the same level in Barcelona.”
Gabriel Marcelli (3rd):
“Right now I’m floating. To have achieved my first podium in the X-Trial World Championship is extraordinary. The test was very hard and very demanding. I’m very satisfied and happy because this result helps me to consolidate myself among the best.”
The fourth round of the FIM X-Trial World Championship will take place at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona on February 2nd.
X-TRIAL BUDAPEST 2020 VIDEOS
