Toni Bou takes his 50th victory in indoor trials
Their lead at the top of the provisional standings is 10 points with 2 races remaining
New final with a full house of Spanish riders
Step forward for James Dabill in his second race with Gas Gas
The Arena Nova in Wiener Neustadt (Austria) has been the scene of the second scoring event for the current edition of an
X-Trial World Championship
that is held in just four races. The main protagonist was
Toni Bou
, who took his second consecutive victory of the season and his fiftieth in an X-Trial. An impressive feat. He was joined on the podium by
Adam Raga
and
Albert Cabestany
after a very tight final.
Again, the qualifying round was of great importance. Any failure could take the favourites out of contention, not only from the race, but from the championship. For this reason, the concentration was maximum and none of the four riders who already competed in the final round in Barcelona missed. The most outstanding, again, are Bou with five points and Raga with seven.
Left out in this first round were Dabill, with better feelings about his new Gas Gas, Fujinami, Kadlec and wild-card Loris Gubian.
FINAL ROUND
The final awaited with six high-difficulty sections. Some of them were already known by the riders that it was almost impossible to pass them, so it was important to ensure a good result in the most feasible ones. Bou was the only rider able to get through the first section. That’s where the advantage began.
Zone two was impassable for everyone. The third was the easiest of the route. Bou was unforgiving and signed a zero, one point from Raga and two from Cabestany. From here he would only come down from the “fiasco” Toni Bou in zone five, allowing him to add a solid victory ahead of Raga and Cabestany, the latter two separated by only one point difference.
Having reached the halfway point of the championship, Bou leads the provisional standings with a ten-point lead over Raga, who in turn enjoys nine points over Fajardo and Cabestany, who are tied at 21 points. Far away, with 8 points, another double tie between Fujinami and Dabill.
The next and penultimate race on the calendar will take place on March 25 in the French town of Marseille.
DECLARATIONS
Toni Bou
Today went very well. We knew we couldn’t make any mistakes and we were very focused throughout the afternoon. I even think I could have done better, as I made some mistakes in the final: I could have won in zone 2, but on the other hand, I took out zone 3 with a complicated technical step in which we were able to make a difference. I’m very happy with this victory, which brings us closer to the championship goal. Next weekend we start the Spanish Championship and then two finals await us… They will be two races where we will not be able to relax again, but I am satisfied with the work we have been doing…
Adam Raga
“I’m satisfied with my riding and how things went in the race. During the qualifying round we were close to finishing first, standing out from the rest of the rivals. The final was very demanding. We could have taken more advantage of zone one and five, but we are happy with the second position and still have a real chance in the championship.”
James Dabill (5th)
“We have improved a lot compared to the previous round in Barcelona, but the last qualifying zone has been difficult for us and we have not got our passport to the final by only three points. The bike has been very good and I am very happy with it, so we hope to continue this same upward trend in the last two rounds of the world championship in France to continue improving.”
Fujinami (6th)
If we look at the standings, the result is the same as I got in Barcelona, but I think that in this race I had more confidence in myself and I did a little better, that’s why I’m more satisfied. The sections were difficult and technical and, if I had passed a zone, I was already in the final. I didn’t want the fifth, I didn’t want the fourth, I wanted more, but I don’t think I was too far from it. That’s why I’m not disappointed.
X-TRIAL AUSTRIA 2017 RESULTS
QUALIFYING ROUND
1) Toni Bou (Repsol Honda Team): 5 points
2) Adam Raga (TRS Factory Team): 7 points
3) Jeroni Fajardo (Vertigo Factory Team): 12 points
4) Albert Cabestany (Sherco Factory Team): 13 points
5) James Dabill (Gas Gas): 16 points
6) Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda Team): 18 points
7) Franzi Kadlec (Gas Gas): 24 points
8) Loris Gubian (Beta): 25 points
FINAL ROUND
1) Toni Bou (Repsol Honda Team): 16 points
2) Adam Raga (TRS Factory Team): 26 points
3) Albert Cabestany (Sherco Factory Team): 27 points
4) Jeroni Fajardo (Vertigo Factory Team): 30 points
PROVISIONAL CLASSIFICATION
1) Toni Bou (Repsol Honda Team): 40 points
2) Adam Raga (TRS Factory Team): 30 points
3) Jeroni Fajardo (Vertigo Factory Team): 21 points
4) Albert Cabestany (Sherco Factory Team): 21 points
5) Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Honda Team): 8 points
6) James Dabill (Gas Gas): 8 points
7) Jaime Busto (Repsol Honda Team): 6 points
8) Franzi Kadlec (Gas Gas): 3 points
9) Loris Gubian (Beta): 1 point
