Toni Bou takes a crushing victory at the X-Trial in Toulouse to make it three wins in a row
X-Trial World Champion,
Toni Bou
(Repsol Montesa Honda), has added the third consecutive victory of the season at the Zénith in Toulouse and in front of more than 5,000 spectators and has done so in an exceptional way as it has dominated the three rounds of the race and in the final has penalized only three points to the twenty of the last twenty of the year.
Adam Raga
(TRS) who has accompanied him in the fight for victory and has added his 100th podium in X-Trial.
Bou cemented his victory in the first two sections of the final, which resulted in only two points being penalized, while Raga was charged with ten points that weighed him down for the rest of the last round of the race. The World Runner-up also made history in Montpellier as he accumulated his 100th podium in the specialty.
Once again and for the third time this season, Bou and Raga’s companion on the podium has been a different rider to the previous race since the young promise of the French X-Trial Benoit Bincaz (Scorpa) has climbed to the third step of the podium with a very effective performance that consolidates his excellent progression and returns his country to a podium in which he had not had a leading role since Bruno Camozzi He last climbed on it in 2001.
Another young value of the X-Trial World Championship,
Miquel Gelabert
(Sherco) was very close to third place, but two crashes in his passage through the second round areas ended up preventing him from doing so. Gelabert has once again earned the right to participate in the next event as Best Event Rider.
Jaime Busto
(Gas Gas) and Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa) completed the draw for the second round of the zones, improving on their performance from last week in Montpellier.
On the other hand, the young British debutant Jakc Price (Gas Gas), his brand partner Jeroni Fajardo and third-placed rider James Dabill (Beta) in Montpellier, who was forced to change bikes after a spectacular crash in zone 4, were the riders eliminated after the first round.
FINAL RESULTS XTRIAL TOULOUSE
PILOT STATEMENTS
Toni Bou (1st):
“My performance in the final was fantastic and the win was exceptional. The level of the race was high and demanding and at the end of the first and second rounds I didn’t take the maximum risk because my physical condition is not perfect because of a small problem in my back and I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks for the final. This third consecutive victory is more than satisfactory and I hope to continue in the same vein and be one hundred percent from a physical point of view very soon, as the calendar is demanding.”
Adam Raga (2nd):
“To stay on the podium and to have achieved second place in a row is very positive. I love this race that is special for me as I have always felt very comfortable competing in Toulouse and also, today I have achieved the 100th podium of my sporting career; An all-time record.”
Benoit Bincaz (3rd):
“Today’s result is fantastic, both for me and for the French X-Trial. It has been a spectacular race with a high level of difficulty in which I have continued to consolidate my upward progression this season. The next round will also be held in France and I hope to maintain my performance.”
Jaime Busto (6th)
“After not being able to qualify in Montpellier [la anterior prueba] , here in Toulouse I was still a bit nervous. In the first round, even though I made some small mistakes, the score was enough to move on to the next one. The truth is that I lacked a little more confidence. I’m not happy with this result, but everything went much better than the last day. I think I can be at a higher level and fight for the podium again like in Vendée, I just need to regain a bit of confidence. Now we’re going to train hard to do better next Friday in Strasbourg.”
Jeroni Fajardo (8th)
“The truth is that I started the race a bit nervous, unhappy about having to open the sections. I didn’t fit the situation well and I didn’t get the trial I wanted. In the easier areas was where I dropped the most points and after analysing the race, I know that with very little more I would have been able to access the next round. But I started very badly, scoring a five in the first zone after getting off balance and going off. Then it was very difficult for me to refocus, I made a few more mistakes and it didn’t go as expected. Next week I hope he will be better at the next round, which will also be in France.”
The stars of the FIM X-Trial World Championship will now head to Strasbourg for the fourth round of the season on January 26th.
