Bou Back on Top

Trial World Champs 2014

maddix park mx

www.fullnoise.com.au

Toni Bou Back On Top After Massive Win In Italy 

A superb demonstration of trials riding from the current World Trial Champion Repsol Honda's, Toni Bou, carried him back to the top of the championship table by a single point courtesy of a massive victory in Italy over his nearest rival, Gas Gas mounted Adam Raga. 

This year’s Grand Prix of Italy was based around the town of Alagna Valsesia set in the mountainous terrain approximately one hundred kilometres North West of Milan, at an altitude of over one thousand metres! 

The event was round four of this year’s FIM World Trial Championship and was besieged by thousands of home fans who enjoyed the action and contributed so much to the success of the competition. The event was contested on the rocky wooded hill side over-looking the town with three laps of twelve sections ridden in fine but over cast weather which is typical of this mountain region. 

For Bou the day did not start as he wanted when he took five mark penalties on sections two, four and six before he found some rhythm in his riding to finish the first lap with a score of nineteen which included some single mark penalties. 

His chief rival in the championship and series leader before Italy, Raga fared not much better than Bou as he also included three five mark penalties in his total of twenty one for the first lap. 

Holding the lead after the first lap certainly spurred Bou on as he recorded a single figure score on the second lap parting with a mere seven marks to Raga’s nineteen. Other riders with good second lap scores were eventual fourth and fifth place finishers Jeroni Fajardo - Beta, eighteen and Great Britain’s James Dabill - Beta on nineteen. 

Sherco mounted Albert Cabestany was very consistent with three lap scores of twenty two which would eventually put him in third position one mark in front of Fajardo. 

On the final lap and knowing he would need a miracle to catch eventual winner Bou, who finished again on a single figure total of six, Raga simply could not match the pace of his fellow countryman losing seventeen.. Victory for the Repsol Honda rider moved him back to the top of the championship standings by a single point. 

“This is a fantastic result for both myself and the team." Bou stated. "After losing nineteen on my first lap I knew I could improve and the single figure scores from the second and third laps speak for themselves. 

"The hazards were very slippery today which I think was because of the moisture in the air due to the high altitude but we coped well with this. 

"Now I have the lead in the championship I will focus on increasing this as we move to the next round in Belgium after a short break from the championship”. 

The FIM World Trials Championship will now take a short break until round 5 in Belgium on July 13th.

Round 4 Results:

1 Toni Bou 32 
2 Adam Raga 59 
3 Albert Cabestany 69 
4 Jeroni Fajardo 70 
5 James Dabill 83 
6 Takahisa Fujinami 96 
7 Pol Tarres 112 
8 Matteo Grattarola 119
9 Jorge Casales 126 
10 Michael Brown 142 

Championship standings
1 Toni Bou 108 pts 
2 Adam Raga 107 pts 
3 Albert Cabestany 81 pts 
4 Takahisa Fujinami 78 pts 
5 Jeroni Fajardo 72 pts 
6 James Dabill 58 pts 
7 Jorge Casales 53 pts 
8 Pol Tarres 38 pts
9 Alexandre Ferrer 38 pts
10 Matteo Grattarola 19 pts 

Top Image: Toni Bou on his way to the round win and championship lead in Italy 

Credit: Honda Racing

 
Bookmark and Share