Busto Wins
X-Trial Finale
J
aime Busto (Vertigo) seized
the limelight at X-Trial Andorra
and ended the 15-victory run set
by World Champion Toni Bou
(Repsol Honda Team Trial), start-
ing all the way back in Barcelona
2019. The 16-time X-Trial World
Champion wanted to celebrate
his latest world title by ending the
season with a win in front of the
2000 fans that packed out the
Poliesportiu d'Andorra, in what's
considered to be his home race,
but Busto put a metaphorical
spanner in the works after a
consistent performance lead
him to victory by the smallest of
margins.
Busto, Bou and Adam Raga
(TRRS) took center stage in the
grand final, after coming out on
top in the first two rounds. The
battle between the final three, it
was the Vertigo rider, Busto, who
was also fighting for third place
in the Championship standings,
that took the lead in the second
zone after conceding two points,
but his rivals were penalized with
five-point "fiascos."
Raga dropped out the fight to
win with two points in the third
section and another five in the
fourth, while Bou got through
the remaining four sections
without picking up a single point
and Busto adding just two more
points in the fourth. The three-
point advantage gained in the
second zone were key to the
Basque rider's one-point margin
to seal a great performance and
win the Andorra la Vella X-Trial.
Fighting until the bitter end,
Bou, who had already secured
the 2022 World Championship
title, got through all six zones in
rounds one and two without pick-
ing up a single point.
"The truth is that I didn't ex-
pect to take victory here since I
arrived with little chance of finish-
ing third in the Championship,
but the truth is that, already in the
warm-up I felt very comfortable,"
Busto said. "I am very happy with
the win and third place on the
final podium of the season."
"Celebrating a new title of
World Championship compet-
ing at home and in front of my
friends and family has been ex-
traordinary," Bou said. "I think we
put on a great show and a very
competitive race in which I set
the tone in the first two rounds
by scoring zero. I was not able to
recover from the small mistake in
the final and it was this, com-
bined with Jaime's great riding
today, that prevented me from
winning, but the celebration of
the title and the great show today
are a great reward."
Rago finished out the Cham-
pionship sandwiched between
winner Bou and third-place
Busto.
CN
FINAL
1. Jaime Busto (Ver)
2. Toni Bou (Mon)
3. Adam Raga (TRRS)
VOLUME 59 ISSUE 41 OCTOBER 11, 2022 P41
Jaime Busto (center) spoiled Toni
Bou's (left) homecoming by winning
the final round of the FIM X-Trial
Championship in Andorra. But Bou
had already clinched the title.
PHOTO: FIM
