VOL. 52 ISSUE 11 MARCH 17, 2015 P27
BOU CROWNED X-TRIAL WORLD CHAMPION
R
epsol Honda's trials sensation Toni Bou cap-
tured his ninth consecutive FIM X-Trial World
Championship with one round still remaining.
The Spaniard rode to a convincing win in Wiener
Neustadt, Austria ahead of Beta's Jeroni Gajardo
and Gas Gas rider Adam Raga. It was Raga's
third-place finish that locked up Bou's title at the
penultimate round of the indoor trials champion-
ship.
While no one cleared the first of six obstacles,
Bou proved to be the only rider able to clear the
second obstacle in the Arena Nova—a feat that
garnered him with the overall win. From there he
piloted his Montesa Cota 4RT to a smooth and
dominant win.
"I'm really very pleased," Bou said. "The way
that Adam [Raga] has been going lately, I didn't
expect to win the title here. It was a very tricky
and technical race and Jeroni was really sharp
today. I felt really comfortable in all the sections,
and the crowd got really into it, too, which is really
good for the sport.
"It's difficult to reflect on what this title means;
nine is a lot, and I never thought I would be able
to win so many. The bike has run like a dream all
year and the team has always been supportive
and I'd like to dedicate this victory to them, to my
minder Joan Cordón, to my family and friends and
everyone who follows me."
Jean Turner
Repsol Honda's
Toni Bou topped the
penultimate round of
the FIM X-Trial World
Championship to take
his ninth-consecutive
indoor trials title.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
HRC