OFF ROAD
FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 6 / STEPPING STONE RANCH
JULY 25-26, 2015 / EXETER, RHODE ISLAND
P98
The top trials riders in the
world meet in Rhode Island where
Toni Bou showed who is best
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY
BY SHAN MOORE
R
epsol Honda's Toni Bou
moved a step closer to win-
ning his ninth FIM World
Championship title with a double win
at the two-day U.S. round of the FIM
World Trials Championship at Step-
ping Stone Ranch in Exeter, Rhode
Island, round seven of the series.
Bou made short work of the slip-
pery terrain and huge, granite rocks
and steep ledges, minimizing his
mistakes while his rivals struggled.
The Rhode Island event marked
the 40
th
anniversary of the first World
Trials held at Stepping Stone Ranch
in 1975, an event that was won by
Malcolm Rathmell on a Montesa,
which was appropriate, since Honda
Trials bikes are branded as Monte-
sas in the U.S.
The Rhode Island Trials Club is
one of the most respected clubs
in the United States and they did a
marvelous job of putting together an
enjoyable event for the spectators
and also a competitive one for the
riders. School buses ran spectators
from the pits to different groups of
sections around the course, plus
there was an excellent section right
next to the pits, close to the vendors
and hospitality tent.
The long weekend, however,
got off to an anxious start for the
riders and especially for the team
mechanics and managers. All of
the factory riders' bikes (except for
the Beta team riders) were held up
in customs in New York. The bikes
Toni Bou on
this rock climb
en route to a
double victory
at the World
Trials round in
Rhode Island.
COMING TO
AMERICA
