IN
THE
WIND
P48
BOU CAPS
IT OFF
T
oni Bou capped off the 2017
FIM Trial World Champion-
ship with a win in Italy. The
Repsol Honda rider scored a
dominant victory over fellow
Spaniard Adam Raga (TRRS)
at the Metzeler Offroad Park at
Arco di Trento, September 17.
There was a shock in TrialGP
Women as Germany's Theresa
Bauml (Beta) handed Emma
Bristow (Sherco) her first top-
flight defeat since May 2015,
but second place was still easily
good enough for the British star
to take her fourth consecutive
FIM World crown by a large
15-point margin.
Heavy overnight rain contin-
ued into the morning forcing
organizers to make a number of
small alterations to the com-
pact course that was made up
of sections plotted over largely
natural terrain supplemented by
imposing strategically placed
boulders.
Bou, who last weekend
secured his 11th straight title,
was in a class of his own on the
opening lap. With grip hard to
find as mud was dragged onto
the rocks his score of 12 was
half that of Raga, but he took his
foot off the gas on lap two and
a few stray dabs as the sec-
tions dried dramatically allowed
his fellow Spaniard to reduce
the deficit to nine marks with a
stunning second-lap total of just
three.
"This victory is very important
for me after finishing second in
the Czech Republic," says Bou.
"I'd like to say thank you to the
team because they have worked
very hard for me."
Bou's teammate Jaime Busto
made it an all-Spanish podium
for the fourth time in a row and
claimed third in the champion-
ship with an impressive second-
lap total of five leaving him three
marks behind Raga and pulling
him nine clear of fourth-placed
James Dabill (GasGas) from
Britain.
Spain's Jeroni Fajardo (Ver-
tigo) took fifth a further nine
marks behind Dabill and three
ahead of Germany's Franz
Kadlec (GasGas) who recorded
his best finish of the series in
sixth. CN
Toni Bou, the 2017 FIM Trials
World Champion, capped off the
season with a win in Italy.
PHOTOGRAPH
BY
HONDA
RACING
