The veteran Spanish rider Toni Bou was crowned X-Trial world champion for the 19th time, but failed to crown the night with another victory. The triumph in the penultimate round of the championship, held in France, ended up smiling at Jaime Busto (GasGas), who starred in a surprising turnaround in the last sections and won by just one point.
After four sections in the final, Toni Bou (Repsol Honda Trial Team) led comfortably with a seven-point advantage over Busto. Everything indicated that the seven-time champion would emerge victorious once again. However, an unexpected error in the fifth section opened the door to a possible different outcome. Busto, focused and determined, took advantage of the opportunity and completed the sixth section without penalties, while Bou made a new decisive error. In the end, the difference was minimal, but enough for Busto to celebrate his second victory of the season.
Gabriel Marcelli (Repsol Honda Trial Team) finished in third place, also with three penalties, but without recording any clean sections, finishing nine points behind Busto. The Spaniard Arnau Farré (Sherco) surprised on his return to international competition, securing his best result to date by qualifying for the final through the repechage.
Despite the defeat on the night, Toni Bou achieved the main objective by securing, right in qualifying, the points needed to conquer his 19th consecutive world title. Since 2007, Bou has dominated the X-Trial uninterruptedly, surpassing legends like Albert Cabestany, Tommi Ahvala, Marc Colomer, Adam Raga and Dougie Lampkin. About to turn 39, the Spaniard continues to demonstrate a level of excellence unprecedented in the sport.
