The Indoor Trial World Champion, Toni Bou, achieved a spectacular victory today at the first edition of the X-Trial in Clermont-Ferrand, taking the sole lead in the World Championship of the category.
The French event, which kept spectators on the edge of their seats until the last section, saw the Repsol Honda Trial Team rider outshine his main rivals. Jaime Busto, riding his GasGas, finished in second place, just 3 points behind the winner, while Adam Raga, from Sherco, completed the podium 5 points adrift.
The final was particularly intense, with Busto faltering in the first section, where he incurred the maximum penalty, while Bou and Raga kept clean sheets. Despite a remarkable recovery in sections two and three, Busto’s hopes of victory faded in the sixth section, where a three-point penalty definitively sealed the outcome.
This victory allows Bou to extend his championship lead to five points, solidifying his position as the competition leader.
Adam Raga, who secured his place in the final after eliminating Gabriel Marcelli in a head-to-head duel in Q2, delivered a remarkable performance. Initially dominating the battle with Busto in the final, a mistake in the last section cost him a better result.
Benoit Bincaz, also on Sherco, completed the top four, having qualified from Q1 with just a one-point advantage over Raga. However, in the Grand Final, he managed to complete only one section successfully.
Special mention goes to Matteo Grattarola of Beta, who proved to be a competitive addition to the field, finishing just one point behind Marcelli in Q1 and three seconds off the best time in Q2. The Italian will be back in the next round in Barcelona.
The fourth round of the X-Trial World Championship will take place at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona on February 2.
‘It was a completely different final from Chambéry, with very narrow margins where any mistake could have cost the victory,’ commented Bou after the triumph. ‘Jaime and Adam didn’t make it easy for me, but this victory gives me the solo lead in the championship, which is crucial.’
