| “I’ll go for the win as always,” said the Spanish star. “I’m going to try to give my best and enjoy it a lot!”
While some other riders would be consumed with nerves heading into such a crucial event, the twenty-six-year-old from Barcelona – who won her first FIM gold medal last season after finishing second on five previous occasions – is remaining calm and collected, despite a strong challenge this season from Andrea Sofia Rabino (Beta).
The twenty-year-old from Italy has pushed Abellan relentlessly through all four rounds contested so far in the elite class for female riders, although her strongest opposition at the opening round in Japan came from another Italian rider, Alessia Bacchetta.
A double winner on the first day at the Mobility Resort Motegi in May, Abellan started the Sunday with a faultless opening race before slipping to second behind Bacchetta.
“The first day I felt incredibly good and everything went perfectly. The second day, I also felt very strong, but Alessia stole the show and did even better. I’m so happy for her, I know she works hard and deserves it! I’m happy to see everyone improving and pushing themselves and I was expecting a year with rivalry, to be honest.”
With two third-placed finishes at the TrialGP of Japan, Rabino was very much in contention and she made her intentions obvious by winning both days at round two in Andorra, but Abellan dug deep and heading into the lion’s den in mid-June for the TrialGP of Italy she had the perfect response with a double win of her own.
“In Italy I felt very comfortable, I really liked the terrain and I gave one-hundred per cent at all times. Besides, I enjoyed myself and had a great time on the bike.”
The following month the action shifted to Great Britain for the fourth and penultimate round of the TrialGP Women’s series where Rabino once again fought back, sweeping all four races to set up this weekend’s thrilling conclusion.
Ask Abellan about her mindset following the defeats in Andorra and Great Britain and she provides a valuable insight into her champion’s mentality.
“I think you learn twice as much from mistakes and it helps me improve and keep learning. Honestly, it’s good – there wouldn’t be good results without going through the not-so-good ones first – and I’d say it helped me much more than any victory.”
With just two days and four points-scoring races left to decide the title, Abellan is clear how much retaining her hard-earned crown would mean.
“It would be a dream come true! Honestly, I have a similar feeling to last year. It’s like it’s the first time and I have the same desire to win, but above all I want to enjoy it. I’ve worked hard to get here and I hope I can dedicate a victory to my people, my sponsors, my team and everyone who has supported me!”
Fans who make the journey to Pobladura de las Regueras can be sure of plenty of action over the weekend with Official Practice and rider section inspection for all classes running on Friday (18 September) from 11:30 until 17:00. This will be followed by the Super Test to decide starting positions – again contested by all classes – that gets under way at 17:30 before the Riders’ Parade at 18:30 and autograph session at 19:00 (all local time).
The points-scoring action will start the following day (Saturday 19 September) with the opening race scheduled to get under way at 09:00 (local time). |
