21/03/17 – TrialGP – Toni Bou – Repsol Honda has been in electric form indoors in the opening two rounds of the FIM X-Trial World Championship and he carried his silky skills outside at round one of the Spanish Trials Championship on the island of Majorca on Sunday.
Firing a warning shot across the bows of his TrialGP rivals including Adam Raga – TRS, Jeroni Fajardo – Vertigo, Albert Cabestany – Sherco and British champion James Dabill – Gas Gas, the 30-year-old’s total of 14 marks was almost half that of second-placed Raga who finished on 26.
With Bou kicking off his bid for an unprecedented 11th straight outdoor World title on 13/14 May at Camprodon in Spain it is clear that even at this early stage of the season the opposition has a lot of ground to make up.
A surprise third at the Spanish opener, 19-year-old Miquel Gelabert – Sherco was eight marks behind Raga on a day when established Spanish favourites Cabestany and Fajardo struggled.
Ranked fourth in the World outdoors, Cabestany was sixth on a total of 45, two marks ahead of World number 5 Fajardo in seventh.
Jorge Casales – Beta, who narrowly missed a podium finish on the opening day of last year’s French Trial GP, was fourth just one mark behind Gelabert with Jaime Busto – Repsol Honda in fifth a further five marks down.
Dabill, who’s relinquished his British crown this year to chase World honours, could only manage 10th on 58 marks lost behind Arnau Farre – Gas Gas and Germany’s Franz Kadlec – Gas Gas.
Although it is only one event, the Spanish opener has given an early TrialGP form guide.
