When the 2022 Hertz FIM Trial World Championship gets under way this season there will be no-one better prepared for it than Adam Raga (TRRS).
The legendary Spanish rider, TrialGP champion in 2005 and 2006 and runner-up every year since, has so far been forced to wait 15 long years to complete his hat-trick of world titles but he has never given up and always brings his ‘A’ game whenever and wherever he rides.
‘Never say never’ is a time-worn cliché but it perfectly sums up the mindset of the 39-year-old from Tarragona who every year pushes his compatriot Toni Bou to the absolute limit on the world stage. The mutual respect the pair share is well documented – record-breaking champion Bou openly credits Adam as making him the rider he is today – and between them both they have dominated the sport for almost two decades.
“The key is the passion for what I’m doing,” says Adam. “I’m very competitive and I like riding. I want to win every year. It has been very difficult to win the championship but I have [always] been the first two-stroke [rider]. It will be crazy to beat the four-stroke!”
In the hands of Bou, Honda’s four-stroke machine has proved to be a formidable weapon but Adam has driven the development of the Spanish TRRS marque and taken it from the status of TrialGP newcomer to TrialGP winner with six world round victories to its name.
“I work very hard to have everything ready and under control. It’s a very small company and many things are home-made. Also, there are not many members in the team and for me it is very hard to achieve these goals.”
As the oldest rider competing at the highest level, Adam’s determination to succeed is exemplary as he combines R&D for the TRRS with meeting the constant demands on his body to keep him in shape to defeat much younger rivals in what is an incredibly taxing sport.
“I try to test different things on the bike and on the riding to improve also the physical condition. It’s difficult close to 40 so the goal is to heal injures and maintain [fitness].”
Adam has always been involved with trial thanks to his father’s passion for the sport which ensured that he started riding at a very early age.
“My father was an amateur rider and a lover of trial. Since I was very young I followed trial. At two years I started riding bicycles but not competing then at two years and 10 months I started riding motorbikes.”
Almost 38 years later Adam is still going strong and – at least for now – has no plans to branch out into any other off-road motorcycle disciplines.
“I like trial. For me there is nothing like it. It is one of the most difficult sports in motorcycles. We can ride anything because when you are good in trial you will have success in other sports like many riders have shown in the past. But the fun in trial is better compared to the rest.”
To see Adam’s formative steps in the world of trial – and his first five – go to https://youtu.be/8_miX2sHuOg
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