TrialGP - The 2016 FIM Trial World Championship hits the half way stage this weekend when the principality of Andorra hosts the fourth of the eight round series at St Julia de Loria close to the Spanish border. Andorra is only a relatively short drive from Barcelona and is seen by many to be a second home round for the leading Catalan contenders.
Barcelona born and already nine times FIM Trial World Champion Toni Bou – Repsol Honda is now on a winning streak, having scored maximum points on the last three counting days of the series, one in Japan and two in Germany, despite carrying a shoulder injury and hence his rivals really do need to be making a move if they are to stop him taking title number ten.
It is reigning vice champion Adam Raga – TRS who has finished runner-up to Bou in those last three events and is the only other genuine contender in terms of taking the 2016 crown, but he badly needs to stop Bou’s winning run. Third placed Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Honda is already almost thirty points adrift of the leading duo in the general standings.
If Raga were to stop Bou, Andorra would seem the perfect place as Adam confidently won both rounds at the venue last year and has claimed five victories in total here. Currently sitting just eleven points behind his archrival in the title race, Adam can put real pressure on Toni this weekend. If he does not and Bou takes the wins the writing will almost certainly appear to be on the championship wall.
The battle for third in the Championship is wide open with only twelve points separating Fujinami from seventh placed Jeroni Fajardo – Vertigo who is equal on points with his team-mate James Dabill in sixth. Albert Cabestany – Sherco and Jaime Busto – Repsol Honda, are also in the hunt.
Trial2 - In the Trial2 class Jack Price – Gas Gas made a decisive move towards winning the title with a stunning double-victory in Germany to take a remarkable sixteen point class lead from fellow Brit Iwan Roberts – Beta, the Welsh rider struggling for consistency as is third placed Arnau Farre – Gas Gas and indeed all other Trial2 challengers.
Trial125 – Through in the Trial125, the class is being dominated by young Brit Jack Peace – Gas Gas who won the opening four rounds in Spain and Japan from Germany’s Max Faude - Beta. Although when Faude was expected to score heavily in his home round in stepped another German rider Jarmo Robrahn - Beta with a double win. Peace currently holds a sixteen point lead over Faude.
Andorra boasts a total of sixty-seven entries, twenty in the TrialGP class, twenty-four in Trial2 class, nine Trial125 contestants and fourteen in the International class including seven Andorran nationals.