A solitary point was all that separated Adam Raga from victory this weekend in the X-Trial of Milan after a tight battle for podium places that were not decided until the very last section of the Trial. In fact, the event ended with a tie on points between the Gas Gas rider and Toni Bou which, under FIM rules was resolved by a parallel race. Although Bou was to come out on top, Adam looked on this second place like a victory, this being the most hotly contested race of this season.
The qualifying round was again positive for Adam and in the semi-final he was just ahead of Bou. Indeed, at this stage of the trial the competition was high and after the first four zones Raga had a total of 7 points compared to the 6 of Albert Cabestany and 5 of Bou. The parallel races prior to the final left the margin even tighter and the Gas Gas rider turned in a performance which left him with just two dabs at the end the three final zones against the two 'fives' of Cabestany. After a spectacular 'five' in the last section, Bou tied with Adam and, despite having already secured the championship title, broke the tie in an exciting parallel race.
Besides the good taste left by the excellent performance of Raga, GasGas’ Loris Gubian reemphasized his potential. The Frenchman had a good qualifying round and rode well in the sem-ifinal. However, luck did not accompany him on the final leg of the sections, finishing in sixth position.
Adam Raga "The feeling is very good and I liked the Trial because the sections were complicated but selective, so that although we have done something wrong at first, we were able to recover by risking more in other sections. It was the day that we have been closer to first place and has been a shame to lose the victory in the last parallel race. I'll take this, it has been a good day and I'm happy. We're back to the good line and this is important. In a few days the Spanish Championship returns and then I have to confirm my second place at the X-Trial World Championship in Paris".