Spanish rider, Jeroni Fajardo - Beta will fight for his place on the podium as the 2012 FIM Trial World Championship heads to his homeland this coming weekend for the fourth round of the series. Fajardo will arrive in Penarroya-Pueblonuevo, Spain tied in second place, in the general standings, alongside compatriot Albert Cabestany – Sherco.
Fajardo’s recent run of results prove that he is becoming a strong contender to claim this year’s runners-up prize come the end of the season, but knows that he has a tough task ahead of him.
“My clear objective this season is to finish the championship on the podium, and ideally in second place. I am not really focusing on beating or overtaking Bou as he is so far ahead right now. It might be possible to beat Toni in one event, but not overall in the championship. The most important thing for me is to place in the top-three this weekend and in the remaining rounds of the series. I am training hard and I will be pushing myself to give my best in every section. There is no room for mistakes at this stage.”
Jeroni has finished as runner up three out of a possible six times so far this season - on day two of the French opening round, on the second day of Australia’s first ever Grand Prix, and then on day one in Japan. The twenty-seven-year-old rider will be counting on the support of his home fans this weekend as he aims to add two more podiums to his championship tally.
Fajardo’s last podium on home soil was in April 2010 when he was third. He says, sizing up his competition: “The standard is very high this year and I am up against some excellent rivals. Toni is very strong, and with Adam (Raga) I do not expect he will make many more mistakes after what happened to him in Japan. Albert is also riding at a very high level, and Fujinami is always right there. Trying to be the best of them is a hard task as they are all very good. We will see what happens in Spain.”
Fajardo was the fifth-placed rider in the 2011 FIM Trial World Championship and was fourth in both the 2010 and 2009 series, so to claim the runners-up spot in 2012 could prove a defining moment in his international Trial career if he can reach this goal.