Gas Gas rider Adam Raga has completed the Spanish Trial GP in second place, after a bad start saw him make a dramatic come-back after at one time being in eight place. The Junior category leader Jorge Casales was off the podium but maintains his status as the leader of the championship.
Two entirely different tests have been endured by the riders of the Gas Gas team in the Trial World Championship in just this past week - The GP of Andorra and the single day Trial of the Spanish GP. The Trial consisting of three loops of 12 zones was a real headache, especially for Adam Raga, who came to Pobladura as the World Championship leader, but went through a particularly difficult ordeal in the first lap. Several fives caused by the strict application of the Non-Stop rules resulted in many points accumulated resulting in him finishing the first lap in eight place. While trying to recover lost points in the sections, but with a big difference in the way in which the Spanish judges ruled compared to just one week ago, causing Raga to be penalized one five after another. In the second round, Adam and the Gas Gas team decided to change the strategy, as it was very difficult to win the race at this point due to the large difference in points compared to Toni Bou, they opted to shoot for a second place finish. Thus began a recovery that lead Adam to tie for second place with Albert Cabestany, who lost by the number of zeros. Raga has relinquished his position as the leader of the championship, but remains only two points behind Toni Bou.
Another Gas Gas rider who also achieved excellent results in the GP of Spain has been the Italian, Matteo Grattarola, earning his best finish at a World Cup event, finishing fifth. Loris Gubian and Pere Borrellas have also completed the Spanish round, although the results are not so satisfactory. Michael Brown did not compete in this round as he continues to suffer further discomfort in his knee that had surgery after the past Scottish Six Days.
The positive note of the day is the fact that the young Gas Gas rider Jorge Casalas from the School of Champions is at the head of the standings in the Junior World Championship despite finishing in sixth place after a very hard day at Vigo. After a bad day, the Galician already is looking forward to the next round, hoping not to suffer both the extreme application of the regulations that precisely penalizes him and hopes to ride a much more technical trial. The next round of the Trial World Championship will be the Italian GP, located in Barzio on the 7th of July.
Adam Raga: “Best of the day is that I have rebounded from a very complicated situation. I had a bad first round, where the controls were very strict and they have given '5' for anything. But in the end, I can be happy, because I was able to recover round after round from the first mess. The level is the same, I think it's perfect, and I'm two points behind the new leader. It just means you have to keep fighting and working harder and better to achieve the objective".
Jorge Casales: “In zone one I started to get nervous, where the judges ruled me for a 'dismount' and gave me a five, and in the second zone I got a yellow card (10 points) for trying to claim what I thought was right. Something amazing. I thought this would be my race and I was wrong. I'm turning the page quickly and thinking about the next race".
RESULTS
World Pro
1. Toni Bou 17 21 23 61
2. Adam Raga (Gas Gas) 40 20 27 87
3. Albert Cabestany 25 34 28 87
4. Takahisa Fujinami 35 32 26 93
5. Matteo Grattarola (Gas Gas) 41 39 34 114
7. Loris Gubian (Gas Gas) 38 36 46 120
14. Pere Borrellas (Gas Gas) 58 56 55 169
Junior
1. Pol Tarrés 12 11 5 28
2. Francesc Moret (Gas Gas) 24 12 10 46
3. Jonathan Richardson 20 19 10 49
4. Maxime Warenghien 10 16 31 57
5. Jack Sheppard 23 23 27 63
6. Jorge Casales (Gas Gas) 24 21 14 64
14. Kyle Middleton (Gas Gas) 53 44 29 126
STANDINGS
World Pro
1. Toni Bou 126 points
2. Adam Raga (Gas Gas) 124
3. Takahisa Fujinami 94
4. Albert Cabestany 94
5. Jeroni Fajardo 89
7. Matteo Grattarola (Gas Gas) 48
8. Loris Gubian (Gas Gas) 40
12. Michael Brown (Gas Gas) 24
14. Pere Borrellas (Gas Gas) 15
Junior
1. Jorge Casales (Gas Gas) 108 points
2. Jack Sheppard 104
3. Francesc Moret (Gas Gas) 101
4. Pol Tarrés 100
5. Cédric Tempier 82
11. Kyle Middleton (Gas Gas) 30