Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa HRC, riding his factory four stroke machine, moved closer to securing a seventh straight FIM Trial World Championship when he won both days of the British Grand Prix held at Penrith. This achievement was despite a late scare that saw him need medical attention immediately after Sunday’s competition. Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa HRC went 2-4 over the two days, whilst Adam Raga – Gas Gas managed to claim a third place and a second spot respectively to keep his title hopes alive. Jeroni Fajardo – Beta was the other podium finisher on day two, on a weekend when Saturday’s sunshine was replaced by heavy rain on Sunday. Bou now leads Raga by ten points in the general standings with one round remaining.
This weekend’s GP marked the third time that the FIM Trial World Championship has visited the Nord Vue venue, the previous occasions being in 2009 and last year in 2012. The hill top location midway between the northern market towns of Carlisle and Penrith boasts an ultra-compact course, with this year’s twelve sections being located within a two hundred metre radius of the start area. The majority of the hazards featured man made elements, but were all set in the undulating natural terrain that created a perfect amphitheatre for the riders to do battle whilst the crowds looked on.
Bou was on the top of his game as he got Saturday’s trial under way in warm weather, his loss of just three marks all coming in the difficult eighth section. In contrast Raga found himself down in sixth spot after the initial lap on a total of sixteen marks, which included three fives. On board his factory Cota 4RT Toni stretched his lead on lap two by only parting with a single mark this time around. Behind him Fujinami was making a spirited fight back after an average opening lap performance, and moved into second spot at the same stage.
Under no real pressure Bou closed out the final lap relatively comfortably despite notching up two failures, one in section two and the other in the infamous section eight, which he had actually cleaned on his second visit. Bou’s day total of fourteen marks gave him an important victory and saw him come home seven marks clear of Fujinami who scored a vital second place both for him and the team in terms of the general standings.
Saturday’s results saw Toni open his lead up to seven point over Raga, who finished third on the day and put Fujinami back up to third in the title race.
Torrential overnight rain and throughout the much of the opening lap on Sunday, meant day two of the British GP was a very different proposition to twenty-four hours earlier and forced the organisers to make several modifications to the sections to allow for the inclement weather. Bou was one of the many riders to face difficulties early on with his failure in section two on lap one handing Raga an initial lead. This was a position that was soon to reverse as Bou then took control of the trial for a second day in a row whilst Raga’s challenge faded rapidly.
Bou was cruising to his second win of the weekend when disaster struck the reigning champion in section seven on the third and final lap. His crash in this hazard saw him puncture his right lower stomach as he fell heavily onto a sharp rock. The resulting wound was several centimetres in length and bleeding heavily. Toni’s team responded quickly by applying a temporary bandage to stop the flow of blood, which was sufficient for him to ride the last few remaining sections and to secure the win. Bou was treated by a doctor immediately after the finish, which prevented him attending the podium ceremony.
With no lasting damage Toni should be fully fit to contest the final round of the series at the end of August when he will look to wrap up his seventh successive outdoor title. Fujinami fought throughout day two in an attempt to finish as runner up once again, but in the end had to settle for fourth spot just five marks behind second placed Raga. Fujinami will take a seven point lead into the French GP, as he looks to fend off Albert Cabestany – Sherco for third spot in the final rankings.
The final round of the 2013 FIM Trial World Championship will be played out in Isola 2000, France over 31st August / 1st September.
Toni Bou: “It was almost a perfect weekend right until nearly the end. The crash in section seven on the final lap was a big and painful one. As soon as I landed on the rock I knew it was quite serious, especially when I saw that the blood was coming out quickly. The team made a good reaction and did a good repair to get me to the finish. I am sore, but now that the doctor has closed the hole I should be OK in a few days. These two wins this weekend are very important for the championship, but we still have work to do in France.”
Takahisa Fujinami: “Yesterday was a good result both for me and the team, but today it could have been better. My objective is always to be in the podium, and when you are so close like I was today it is not the best feeling. Overall I am happy with my weekend, as the team has worked hard since the Czech Republic to change some things on the bike and to help restore my confidence, I want to thank them for their work. My aim now is to maintain third place in the championship right until the end, if I can do that I can be satisfied with my season.”