Adam Raga is runner-up in the Trial World Championship for the seventh consecutive time after a great season where the Gas Gas rider had the opportunity to capture his third crown in the final race of the year.
The young rider from the Gas Gas School of Champions team Jorge Casales has won the title of Trial World Champion in the Junior category this weekend in the final round of the World Trial Championship which was held in the French town of Isola 2000. Jorge Casales has shown great consistency throughout the championship, winning four races, finishing second five times, and once finishing in third place and another in fourth, beating his main rival by eight points. After finishing in fifth place last season, this is the first World title for the Galician Gas Gas rider, who had managed the European 125cc title in 2010. In this category, Francesc Moret, also with a Gas Gas, today finished fifth, eventually finishing third overall in the championship.
Raga fought to the last zone of the Trial Isola 2000 to meet his main goal of winning the world title. And until the last moment, the Gas Gas rider had a chance to become World Trial Champion. The day began strong for the rider from Ulldecona, motivated by winning on the previous day. In the first lap he made a good score that kept him with options, and after a steady performance in the second lap he faced the last lap as interim leader of the race. However, the rain was coming and seeing that could change the characteristics of the zones, the riders rushed to finish the race as soon as possible. This led to Adam to make a couple of mistakes that ultimately relegated him to the third place finishing position.
Other Gas Gas riders also finished the World Cup with good results, as achieved by the British rider Michael Brown, seventh-best after his injury in May, and the Frenchman Loris Gubian, eighth to the Brit by a single point. Italian Matteo Grattarola was tenth in the race but maintained his seventh in the championship final. Pere Borrellas was thirteenth and held the same position in the championship.
Adam Raga:
"It does not hurt at losing the title, but on the contrary, we must be positive and think of all that we have achieved this season: we had options to get the title until the last zone. Before coming to France it was all very complicated. Yesterday we made the charge and fulfilled a goal. Today, in the end, it could not be, I made two fiascos on the last lap by going too fast because we thought it would rain.
As I said, the best of this year is all gone: I rode very well in Indoor, almost winning the last race, I was physically very well and I was able to make war from the start. Since 2001 I'm winning races in the World Cup, this means that for more than 10 years I am at a high level as an athlete: work, struggle, team preparation ... sometimes it goes better and others less so, but being there taking title options to the end is very important. We are very happy and I want to congratulate the whole team for the support they have given me. The Gas Gas team has always given more than 100%, has been very motivated and with an amazing desire and I can only thank them for that. "
Jorge Casales:
"I'm very happy, very very much. This has been my first full World Cup season, going to all the races, and it certainly has given me more experience. For me, winning the title is a dream come true and I want to thank my team, my mechanic, my backpacker, to all the people who supported me this year. It is a joy to get a hit of this magnitude.
When I was a season favorite, but I knew it would not be easy, because I left Galicia for Catalonia and did not know how it would go. I found a great backpacker, started well in Japan and we cheered. And through hard training and a lot of sacrifice we have reached the final round with a nice bonus to celebrate the title with ease. Thank you very much to all. "
Photos: trialscentral.com