It couldn’t have been a better start for the new
Repsol Honda Team at the FIM Trial World Championships with an opening day double in the Australian Trial GP held at Mount Tarrengower. It was a very confident Takahisa Fujinami who almost effortlessly took the honours on the Montesa Cota 4RT, winning his 32nd world championship victory. Fujinami is the first leader of the 2014 World Championship.
Second place corresponded to current champion Toni Bou, who made a slight trajectory error in the final section of the first lap and picked up the maximum penalty. The rider, in spite of putting in a near flawless second and third lap, was unable to make up for the penalization in his overall final time.
The competition’s first day at the Australian GP was characterized by some fairly straight-forward areas, not particularly demanding; but ones in which there was no room for error, and where any mistakes were heavily punished. The terrain was in perfect shape in spite of some rain on previous days. Tomorrow, Sunday, sees the second and final day of the Australian Trial GP. The course will be the same as today’s one, with 14 zones a total of three laps to complete.
It went really well. I’m very pleased with the season’s first win, and also with the new Repsol Honda Team, which is more official than ever. It was very important to get a victory in the first race. It was quite an easy trial; we saw that in the points, although I wasn’t expecting Tony to slip up. I was ahead of the other riders, without pressure, running my race. I stayed focussed and managed to win. The sensation of winning was just like the one in Japan last year: fantastic. I’ve got to thank the whole team for the job that they’ve done.
In a way I’m quite happy because I was able to come back from 5th place where I was at the end of lap one. It was an easy trial. I made a mistake and it wasn’t possible to make up for it. It happened in section 13; a rock broke and I lost balance when I accelerated. It made me a bit edgy, and I wasn’t riding comfortably, but I was able to get myself focused and pulled back a few places. I regret not winning but I’m happy for the victory of Fujinami.