The 2015 FIM Trial World Championship will come to a close this weekend as the Spanish town of Teo hosts the last counting event of the current campaign. With Toni Bou - Repsol Honda having wrapped up the title last weekend in Portugal, there could not be a better moment in the series for the newly crowned King to be welcomed back on to home soil. Knowing the true champion and professional that Bou undoubtedly is, he will want to sign off in winning style in front of his many adoring Spanish fans over the closing two days of competition.
For the last time this season Toni will again do battle with his arch rival and long time closest challenger Adam Raga – Gas Gas. Raga, although having been unable to prevent Toni taking the title with a round to spare, will be eager to inflict one final defeat on King Toni especially as he too will be able to ride without pressure having already secured the vice champion position in the overall rankings. Behind this leading duo the final outcome is less clear with various other positions up for grabs.
Jeroni Fajardo – Beta presently holds third place in the championship table, but his fifth spot on day two of the Portuguese Grand Prix will still be fresh in his mind and will serve as a timely reminder about the threat of the other World Pro riders that he finds around him. Fajardo is sure to be hoping to at least be on the podium both days at his home GP, an advantage that he shares with many of his main rivals, if he is to maintain his current position in the 2015 rankings. His experienced compatriot Albert Cabestany – Sherco needs to make up fifteen points over the coming weekend if he is to leapfrog Fajardo for third place in the general standings. This might prove to be a tall task, but one Albert will relish having returned to the rostrum last time out in Portugal.
Seventeen points and eighteen years separates the next two riders in rankings, with veteran campaigner Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Honda holding what would normally be a healthy advantage over his rookie teammate Jaime Busto – Repsol Honda going into the final encounter. However the popular Japanese rider will again need to ride in pain, as he did in Portugal and due to a back injury sustained during training if he is to fend off his young contender. Busto narrowly missed out twice on a podium placing last weekend, and will be eager to join his peers on the box in front his home fans in a few days time.
Alexandre Ferrer – Sherco and James Dabill – Vertigo will continue to fight it out for seventh and eighth places respectively in the general standings with just four points being the difference in the favour of the French rider heading into the deciding round of the series. A mere six points divides the next three positions with Jorge Casales – Gas Gas holding the upper hand over Eddie Karlsson – Montesa and Franz Kadlec – Beta with plenty of points still up for grabs over Saturday and Sunday. One of this trio will sadly lose out on a place in the overall top ten come the close of play this weekend.
If all goes to plan, which has not been the case all this season in the FIM Trial World Cup with six different round victors to date, Miquel Gelabert – Sherco should become the overall winner of this category. However it is sure not to be that easy with Quentin Carles de Caudemberg – Beta and Oriol Noguera – Honda being just two of the candidates who might spoil Gelabert’s party as they remain within touching distance of him in the title race. Gelabert, Carles de Caudemberg and Noguera have all won rounds this year as have Iwan Roberts – Beta, Jack Price – Gas Gas and Benoit Bincaz – Scorpa, the latter being victorious last time out. Trying to predict the unpredictable is almost impossible, so it might be better just to watch this intriguing year-long battle take one last turn as the coming weekend unfolds.
Through in the FIM 125 Cup class, with the title already secured Italy’s Marco Fioletti – Beta will be hoping to sign off his almost faultless campaign with two more triumphs to take his total to seventeen for the season should he be successful in his plight. All in all there is still much to play for in Teo, Spain this coming weekend as the 2015 FIM Trial World Championship reaches its climax.