After last week’s successes in the Pyrenees, the Repsol Honda Team trio Bou, Fujinami and Busto are back in action this weekend, this time on the other side of the mountain range, eager to gain results in the crucial French GP.
The second half of the 2016 FIM Trial World Championship starts this weekend as Lourdes, France plays host to the competition on Saturday and Sunday. Repsol Honda Team’s Toni Bou, reigning champion and current championship leader, arrives at the town’s maiden trial with a significant points advantage over the rest of the field. Seventeen points separate Bou from Adam Raga, the nearest title contender. The Montesa Cota 4RT rider comes to Lourdes fresh off the back of a win in the Andorra GP, the fifth consecutive win of six triumphs in a season which also includes two runner-up spots.
Repsol Honda Team continues with one of their strongest starts in recent seasons. Bou heads the overall table and Takahisa Fujinami is in third position. This is great news for the team, not only for the Japanese rider’s podium potental, but also as an indication of the great physical recuperation of the paddock’s most veteran performer. Such a situation at the season’s halfway stage can be likened to that of 2011 (with Bou leader and ‘Fujigas’ third) although back then the team featured just two riders.
Jaime Busto’s overall fourth position, just one point adrift of Fujinami, is fruit of a solid all-round team effort. The young Basque rider’s progress is evident: last year the rookie nearly made it onto the podium on three occasions, but so far this year Repsol Honda Team’s prodigy has finished fourth in six of the eight events disputed. A foot on the rostrum is just a question of time.
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The last two GPs have been positive for us thanks to the great teamwork. It is a great moment for us and we are very happy about it, but we have also seen that Adam is on top form, so we have to stay focused and keep up this kind of results. We have to go to Lourdes with this mentality and keep working and keep searching for the victory. If that’s not possible, we will have to finish second which is always a good result. |
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I think that I’m on good form at the moment. Not only am I getting the results, like the podium in Andorra which really encourages me to keep pushing in the championship; but also because I’m feeling so much better physically than over the last few years. We will fight as hard as we can to to see if we can make it back to the top. |
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I think that overall I didn’t do things too badly last weekend. It’s true that in certain sections I made a few mistakes because I took it too fast, but in other sections it turned out just right and I was very close to the top three which has been my aim this year. In France I hope to continue working hard towards getting a podium place. |