Second place on the day was enough to accrue sufficient points to seal the 2017 TrialGP title.
Eleven outdoor and eleven indoor championships extend Toni Bou’s absolute domination of the sport to over a decade. The Repsol Honda Team rider just keeps on making trial history. In Sokolov, Czech Republic, Bou once again donned the victor’s shirt after a taxing, complicated trial where the champ had to settle for runner-up spot. The result brought with it an outburst of joy after the tensions of the previous week, given that fourth place on the day was all that was needed to guarantee the top overall prize.
“Today was a complicated day from the beginning. I battled to win the trial but today was not to be, although the aim today had been to get the title,” said Bou. “I am very happy despite several issues. The wet terrain we found today is not really the one I like the most, or one that favours the bike best, but we fought hard to finish on the podium. This season has been a very good one, the first victory in Camprodón and the two in Japan, where Adam Raga lost points, have been important, as well as the two victories in the United States.”
Repsol Honda Team brother-in-arms Jaime Busto ran the full range of emotions during the trial. At best, the Basque rider led the event for most of the first lap. By the end, the promising young rider was holding third spot with the corresponding third position in the overall championship rankings.
Likewise, Takahisa Fujinami performed well in spite of being one of the first riders to start the TrialGP course on this wet and humid morning. Fortunately, the rain held off throughout the trial although showers during the night had left the terrain in a delicate state which made the second lap all the more challenging. Fujinami raised his game and occasionally flirted with the podium positions before posting fifth final place.
“I want to congratulate Toni, for his eleventh outdoor title,” said Fujinami. “Today was not an easy trial and today I wanted to fight to get a good result, but the terrain was very difficult. Jaime and I were very tight at the end and neither of us were comfortable. I finished fifth when I could have done better – I could have finished third but two fives prevented it. This week I will work harder to finish fourth in the final trial.”
The eighth and final event in the TrialGP world championship takes place next weekend in Arco di Trento, Italy.
