Toni Bou won the fifth and final date in the World Indoor Trial Championship held yesterday, Saturday, in the Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid. The Repsol rider started the round with the world title already in his pocket – the third consecutive for the Repsol Montesa-HRC team in this speciality – and once again he won easily, and what is more he was also able to make his debut on a bike that is destined for use in this year`s outdoor competitions.
On the selective classification lap Bou made his aspirations clear, as he only received three penalty points, compared to the fifteen awarded to his teammate Takahisa Fujinami, second in that round. On the final lap the riders came across zones that were much easier but which put more pressure on them because the slightest error would have been impossible to recover. Nevertheless the multiple championship winner did not blink and ended without any penalty at all.
Without a shadow of doubt Bou is the rider that has dominated this year`s World Indoor Trial Championship, winning four dates (Sheffield, Barcelona, Bolzano & Madrid) and second, just one behind, in just one, Marseille.
The other Repsol rider Takahisa Fujinami, started the fianl round with a chance of becoming the World Indoor Trial Championship runner-up. The Japanese rider, also on the new Cota 4RT with the latest specifications for outdoor trial, got ahead of his rivals on the classification lap, but on the final one he was not able to finish on the podium, he therefore stayed in fourth place in the overall. Fujinami got his best results in Sheffield & Bolzano, where he was second and third respectively.
Now that the World Indoor Trial Championship has ended the members of the Repsol Montesa-HRC team will turn all their attention to the outdoor calendar. On 22nd March the Spanish Championship begins, in Ibiza, then on 4th-5th April the first two rounds of the World Outdoor Trial Championship are held in Ireland; Toni Bou will be fighting to win his third consecutive title in this speciality.
Toni Bou
“I feel very, but very happy. We rode the new bikes for this year`s Outdoor Trial and I felt fine on it, with a lot of confidence from the very first moment. The first lap, with some very difficult zones, was incredible. I wanted to win here in Madrid but the responsibility is always a bit of a burden, but on the other hand I rode quite calmly because with the title already sewn up I did not have any other type of pressure. Four victories out of five rounds show how well the team has worked and I think that these results are the best reward for all our hard work”.
Takahisa Fujinami
“I am completely satisfied, especially with my first lap where I was able to see that the bike works very well. I started the second race in parallel with Toni, as this is what we had to do after the first classification round, and I knew that I had everything to lose. So I began with two points in my account from the very first moment”.
