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Toni Bou achieved today in France his fifth consecutive Trial World Championship, the tenth if we add the fifth he has in Indoor. The Repsol Montesa Honda rider got the crown for the fifth year in a row as the absolute king of the speciality when he won the last round of the calendar, closing in the best possible way a championship where he had to fight until the last zone.
You always say that to win a World Championship is more difficult than it seems from the outside, and this year the title was not decided until the last race. How was it for you?
“It is obvious that it is always complicated to win a World Championship and the other times it also was very difficult. A World Championship is always a World Championship, a competition where there are the best riders and this year it was very difficult, as it shows the fact that it was not decided until the last race. But with races such as the one today, where I had a very good riding in a surface that is usually very difficult for me, I am very happy. The more difficult it is to win, the sweetest is victory”.
You started very strong, with 5 victories in 6 races. But in the second half of the championship, Adam Raga made things very difficult for you and it was exciting until the end. How did those races go?
“Victories had a lot to do with the type of race. It is important when we have easy zones where a mistake can be decisive or races that where more difficult or with a very slippery surface, where there are more places where you can make a difference. Every time I started first it was very complicated to win, or when it was not like that, as yesterday, I had problems with the rain, that Adam [Raga], who started first, did not have. There are many things that have made it more difficult to win this championship, but today we had a very difficult race, we were together and it was a very important victory”.
The rules were more demanding for the winners of races and it was more exciting for the competition. What do you think about that?
“Maybe it was more exciting, but I think that for the public the show is not that beautiful. The fans want to see the best in the end, because this way they can see all the riders and follow the competition. But if Fujinami, Raga, Cabestany, Fajardo and I finish, people just go. The ones that are behind, which is also important that the fans see them, they find the zones nearly empty. Instead, if they are waiting for the riders in the area, they can see everyone. I think it is much more beautiful with the old rules”.
Seeing Adam Raga’s level, did you think at any moment that you could lose the title?
“It is obvious that Adam was very strong, he rode very well and he complicated things a lot, but in the end I won the World Championship with a 13-point advantage, which are a lot. He was more consistent than other years, he was always in front and he is always very dangerous. He made things difficult for us, because in the end you only win when you get three more points than the second, but we finished with an advantage of 13. I think it was a very positive Championship”.
They often talk about the low level required in the rounds. What do you think about this season’s level?
“The level of the races was never too high. This year there only was a really difficult race, which was in Andorra. The Japan race was also complicated, but due to the rain, that always makes the zones more difficult. But races specially prepared to be very difficult, there are very few”.
About the bikes, how do you see the evolution of your bike and those of your rivals?
“The evolution of the bike has been slow for some years because it still works very well. It is true that we have to start to work and evolve very fast, because the rivals are improving slowly, keep working and the increase the level. The idea is to work and go forward with the same will to win”.
10 trial world championships, 5 indoor and 5 outdoor. The 7 outdoor titles of Lampkin and Tarrés are not so far away: now you can say that you are going to try and beat them?
“Well, I think there is still a lot to do. We are closer than ever, that is true, and we are very happy with how things are going. The aim is, naturally, to win as many world championships as we can, be it six, seven or eight, we will see. We will try to keep the same level to achieve as many as we can, but I am not setting any goal. I will keep working the same way, because I do not think the way to work is to try and get seven titles. The right way to work is to keep evolving, try to be the best and win as many races as we can”.
Where do you think is Trial going in its evolution?
“I think Trial has to change, there is work to do to get it closer to the public. The fans, when they want to see a Trial, especially Indoor, they enjoy the show a lot, so the path to follow is to get it closer to the people, look for ways to make them enjoy Trial and keep working on that, because I think it is a very beautiful sport and we could get much more from it”.
And now… what is Toni Bou going to do? What are your plans from now to the end of the year?
“Holidays! It is obvious that it is something that is very important too, because we did a very good job and longer than usual, as we were not able to rest in August. We knew that the World Championship would be decided in these two months, august and September, and we did a special job. The important thing is that we achieved the title and we are now going to enjoy it, as there are no more races”.
