The Repsol rider won the fifth and last FIM X-Trial World Championship round held in Nice.
As he did in the last two years, Repsol Montesa Honda rider Toni Bou finished yesterday evening this year’s edition of the X-Trial FIM World Championship unbeaten. His last victory was in the fifth round of the season that took place yesterday evening in Nice (France). The Repsol rider, who in the previous round had secured his seventh consecutive title in these series, reached his 36th success in this Championship and equalled the record set until yesterday only by Dougie Lampkin. With this result, Toni Bou increased his consecutive wins tally to 21 of a total of 56 rounds.
The rider from Piera and his team mate Takahisa Fujinami competed with the new 4-stroke engine in their Montesa Cota 4RT —Bou used it for the first time last Sunday in the second round of the outdoor Spanish Championship—. The necessary adaptation of the new engine to the indoor track was seen in the Qualifying, where both riders were penalized with 10 points. After that, Toni Bou offered a great performance in the semi-final (1 point), which was decisive for the final result.
The Japanese rider finished sixth, out of the final phase and finishing the indoor season in fifth place in the overall standings.
The FIM Outdoor Trial World Championship will start with the Japanese Grand Prix, next April 27th and 28th.
Toni Bou,
“We could not ask for more, two wins the first two rounds using the new engine is completely satisfactory. We had some problems in Qualifying, but in the semi-final I was already able to defend myself. This success feels great. I have no words to express my feelings after these 21 consecutive victories and these three years unbeaten in this Championship, which, as I said some times before, is my favourite. I feel very proud to have reached such results and to have such a good team around me”.
Takahisa Fujinami,
“Today I used the new engine for the first time and the lack of adaptation time affected me. I felt good, but there were also times which my confidence was not so great, which prevented me from achieving a better result. Nevertheless, my assessment of the Championship is positive. Toni [Bou] and Montesa won everything and I took podium places twice. From now I start focusing on the outdoor Championship, especially because this time it starts in my country”.
