The Repsol Montesa Honda Team rider achieved yesterday his seventh Trial World Championship, the fourteenth title of his racing career, including the indoor championships.
Toni Bou keeps increasing his track record. With 14 titles under his belt, he is the most successful rider in trial history, as he added yesterday his seventh win of the year that allowed him to extend his already long dominion. Since he arrived to the Repsol Montesa Honda Team in 2007, the rider from Piera –Barcelona– has been the absolute king of the category, gathering no less than seven Outdoor Championship titles and seven in the indoor series.
This title tastes better after having been forced to recover the lead?
“Yes, undoubtedly. It was so close in each race that the excitement of victory is higher. This title is very special for me”.
Now you can say that you matched the 7 Outdoor World Championship titles record set by Lampkin. What is your next challenge?
“I want to keep competing and achieve as much as I can. I had always said that my dream was winning a World Championship and after that keep competing in trial races, which is what I like the most and what I do”.
After your injury in England, did you think you would lose the title?
“This year things had been difficult in several races and then I was injured in England. Luckily the injury did not have any complications and I was nearly recovered for the next round of the calendar. On Saturday, during the first day of the French GP, I did not have great results, but the next day everything went well and I was able to secure the title”.
From the beginning you criticized the new non-stop regulations. How did it affect you?
“I criticized it because I was forced to change my riding style, to be less aggressive. I had to train at an easier level, something that any rider with a high level wouldn’t like. I also think that waiting in each zone for a control from the marshals is not very professional. It is what I liked less during this season”.
How did you see the difficulty level of the zones during this season?
“With the new regulation, the level required was lower, because the idea was that everyone would have a similar level. But I believe that if things had not changed, the differences would have also been very small. It was so close due to the level of the riders, not to the changes in the regulation”.
Which round do you think was the best?
“Probably this last one, because it was a very special day. But if I had to choose one for my riding it would be the one in England. I had a great race both days and I achieved two very important wins”.
“I have seven World Championship titles, which are a lot, but I want more. Why not?”
You had a new engine. In which areas was it improved?
“It is an engine much more powerful than the previous one. In races such as the one in France, at 2.000 metres above sea level, this extra power is very important. It was very difficult to make a difference from the 2-stroke bikes due to the difficulty of setting up the engine. This year it worked really well. Being able to ride at 2.000 metres and that the bike works as if we were at home is fantastic”.
Adam Raga made things more difficult than ever. Do you think you are both rising the riding and preparation level?
“At the Indoor World Championship I won the five races of the calendar and in the Outdoor they won by very few points, but I have to recognize that he has done a great World Championship. He raised the level and he was very good in many races, making things difficult for me. When the level of the zones is not very high, he is a very strong rival, because he never makes mistakes and he is very difficult to beat”.
Where do you get the strength or the motivation to keep evolving and competing at the highest level?
“The motivation is always the same. I’m very competitive, I’m 26, so I’m young, and my aim is to enjoy it. I have seven World Championship titles, which are a lot, but I want more. Why not? I keep looking ahead and searching for motivation to maintain my hunger for victory”.
Seeing all the titles you achieved, how many hours do you train per week to reach that level of riding and results?
“I usually train three hours a day on the bike, depending on how the season is going and if I have to recover from an injury. I also focus on my physical preparation and in the end is like a normal working day. Is a preparation like that of a gymnast, which requires a lot of work”.
After so many victories you must run out of ideas to celebrate this last World title. Have you something prepared?
“I didn’t prepare anything, as I didn’t want to think about a celebration until I secured it. It seems easy, but it’s very complicated and this year it was very difficult. I suppose I will go have dinner to celebrate it with friends and… we’ll see how it goes!”.
Now that the Trial season is over, what are your plans: holidays, training…?
“I am definitely going to rest, because I need to recover from the tendinitis in my left knee. This summer I didn’t have very long holidays, so I will try to have a few more days, but there are still the races of the Spanish Championship and after that we will try to rest for the next year”.
