The Repsol rider achieved his eighth victory in Barcelona –with which he beats Jordi Tarres record– and increased his number of consecutive wins in the indoor World Championship –24– Takahisa Fujinami finished sixth.
Toni Bou’s love story with Barcelona continued this afternoon as the several times Champion secured his eighth win in the city’s annual round. An achievement that allowed him to beat the record of seven wins set by Jordi Tarres in this round. With today’s success –the third in the third rounds held up to now this season–, Bou keeps dominating the indoor series and increases to 24 his record of consecutive victories in this championship. His team mate, Takahisa Fujinami, was not able to get to the final round and finished sixth.
Backed by his home crowd at the Palau Sant Jordi, Toni Bou won the Catalunya Grand Prix of the X-Trial World Championship by showing a riding level above his rivals, which allowed him to secure an undisputable victory in the decisive phase of a round where he only received one point. In the four areas of the finale, Bou finished 8 points ahead of the second, Adam Raga, and 14 ahead of the third, Albert Cabestany. Takahisa Fujinami could not classify for that final phase as he classified in sixth place.
Bou will face the last two rounds of the X-Trial World Championship with a 21-point lead: the round in Milan will on March the 15th and only two weeks after, on the 28th, the curtain will drop with the Madrid Trial.
Toni Bou >> Audio
“Today we had a race worthy of the World Championship, with a very high level, so I’m very happy with this victory. It was great to see such a huge crowd, because in Barcelona the fans know this sport and for us their support is very important. I think I rode well and I felt comfortable the whole week. We worked a lot to prepare the bike for this race, that is very complicated due to the dust and even the water in some areas, as the enduro race is also held here. We already left half of the Championship behind and this win, together with the victory in Sheffield, were both very important. I am looking forward to Milan to try to win another Championship, because with these rules every round takes a lot of effort.”
Takahisa Fujinami >> Audio
“This year I didn’t get the result I expected, because my knee is not fully recovered yet. Since the Qualifying I tried to ride as well as I could and in the final we could see that the areas were of a very high level. It is a pity that I finished sixth, but I’m sure the good results will arrive, because I feel better every time. I want to thank my family, friends and fans that come to this race and that make it one of the most special rounds of the season.”
