The Repsol Honda Team riders finished second and third respectively after the first day in Motegi, while Jaime Busto ended again just away from the podium, in fourth.
The third round of the Trial World Championship, the first day of the Japan Grand Prix, was held today at Motegi’s Twin Ring Circuit, where Toni Bou achieved the second position, which allows him to keep the lead of the World Championship with 54 points. His team mate at the Repsol Honda Team, Takahisa Fujinami, took a step forward and got on the podium in front of his home crowd. He finished in third, a position ahead of Jaime Busto, who confirmed once again his great start of the World Championship with a third consecutive fourth position.
With this result, Bou keeps the lead of the World Championship with Busto in fourth place and Fujinami in fifth. Tomorrow will be the second day of the Japan Grand Prix.
Toni Bou
“I arrived in this race feeling physically better than in the last one, but it took quite a lot to recover from the effort I did in my home Grand Prix, so I wasn’t at 100% either. Today, the trial was very demanding and I already hurt myself in zone 1 on a triple step. I started sweating and the bandage on my shoulder moved and we couldn’t arrange it. I suffered, but I’m happy with the second place. We hope to keep fighting tomorrow and leave with a good position.”
Takahisa Fujinami
“I didn’t start the day well, but I’m happy with how it ended. During my first lap, I fell in zone 3 and hit the bike quite hard. The handlebar and suspension rods were bent but we didn’t have time to change it and I continued as well as I could. We were able to change the front part before the second lap and then it went much better. I recovered, and despite Jaime [Busto] was strong, I was able to finish calmly. I’m very happy to have got on the podium here in Japan. It’s not only important for me, but also for the team, for Honda and for all the trial fans that came to Motegi to watch us.”
Jaime Busto
“Today it went well. It’s a pity that I miss the podium again by only one point, but I think it wasn’t bad overall. I made some mistake that I hope I’ll be able to make up for tomorrow. Today the zones were quite slippery and changed with every lap, but there were places to push a lot and I liked it. I felt comfortable and I hope I can improve tomorrow.”
