A victory for Toni Bou and a third place for Gabriel Marcelli end the first round of the season at the Palau Sant Jordi
A new season of the Indoor Trial World Championship got underway at the Palau Sant Jordi, Barcelona. It brought together a large number of fans, who witnessed an exciting first round of X-Trial action. Toni Bou added the latest win to his record, whilst Gabriel Marcelli was able to overcome the difficulties that arose and took third place.
Bou began a new season in the same position as he left off, winning the first event of the year. On his first lap he made just one mistake, whilst on the second lap the zones became more difficult for everyone. Bou was able to maintain the top spot, with just a single error, and qualified for the final. In the decisive round, despite the fact that the current World Champion started with a fiasco and handed first place to Jaime Busto, he managed to claw his way back and take victory.
Marcelli rounded off the rostrum thanks to his third place at the Palau Sant Jordi. The young Repsol Honda Team rider started well, accruing only four penalty points. On the second lap Marcelli made more mistakes that jeopardised his place in the final, but he managed to recover and qualify for the last round with a one point lead. In the grand final, the Galician fought with Busto for second place until the last zone, but missed out by a single point -although he managed to maintain third position.
Bou is the series leader with 22 points and Marcelli is third with 12. The second round takes place on March 15th in Chalon-Sur-Saône, France.
TONI BOU – 1st
“Without a doubt, starting the season here is special because it is our home race. I don’t know if it was the best edition of the Barcelona round, but it was very close. The level was rising as the laps progressed, but we managed to handle it well, especially in the final. We are still living a dream, so it’s time to enjoy it. Thank you to the team for the support and for all the work they have done during preseason.”
GABRIEL MARCELLI – 3rd
“I’m happy, but not completely satisfied. I wanted to win, but I didn’t have a good enough feeling to do it… Maybe I carried some extra pressure and I wasn’t able to perform as well as I wanted. Being on the podium to start the season is a good result and, in addition, we are free of discomfort and injuries, so I will take away the positives. For the next round we will seek to improve on the mistakes we made and fight to be at the top again.”
