The Spanish rider won the first day and the Japanese in the second. Their team mate at the Repsol Honda Team, Jaime Busto, finished eighth and fourth.
The Repsol Honda Team finished one of the most difficult trials of the season with two wins for Toni Bou and for Takahisa Fujinami. They both got on the podium the two days the round lasted –the Japanese was second yesterday and the Spanish was third today–, although Bou suffered a hard crash today and had to improve his position until getting back to the podium. Jaime Busto finished out of the podium today despite being tied in points with his team mate Toni Bou.
The rain that fell over Lourdes both on Friday and Saturday turned the French round into one of the most demanding of the year. It was a round that the Repsol Honda Team closed with two wins and two podiums, which Toni Bou and Takahisa Fujinami shared. If the Spaniard achieved a crushing victory yesterday, today it was the turn of the Japanese rider and he got on the highest step of the podium in Lourdes. Jaime Busto, who finished eighth on Saturday, completed today’s race with the same points as Bou, and got the fourth position.
After this round, Toni Bou still leads the overall standings, followed by Adam Raga –20 points behind– and by his team mates at the Repsol Honda Team, Takahisa Fujinami, third, and Jaime Busto, fourth.
Toni Bou
“We didn’t start very well today, with a failure just as we started. It was a trial low on points and the day was complicated. Especially when I hit the bike in a crash and then it didn’t work as before. I had to deal with those issues until the end, but I could recover and I was able to save it in the end. I already said it yesterday: in these races, anything can happen. Today I could have easily lost 10 points and I must be happy I lost just 2. We are 20 points ahead in the championship, but we must keep working.”
Takahisa Fujinami
“I’m dreaming! I don’t know how I did it. At the beginning I saw that Toni had failed and I was on top with Adam. The zones were drying and I thought that everyone would do better. I didn’t know the points the other were taking. In zone 4, with Toni, we tried a different line and we were the only ones that got a zero. It was a good team effort. I knew I was doing well, but I didn’t know I was 15 points ahead of the second. I wasn’t looking for victory, I didn’t expect it. I only wanted to fight for the podium, but today I was fully focused and it was as in the 2004 season. This victory is a gift and it’s very good for my motivation. I must thank the team, the sponsors and Montesa-Honda and HRC for their trust and support. I’m very, very happy.”
Jaime Busto
“Today it went a bit better than yesterday, especially in the first two laps, in which I think I did very well. I didn’t know how I was doing. Afterwards I realized that I was on the provisional podium. But not everything could be good; I made absurd mistakes in the last lap. The zones were slippery, but I don’t think it was a reason to fail so much. I think I’ve not been so close to the podium until today. Let’s hope we can do it in the next round.”
