On The Pegs December 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 12 | Page 160

On The Pegs
160
JORGE CASALES
If there was any thought of someone overtaking Toni Bou at the top of the
world trial order in 2020, the Repsol Honda Team ace put those concerns to rest
with a stellar performance at the season opener in the Stade Jean Ivoula, in Saint
Denis, the capital of Réunion in France, where he defeated TRS rival Adam Raga
by seven points. Bou made his maiden outing in the venue in spectacular style.
In the first qualifying phase, with competitors facing five sections, Bou was
already looking leagues ahead of his adversaries with just six marks on the score-
card. In the second, with only the winner of each group making the cut for the
final, the champion again lapped with a mere six penalty marks. In the final, up
against one Raga, one of his toughest rivals, Bou scored 10 marks compared to
the 17 collected by Raga.
“I’m very happy to start off winning,” said Bou. “For us it was really important.
Today I felt at ease with my riding, and I had a very good first round. I am also
very happy too, as this is the first time that I have participated here, with some
very technical areas. I want to congratulate the organizer for the marked sec-