On The Pegs March 2020 - Volume 5 - Issue 3 | Page 100

On The Pegs
T
oni Bou remained undefeated in the 2020 FIM
X-Trial Series after taking the win in Bilbao,
Spain, his fifth victory in a row, extending his
lead in the championship in the process. The Repsol
Honda rider got off to a slow start in Bilbao, however,
taking eight points in the opening stage, four more
than his arch-rival Adam Raga. Even so, he still suc-
cessfully qualified for the second phase.
Bou made the second round with a better precision,
dropping 12 points in the 5 zones, riding against fel-
low countryman Jorge Casales and Frenchman Benoit
Bincaz. Casales was the first rider through each of the
five sections, dropping maximum marks in each sec-
tion. Meanwhile, Bou was clearly the class of this trio,
his 12 points transferring him into the final.
In the final, Bou faced Raga in a great great battle
that has been very tight. In the end, Bou was a bit
more precise through the most demanding areas, giv-
ing him the win with with 9 penalties against the 12 of
Raga. With this triumph, Bou is the leader of the World
Championship, with 35-point advantage.
For the sixth race of the X-Trial World Championship,
where Toni Bou will arrive with the possibility of win-
ning a new world title, we will have to wait more than
a month, since it will be held on March 21 at Wiener
Neustadt, in Austria.
“It was a really demanding X-Trial right to the end
and that makes this fifth victory of the season even
sweeter,” said Bou. “In the Final I probably took too
many risks in some sections so I ended up suffering
more than I needed to. But this season has been really
competitive; Adam is riding really well, so this victory
is really important as it leaves me in a great position
to fight for the title.”
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