Bou makes it three wins in a row
An exquisite Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa proved once again why he is head and shoulders above his rivals as he completed his two-night dominance at round three of the 2012 FIM X-Trial World Championship in Marseille, France. The unrelenting Catalan outclassed his challengers for the second night in a row, cruising to a comfortable victory five marks clear of runner-up Adam Raga - Gas Gas. Albert Cabestany - Sherco completed the all-Spanish podium at the Palais des Sports arena, seven marks adrift of his slightly younger arch-rival and compatriot.

Bou laid bare his intent twenty-four hours earlier as he emerged from seven difficult sections during qualification having amassed just four marks. Despite picking up a further two courtesy of a time penalty no others came close to his score, the tough course punishing the World’s best Trial riders for the smallest of mistakes. Bou was the sole rider not to five section three, and the only rider not to pick up maximum marks in at least one section. Raga, meanwhile, was riding well. He was the best of the rest on Friday night, but Cabestany was close behind, setting the scene for a tense showdown between the two Spaniards in Saturday’s final.

The gruelling hazards took their toll on some of the less experienced protagonists, with Michael Brown - Gas Gas fiving every section in qualification and Alfredo Gomez – Montesa faring little better. Alexandre Ferrer - Sherco performed a touch better, but was punished heavily for time, while Pol Tarres - Jotagas showed glimpses of promises on his JTG debut. All four failed to progress to Saturday’s semi-final. Loris Gubian - Gas Gas roused his home crowd with an inspired performance on Friday. However, the Frenchman’s luck ran out in the semi-final as he was relegated alongside Jeroni Fajardo - Beta. The latter was extremely disappointed with his below par performance.

Come the final Bou made a rare mistake, losing his balance in section five and picking up maximum points. It was his sole error in what was one of his most polished rides this season. Bou’s team-mate, Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa was less graceful over the big steps. The Japanese rider’s flamboyant style and over-enthusiasm saw him crash out of a dual lane race spectacularly, his bike flying over the crowd barriers to gasps from the audience. It was the most dramatic of his exploits over the two-day event, and it resulted in a fourth place finish.

Cabestany was angry at himself for making a handful of uncharacteristic mistakes on Saturday night. His third place was by no means a disaster, but it does mean he leaves Marseille tied on points with Raga in the championship standings. Raga was more upbeat and satisfied with his riding. The series now takes a five-week break before commencing again in Madrid in early March, where Bou will attempt to keep his one-hundred per cent record intact and make it four wins from four rounds. Right now, few would bet against him if his swagger in Marseille was anything to go by.

REPSOL MONTESA HONDA
Another victory for Toni Bou, consolidating his position as championship leader. Takahisa Fujinami reaches the final again.

Toni Bou (Montesa Cota 4RT) continues unbeaten in the X-Trial World Championship after his victory in the Marseille Indoor Trial, the third scoring event. These three victories consolidate the position of the Montesa rider as leader of the championship with 21 points advantage over his two closest rivals when the competition has not yet reached its middle point. Toni Bou began the event displaying his superiority clearly in the qualifying lap held on Friday (6 points) and was again in front in the semi-final, with a single point. The multi-world champion adopted an aggressive tactic in the long zones, so as to avoid penalisation for excess time as far as possible.

Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa Cota 4RT) accessed the final again, after qualifying fifth (23 points) and ending the semi-final with 15 points. The Japanese rider was out of the fight for podium positions at the beginning of the final due to a bad fall in the parallel race against his team-mate, continuing with a pain in his shoulder that affected his performance in the remaining zones.

Toni Bou: "The zones were very long and required not only good technique, but also riding fast to get through them without exceeding the time limit. I chose to take risks and this led me to end the semi-final with six points less than the second competitor. I didn't change my tactics in the final, which I began adding five points in the first obstacle by trying to go too fast. I performed well and again felt very comfortable on the bike and confident in myself. This is a good time for me, I'm really enjoying it, every victory is more motivation to continue the struggle."

Takahisa Fujinami: "It was important for me to be again in the final and I achieved this after quite a close semi-final. It was a pity about my fall in the parallel race with Toni. I wanted to beat him, like with any other rival in the same situation, but I fell and hurt my shoulder badly. In that state, and later penalised another five points in the first individual zone, I couldn't look forward to anything better.”