DAY 1

DAY 2

BOU WINS FIFTH TITLE IN A ROW

Under heavy rain Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa claimed the 2011 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship, his fifth outdoor title in a row, by winning the second day of the Grand Prix of Europe held at Isola 2000, France. Bou was in devastating form losing only a single mark on his first lap to take the all important victory by eight marks from Adam Raga - Gas Gas who finished as runner-up both on the day and in the general standings. Albert Cabestany - Sherco completed the rostrum once again, and in doing so snatched fourth place in the series as Jeroni Fajardo - Ossa was disqualified for needing outside assistance to finish the Trial.

Heavy rain throughout the night and during most of today's Trial forced the organisers to modify several of the sections at the mountain venue. Despite the conditions Bou signalled his intent in the very first hazard, cleaning in some style as Raga was amongst many riders who suffered an early failure. Bou's faultless run continued for most of the first lap, with him only parting with a single dab in the last but one section. Already by the mid-point Bou was eleven marks in front of Raga, and had one hand on the title.

Even a mistake in section fourteen on lap two that resulted in a five could not spoil Bou's day, as although Raga responded with the best final lap score, Toni still took the victory by six marks and with it his fifth successive SPEA FIM Trial World Championship. Raga finished well clear of Cabestany who kept an off form Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa down in fourth spot. Despite a poor weekend for the Japanese rider he still maintained third spot in the championship and played his role alongside Bou in helping Montesa secure yet another Manufacturers' title.

James Dabill - Beta and Michael Brown - Gas Gas finished fifth and sixth respectively today, allowing Brown to overtake Loris Gubian - Gas Gas in the final standings and snatch a well-earned sixth spot in the rankings. Alfredo Gomez - Montesa made an impressive debut in the World Pro class, a day after clinching the Junior title, taking seventh position ahead of Jack Challoner - Beta. Italian rider Matteo Grattarola - Gas Gas demoted Gubian into tenth spot, as the French rider failed to shine on the second day of his home GP.

In the Junior class with no Gomez, Pol Tarres – Gas Gas and Francesc Moret – Montesa were left to battle for the runner-up spot. However, it was Jonathan Richardson – Sherco who recorded not only his first podium position of the season, but also his first victory with Alexandre Ferrer – Sherco finishing second and Moret completing the Junior podium line-up. Today's result left Tarres and Moret tied on one hundred and twenty nine marks apiece in the overall standings with Tarres taking second position having returned best overall results during the course of the championship.

The Youth Championship had also already been decided with Jack Sheppard – Beta taking the Youth title. Due to injury Sheppard settled for spectating at the final weekend of competition in the 2011 championship whilst his fellow contenders fought to climb the championship table.

It was young Swedish rider, Eddie Karlsson – Gas Gas who was to take the final victory of the season, recording his first championship win after a tough battle with eventual youth championship runner-up, Cedric Tempier – Sherco. Both riders finished on thirty-five marks and were also tied on the numbers of cleans, ones, twos, threes and fives leaving the winner to be decided on which rider completed the course in the fastest time, a competition in which Karlsson prevailed by the narrow margin of just one minute three seconds leaving Tempier having to accept second place with Steven Coquelin – Gas Gas completing the Youth podium.

The Trial paddock will reassemble in Italy in two weeks time, for the final round of the FIM Women's Trial World Championship and the FIM Trial des Nations.

DAY 2 - REPSOL MONTESA HONDA
Toni Bou is champion, retaining his world title for the fifth consecutive year

Toni Bou (Montesa Cota 4RT) won his fifth consecutive Trial Outdoor World Championship title this Sunday, after wining the eleventh and last scoring event and giving Montesa its victory number 150 in the world championship. To these five titles, Bou has added another five, also consecutive and always riding Montesa bikes, in the Indoor category. Born in Piera (Barcelona) on October 17th 1986, Toni Bou has been the only competitor on the podium in every event in this 37th edition of the World Championship. Winning seven events and with a total 39 world championship victories, he is third in the
historic ranking.

Toni Bou confirmed his new title the day after Montesa achieved its fourteenth Manufacturers’ World Champion title and one week after Laia Sanz revalidated her women’s trial world and continental championship titles (eleventh and tenth respectively). Also riding Montesa, Alfredo Gómez and Francesc Moret came in as winner and third, respectively, in the Junior category. Under continuous rain, Toni Bou was not content to finish in any of the first six positions (a result that would grant him the title) and he set the pace in the first lap. Takahisa Fujinami was fourth and Alfredo Gómez, who this time competed in the superior category, was seventh. Laia Sanz came in fifteenth in the Junior category.

Toni Bou: "When you win a title, you are never sure if you’ll win another. We’ve worked all year round to get here and this is the tenth time I’ve experienced such an exciting moment. Things went very well for us today, with a very good first lap and a new victory. This was how I wanted to win the championship, in which, as usual, there has been a lot of pressure. It doesn’t matter if your advantage over your rivals is larger or smaller, in a world championship there are always nerves and tension.”

Takahisa Fujinami: "I’m delighted for Toni and for Montesa-Honda as well as for my third final position. I’ve been thirteen consecutive years ending world championships in podium positions and I think I can be satisfied by that. It was a shame to have lost the podium position in the last zones, where I made more mistakes than I should have."

Laia Sanz: "It’s been quite a tough event physically, but on the other hand it’s been a good weekend to continue learning on wet terrain. I’m obviously very happy about Toni’s new world championship title and the team as a whole."

HONDA RACING
Weather: Saturday – Sunshine then rain / Sunday - Rain
Temperature: Saturday – 20 degrees C / Sunday - 16 degrees C
Attendance: Saturday – 1000 / Sunday – 2000

BOU TAKES TITLE WITH FINAL DAY WIN

Toni Bou – Repsol Montesa HRC claimed the 2011 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship by winning the final day of the series held at the French ski resort of Isola 2000. Bou on board his Cota 4RT went 2-1 at the two-day European Grand Prix to take the title by 13 points from Adam Raga – Gas Gas who kept Toni true to the end by placing first then second in France. Whilst Bou’s team-mate Takahisa Fujinami – Repsol Montesa HRC endured a difficult close to his campaign finishing fifth then fourth respectively over the two-days of competition, the Japanese rider still claimed third spot in the final rankings. Albert Cabestany – Sherco went 3-3 to beat Jeroni Fajardo – Ossa to fourth place in the championship.

The French ski resort of Isola 2000 has only previously hosted one other Trial GP, when it staged the final round of the 2009 series. Sitting 90 kilometres north and inland from the city of Nice the purpose built ski facility offers an abundance of stunning trials terrain, with the 15 sections being scattered across the surrounding mountainsides. The majority of the hazards being located on dry rocky outcrops and just four of the sections utilising the river that runs down the centre of the steep sided valley.

Saturday’s trial was all about Adam Raga as he correctly predicted the pending rainfall and made a run for home as early as the second section of the day. Whilst Bou tried to respond he simply could not match Raga’s speed over the ground, with the Gas Gas rider opening up a near 45-minute gap over his rival. The result being that Raga was already at section twelve on his second lap when the rain arrived, allowing him to produce a trial winning performance. In contrast Bou’s day fell apart as he was left out on a course that was becoming more slippery by the minute.

Thankfully Bou managed to salvage second place aboard his factory Cota 4RT, with Cabestany an even more distant third. Fujinami had his own damage limitation exercise to deal with after a poor first lap left him down in fifth. Although the Japanese rider did get to grips with the greasy conditions using the power of his four stroke machine on his second tour he was unable to move himself up the order. Takahisa eventually finished in fifth spot behind Fajardo whose own result looked in doubt as he suffered what initially looked like terminal mechanical problems once again.

Although sixth place or higher on the final day would have been sufficient for Bou to take the title, the reigning and already four times outdoor champion wanted to round out the series in style. Heavy rain overnight continued into the second day of competition and forced the organisers to modify several hazards. Having watched his closest rivals all fail in the opening section of the day, Toni signalled his intentions with a stunning and unequalled clean. This was just the start of an incredible lap for Bou who remained clean until the penultimate hazard where he parted with a single mark, this was Toni’s only loss on his first tour.

Raga had no answer to Bou on this occasion and found himself eleven marks off the pace at the halfway stage. Whilst Adam did respond with a strong closing lap, Toni could even afford an unexpected five in section fourteen on lap two and still take the win by a healthy margin. Cabestany finished third for the second day in a row, although along way back from the leading duo, but still in front of an off form Fujinami. Bou’s latest victory gives him his fifth SPEA FIM Trial World Championship in five years to add to the five SPEA FIM Indoor (X-Trial) Trial World Championships he has won during the same period.

Toni Bou (Repsol Montesa)
Trial result: 2nd / 1st Championship position: 1st:
“Obviously I am very happy to be World champion again and it was nice to do it by winning the trial today. It has been a tough weekend as yesterday was a strange race. Adam rode almost all of the trial on Saturday in the dry  and I had to ride many of the sections in the rain, that’s why there was a big difference in our scores. But today, although I was a little nervous to start with, I have been strong. My clean in the first section was fantastic and from that moment I changed my mentality. It has been a tough season fighting with Adam, as he too has been strong at times, but finally I am the champion again. I am so happy for me and my team, as we have done an incredible job.”

Takahisa Fujinami (Repsol Montesa)
Trial result: 5th / 4th Championship position: 3rd:
“To be third in the championship again is a good result for me as both Toni and Adam have been riding very well this year. I am not happy to finish the season in this way as it has been a very bad weekend for me. On Saturday the whole day was bad for me, I had no confidence especially when the rain came. Today my first lap was not good, but I made a small recovery at the start of the second lap. But then in the last five sections I made a disaster with three fives, so again my overall result was bad. So I am happy for my final ranking and of course I am happy for Toni and the Repsol Montesa team, as it has been a good year for us all again.”

Laia Sanz (Repsol Montesa)
Trial result: 13th / 15th Championship position: 21st:
“I was not feeling my best this weekend, already I was tired before the two days of trial began. It has been a difficult trial on each day, and although I tried to do my best, my physical condition has not helped me at all. I would like to have ridden better here in France, especially after winning the FIM Women’s World Championship last weekend.”

GAS GAS MOTOS
Raga closes the season with another victory in Isola 2000

The Gas Gas rider proved his excellent form and scored a solid second place at the championship.
The Grand Prix of Europe of Trial, played this weekend in Isola 2000, at the French Maritime Alps, served for ratify the excellent level shown by Adam Raga at the last World Championship races, as well for push to the limit the leader of classification, Toni Bou, and get a solid runner-up behind him.

On Saturday, with Adam opening the sections after his victory in Japan, the Gas Gas rider decided to risk the most. He went to play his own race and practically no stopped to study the sections. His demonstration in this circumstances allowed to distance himself in the standings and achieve a great victory. Bou finished second with 26 points, 15 more than Raga, and Albert Cabestany completed the podium with 50 penalties. Thus, the overall ranking was even tighter, with the Gas Gas rider to 10 points behind championship leader in the absence of the last day of competition.

For Sunday the goal was to keep pushing hard but an unexpected mistake in the first section of the day prevented Raga take the leadership. From that moment began a head to head that finally opted for Bou by 6 points. After the two main protagonists of the championship, Cabestany was third to 20 points from Adam.

The British rider Michael Brown again made a great race, finishing 7th and 6th, respectively, while the French Loris Gubian achieved the 8th and 10th place. Finally, Pol Tarrés would be the best representative of Gas Gas in Junior both days, finishing 3rd and 4th, respectively.

Àdam Raga:
"This time the opportunity to start first was pretty well for me on Saturday because, even though having to open the sections and taking many risks, I avoided a little the rain that fell mid-race. I think that we made a very full race the first day and I'm very satisfied with my riding. Our difference with Bou in the classification changed to 10 points, so we needed to keep pushing on Sunday. The goal was go to win again and finish the championship with another victory, but couldn't be. Still, I'm happy with the second place, mainly because of how it was achieved and for the level we have shown during the second half of the championship. This will give us great confidence for going to battle for the title next year, both me and whole Gas Gas team, whom I appreciate the work they have done, especially James, Bruno, Sam, Isma and Dougie".

SHERCO

WORLD - AN EXCELLENT WEEKEND FOR ALBERT CABESTANY
It was a very wet and rainy European Grand Prix.

On Saturday Albert Cabestany had a superb ride and finished in third place behind the untouchable Adam Raga (Gas Gas) with 11 points and Tony Bou (Montesa) with 26 points.

Albert Cabestany ended up on Sunday again in third place with 34 points, while Toni Bou (Montesa) won the title with 8 points. Adam Raga (Gas Gas) finished in second place with 14 points.

Albert Cabestany finished the championship in fourth place without competing in the Japanese round. A remarkable feat, which is the result of true teamwork between the rider, his supporters, Lluis Gaillach, Francesc Cabestany, Davis Sarrias, Paxau the preparer and the entire team

JUNIOR - ALEXANDRE FERRER PROVES THAT HE IS ONE OF THE BEST
On Saturday, Alexandre Ferrer finished on the podium in second place with 22 points, 2 points behind Alfredo Gomez (Montesa). Jonathan Richardson finished in 10th place with 63 points.

Sunday was a great day for the Sherco riders, who had two riders on the podium.
Jonathan finished on the first step of the podium and Alexandre finished second again.

Because of an early season injury that caused him to miss two rounds Alexandre was not able to contend for the title, he did however still manage to finish in fifth place overall with 100 points. Jonathan has demonstrated that he has all the qualities and talent needed to also contend for the title. He finished in seventh place in the championship.

The overall outstanding results of the SHERCO and MRS SHERCO teams is a direct effort of everyone involved, riders, minders, mechanics...

YOUTH - CÉDRIC TEMPIER FINISHES SECOND IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Cedric Tempier came to Isola 2000 with no pressure.

On Saturday he had a superb victory finishing six points ahead of Steven Coquelin (Gas Gas) who had 21 points and Giacomo Saleri (Beta) who had 28 points, Cedric truly flaunted his talent.

On Sunday both Cedric and Eddie Karlsson (Gas Gas) finished with 35 points. The winner was determined by using their finishing time. Eddie Karlsson won because he finished 1 minute and 3 seconds faster than Cedric. Steven Coquelin (Gas Gas) finished third with 39 points.

Second place in the Youth world championship was the reward for all of the hard work and seriousness of Cédric Tempier and the entire French Sherco Team that is directed by Didier Valade.

DAY 1 - RAGA KEEPS HIS TITLE HOPES ALIVE

Adam Raga - Gas Gas kept his title hopes alive as he took an emphatic win on the first day of the European Trial Grand Prix held at Isola 2000, France. Whilst Toni Bou - Repsol Montesa, who finished as runner-up today, is still the favourite to take the 2011 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship, he must now wait until tomorrow's final counting day to discover his fate. Albert Cabestany - Sherco made it an all Spanish podium by taking third spot, on a day when rain played havoc with the event.

Almost identical conditions defined the 2009 GP held at the same venue and as on the previous occasion it was Raga who correctly predicted the arrival of the rain and made a run for home as early as the second section on the first lap. The Gas Gas rider and eventual victor was at section twelve on his second lap when the rain arrived, whilst Bou was running nearly forty-five minutes behind him and suffering as the hazards became incredibly slippery. Raga's lap scores of six and five confirmed he had made the correct decision to race ahead, especially when compared to Bou's tallies of seven and then nineteen.

Takahisa Fujinami - Repsol Montesa was the second fastest finisher in the World Pro class, but he wrecked his chances of a podium finish after a poor opening lap left him down in fifth position and way off the leading pace. Although the Japanese rider produced a better closing lap performance, the damage had been done and he was unable to move up the rankings.

Cabestany rode a calculated Trial to take the last rostrum spot, as Jeroni Fajardo - Ossa incredibly managed to salvage fourth place despite losing nearly an hour to running repairs when his factory machine once again experienced serious mechanical problems. Jack Challoner - Beta recorded his best result of the season to date in sixth position by beating his British compatriot Michael Brown - Gas Gas on a most cleans tie break.

Whilst Bou must wait until tomorrow to be potentially crowned champion, Alfredo Gomez - Montesa was in no mood to wait to seal his title as he wrapped up the Junior Championship thanks to his fifth win of the season. Gomez took the victory by just two marks from French rider Alexandre Ferrer - Sherco who gave the home fans plenty to cheer about as he placed as runner-up on the day.

Pol Tarres - Gas Gas took an important third spot in the Junior division and now sits only one point ahead of Francesc Moret - Montesa in the general standings as these two Spanish youngsters continue to fight it out to become vice-champion tomorrow. Gomez will ride in the World Pro class on Sunday ready for his move to this category next season.

With the injured and already crowned Youth champion Jack Sheppard - Beta watching on, home rider Cedric Tempier - Sherco recorded a massive win to claim second place in the championship standings irrespective of his result tomorrow. Steven Coquelin - Gas Gas made it a French 1-2 as he took the runners-up spot today by finishing seven marks in front of Giacomo Saleri - Beta who finished in third position.

Bou has a ten point lead over Raga going into tomorrow's final counting day of the 2011 SPEA FIM Trial World Championship. With more rain forecast, all is set for an exciting climax to the series.

DAY 1 - REPSOL MONTESA HONDA
Toni Bou will face the event deciding the championship with a 10-point lead. Montesa achieves its 14th title as manufacturer.

Tomorrow, Toni Bou (Montesa Cota 4RT) will face the event that decides the 37th edition of the Trial World Championship with a 10-point lead over the other candidate to the title, after finishing second this Saturday, in the first session of the European Grand Prix. Toni Bou only needs to be among the first six on the second day of this last world championship event to be proclaimed champion for the fifth consecutive year. Takahisa Fujinami (Montesa Cota 4RT), fifth on this occasion, has assured his third place in the final classification. The rain had a notable effect on the results, although not on the winner, it did affect the rest of the participants.

Montesa has sealed the manufacturers' championship, raising its record of world titles to 14, the last six being consecutive, with the 4-stroke Cota 4RT.

Alfredo Gómez (Montesa) achieved his fifth victory in the Junior category this season, a result that mathematically ensures him the world championship title. Laia Sanz (Montesa Cota 4RT) finished thirteenth and Francesc Moret (Montesa), seventh on this occasion, keeping the sub championship in his sights.

Toni Bou: "I think I did a good race. Adam (Raga) raced in dry conditions and I did it with a lot of rain, especially the second lap. I think the result was positive. The work done to revalidate my title is practically over. Tomorrow I'll be careful and only think about the championship.”

Takahisa Fujinami: "We started with a fast pace as we knew it would rain. I entered zones without having observed them very much and this led me to make many mistakes, too many. In the second lap I worked for the team, passing through zones before Toni so that in these adverse conditions he could get an idea of the best route."

Laia Sanz: "After having won the women's world title and the European title last week, I competed without any additional pressure and I'm satisfied with the result. The second lap was quite complicated, with rain from the very beginning."