The countdown is on to the fifth round of the 2018 X-Trial World Championship, which will take place in the cradle of the sport. For the 41st consecutive year, Barcelona will host the sporting discipline that was born in 1978 thanks to RPM-MKTG.
The best drivers in the world will face off in a showdown with a new format and some new faces. Toni Bou, 22-time world champion and leader of the World Championship, is the big favourite and the opponent to beat.
The 41st edition of the Barcelona Indoor Trial, which will be held on Sunday, February 4 at 5 p.m. at the Palau Sant Jordi and will bring together the best riders in the world, has been presented at the Museu Olímpic i de l’Esport “Joan Antoni Samaranch”.
The Sports Commissioner of the Barcelona City Council, Marta Carranza, has encouraged drivers and fans to continue writing this story that began in 1978 and has taken the opportunity to highlight the role of all the protagonists:
“Don’t think that Toni Bou is the only rider at this party; You are all part of the legend.” The executive president of RPM-MKTG, Jaime Alguersuari, remarked that “only these riders, out of 7,000 million inhabitants in the world, are capable of doing what they do on a motorcycle. They are the elite of the elite.”
The X-Trial World Championship has a new competition format this season, with two qualifying rounds and a final in which, for the first time, only two riders take part. During the show, there will also be an exhibition of the world champion electric Gas Gas TXTe, a biketrial show and also a competition with the public and the new Mercedes X-Class model as protagonists.
Barcelona is the fifth round of an X-Trial World Championship that this year has 8 scoring races and will be the fourth race that the riders will face in four weeks.
Toni Bou – with 11 wins in Barcelona – and Adam Raga – with five – are the big favourites, although a resurgent Jeroni Fajardo and young talents such as Jaime Busto and Miquel Gelabert arrive strongly. Both have already been on the podium of the 2018 X-Trial World Championship.
TONI BOU (Repsol Honda Team)
“I’ve been carrying some discomfort for a couple of weeks, but I think I’ll be ready for one of the most demanding races of the year, my home race and in which I have the support of my fans. In Barcelona, motivation is always at its highest.”
ADAM RAGA (TRS Factory Team)
“Barcelona is always a very special event. Toni seems to be getting stronger every year, but I never give up on winning. The fact that the World Championship has eight races gives us more options to try to break Bou’s hegemony.”
JERONI FAJARDO (Gas Gas Factory Team)
“It motivates me a lot to ride again for the team where I took my first steps as a professional. I think we can be very competitive and it would be fantastic to give Gas Gas a good result in the benchmark test on the calendar.”
TAKAHISA FUJINAMI (Repsol Honda Team)
“This year I’m not a regular rider in the World Championship and my result in Barcelona will decide whether or not I’ll be in the next race. The new format can play tricks on Toni Bou and Adam Raga because it gives rise to surprises, but it’s what it is and it’s the same for everyone.”
JAIME BUSTO (Gas Gas Factory Team)
“I started the World Championship very well with the first podium of my indoor career, but I haven’t had any luck in the following rounds. I hope to be back on the podium in Barcelona, not only for myself but for delivering a success for Gas Gas in their home race.”
MIQUEL GELABERT (Sherco Factory Team)
“I would never have imagined that I would get on the podium in my first season in the X-Trial World Championship. There is no doubt that there is no greater or better motivation than this to keep working and progressing.”
HOW TO GET TO THE INDOOR TRIAL IN BARCELONA
Palau Sant Jordi
Passeig Olímpic, 5-7
08038 Barcelona
Spain
BY CAR
If you travel with your own vehicle, we recommend that you go to the Palau Sant Jordi through Carrer del Foc. There are ample parking spaces in the area.
GPS Position:
41.363485, 2.152609
BY METRO AND RAIL
Metro: L1 and L3 (Plaça d’Espanya)
FGC: L8, S33, S4, S8, R5, R50, R6, R60.
BY BUS
The buses that stop at Plaça Espanya that go to the Olympic ring are:
150: from Plaça Espanya/Mª Cristina, stop at Avinguda de l’Estadi
13: From Plaça Espanya, stop at the Olympic Stadium
55: from C/Lleida – Avinguda Paral·lel, stop at Avinguda de l’Estadi/Passeig Olímpic
Buses with stops in Plaça Espanya: 9, 27, 37, 50, 65, 79, 109, 165, D20, H12, V7 Bus Turístic and Barcelona City Tour
MONTJUÏC FUNICULAR RAILWAY
It connects with metro lines L3 and L2. It’s about a 10 to 15 minute walk from the pavilion.
ON FOOT
The Olympic ring can be reached from Plaça Espanya using the escalators from Avinguda Maria Cristina to Avinguda de l’Estadi.
